Quick release collars keep getting lost

[lostindubai]

Anyone got any tips for me please? We've been going through collars and bells like crazy. Somehow, somewhere both my cats are losing them and as they are prolific hunters I kind of need them not to. My garden is like some grotesque rodent mortuary this morning

[Toddlerteaplease]

Put a tracker on the collar?

[SweetChickadee]

My cat wears a bell on his collar, and his licence tag too (not the uk)

He's very jangly

makes not a jot of diff - he catches all and sundry

[froglou]

Incase someone suggests it don't use anything apart from a quick realise safety collar! Anything that doesn't come away if pulled hard enough will kill your cat if they get caught or fall out of a tree ect.

Make sure he sizing is right, you should be able to snugly fit 2 fingers under the collar any more is too big.

The only other thing would be to take the bell off, I found my cat didn't like that so would loose her collar if I left them on, for me her collar is primarily so people know she has an owner (and don't feed or take her!) and its reflective for night time. :)

[Weedsnseeds1]

I don't think the bells work really. The cat's just learn to be even more stealthy and improve their serial killing technique. Are they microchipped?

[lljkk]

historically I found Poundland cheapest place to buy them, 2 for £1, but not last shopping trip (poo). Must look in QD...

[lostindubai]

Thanks the the tips everyone! Never thought of poundland for collars.

Yes they are microchipped but I do find the bells reduce the number of casualties. I probably wouldn't bother with collars if it weren't for the hunting (I put three bells on each!) They always come indoors for the night and then the collars come off.

Good idea about a tracker... Where's good to get them? Haven't seen them in Pets at Home!

[Palomb]

Bells do work but you need to put more than one of their collar which I see you're alreadydoing.

Are you sure one of your neighbours isn't removing the collars? My cats have had the same QR collars on for about the last 4 months now. We do lose them occasionally but really not more than a couple of times a year.

Put a tracker on and see if you e got busy body neighbour involvement.

[Kerberos]

Call me bonkers but wouldn't the jingling of a bell a couple of inches from your ear drive you mad? Everytime you moved. Jingle jingle. If I were your cat I would be losing them too!!

[Palomb]

They don't seem bothered by them TBH. We don't even notice them any more but they were a bit irritating at the start. I have a a garden full of bird feeders and loads of wildlife and love it. The cats do catch thing occasionally but I couldn't live with them out there needlessly massacring everything so we live with the bells. I think they reduce the killing by about 95%.

[poisonedbypen]

Ours loses collars too which is annoying because it has his magnet for his cat flap on & they are expensive!

[Watto1]

I'm wondering if taking the collars off every night might be loosening the clasp? My cat keeps his on permanently. He does occasionally lose it but not often.

[SVJAA]

Mine lose collars at a rate of about one a day! The big fella is fine, he's not a hunter, but my wee lass is (lots and lots of dead mice, we live near a park). I've taken to getting Poundland collars and bells for her. It seems to be working, ish.

[lljkk]

For DH birthday this year I got him the PAWS tracker (2nd off of Ebay). Ours allows downloads, doesn't let you find it if it's dropped in a field. Trackers can be expensive & the idea of losing one makes me cry. The trackers that you can find if cat drops them in a field are > £100 even 2nd hand, and the battery doesn't last all that long.

Bells are very helpful for finding black cats (who don't come in willingly) in the dark.

[lostindubai]

Hmm, trackers are a bit pricey then, might give it a miss for now!

Watto, I wondered that too, but the last two went after only a week

[80sWaistcoat]

Ours list them at the rate of two a week. We'd send them out with a collar on out the back door and see them in the front garden without it 5mins later. Helpfully one of them would bring them home though, retriever cat.

We switched to a microchip cat flap which worked out cheaper in the long run.