Safety collar for cat

Jack B. Badd

Hi all,

Quick question re safety collars: Last week I picked up a safety collar with buckle for our new cat. She's only been with us a week and a half but she's been miaowing to go outside so we've been supervising her for short periods in the garden. She's chipped but I figure she needs a collar to identify her as a non-stray if she gets out or goes wandering. The collar I got had a bell on it but that just drove her and us mad so I removed it pretty quickly. Initially I had the collar loose enough to fit of my fingers between it and her neck as advised by the instructions. She just tensed her neck to make the muscles bulge until it popped off. I loosened it to try again and this time she couldn't get it off just by tensing her neck but got her bottom jaw under it and pulled until it popped off again. Loosened it again and now she can't get it off but keeps chewing on it and I'm afraid that the plastic buckle will break and she'll end up swallowing sharp plastic.

Does anyone know of any alternative safety collars that I could try out or is it best to just leave it on her until she gets sick of chewing it?

Thanks,
Jack.

carwash_2006

Apart from the risk of her swallowing plastic, if she gets her mouth caught in the collar it could cause her to get a major fright and possible injury. It really should be adjusted as described in the instructions. If you keep putting the collar back on when she pops it off she may get used to it over time. You could look for a collar that has a more secure clasp, but elastic so that it will slide over her head if she gets caught.

How old is she? I don't tend to try and make the older cats wear them if they are not used to it, I either get them used to a collar when they are young or leave them, but then mine only get to go out in their run and the ones that don't wear collars are all the ones that now seem horrified by the prospect of "the big bad world".

Jack B. Badd

She's about 18 months. We got her from a rescue that found her as a stray so maybe she just isn't used to them. Though she had one in the rescue for at least some of her time there.

carwash_2006

Maybe just try a different style of collar. There is one type that has a proper buckle but the whole collar is made of elasticated softweave, she shouldn't be able to get that off on her own, but it will come off real easy if she gets caught.

I am now typing with one hand as my left arm has been commandeered as a kitten perch, thank god it's only the little guy or I'd have a dead arm by now.

Jack B. Badd

Hehehe... Thanks for the advise. I'll see if I can pick up an elastic collar over the weekend. Probably no harm to have a spare anyway.
Now, back to the cat flap training portion of my evening.

Alfasudcrazy

I gave up using a collar for my cat - I think the risks a collar poses to the cat outweigh any advantages. I am not convinced by safety collars either. The tension needed to break them is just too high.

carwash_2006

The tension needed to break them is just too high.

I think it depends very much on the collar, as the OP said, his cat just needed to tense her muscles to break it.

I think the benefits of people knowing that the cat is owned is worth a small risk, but yes each individual cat needs to be assessed and they will not suit every cat.