Collar or not,,,,,,

Hi,
Our Angel sneaks outside allot again now that it is nice out. She used to stay in our yard but now she is going farther from home. We live in town right on a busy street and I am real worried that one night she will not show up. The other night I went out and called her and I see her running back home down the sidewalk from the old school next to us.

I bought a hot pink collar for her last year with a tiny rattle on it, I thought it would make her more visible and let people know she is someone's pet, but on the other hand I am worried about her getting stuck someplace because of the collar catching on a fence or something like that. The collar is a buckle type with a part that can stretch but it don't have a pressure release like some collars do I have seen. I have a snap together one here also but it is dark blue so it won't stand out at night.


It scares me to think about finding her run over in the road or get attacked by a dog or something, she is real smart and careful when she goes out, she seems to have the "street smarts" of a cat that has lived outside, but like I said I am always afraid one night she will not come running when I call her and will never see her again.

I don't know what to do, should I put the pink collar on her or not? She won't like the collar at first I am sure. My other option is using Tuffy's harness and letting her outside tied up so she can be outside but not run off. The kids had a harness on her when she was younger and took her outside on a leash so she has worn a harness before.

Tom

I live in a busy area as well. I put break away collars on the young ones so we would know where they were and be less likely to trip over them. We built a very small enclosure so they could lie in the sun and watch birds, yet still be safe from traffic and dogs. You can get pre made enclosures or maybe an enclosed dog run. The boys aren't as eager to slip out now that they have been fixed. Not sure, but I think if they are in a harness you can't leave them tied up. They can get tangled or in a situation where they could be harmed by another animal. I hope you find a safe solution for your Angel.

I would only use a breakaway collar, the buckle/elastic doesn't work very well I've seen cats get their leg caught through and not be able to get out while the breakaways just come off - much safer.

If you harness her, you need to stay out there and keep watch not just tie her up. I sit out and read a book while the cats wander the garden. I have retractable leads so they can wander about and I can put on the 'brakes' if I need to stop them from going too far.

I have been thinking alot about the same thing latelyy with my kitty. A lil while back he went outside as usual every morning, with his collar on, and he didn't show up until the next morning[which is very unusual for him] and his collar was missing. I was worried sick that he was cought somewhere and havn't dared put another one on him since.
But I've decided it's best to get another one, the stretchy kind,and put it on a lil looser. Mainly because I'm scared someone will think he's a stray and either take him to the pound or try to take him in for thierself..again[that actually happened with my nieghbor a few weeks ago!]
So, I would try putting the collar on her. If you do put her on a harness I would make sure she's supervised at all times though and not tied up, she probably wouldn't get out of that one.

Hi all,

I will see if I can find a bright colored one with a breakaway buckle on it for her.

Jack only leaves the house with his harness and tags (whether he is taken out on his leash or in his carrier). On the back of his rabies vacc. tag I taped on a little piece of paper (same size as tag) that says his name, our phone number and that he is an Indoor only cat and if found, is lost.

Also if we have family in town--or people who aren't used to closing a door quickly he wears his harness with tags around the house. Just incase he were to slip out the door.

(If we all leave the house the harness is removed--so as not to hurt him).

Leslie

I tried a breakaway collar on Angel, she did OK with it a few days then I noticed it was gone, I found it on the floor so she must have got it off somehow. So if she figured out how to get it off I am sure she will get it off all the time now.

If your Angel just has to go outside, a collar is neccesary for sure. On the other hand, I've tried several on my cat, and she just won't leave them on no matter what. I've seen her walking around the house with her front leg stuck next in her head through the collar...so we stopped trying to make her wear one since she never ever goes outside. Is your cat micro-chipped? That would be a really good way to sleep better at night knowing she'll make her way home if something happens.

I don't understand. You says she sneaks out. How does she sneak out? She opens the door to your backyard? Or she sneaks out of the *yard* which you let her into? If from the yard, she isn't sneaking, she's doing what comes naturally. A collar won't keep her from being killed unless it comes equipped with a full body airbag, built in antidote for antifreeze, an animal repellent, a built in FIV/FeLV vaccine, GPS locater, theft alarm, etc etc. Her going out of your yard is your responsibility, not her fault (Blaming her by essentially saying "Naughty cat sneaking out!" is shifting responsibility) and its your responsibility to keep her alive and if you think a collar will do the trick you're fooling yourself and risking her life.

2 things that can really help if you insist on letting her out. www.catfencein.com a low cost addition to any fence that keeps your cat safely on your side of the yard and http://www.purrfectfence.com/default.asp if you don't have a fence at all.

Now if she really opens the door to your yard and lets herself out......well there are products for that too, safety devices to keep small kids from opening doors (usually adjacent to pools).

Would you put a reflective collar on a 3yo child and then wonder if they will come back at night? You are her only defense against early death. She can't help you with this, only you can help her.

She bolts out the back door when the wife comes home from work or she lets the dog out at night. Angel won't try it when I come in or go out because she knows I am watching her. I don't want her out because I then have to get up in the middle of the night to get her to come back in. She won't come in till she is ready. I can call her and she comes running but won't let me get close enough to grab her.

I tell the wife not to let her outside all the time but Angel knows if she is quick she can make it out the door anyway. I have springs on the inside and the outside back doors so people don't leave the doors open.

I have 7 cats and not once in 6 years have I had one sneak out on me. You are much smarter than your cat. So is your wife. All you have to do is watch out for the cat being there, and the cat won't be outside. Stephenq is right, you are the only thing standing between your cat and an early death. I would hate for that to be on my shoulders.

My cats have gotten out because of people not closing my doors properly. Once Mary ran between my legs. So I know it can happen. The fact that this is a pattern is worrying. A collar is a necessary if your cat goes outside.

Originally Posted by Kit E Cat

I have 7 cats and not once in 6 years have I had one sneak out on me. You are much smarter than your cat. So is your wife. All you have to do is watch out for the cat being there, and the cat won't be outside. Stephenq is right, you are the only thing standing between your cat and an early death. I would hate for that to be on my shoulders.

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Hi, You are preaching to the wrong person, I have got into fights with Yvonne about letting Angel outside all the time. Maybe she don't really care if Angel ever comes back or not.

She just about has a heart attack if her dog gets out and is loose. Last time her dog got out and loose I told her it wasn't my problem when she wanted me to get him in, just like she says to me when Angel gets out.

If I sound angry I am, Yvonne let Angel outside tonight again and I blew up at her about teaching Angel to not go outside.

Tom

Perhaps you could devise/invest in a system to create a block around the door? For example, you could use an X-pen to create a barrier. That would keep the cat from bolting as well as the dog.

I would be angry too.
My ex was a tightwad with money and I could never trust him to feed the cats the proper amount of food. When I went in for a serious surgery I was in intensive care for 2 weeks. Instead of focusing on my health I was worried about him feeding Mary enough. I had to have my mother feed her and she is not a cat person. But she knew I needed peace of mind.
Why does she keep doing this?