Does your cat wear a collar?

[MidnightMeltdown]

I got quick release collars with address tags for both of my cats, as they started going outside before they were microchipped. They've been wearing them for about a year now, but the other night, one cat came home without hers. I assume that she must have got it caught on something, and fortunately, it functioned as it should and released her. I'm wondering whether or not I should replace it now that she's microchipped. I'm not sure whether the potential risks of cats wearing collars outweighs the benefit. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

I think cat collars have just become unfashionable. I used to collar my cats years ago, (almost everybody did) and the cats rarely lost them and never had any issues. None of my current four have ever been collared.
I do understand the risks involved in collars, but there are also a couple of revenge effects in not using them. Firstly a collared cat is clearly owned and it's less likely to be 'adopted' by someone who thinks it is a stray, particularly if the collar has a tag attached. Secondly bells on a collar can (possibly) reduce wildlife kills.
Chipping is great but it isn't visible, and vets will only check a chip if asked.

I have done in the past, even though mine are microchipped. One of mine kept losing her safety collars, so I stopped putting them on her. My mostly indoor cat, always wore one, as I was paranoid about her going missing, but I even took hers off recently, as I've been swayed by what I've been reading here on the littertray.

Mine has a quick release collar with a bell and a gps tracker. I put it on her before letting her out in the morning and take it off when she comes in for the night. She is microchipped.

No (they're microchipped )
I only put a collar on our previous cat when she went to the vet ( gave me something to hold ) or when she had her Cone of Shame to secure it , but she was indoors with it .

I would like to identify M/F cat at a distance , people have said Why not a blue collar for him, red for her but nope .

There was an evil scrote of a cat with a very jazzy neckwear that came into pur garden ( it actually went for me) . Seeing the collar ID meant I could get my jug of water ready to scare it off .

@dementedpixie

No Didn't want them getting paws caught in it or getting it caught in a tree and not releasing

Yes, this is exactly my fear.

@kitkat463

No, definitely not, after my boy was hit by a car and we found his collar snapped on the road ( safety quick release catch still closed!) and vet his broken jaw and damage to his paws was consistent with him trying to dig his claws in to the ground to stop him being dragged along the road by his collar getting caught on underside of car. Thanks to the kindness of strangers seeing it and getting him straight to vets he survived, but without the accident being witnessed he'd have likely not done!

Oh that's awful!! Stories like this definitely put me off collars!

@Grumpyoldpersonwithcats

I think cat collars have just become unfashionable. I used to collar my cats years ago, (almost everybody did) and the cats rarely lost them and never had any issues. None of my current four have ever been collared. I do understand the risks involved in collars, but there are also a couple of revenge effects in not using them. Firstly a collared cat is clearly owned and it's less likely to be 'adopted' by someone who thinks it is a stray, particularly if the collar has a tag attached. Secondly bells on a collar can (possibly) reduce wildlife kills. Chipping is great but it isn't visible, and vets will only check a chip if asked.

Yes, one of the main reasons I got collars was because I didn't want people to think that they were strays. However, my girl hates strangers and will likely run away from anyone who isn't me, so I'm less worried about that now!

Thanks all for replies. Reading some of the stories on here, I don't think that I'll bother to replace her collar now. As I suspected, I think that the potential risks outweigh the benefits.

No. She is either in our garden or one of the immediate neighbours’, and is chipped. The neighbours know her well so no chance they think she’s a stray.

She’s always in overnight, and if we go back to actual work will be in through the day then too.

No never. She's a free animal. She is microchipped though. My first cat lay on my doorstep all day with front and back paws stuck in his collar which was supposedly quick release. He was ok but had been in a lot of pain and traumatised. The other 8 were l houdini so I gave up long ago.

No. Mine are micro chipped.

I think you've made the right decision not to use a collar. We don't mainly because of the risk of injury, but also because DCat goes utterly ballistic at any attempt to put anything round his neck (including a cone of shame for medical reasons). He's chipped and won't go anywhere near strangers, plus a decent vet where we live will automatically check for a chip on a new cat.
My one vague regret about not using a collar is that I'd love to gps him to find out where he goes, but that's a small price to pay for keeping him safe.

I don't put collars on mine. One of mine can remove a quick release collar in seconds.

No. Mine are microchipped, don't wander far from my garden anyway and the neighbours know them. I did consider it to reduce their hunting activities but I don't think they'd keep them on and might injure themselves.

Never had a cat who has worn a collar not sure the purpose of them tbh. all my cats are neutered and chipped 2 are housecats

No! He is microchipped though. He's had 9/10 maybe more, collars. He either lost them or pulled them off so stopped putting one on him. He could do with a bell though, he's a hunter!

Ours don't as I was so worried about it failing to release or causing a problem. Also, they are highly distressed when we've tried.

They are both microchipped and don't stray far from home.

Our cat has the tendency to tell people he's never been fed in his life so I bought a quick release colour last year, during the time he was wearing it he got into two massive fights which needed emergency vet treatment. I don't think they release fast enough if another cat has them pinned down . No trouble since we took it off.

Nope. Having seen one caught in one.

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor
The others cats may have picked on yours when he was wearing a collar because they thought he looked a bit of a wuss? (sic)

No. My cat managed to get himself stuck in a radiator with his own paw so I don't have high hopes of him being safe wearing a collar, he's a walking disaster without one

consistent with him trying to dig his claws in to the ground to stop him being dragged along the road by his collar getting caught on underside of car

Jings that sentence just made my stomach churn reading it
Poor cat !.

My cat would not tolerate a collar at all.

I'm a bit worried reading this.

We're getting a kitten next week (!) and whilst obviously it won't need a collar for the first few weeks kept indoors, when it eventually ventures outside, I was going to use a collar.

We have a mature garden with a gazillion birds, and I want them to have fair warning.

But no collar = no bell!

I don't want the collar to cause distress though.

Chipped but not collared.

I'm not convinced the bell acts as an early warning system as much as them trying to get their ample girths airborne.