WELLS — Thanks to the help of a microchip, a cat rescued from a tree will soon be reunited with its owner in Wells.

On Monday, Wells police and fire departments rescued a cat that had reportedly been stuck in a tree for a few days.

The Wells Police Department posted a video on its Facebook page of a firefighter in the bucket of a ladder truck hoisted to a tree branch where a cat remained after climbing up the tree.

The firefighter reached over and picked up the cat, which had been screeching and mewing loudly in distress, and the cat and firefighter were returned safely to the ground.

The cat, which is currently at the Animal Welfare Society in Kennebunk, had been implanted with a microchip with contact information for its owner.

The owners have been contacted and the cat will be reunited with them this week, said Stephanie Kelley, marketing associate with the Animal Welfare Society.

Microchips are implanted near the shoulder blades of a dog or cat. The microchips store contact information on the pet’s owner, and the information can be retrieved with a scanner, on hand at many animal shelters, veterinary clinics and police departments.

“That’s the first thing we check, when a stray pet is brought in,” said Kelley.

The chip is about the size of a piece of rice, and implanting the device is a relatively quick and painless procedure, she said.

The AWS recommends pet owners get their cats or dogs implanted with microchips, Kelley said. The microchips are particularly important for cats, who unlike dogs, don’t have to be licensed, and don’t typically wear collars. The chips can also provide helpful information when implanted in a dog who may have lost their collar.

One common misconception is that microchips are GPS trackers, but this is not the case, Kelley said.

“They are very helpful in returning cats (or dogs) if found, but they are not tracking devices,” she said.

The AWS veterinary clinic offers microchip implantation for $10. For more information or to make an appointment, call 292-2424.

—Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 780-9015 or email egotthelf@journaltribune.com.