A cat microchip lookup starts with the number, and you can only get the number by having the cat scanned. Any veterinary practice, shelter or animal control office will do it free and it takes seconds.
Once you have it, run it through a lookup. That tells you which registry holds the record.
What a lookup actually returns
Not the owner’s name and number — that is never published against a scannable ID. What comes back is which registry holds the record. You contact them, and they contact the owner.
- A registry name. Call them. This is the good outcome.
- The manufacturer only. The chip was made and implanted, but registration was never completed.
- Nothing. No participating registry holds it. The chip is real; nobody has claimed it.
If you have found a cat
- Get it scanned with a universal scanner. Ask specifically. A scanner that reads only one frequency reports a chipped cat as unchipped, and cats are disproportionately affected because many are chipped abroad or by rescues using ISO chips.
- Ask for a full-body scan. Chips migrate from between the shoulder blades, and a quick pass misses them.
- Run the number through a lookup and call whichever registry it names.
- File a found report with local shelters and animal control either way, and post in local lost-pet groups.
One thing worth knowing before you take a found cat anywhere: most missing cats are found very close to home. The median is around 50 metres from where they got out. If the cat looks well-fed and healthy, it very likely lives on that street.
If it is your own cat
Check it now rather than on the day it matters. Run the number, confirm a registry comes back, then log in there and check the phone number is still one you answer.
Two findings are common: the registration was never completed after the implant, or it still lists an old address. Both take minutes to fix and both are fatal if left.
Check a number · Register or update a record
Common questions
Can I look up a cat microchip without the number?
No. Every lookup begins with the number, which means the cat has to be scanned.
Can I scan a cat with my phone?
No. No phone can read a pet microchip and no app does it. It requires a dedicated RFID scanner.
Does a microchip track my cat?
No. It is passive — no battery, no GPS. It responds only to a scanner a few inches away.
The lookup came back empty. Is the chip broken?
Almost certainly not. It means no registry holds a record for that number — the chip reads fine, it was just never registered.
