Collar and bell for cat that's adopted us? *insects trigger warning*

[louthomson]

NDN had three cats, one of which was being badly bullied by another.

The bullied cat started spending most of the day & night in our house, to the point where the NDN called round and we agreed that as she felt more comfortable here, we'd feed and care for her.

We've never had a cat before, and I want to look after her right obviously!

Unfortunately she's started bringing home live prey - on two occasions young birds, and more recently three small voles / mice. I get that this is normal cat behavior, but...

On one of those occasions, the vole must have escaped her as it ended up creeping under a piece of furniture to die. We've just discovered the body, which in the meantime has obviously been hosting some very unwelcome visitors - I'm guessing these are some type of fly/larvae!

My husband is getting upset about having to regularly remove live prey, and I'm a bit concerned my young DS will soon encounter one.

So WIBU to get the cat a collar with a bell, and start trying to get her used to it? I think she's about two years old if that makes a difference...

Advice gratefully received!

I don't like collars on cats, but recently my ginger cat has gone into full on kill mode and I couldn't cope with the amount of things he was bringing back. So we got the quick release safety collars with a bell from Amazon. It has definitely slowed him down, but not completely. I recommend getting a batch because I can guarantee she will either lose the bell or the whole collar quite a number of times before she is used to it. Mine still does.

Either do not let the little killer out or make sure it has a bell.

she loves you, appreciates her new home and being rescued.
she's bringing you presents 🐱‍👤

Say thank you!

Trigger warning for insects? What sort of snowflakery is that now?

Trigger warning for insects? What sort of snowflakery is that now?

I don't like bells on cats - they're killers by instinct not choice, and it's most likely the slower, iller prey they take out. I think if she's 2 she'll find it hard to adapt to a bell. Try feeding her well at dusk. Accept the gifts that she brings you with a good grace. With a previous cat who was a keen hunter we found that if we mimed extreme gratitude and praised his kill the stream of gifts slowed down.

If she's a really skilled hunter, the bell won't make a difference. Lots of cats learn how to move without disturbing the bell

Mine also bit each other's collars off

Bells don't work; they learn to silence them till it's too late.

Try a Cat Bib or a Birdsbesafe collar.

The former works for any animal, but the latter is mainly for birds, so won't help with voles.

Oh, she loves you a lot not a huge fan of collars but above suggestions seem good

You could try keeping her in overnight, dusk and dawn is when they catch most things. It wont stop it, but might help to reduce it.

Mine are belled. Poundland collars are the cheapest ones (since they lose them constantly).

My killer removers collars like a boss. Bloody expert level.

I had my brothers cat while he spent six months abroad. He said she wouldn't tolerate a collar. She did, we got a reflective quick release and added a bell every time she killed until she had five bells. It helped a bit but not much. She did sound hilarious though.

She used to meow as she came in and if it sounded muffled we'd leap up and grab her before she could release her new toy in the house.

Or, get one of those cat flaps that you can lock so they can go out and not in, then you can check for presents when you let them in.

My current cat removes all collars but luckily is too fat to hunt (he was only collared because we got one that read 'DO NOT FEED').

Thanks for the replies - I did go out and get a collar today with a bell, having woken up to discover the bottom half of a mouse in the hall (not envy!)

So will start getting her used to it and keep my fingers crossed...

(And yes, I know it's supposed to be a sign of love and affection - I'm delighted she's happy here, but would rather not live with dead animal parts emerging at regular intervals!)

My best mate has a rescue cat.

He spent two years in the cattery because he'd got his paw caught in his quick release collar as a kitten and by the time somebody found him, it had become embedded in the skin of his neck. Those two years were because, after it was surgically removed, the skin wouldn't heal properly and kept on opening up as soon as he moved.

When my friend got him - which was because he couldn't stand the idea of the poor thing still not being able to be rehomed because nobody wanted a three legged cat with an open wound/constant veterinary bills - he had to keep him in a cage and only take him out to bathe the wound. It finally healed after six months, so two and a half years in all.

My cats don't have collars.

Domestic cats have a massive impact on our wildlife, it's really not acceptable. Either dont let it out or put a bell on it.

If the bell doesn't seem to be working add a second bell. Mine learned how to tuck the bell under her chin and muffle it.

She can't do it now because she had two bells.

We put a bell on a quick release collar for a cat that we’d rescued who was 3years old.
It didn’t bother her one bit.
Nor did it stop her from bringing into the house, all manner of wildlife.

Our cat doesn’t have a collar, but we also don’t have a cat flap so we can intercept anything she brings in. It does help that we have a utility room between the back door and the kitchen, and can contain her in there as an emergency measure if need be. We always keep her in overnight, and although she would happily live outside right now, in winter she is often just out for a quick wander after breakfast/dinner, and straight back on the couch.

She tends only to bring very dead things, tbh, but a woman I work with’s cat got badly injured when his collar got caught. I would rather take my chances with the “presents”.

Are you keeping the cat indoors overnight? Dawn and dusk are the worst times for hunting (or the best if you're the cat I suppose) keeping ours in has helped a lot.

How on earth do insects need a trigger warning? Rather undermining genuine trauma there, regardless of whether some people don't much like insects if they actually encounter them.

My two are proficient hunters, so I don’t have a cat flap. If I did, the house would be filled with dead and dying little creatures.

If the cats want in, or out, they have to ask.

We got our rescue cat when she was nearly 2. She’d never worn a collar/bell in her previous home, but adjusted to it fine once she was with us.

She’s a prolific hunter so it’s essential. Before we put a bell on her, she was regularly catching and killing squirrels and pigeons (despite being a tiny little thing herself).

With the collar on, her kill rate is far lower - she usually just gets a few mice/small birds during the summer months now.

Also, our cat flap leads into our kitchen, so we keep the kitchen door shut whenever we’re not in the house so that if she brings something in, she doesn’t have a chance to hide it somewhere in the house...