| An American Kitty in Australia (at the local RSPCA)
From the RSPCA Media Release:
An American in Brisbane. RSPCA staff go above and beyond the call of duty!
It’s not every day that an American turns up in a cat trap in Brisbane! Mind you, to further confuse things he’s actually a fine looking Bengal male. Confused? Well let’s start at the beginning.
When RSPCA Qld veterinary nurse Shannon Whiting and veterinarian Vickie Lomax first examined the male Bengal cat that had been caught in a cat trap in Brairwood Street in Carindale last week, they were pleased to discover it had a microchip.
Normally this means the animal can be reunited with his owner fairly quickly. The only problem was that this microchip did not come from Australia. Vicki then rang the Quarantine Department who said they were unable to search for microchips but thought it could have come from either Canada or the United States. Frustration!
Shannon went on the internet and found three companies that manufactured microchips and one called Avid in Norco, California replied. A lady called Lori said the chip was made by a company called Home Again in Kenilworth, New Jersey. Shannon contacted them and they traced the chip back to Sea Island Animal Hospital in Beaufort, South Carolina. Unfortunately their records only went back to 2000 and they couldn’t find the chip listed. More frustration!
Meanwhile Vicki had also contacted another person at Home Again who said they thought the batch numbers could have originated in Rockville, Maryland. When she contacted Rockville, they referred her back to South Carolina! Shannon and Vicki had come to a dead end. They contacted numerous vet surgeries who said they would make some phone calls and see if anyone knew an American or someone recently returned from America, who had lost a male Bengal cat. So far no luck!
In the meantime the American Bengali remains at the RSPCA. Staff and volunteers had wanted to call him Randy but decided that since he was de-sexed this might be inappropriate. He’s now nicknamed Bruce. Very Australian but also the chosen moniker of one Bruce Springsteen who penned...Born in the USA!!!!  | 
03-20-07, 04:33 am
