Why Can't I Embed an AirTag in my Cat?

Very stressful for me is the thought that Vanta, my beloved calico cat, will dart through a temporarily opened door or figure out how to climb over her 4-foot-high catio wall and bolt, never to be seen again.

To give myself a fighting chance in the event such a disaster occurs, I've done the following:

1. Had a chip embedded in the back of her neck right after adopting her from the shelter four years ago. Supposedly if she's found and taken to a vet, they can scan her after finding she has been chipped and get all her registered home location information, contact me, and have me come and get her. 

Here's the thing, and I don't know why I'm so stupid as to only realize the following after 43 years of owning chipped dogs and cats: HOW DO I KNOW THE CHIP REALLY WORKS? 

On my upcoming visit to the vet the first thing I'm gonna do is have them use their chip reading device to see if Vanta's info comes up; I'll report on the results then.

2. I've loaded her collar, which has her name and my telephone number and address clearly displayed, with BOTH an AirTag and a Tile (top).

I tested the AirTag and Tile as to how far from my phone they will emit a locator signal: it's around 200 feet at best, and if she got out there's an excellent chance she would get beyond that distance.

However, Apple's Find My network in conjunction with the AirTag is said to use a nationwide Apple network connected to every iPhone to help pinpoint AirTags.

I just hope I never have to use it!

I feel terrible about all the hardware she has to carry around and so a couple years ago I adopted a new policy: I only put on her collar when she goes out onto the catio. Even then I frequently don't bother.... shame on me.

But I digress.

I asked Perplexity Pro, my excellent AI, if I could safely embed an AirTag in my cat and it replied "You should not do this."

It then went on to give a lot of excellent reasons why not (below).

So I guess I'll just have to wait till Apple or someone creates a medical-grade AirTag that, like a pacemaker, can be permanently embedded. 

I would pay A LOT for such a device and I'm certain many others would as well.

Peace of mind is worth a fortune.