Did you bring home a new pet for the holidays? Welcoming a furry member to the family is an exciting time, and it can be easy to forget a few simple but important steps to ensure life with your new dog or cat begins on the right paw.

Get a head start on a happy, healthy life together with these tips.

A microchip is a tiny device, about the size of a grain of rice, that is implanted under a pet’s skin. This is done with a needle, so the process is much like getting an injection. Scanners at veterinary clinics, humane societies, and animal shelters across the country can detect these chips, and a national registry permits the return of microchipped pets throughout the United States and Canada.

Have you ever wondered what you’d do if your cat was lost? If you’re like many people you’d post pictures of Fluffy on Facebook and make an announcement. That’s a good approach to spread the word with or without a microchip. However, microchipping your cat is so simple and effective, there’s no reason not to do it. It only takes seconds to place the chip under your cat’s skin and yet, according to Petfinder, it increases your odds of being reunited with your cat by more than 2000%. “Less than 2 percent of lost cats that entered the animal shelters were reunited with their families.