Collars on Cats

ckatz

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After a very scary incident this weekend, I've decided to put collars and id tags on both my indoor cats.

For those of you who have collars on your cats, indoor or in/outdoors-how long did it take for them to get used to it and should I supervise for awhile? I purchased breakaway collars but I still concerned they will strangle themselves trying to get out of them.

Opinions please!!!

Cynthia
 

gingersmom

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Ferris, my feral rescue, took to his collar like he wa born wearing one, but Ginger my domestic shelter kitty resisted hers for about two weeks total.

I would put it on her for several hours at a time over the first couple of days, then just left it on. She got used to it and stopped trying to scratch it off after the first two weeks.

I take it off her every once in a while for a good scritch, and you should SEE the look of relief she gives me!


Just be careful not to leave more than two fingers worth of room under them, or they can get their lower jaw stuck under it.
 

animal

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all five of my cats have collars *their indoor/outdoor cats* i think it maybe took aday for them to get used to the collars..i have the elastic on mine so if they get them stuck on anything it just pulls straight off
 

laureen227

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Originally Posted by animal

all five of my cats have collars *their indoor/outdoor cats* i think it maybe took a day for them to get used to the collars..
mine are all indoor cats. Java didn't take long at all - she was a stray & i don't know how long it had been since she'd worn a collar, if ever. i used to use the Beastie Band collars - they're very light & good for cats that dislike collars. now i use the ragtime collars, which are the breakaway type. she includes a pet toy if you order several collars - i think it's at least 3. i got my tags from boomerang tags - i got the heart-shaped ones & they have info on both sides. he gives a discount if you order multiple tags.
 

gizmocat

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Gizmo never wore a collar til she came to live with me. I insist on it. I need to know where she is, and in the event of a fire or something where I'm not home, people can find her and get her back to me.

Gizmo scratched a lot at polyester collars. She is doing much better now that I got her a cotton one. There's also no fraying. Yes, it's a breakaway collar. I just put it on her and she lets me do it.

She won't wear a harness however.
 
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ckatz

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"Just be careful not to leave more than two fingers worth of room under them, or they can get their lower jaw stuck under it."

Thanks I didn't think of that.

That's why I love this site.

I've had cats my whole life, always indoor cats never had them wear collars.
This weekend I was taking Natasha to the vet and the carrier she was in fell apart, OUTSIDE luckily after a few heart stopping minutes I got her back in the carrier. I've never been so terrified. I just keep thinking about what could have happened
So they are both getting collars and id-I'm seriously considering implanting id chips.
 

ocicat_steph

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also be sure you get the break away collars not the elastic slip off ones. we have had a few cats come in with serious injuries under their arms where the collar has been stuck there whilst they were stray from the house. one was so bad it cut clean thru the skin and needed a skin graph to heal.
 

neely

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Since we adopted Neely from a shelter and we believe she was previously an outdoor cat we put a collar on her immediately. We never leave our cat(s) outdoors but we still felt safer knowing she was wearing a collar. She didn't seem to mind it at all. I really like the Lupine products for both my dog and cat. Check out these collars on their website: http://www.lupinepet.com/cat/index.html
 

trouts mom

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Trout only freaked out for like 5 minutes..but she did get her jaw stuck in it..it was really sad to see...so that is good advice the 2 finger thing.
 

juliekit

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I have a cute purple collar for Sessy and she will wear it as soon as she is home. Its the breakaway kind. My question is though: whats the point of having a collar that slips off?

I mean I understand in case they get stuck on something they dont strangle but can they take it off themselves?
 

dusty's mom

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Originally Posted by Trouts mom

Trout only freaked out for like 5 minutes..but she did get her jaw stuck in it..it was really sad to see...so that is good advice the 2 finger thing.
Dusty has a breakaway collar with a tag and a bell. I told her it was kitty jewelry, and she seemed to like that idea


She still goes outside during the day and has lost her collar twice in neighbor's yards. Both times the neighbor called and we got the collar back.

When I first put it on her, it was too loose and she got her front paw caught in it as she was coming down the stairs. At first I thought she had injured herself, since she was limping, but was relieved that it was only her foot stuck in the collar.
 

cloud_shade

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Both of my cats wear collars, and after an incident with a now-former neighbor, both are chipped as well. I don't remember any of *my* cats having issues with collars--Willow lost hers once when she apparently got it caught on the water heater (which is why breakaway is so important). Willow and Odo both came from shelters, and Spot was a cat I found outside collarless. They all adapted immediately.

My mom's cat hated collars, and she would take them off herself. Unfortunately, my mom just gave up after one or two tries, and Hannah hasn't worn one since. The cat I had as a child, Alex, actually wore through his leather collar, and my parents never replaced it. We were lucky and never had any problems with them being collarless, but my kitties now are indoor only and will always have ID.
 

gizmocat

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Gizmo was able to unbuckle her earliest collar (the kind with holes and a tongue like a belt) and get it off through repeated scratching. The new, seat belt buckle styled collar doesn't come off that easily but will break away if it has to.
 

xerr

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All 3 of my cats have collars, my indoor kittens have regular coloured collars, muxu (the one that goes out regularly) has a flee collar. The kittens got used to it after some time. the girl used to try to take it out, and manage to take only one hand out of it everytime. Always check the collar, couse cats grow and it may be small for them and need to enlarge it or change.
 

gailc

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Bakker does not go outside unless he has his collar on. He comes running when I shake it as he hears the bell and knows he is going to be outside. Neverany problems. Bobber has lost a couple of her breakway collars-one was founf in my neighbor's yard. The other two don't wear collars are they maybe go about 100 ft from house and with their long hair I wouldn't see a collar anyway. none of them seem to mind them. I would like to find one with a louder bell as Bakker plays "hide and seek" and sometimes I don't like that!!
 

laureen227

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when Pixel first started wearing a collar as a kitten, i called her 'Pixelini Houdini' because i often came home & found her collar on the floor. i still don't know how she would get it off
she had some difficulty with one type of collar which rubbed a raw spot on her neck. that's when i switched to the Beastie Bands. the new Ragtime collars are not rubbing her, tho. i'm thinking she had an allergy of some type to the synthetic material of the collar - it was like the Lupine collars, that type of material.
the breakaway collars will come off, but they do require some stress. so they usually stay on except in emergencies.
 

patch

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Patch hates his collar and pulls it off and tries to get it off in any way possible, so we just put it on for a few hours at a time. Well, most of the time it isn't even a few hours because he does something and we get worried about him so take it off. He is an indoor cat, but we still want him to get used to wear a collar incase he some how gets out. He will also be microchipped soon. Anyone got any tips for making cats actually like their collars? :p
 
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ckatz

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So far this is going well. I've been putting on their collars on when I'm home at night. They don't seem to mind them very much. I think they are most annoyed by the id tag. Every time it gets rubbed up against a hard surface it jingles and they look around like "What was that?". I'll take pictures of them in their stylish new collars. Viola has a blue one to match her siamese blue eyes and Natasha has a red one against her beautiful grey fur.

Cynthia
 

bob'smom

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I have breakaway collars with their names and my cell phone #. Freckles didn't have a problem but Bob jumped around like he was possesed! They settled down after I took the bells off, but the 2nd night Bob scratched in the right place and unlocked his collar. He hasn't done it since, but it was quite funny. They're also chipped, but not everyone knows to go to a vet or shelter and have a stray checked for one.
 

rapunzel47

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My three are indoor/outdoor, and wear collars and ID tags. (They would even if they were indoor cats, simply because of the possibility of their getting out by accident.) They have stretch, breakaway, reflective collars, which they all wear with no fuss -- now. Suzy and Cindy each only took a couple of days to get accustomed to them and not try to get them off. Fawn and I had a major battle, which I eventually won, but it took half a dozen different collars before I could get her to keep one on long enough to get used to it. Now, she's fine, and when she loses a collar, she comes to me first thing to show me her bare neck and get the spare (always at the ready) put on.
 
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