Doesnt like his collar

I got some collars for my kittens and Cleo and Tigger are ok with theirs but Sparky goes totally weirdo as soon as u put his on...he just hides behind things, stops eating, wont come out from under furniture, behind curtains, pillows anything he can find to hide himself with

I thought it was the bell and took that off ....but its the collar not the bell as as soon as i took the collar off he came out of hidng and ate and was back to normal

i know yr prob all going to say leave it on for a few days but he was twitching and shaking and acted like he was really really frightened when he had it on

i cant see my kitty like that

What is the collar made of?

My cat acted like that when I tried to put a 'cat harness' on her. She really got upset so I gave it a miss.

Can you get your cat tattooed instead?

its just a normal collar...whats its made of i dunno but its outside is reflective material

anyway keep trying to put it on him but he just freaks and sits really still and if u go near him he runs off and hides

Why don't you just let him be an indoor cat?

he is an indoor cat....but thought we maybe moving so they wud need to be wearing collars ...anyway hav left it off for now as i just cannot get him 2 act normal when its on

Just to share my story of wonderful collars and harnesses:

when we first put a collar on Escher, our first cat, he was hilarious (once we stopped worrying!), I've had dogs all my life and rode horses in HS and college so I know how to put things on such that they're not too tight but won't easily be ripped off but when Escher first got his collar on he HOWLED and rolled over like he was dying! It's funny when we think back on it but he really was just protesting the collar (which he now searches out when it's not on, mainly after his baths), and did the same with the harness.

Phoebe reacted much like your cat. She ran and hid and was angry with us. She didn't appear to be eating but it turned out she was eating when we weren't around and we even later found out that she was hiding so she could bite at and kick off her collar. It took her about a week (and another collar) before she gave up and finally wore the collar, though we occasionally still find it off. Phoebe is the main one we need to keep one on since she will try to duck out the door.

It was hard to watch, but since we knew the collars were not on too tight, we put up with their protests and they did get used to it, so if you're really worried about them getting lost (which Escher did climb his way into a stack of boxes that later got put in the hall when we moved, luckily he just sat there and whined to get back in), I'd say try to endure it. Or put it on him for increasing amounts of time and shower him with attention and treats.

Originally Posted by jkrodger

Or put it on him for increasing amounts of time and shower him with attention and treats.

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I was thinking the same thing. Put it on for a short period of time, distract him with toys or treats. Also you could try making it really loose to start with just so he gets used to something being on his neck, then tighten it later to the proper size.

i put it on him yesterday while he was asleep...he woke up immediatly but was dopey so dont think it registered what i did *heehee*

anyway SPARKY is now looking handsome in his blue collar he has been very good and seems to be fine now has the occassional spak attack but no more hiding and freakin out

I'm glad it worked out!

I'm having this problem with Luxor.

He does NOT want a collar on and I'm afraid to put it back on. I've put a collar on and made sure there was NOTHING on the collar and made sure it was the right tightness but because he's still pretty small he can contort his body and get his jaw stuck on the collar. then of course he FLIPS out and I have to help him. i'm glad I didn't just put the collar on and leave him!

I hope he grows out of this - any ideas?

It's probably a little mean spirited of me to laugh about this, but Sassy was really mad at me for putting a collar on her, (I think of her because she was the most recent), and tried all kind of tricks to get it off. The one I laughed at the most was watching her walk backward hoping to back out of it.

It didn't take too long for her to get busy with something else and forget about the latest insult that had been visited upon her, but oh how she entertained me for a few minutes.

Most cats I put collars on really don't have any problem, some do, but it never seems to upset them for too long.

With harnesses I've found the first natural reaction is to fall down, act crippled and also walk backward. They sure will go through some antics in their efforts to appeal to our sympathy.

I do want to mention that with Sassy, I was going to leave it looser than normal until she adjusted, but immediately saw that she was going to end up with it up over her jaw; so I went ahead and made it the correct size right off to avlid that problem which would end up being a worse and could really put her off regarding collars.

so should i tighten luxor's collar even more? since he got his jaw caught?

I would put it on him for just the right fit, which would be about room to put two fingers between the collar and his neck.

It took me six (count 'em 6!) collars, umpteen tricks, and several weeks, to finally get Fawn to wear a collar. She fought them, she got out of them, she undid them -- even standard buckles -- and every time she did, she hid the collar for 12 hours or so, and then deposited it where we couldn't help but notice it and would have sooner, had it been there sooner. Little monster! But eventually Mum won out, and she accepted the collar. Now, when she loses a collar -- which she does every few months -- the first thing that happens is she seeks me out and shows me her bare neck, and we go into the bathroom, where the spares are kept, and she gets a new one, completely without fuss. It can be done.

If your cats are indoor cats, why do they need collars? In my mind a collar is for animals that are outdoors and to let people know that they have a home and provide his/her address in case he/she gets lost.

I've never put collars on any of my cats because they are only indoors

If your kitty doesn't want to wear one, why try and make him?

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

If your cats are indoor cats, why do they need collars? In my mind a collar is for animals that are outdoors and to let people know that they have a home and provide his/her address in case he/she gets lost.

I've never put collars on any of my cats because they are only indoors

If your kitty doesn't want to wear one, why try and make him?

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Mine ARE indoor/outdoor, but I'd still want them to wear collars if the situation were such that I needed to keep them in. If one did get out, I'd want it immediately evident that she was not a stray, and I would think it would be even more important for a kitty who was not accustomed to being outdoors, because they wouldn't have the "getting home smarts" that an indoor/outdoor cat would have, and would need all the help they could get.

exactly, in the event of stoli or luxor getting out by mistake. i want everyone to know that these adorable kitties have a loving home. they are also microchipped.

p. s. i made sure luxor's collar fit properly with the two finger trick and he STILL got it caught on his jaw.