I finally made it down to Salt Lake County Animal Services to get my cats licensed and have two of them microchipped. I encourage fellow cat owners to do the same thing.

Here's why: If your cat is microchipped (which is free with a $5 license), it carries permanent identification, so it's vastly more likely that you'll get it back if it is lost.

Buying the license (a mere $5 if the cat is sterilized and current on rabies shots) supports the county and its efforts to run a no-kill shelter.

You can walk in anytime to do this, no appointment needed. The shelter staff is very responsive and helpful. With licensing three cats and microchipping two, I was done in less than 30 minutes.

Last, but not least, licensing cats is now the law. So, do yourself, local government and your furry friend a favor — license and microchip your kitty!

Kate Johnson

Salt Lake City