Does anyone here know just how safe the cat collars with the stretchy elastic are, as compared with breakway collars? Anyone here use one for their cats?

Here's the thing, Phineas has learned how to remove his breakaway collar. For days I'd come home after work or school and find Phineas without his collar, and it seemed odd to me that he was getting stuck that often, as he's really not the most active and there's not much to get stuck on. Finally the other day I caught him doing it - he has learned to stick his paw up between his neck and the collar and pull until the collar snaps off! :shocked: I really want him to wear a collar, though - I'm very afraid that if he ever managed to escape without one, whoever found him wouldn't think to check for his microchip and would assume he was a stray. So now I'm considering the kind of cat collar that has stretchy elastic instead of the breakaway buckle, but I've always been wary of these since Esmeralda got her jaw stuck in one as a kitten - somehow they don't seem as safe to me as the breakaway collars.

Does anyone know how safe they actually are compared with a breakaway collar? Anyone ever had an incident with one? Can I put one on my cat and be confident that he's not going to strangle or hang himself or get caught in it the way I was with the breakawy collar? Any advice?

Not sure how saftey differs, but everytime I have gotten one (3 times) they little elastic part breaks so the collar can't be worn any more. :(

That happens to me, too. I've about given up on those collars. I just ordered three of these to try: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002C9DF4/qid=1116881304/sr=1-5/ref=sr_1_5/103-5596679-7273452?v=glance&s=kitchen

Here's a pic:
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0002C9EP8.01-A2D607GHDCLXGK._PE64_SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg

They come in several colors. :)

I totally hear you as we had the same issue awhile back ago. I've used both and I have decided that the breakaway is better and safer. Wallace has "taken off" his breakaway when he was younger but he seems to more content with it now....maybe time will help? :rolleyes:
I gave up quite quickly on the stretchy collars as I've had 2 experiences where the cat would get the collar stuck in his mouth trying to get it off. It may not be a problem now as all my cats are no longer little kittens and are used to their collars but the stretchy ones just sort of scare me.

I just posted my first collar experience on the thread "do your cats wear collars". I got the safety breakaway collars. I hope that they work. If they don't I will post here. :bigthumb:

We don't use collars.

I collar just 2 cats but bobber keeps on losing the breakaways. The neighbor kids found one in there driveway (the really expensive one thank goodness!) They are on the lookout for the other two she just lost. I don't think she is getting them off and I never see her try it in the house. I had bought the stretchy one for Bakker but he isn't wearing it currently.

Hi,
Both my cats are indoors only, but I have the Harley Davidson breakaway collars with the bells on them because they are both very curious about getting close to the door, and this way we know where they are, and we can hear them comming, and have time to close the door before they can get out.
I had the elastic collars prior to this, but Foxi always took hers off. She only got this one off once,so I feel for my cats the breakaways are better.

breakaways here.. the strechy was too easy for them to remove..

it was just an elastic collar, that i used to use, and one morning when i woke up, i found my ragdoll tangled in it. somehow he had one part slipped into his mouth, like a horse bit, and his jaw couldn't shut, was caught in his teeth so it stretched his mouth in a permanet position. he had drool everywhere, very scared, no permanent damage, thank god, slipped it off and he was happy, if not a little sore. never again. I use breakaways now, if any as they are indoor cats and chipped. not sure how long caesar was caught in it, but thank god i caught it.