Do you leave the bells on or take them off?
I took the bells off of my cat collars when I bought them (who wants to run around jingling all the time?!) but Im moving into a big house and am thinking I might put them on in case anyone gets lost (maybe Ill wear one myself). I put Garfields collar on with the bell and it bothered him a little bit at first, I thought Id post and see what the general opinion is, just out of curiosity. Im a little worried that they'll get all psycho (the way cats do) if theyre jingling every time they move.

I just don't like them because if the cat gets out the front door, it's like ringing the dinner bell for the coyotes. :(

I like the bell! My kitty is able to be found anywhere in the house, but I dont have one on the baby yet, cuz he'd jingle in ALL DAY!

i left the bells on all three of the girls, at first so i could find them, now it helps the dog know when they are trying a sneak attack

My cats don't wear collars, but with cats in the past I took the bells off.

I have left them on in the past, except for one cat who went bonkers with it on. Ginger actually had 2, as my neighbours couldn't always hear him come into their house - I could hear him waay before I Could see him, even iwth only one bell on, so no idea why they didn't. Molly's collar hasn't gone back on her yet, as she isn't leaving the house, but it does have a bell on it.

Most of my cats collars have bells, the ones that don't are only because they were out of collars with bells when we bought them... so we just got the collars without bells.

The bell scares Abby too much, so I take it off. :)

I'd never be able to sleep at night if my two boys were jingling as they rocket around the apartment.

When Jack sports a collar it does have a bell on it. He hasn't been wearing his collar though because it tends to mat his long fur. If we have company we put it on because although hubby and I are very careful about him sneaking out the front door, guests are not trusted in regards to that.

Leslie

Mine wear bells. ;) They have since kittenhood. I like to know where they are in the house and it doesn't seem to bother them. Doesn't bother us either at this point because we've grown so accustom to the sound.

Oh my gosh...my roommate once put a bell on her cat and it drove me INSANE. I finally made her remove it, because I couldn't take it anymore :nothappy:. I would never put a bell on my cat.

-Kristen

Maisie doesn`t wear a collar because she is indoors only.

Kitty however has a bell and ID barrel that jingle together because he goes out and was partial to bringing mice in for breakfast before....live!:rolleyes:

Also it stops him getting stood on paws because he cant sneak up behind me!

I have a bell on Gizmo's collar. I just like knowing where he's at even though he a totally indoor cat. He's not crazy active at night so the sound isn't a problem for me.

My cat's always got a bell. She gets cunfused it I take it off, coz you'd get used to a jingling if you'd heard it every time you moved for 6 years! :blush:

mine all have bells, altho Pixel isn't wearing her collar right now. she was losing her fur underneath it, so i took it off about 4-5 months ago.
i rarely hear the bells, tho, unless they're wrestling or running. simple walking, i don't hear anything [they're really smooth walkers, i guess!]

I prefer to know where my guys are, so the bells stay on. However, many times they manage to sneak up on me and they don't jingle at all!

I'm really good at tuning out noise, so they usually don't bother me when I'm awake or asleep.

I worry that they could sneak out if I couldn't hear them. Neither much liked them at first, but they both got used to them.

Tricia

I only used bells for the last few months Raven was alive. He was partially blind, and Stimpy would pick on him. I wanted Raven to know where Nabu and Stimpy were for his own peace of mind. It seemed to help. The night Raven passed, I took the bells back off. Normally we're a "no bell" household.

I take them off. My cats are indoor-only and so I'm not worried about helping birds escape from them. I don't want to hear them every second, and I know all their hiding spots anyway. Chloe thinks that everything on her collar is a toy, so a bell would just make that worse, lol.

They only wear collars for trips to the vet, groomer, etc.

Awww. You dont like Jingle Bells?? Lol

*singing to myself*

Only my one indoor/outdoor cat, Delilah, wears a collar, and I take the bells off for her safety. I worry about her going out, and I want her to be able to hide if she needs to.

Bells!

I like to hear where he is, though he can mute it somehow. :lol3:

Holden does not wear a collar either, he is strictly an indoor cat.:wavey:

I should put a bell on my deaf cat. He's so hard to find sometimes, cause he doesn't know we're looking for him!

just my sophie wears a collar because it has a bell on it. she is a hider and we need to know where she is. the other cats don't hide at all so they don't need collars.

I'm surprised how many of you don't have bells on your cats collars. I can understand the coyote comment. but for others, what about the safety of the local wildlife, if your cat is an outdoor creature?

I think things are very different between Europe and the US. I grew up (in the US) with indoor/outdoor cats, but that is rapidly going by the wayside. Most people here, even vets, are advocating indoor-only. I understand in England, most cats are garden/house cats. Here there is just recently (as far as I know) a debate between bird lovers and cat owners regarding cats killing songbirds, so it's a new and ongoing topic...

My cats are indoor/outdoor, and I used to leave the bells on their collars, to protect the birds. But some years ago, I read an article, I don't remember where, that pointed out that if the cat is a dedicated hunter, she will have no difficulty keeping the bell silent during that operation. However, the shoe may be on the other foot if she is being pursued herself, and needs to keep quiet. So, now I figure if having a bell isn't going to protect the birds, and might endanger the cat, she's not wearing it. The bells come off.

My cats are indoor/outdoor, and I used to leave the bells on their collars, to protect the birds. But some years ago, I read an article, I don't remember where, that pointed out that if the cat is a dedicated hunter, she will have no difficulty keeping the bell silent during that operation. However, the shoe may be on the other foot if she is being pursued herself, and needs to keep quiet. So, now I figure if having a bell isn't going to protect the birds, and might endanger the cat, she's not wearing it. The bells come off.

Yep...I've heard of cats using their chins to silence the bells.

I can barely keep a collar on Seb, if it had a bell he'd go insane. I don't like the bells, probably because of the noise ;) If I lived in a huge house, it may be different. In this tiny space, we cannot hide!

My cats have outdoor access, but dont hunt, although I am goign to have to find a collar with bell for Rolo, as he does keep picking on other cats, at least they have a chance of hearing him then!!

I have kept a bell on my little girl from the day i got her as a 8 week old furball. She hated it at first but got use to it. As so did I, I dont notice it at all. It is quite convenient to call her name when i havent seen her for a little while. I only need to hear it jingle once and i know exactly where she is.

My cats don't have collars, but growing up, the family cat had a bell on her collar and I liked being able to find her and it was cute to hear the bell ringing as she came running to us. If I were to use a collar now, though, I probably would not use a bell because it has to stink to ring all the time....and I had never thought (until I read this thread) about how easy it makes it for predators if the cat would get outside.