Cats and collars - should they have one?

[Moln]

Bear with me I'm going to be posting here a lot I think!!! (new kitten!!)

My kitten is 15 weeks, he's had his vaccinations and is booked in to be neutered and micro-chipped in a fortnight.

THe burning question is - should I put a collar on him? He WILL be going outside (don't think I'll have a choice as he sits at the door meowing already!)

Are collars danger? I've a small on here, it's the quick release type, the bell on it seems to annoy the heck out of him (or more correctly he wants to catch the bell) but should he wear one so those without a microchip scanner (ie most people) know he's not a stray?

[WhoKnowsWhereTheSlimeGoes]

No, ours don't. I think the dangers outweigh the benefits too, ours are microchipped and have a microchip catflap. I do sometimes wish they had them on for their reflective properties in winter, but worry too much about injury to do it. I do like the idea of a tag with a phone number on though, not sure everyone would bother to take them to a vet if they were lost or injured and didn't have one.

[Moln]

Ooh thanks for that thread - I tried to do a search but I couldn't select to search in a particular topic (for whatever reason) at the time I tried, and 'cat collar' threw up a heck of a lot of searches

[RubbishMantra]

I put collars on mine, so I can attach their Loc8trs to them. Also a disc with their phone number/contact details on. I use the collars that break away quickly and I know they can both remove them because I find their collars around the house sometimes. The elastic ones are dangerous and can cause dreadful injuries, as described by other posters.

They are also chipped.

[timtam23]

I'm torn on this one because I know there can be significant risks with wearing a collar, but I don't think many people (unless they are cat owners) would realise that an uncollared animal could be microchipped. So my cat does wear a collar with nametag, it is a quick release one and I always check the clasp before buying so that I know it will separate under light pressure. Surprisingly he doesn't lose them too often although I always have a spare one at home ready to go, just in case. I would never use the fully elastic ones, ones with an elastic insert only or ones with no elastic but a buckle rather than quick-release because it seems a higher risk of getting entangled or a leg caught up in those ones.

My cat is in an urban area but other family live quite rurally & I noticed that none of their local cats have collars, maybe one of the reasons is that there could be a much higher chance of the cat getting caught up in some branches/vegetation by its collar?

[Wolfiefan]

Mine used to wear collars. They were stretchy affairs that were only fastened by Velcro.
Microchipped now and no collar. Collar injuries. Awful and can be life threatening.

[Cirsium]

My DM had a cat who nearly hung himself on a branch wearing a collar, luckily neighbours saw him. Also saw a RSPCA type TV programme where a cat was brought in with it's front leg through it's collar and the collar eating into the flesh of it's neck. It had been found in a shed, was almost starving and it's whiskers were broken due to lack of protein. The vet reckoned it had probably been stuck for days or even weeks unable to hunt or get home. They managed to save it and it became the surgery cat. My cat had his collar taken off that evening, he is microchipped and all rescues, vets, police and councils will scan stray cats as routine.

[shaska]

Second one from the top - 'precious' is our mad cat.

www.celiahammond.org/about-us/rescue-stories/

I wouldn't put a collar on a cat unless there was a very good reason and the release was completely infallible.
.

[MedusaIsHavingaBadHairday]

No collars here.. my Mum's cat almost died when it got caught (so called quick release). Neither of us have ever used once since, and we have had a lot of long lived cats! I don't feel they are necessary to prove ownership and my cats are microchipped.

[disneymum3]

My kitten doesn't have a collar. I took it off her because she kept trying to catch the bell, but would end up getting it stuck between her mouth. Each time it happened the quick release would be very hard to open and she would meaw in pain. So decided it wasn't worth it.

[Moln]

Tried it on him last night but ended up with he doing similar to Disneymum3 in he caught the bell so off it come.

I think the problem is I feel that it's required (that'll be because it was normalized when I was a child) and another part of me feels it's. unnatural

[Moln]

And gets in the way when stroking his head!!!

[abigamarone]

When I've used collars in the past I've partially cut through the elastic - any force and it'd break. I'd also regularly check for a snug fit without being too tight. Never had one come home with a collar missing.

[RubbishMantra]

Moln, I always remove the bell.

[ShakeYourTailFeathers]

Not sure how your quick releases work there - ours have plastic clasps that just push together and pull apart to open - so if they get caught on anything it just falls off. Because they get put on and taken off be me every day when they go out I know they release fairly easily.

A hearty scratch from a bag leg can get them off too! They do lose them occasionally.

Where I live (not UK) cats are not allowed by the city to be 'at large', and if my cat goes as far as just next door's garden, in theory the NDN are able to call the pound and have him taken away, should they see fit. And I would have to pay a fine to get him back

I'd far rather he have a collar so they can call me to get him than call animal services and put him in jail poor kitty

[aJumpedUpPustulatingBoil]

No collars here. I really hate them.

Two of my rescue boys came to us with huge problems caused by collars

One had been trapped and needed extensive surgery to save his leg and his neck was in a dreadful state. He was also emaciated as he had obviously been trapped for ages.
He used to scream when flies came near he, we assume when he was trapped (height of summer) he was plagued by them attacking his wounds.

The other had been abandoned as a young cat wearing a collar. He had continued to grow and by the time he was caught the collar had to be surgically removed. For years he wouldn't let anyone stroke him on the neck.

[CleaninQueen]

Mine have worn them before, mainly to try and save wildlife. Although they kept loosing them so now they don't

[Queenofknickers]

No collars on ours - they are from thecatneuterers rescue so we were informed of the dangers luckily

[DraaaamaghAlpacaaaagh]

I would never put a collar on a cat.

[RubbishMantra]

He used to scream when flies came near he, we assume when he was trapped (height of summer) he was plagued by them attacking his wounds

As I said upthread, I only use the snappy ones, and I bend in the plastic catches to make sure they release under the tiniest pressure. Those elastic ones should surely be banned.

Reading that has made me seriously reconsider any collar though.

[3bunnies]

I have wondered about putting a paper collar on to introduce boy cat to the neighbours. I have told our immediate neighbours but he often goes behind to a retirement home - I imagine he has a few fans there as he loves curling up on a quiet lap. I wouldn't like them thinking he was abandoned. Girl cat finds it an effort to go out of the house, let alone out of the garden. Think it would probably be a bit pfc to put a paper collar on!

[basildonbond]

We put a collar on our Battersea cat when we brought her home as I thought that was just what you did .. The very first time she went into the garden she climbed the big tree and got her collar stuck on a branch - it was supposedly a quick release but didn't ... Thankfully she wasn't too high so dh could use a ladder and get her down. She's never worn one since

[ThrowAChickenInTheAir]

No collars on our two. They are microchipped and def don't look like strays.

We tried on one when he was younger but he hated it and always wriggled out of them. I prefer them withouth tbh.

[Redhead11]

My two wouldn't tolerate them. I recently heard a story of a cat that was hanged by its collar and the same family had a narrow escape when their other cat got its paw caught in the collar - only because it was inside with someone there did it not have severe injuries. The rescuer got pretty badly scratched, though.

[GoldenKelpie]

When my two boycats (who are chipped) were old enough to go outside I had bought fancy collars for them you know, fake diamonds et , they disappeared in no time. I bought another set and they didn't last long either. Over time I replaced the collars, but cheaper obviously then searching for collars on sale, any colour. Eventually I cottoned on to the fact that my cats didn't like collars. Interestingly they still caught prey when wearing collars with bells.

OP, if your cat is chipped you probably don't need a collar. However, it depends on the cat, you could try it out and see what happens. Abigamarone's idea to cut the elastic a bit is a good one, or RubbishMantra's to bend the plastic catches a bit so they come apart if caught in a branch.

[PfftTheMagicDraco]

No. It's pointless, they just remove them. There are loads of cats round here and none of them have collars.