To collar or not to collar?

[refusetobeasheep]

I'm in the midst of introducing my 2 6 month olds to the outside world. Finding it mega stressful whenever they disappear from the garden. So i've just got them some reflective quick release collars with my contact details on as i'm currently paranoid about them getting lost, Not that they've shown any sign of that yet, they're also micro chipped. Currently they're not best impressed with the collars but wondering if I should persevere with them. Thoughts?

My 2 dont have collars

My two do not wear collars (they are microchipped)
Cat owner for many years and after a bad experience with collars in the past vowed never to use them again and I’m not convinced quick release collars are actually quick release.

Years ago we had a cat that tried to get his collar off all the time and kept getting it caught on stuff. Gave up on collars after that, as we were worried about the cats getting stuck somewhere or hurting themselves.

hmm ... i may stop them once convinced they can find their way home!

My long haired cat doesn't have a collar because it causes matts. My exotic shorthair does. As she has escaped a couple of times and is absolutely invisible in the dark.

Never use collars. A trapping, hanging and getting a leg caught through and suffering awful injuries risk.

We don’t use them, too risky.

Don't use one, my cat got stuck and even though she had a safety collar on she could have died as it didn't release

No collar. They are dangerous & I wouldn't dream of using one.

None for ours, too dangerous

A neighbours cat, usually collarless, appeared with a collar and a bell in my garden. Oh how my cat laughed at him.

Aw, I'm picturing them being mercilessly ribbed by all the neighbourhood cats now!

We used to have collars on the boys but one kept coming home without it and one day a few months later our neighbour handed us a whole bundle of collars she had found under the hedge our girl cat wears a flea collar. They are microchipped though

We have 11 cats, some go out some don't, over the years we've had some go wandering/missing. We have found that in general, if people see a collar then they know that cat is owned and will knock on doors or make an effort to find an owner. Without a collar the possibility of people thinking it could be a stray is much higher and the chances of them catching that cat, and taking it to a vet to find a chip is much lower. Ours are all chipped and have collars.

We always use collars on our cats; like the poster above I feel it shows they belong to someone.

No collar.

Something I would mention though, I don't worry about it too much with my cat because she is shy and doesn't roam and we will be cat proofing the back garden but if your cats are roamers or quite outgoing and friendly with strangers be aware that a lot of strange cat people for some bizarre reason seem to assume that no collar = stray.

I have seen quite a few posts on cat rescue/missing social media and even a poster in the town showing photographs of lovely, healthy looking cats with a paragraph to the effect of 'stray cat found roaming, anyone know who it belongs to?
Super friendly'.

I'm not being funny but I don't know a single cat owner who collars their cats, if it's friendly and in good condition it almost certainly has an owner ffs!

That’s been my experience sugar - mine have collars with my contact details on them and they also say ‘I’m chipped.’