Microchip protruding

Question
Hello, I have a 4 month old Kitten (Dasher) and have recently had him microchipped. I pet him often and only yesterday felt a slight protrusion between his shoulder blades. I can actually feel the "grain of rice". It is only slightly out of his skin, from what I can see. He is a long haired cat. I am very concerned about this as I do not want my kitty to be in any pain. Is it possible that his little body is rejecting the chip? He does allow me to spread the hair surrounding the chip but not for long, so it is very difficult for me to get a good look at it! I plan on taking him to the vet but I'd like to be more informed before I go. Also, can you give the cons of having the chip in my kitty if there are any? (I am aware of all the pros)

Answer
The chip was not placed deeply enough in the skin and is coming out. Plain and simple. You need to ask your vet to remove the chip and then place a new one.

There is only one con to microchip implantation that is worth mentioning.  There have been scattered reports of tumors developing at the sight of microchip implants. This is very anecdotal information and there are people looking into whether this is occurring  in enough statistically significant numbers to worry about. (Just so you know, we are still implanting microchips at my practice.) If your cat goes outside I think it is worthwhile getting him microchipped again properly.

Dr. G.