Collars

[delilabell]

So Mr fluff is nearly old enough to go out. Our older cat happily wears her collar but mrf pops his off within a few minutes of wearing.
I don't want a none safety one but I do want him in a collar. Any advice?

My only advice would be dont, we had a rescue cat with such horrific injuries from wearing a collar that his mobility was permanently affected. None of mine wear collars; there is also the very real risk that if he is wearing a collar and does become lost he will be ignored as the collar means he is cared for and owned to many people. A microchip is far safer.

We have got them both microchipped. I thought having a collar people wouldn't think he was a stray and take him in 🙈
Can I ask, did the damage to your poor cat happen with one of the safety ones?

Mine have always had collars, no issues.
I want mine belled.
Collars should be fairly snug, if you think about it. Less likely to catch on something that way. Still manage to lose the collars frequently. Poundland/QD often sell them cheapest.

As a dc I found my dcat hanging from a tree by her elasticated collar.. Never again.
Her neck was very badly damaged. She wasn't the same after that.

Mine don't have collars. Not from lack of effort on my part. But they go our and take them off as soon I can't see them. Buggers!

Don't. I've seen so many collar injuries - and they're just the ones that aren't actually dead. Even the quick release ones can cause injuries. They are chipped - that's all you need.

@delilabell

We have got them both microchipped. I thought having a collar people wouldn't think he was a stray and take him in 🙈 Can I ask, did the damage to your poor cat happen with one of the safety ones?

We don't know if it was a safety collar or not, considering most collars sold are elasticated or quick release I suspect it was. He was found with the injuries to his neck and a front leg practically hanging off. Vets confirmed it was from a collar, which he must have managed to eventually escape from.

We use standard quick release collars. We started off with some 'posh' waxed fabric supakit ones but they kept getting lost so we now buy then from pets at home. I put them on quite loosely and they have a bell on but i've never had a problem!

I'm sorry to hear about the cats that have been hurt/killed by the collars, that's crazy 😭

In wouldn’t risk it, they can make it worse if their run over, it can mean their dragged along rather than a glancing blow.

Their chipped & that’s all you need.

Thecatneuterer possibly has as much experience of owning and rescuing cats as the rest of us put together. I would listen to her advice on this.
I have had a cat get a leg stuck through a collar which was meant to be a safe one. I would never put a collar on a cat again. I’ve had several fosters come to me with the fur around their collars worn away by collars, that can’t feel nice to the cat.

We tried a collar, it lasted less than two hours and was never seen again

If you get a quick release one it will get lost, if you don't your car may get caught on something. Neither sound like a great option

Stray cats tend to look stray. I'm sure ppl won't think your cat is a stray

Mine always has collars. I only buy safety ones but I also yank them open repeatedly before use which makes them easier to come apart. I noticed that they're always stiff when new which is where I suspect a few collar injuries are caused from safety ones.

Because they're easily opened kitty does lose them more often but she also brings them home and leaves them on the doorstep. One day when she was collarless, my neighbour had to stop someone taking her away from outside my garden gate! Their excuse was they thought she was a stray.

Wow i'm really surprised by the response. I 100% respect thecatneuterer's experience, I just worry about my kittens (not old enough to go out yet) looking homeless, plus the high vis strip of the collars you can get makes me feel like they'd be safer at night (although I intend on keeping them in after dark, you never know).

@IDontMindMarmite we used to live on a property on a farm. A cat hoarder also lived there too and there were well over 30 completely feral cats living around the place.. With the help of the CPL I trapped and neutered most, removed kittens (by me feeding the colony at my back door, most mothers brought their kittens up and stayed close so I would remove, medically treat, tame and home them).

The A road beside us was the cause of almost every cat death. I'd remove one body every month or two from that road. All found first thing in the morning. I never saw a single cat hit during daylight hours.

That's why my girl has to come in at night.

Our 2 cats have reflective, belled, quick release collars.

Reflective as they like to be out at night and I worry about thee traffic.
Bells because I don't want them catching birds or mice.
Quick release - to be safer than those without this.

I think the make is Ancol - I usually have to buy about 6 at a time as they lose them so often... And I never find the 'lost' ones...

We use the quick release ones with extra loud bells. They do seem to come off easily, but I assume that’s why they are safety. We went through loads at first but then she settled down and doesn’t take them off much now.

It doesn’t stop the rodent killing (2-3 mice or shrews per day) but we rarely get a dead bird when she’s wearing one, which is important to me.

Although i said i do use cat collars i also agree with what a pp has said, cats mainly get hit at night. My cats are always in at night, and i won't go to bed until they are in (this has resulted in me staying up for hours to get my naughty boy in 😂) but i would never forgive myself if he got killed.

@Oldestchild90s

Although i said i do use cat collars i also agree with what a pp has said, cats mainly get hit at night. My cats are always in at night, and i won't go to bed until they are in (this has resulted in me staying up for hours to get my naughty boy in 😂) but i would never forgive myself if he got killed.

Same.

Ours doesn't use a cat litter tray so is let out at night before bed and like a dog, she goes onto the garden to do a wee and then comes back in.

However, every so often she'll look at me with a naughty glint in her eye and bolt instead. I swear she thinks it's funny. We'll wait up as long as possible. If she doesn't come back we have to leave our bedroom window open for her to get back in so we know she's home safe even if it's 3am! It also means we have to get out of bed to escort her back to the living room because no cats in bedrooms here. Wee shite bag she is.

Mine doesn't wear one, and he's in at night. He doesn't go far anyway, mostly snoring in a bush or next doors garden. I could hear next door earlier "Ollie are you snoring again? Do you want some chicken? Don't go near the road"

My best mate took a rescue cat who had an open wound on his neck and under his arm for years from his (so called easy release) collar. It had to be surgically removed as it was embedded in his skin and then wouldn't heal - nobody would take the poor boy on knowing he had to be on cage rest indefinitely.

Somebody is still out there wondering what happened to their cat, as he had a collar on, so couldn't have been stolen.