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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

I think someone is removing my cat's collar

29 replies

Writtenbyme · 01/07/2015 15:17

Why would anyone do this?

Collars don't seem to annoy him yet everytime I put one on him it will disappear within about 48 hours. At first it was a bit of a joke and we laughed about it but we are now 5 collars down and I am wondering if it is being done on purpose.

If he was doing it himself I really can't imagine that he is clever enough to pretend not to be bothered then sneak out and remove it where we can't find it.

I have had cats remove their collars in the past but they usually show off their collar removing skills in front of me.

Any ideas?

OP posts:
thecatneuterer · 01/07/2015 16:01

Unless it's a very dangerous collar and you've got a very cat welfare conscious neighbour then I suspect he's losing them himself. Why do you bother with a collar though?

cozietoesie · 01/07/2015 16:01

Oh I reckon he'd be clever enough - they can be quite sneaky when they wish. Many cats are master escapologists when it comes to collars. Smile

IHaveBrilloHair · 01/07/2015 16:04

My cats had collars which they'd lose, then a couple of months back, one cat went missing for a week then came home with her leg stuck in her collar and all mangled, we nearly lost her, she needed an op, meds and stitches, I took all the collars off and binned them immediately, my cats are clearly not strays and all are chipped.
You really don't need the collar.

Original poster
Writtenbyme · 01/07/2015 16:11

I didn't bother with collars for years because of the safety aspect but there has been an increase in cats going missing in my area. In case there is someone taking the cats but believing they are rescuing them I decided to start using collars again. And they are collars that have a clip that comes apart without much pressure. It did cross my mind that someone might be removing it because they don't agree with it though.

OP posts:
IHaveBrilloHair · 01/07/2015 16:14

Mine had the clip ones too, Matilda's didn't release.

IHaveBrilloHair · 01/07/2015 16:16

I'd never remove another cats collar though, whilst they terrify me now it's not my place.

cozietoesie · 01/07/2015 16:18

Is he chipped, Written ? I've had a bunch of cats who have regarded collars as instruments of torture and won't wear them so I haven't even attempted to collar them for many years.

Almost the first thing a rescue or vet would do with an apparent stray would be to check for the chip - and if someone is not interested in establishing ownership, it wouldn't take much to remove a collar after all.

stareatthetvscreen · 01/07/2015 16:20

yeah they can get them off themselves no problem :) we used to find collars hanging on bushes

Original poster
Writtenbyme · 01/07/2015 16:26

Yes he is chipped.

Fair point. If someone wanted to 'rescue' him they would just remove the collar anyway.

So maybe my logic is flawed. Grin

It just seemed the wisest thing to ensure he doesn't look a stray.

Ihavebrillo - I actually had a similar incident with an elastic collar. My cat (different cat) got her leg stuck and cut her stomach badly climbing over a wall to get home. I thought the clip type collars would be safer so thanks for showing me otherwise.

Ok. I will ditch the collar! (Or rather not replace it.)

But the mystery still remains!

OP posts:
ShootTheMoon · 01/07/2015 16:56

We had this - with the quick release clip collars, which we had with 2 or 3 bells on for one if my killer cats. Her collars suddenly kept disappearing. Funnily enough she was then 'stolen' by a horrible neighbour (with form for stealing cats - three from our street over the decades, the last of which had just died). Mad cat stealing lady was responsible for the cat theft so I wouldn't be surprised if she took the collars too.

Do you think anyone is feeding him or anything?

jeanswithatwist · 01/07/2015 21:59

friend of mine has a cat that keeps coming home with a different collar on. someone is taking her collar off and putting one on so they know he isn't a stray. this really pisses me off.so many cats needing a home, why do people take other peoples cats. i regularly see lost cat posters where i live which makes me really scared about our cat going outside but i don't want her to be a house cat so we have done our best to make our garden cat proof (she is chipped and doesn't have a collar). i don't want anyone to feed my cat, feed your own bloody cat!!

patienceisvirtuous · 01/07/2015 23:04

I use the safety collars, and we do lose a few because they come off easily (as intended).

We just accept it as a disposable cost and buy cheap ones.

However, ours have id tags on too with our door/street no so most of the time they get posted back through our letterbox by the neighbours :) might be an idea.

Ps ours are chipped too...

Chicanana · 03/07/2015 19:54

My cat hated collars, I tried a few different ones and stopped in the end because he used to take them off when out. We had to tape down the magnet on his cat flap at the time. The cheeky sod once brought back the neighbour's cat's collar but never his own!

He's always been microchipped so if anything happens I just hope whoever finds him takes him to be scanned. Unlikely though. I was told by one of the local councils that they would scan dogs but not cats :-(

CatsCantTwerk · 03/07/2015 19:59

Please don't use collars on your cat, they are cruel and dangerous. There is a cat lives over the fence from me and he has a new collar on pretty much every week, I am always finding them in my garden so throw them over the fence. I wish his owner would just realise he does not like or need one.

annatha · 03/07/2015 20:11

One of my cats was coming home without a collar frequently, then he came home with a new collar on Hmm make sure he's chipped and I'd give the vets a ring, luckily we'd mentioned the new collar thing to our vet, so when bitch neighbour tried to register him at the vet she got a telling off and we were notified.

darksideofthemooncup · 03/07/2015 20:15

I use the quick release collars on one cat who is super friendly and roams far and wide. It's also reflective as he is a dark tabby and I worry about him being visible on the road if he is out at night. I've lost a few but I'm loathe to stop using them.

darksideofthemooncup · 03/07/2015 20:16

He is chipped too

AnulTheMagnificent · 08/07/2015 21:50

We had this too, first the id tags were going from the collar, I kept replacing them, thought maybe they were falling off so got a new collar, then another. I always used the safety collars so there was a chance they were coming off, but odd that the first one never did, only the tags.My cat was also staying out for longer and longer and would appear from the same place when I went to find him.

In the end I kept my cat in and made an outdoor run. Shortly after that a new cat turned up and was sitting at the house where mine had been coming from, it looked very much like mine.

I am positive they were trying to keep him. Would never let a cat roam again, so many are being stolen for dog bait.

MrsJbc01 · 03/09/2022 01:15

Yes removement of collar is happing to my cats too, I have never used them ever before but as young kittens they were both very nervous and a bell on a black cat is very helpful when they got out one evening was a relief to hear the bell in the garden. But I am very worried about his missing collar suppose it’s a good meaning neighbour either way I wish people would leave well alone

Toddlerteaplease · 03/09/2022 04:31

My parents cat frequently looses his collar. Unfortunately for him it usually gets posted back through the door. He was highly offended by the 'do not feed me' one. My dad told him it said 'very handsome cat on it'.

sausage767 · 03/09/2022 04:56

stareatthetvscreen · 01/07/2015 16:20

yeah they can get them off themselves no problem :) we used to find collars hanging on bushes

This… one of my cats ‘lost’ a few collars. We found 2 of them hanging on a low stubby branch of a rose bush. Cheeky moo.

MrsJbc01 · 03/09/2022 12:46

Worried about this happening to my cat because when he came the other morning I am sure he gave a kind of screams meow with relief to be home with his sister

ofwarren · 03/09/2022 12:55

This post is 7 years old

MissMaple82 · 03/09/2022 13:11

Collars are unnecessary and are a risk.

MissMaple82 · 03/09/2022 13:11

Hahaha ffs