Are cat collars a good idea or not?

[bodenbiscuit]

I'm very worried about our kitten getting out because she's a Ragdoll so should be a house cat. She is very laid back and I don't think she'd have much road sense. I am going to get her microchipped but I think I would feel safer if she had a collar so that if someone found her they could immediately see where she comes from.

However, I've also heard that cat collars are really dangerous. So I don't know what to do. When I was a child, our cats always had collars with no problems but these days people seem to be opposed to them don't they? There have been a few times where I came home and someone had left the from door open and I literally nearly had a heart attack.

[LivingInMidnight]

It's a zombie thread...

[Weedsnseeds1]

As a previous poster said, you could lead train the cat if you wanted to exercise him outside, buy use a harness or jacket with a lead on a cat, not a collar. I would go for the chip option.

[Toddlerteaplease]

Mine wore one. It as they are long haired got terrible matts round their necks. I cut one off and cut her neck. They will never wear one again!

[6cats3gingerkittens]

I put collars on all my cats, they are labelled, chipped, and bell wearers. It makes them look owned and cared for. The collar and the chips have Brought them back to me when two of them went on a walkabout.
Also the collars are fluorescent. Cats show up on dark roads that way. None of my 11 cats have ever been harmed by a collar.

[MsWazowski]

When I first had my cat I asked the vet what she thought about collars, I thought I would have one with a bell to limit hunting. The vet said that, although rare, she had seen some horrible collar injuries and did not use them on her cats.

Cat is 11 months old now, never had a collar, comes and goes as she pleases (locked in at night) and has never brought in any animals...she's probably a rubbish hunter though. TBH, I'm not sure what her reaction would be to a collar, utter disgust I imagine

[abigamarone]

I started off with collars, cutting halfway through the elastic. But one of them still managed to get it caught in his jaw when the other cat caught his claw in it (they were fighting) luckily I was there to sort him out, I'd hate to think of him being in that level of distress on his own. I'd still consider one of the quick release ones but the amount of cutting through I'd be doing would probably make it pointless.

[IHaveBrilloHair]

No, mine had quick release ones but a couple of months back one went missing for a week and then came home with her leg mangled and stuck in her collar, she needed an operation, meds and stitches.
I took all the collars off immediately and will never use one again.

[code]

Blimey according cross post. That's terrible your poor cat. I guess that one was faulty. How awful. OP I test mine, keep pulling them apart and when on the cat give it a tug and check it releases.

[code]

The new safety collars DO come off though, very easily really. I'm always finding our ones collars hanging from branches or bushes or lying on a wall somewhere. There is no way they would be able to hang themselves by their quick release collars (which was a real concern). I use Ancor ones.

[AccordingToOurRecords]

I had a quick release on my Siamese, problem was it didn't ( iykwim). I found him hanging in a tree in the garden.He was in a bit of a state and lost his voice for a while. It could have killed him. I'll never put a collar on a cat again.

[Lovethesea]

I don't like collars for the safety reasons for the cats. We are surrounded by hedges and tons of strangle opportunities.

Mine are microchipped and look well enough to be not strays.

I've put posters through doors when Feistycat disappeared and lots of people recognised her and said they had seen her around. (We found her in next doors garden unwell and hiding....they have a dog!)

I have a very effective hunter but wouldn't ever use a bell. I know plenty of people disagree but I think an animal that is so acute in hearing must be made very unhappy by constant ringing when it moves.

Huntercat likes to kill and eat fresh raw food. I feed him plenty of alternatives but that's his nature and I think our local swearing blackbird does a pretty good job of pointing him out in the garden. Once he is over the fields he is just acting like any other prey or hunter animal. He does eat his catches, including rabbits, so it's very hard wired into him.

Two gardens down there is a beautiful working hawk that is often tied on a perch in the garden......he has never bothered with that bird!

[mmmuffins]

If you are worried about someone stealing her, I'm not sure how a collar would help. She is a well-kept pedigree, so no one with a brain should mistake her for a stray.

If you are worried about her getting out and disappearing - I used to keep my bengals as indoor cats, and one was a bit of an escape artist. After 15 minutes of freedom he would just sit outside of the house and meow until someone let him back in, he never went far. They are outdoor cats now, and I would never put collars on them, completely pointless and dangerous. They are microchipped with my details should they ever be lost.

[Methe]

I use quick release collars with two bells on. I not only have a responsibility to my cats I have a responsibility to try to limit the amount of birds they catch so the bells are non negotiable. If they were out catching bird all the time I'd keep them in.

[Wolfiefan]

Defo microchip. We used to use stretchy collars that were only held by Velcro. Now we use nothing.

[bodenbiscuit]

Thanks for replies. I don't intend to let her out. I think someone might take her. I was just thinking that if I put a collar on her at least if she did get out accidentally someone might bring her back if they found her.

However, I've tried putting a collar on her and she keeps getting her jaw stuck in it - she goes mad when I put it on. So maybe it's never going to happen!

The vet has recommended getting her neutered at the end of August and said that we could have her microchipped then.

[BlueKarou]

I gave GingerCat a new collar. She trotted home that evening all proud, head held high, collar very much missing.

I guess it means the quick release aspect is working.

I wanted her to wear it so she had a bell to give the local wildlife a fighting chance at escape.

[code]

Rag dolls don't jump or climb well do they? If that's the case and you have fences or high walls they probably won't leavve the garden anyway.

[coreyp]

Isn't the big issue here the Ragdoll breed? Sorry from what I've read, they just shouldn't go out except under supervision. Chip is a good idea even if you never intend to let them out.

Friends have lead-trained theirs.

My cats are moggies. Belled collars help me find them in the dark & help save some of their would-be prey.

[FreckledLeopard]

We have five cats and don't use any collars. I'm still fearful that a quick release collar wouldn't be much help if they trapped a leg through it or something.

They're all microchipped and we have photos of them all in case they do go missing. I just wouldn't risk it with a collar.

[Mabelface]

None of my 3 cats have collars and I prefer it that way. They're all chipped.

[Tinfoiled]

I have just put quick release collars on my 2. I was/am a bit worried about the reports of collar injuries but assuming the quick release ones would stop this happening?? Although mine are also chipped, I prefer them to also wear a collar if possible, so they look like 'owned' cats if that makes sense, plus the dc really enjoyed picking the collars out for them (the cats are still a bit flighty with dc and thought them choosing collars would help them bond a bit more with cats!).

[chockbic]

We have a collar for Jack. It's reflective, so when he loses it X 2, we use the hi tech solution of a torch

[PinkSparklyPussyCat]

H wears a quick release collar as not everyone knows to get a cat scanned for a microchip.

[code]

I use quick release collars. They do come off if they get caught on a branch or something. I use loc8tor attachments so I can call and track the cat but they also allow me to find lost collars so a good investment. I like a collar for the purpose of the loc8tor and that the cat looks owned.