Collars/tags for cats

junebugbear07

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So I have been thinking about getting collars and tags for the cats (well out of the five at home probably just for 3 of them that i consider mine...) but the cats are all older...Manny is almost 2, Pooh Bear is like 5 and June Bug is like 9 years old so would it be harder for them to get used to? Also they do go outside, June Bug the most and i am afraid of the collar getting caught and yah....But this way they have an ID if they get lost or something. Just wondering what everyone else does with their furbabies and your opinion on this. Thanks.
 

arlyn

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I would never collar a cat that goes outside, but that's just me, and a moot point as mine don't go outside


As far as them getting used to it, it really depends on the cat.
Some really don't mind at all after the initial 'what the heck is this?' reaction, others are bound and determined to remove the offending object, and others still are very pathetic about the whole thing.

For those cats that are determined to get out of a collar, collars can actually be dangerous as paws or jaws get caught in them.
 
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junebugbear07

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Thanks, Yah I am afraid of especially June Bug and Manny cause they both dont like the "confinement" feeling like when I put them on harness leashes when we took them in the car. If I could id keep them inside but they are so used to being outside that it would just break their hearts and htey are little escape artists, plus my parents dont want them in all the time. I just keep thinking about my little Paris, who was (we think) killed by a car hitting him and the animal control came out and picked up him, or so a neighbor told us when we walked around the neighborhood calling for him
. He was a black kitten only about 4 months old and wasnt supposed to go outside but he snuck out. So by the time we found out it was too late to go and see if he was dead or not. He didnt have a tag or the chip so obviously we never heard from anyone if it was him. It just haunts me and I cant afford to chip them all. Sorry for my novel!
 

strange_wings

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Do you have room for to make an enclosure or fix an existing backyard fence to make it cat proof?
I'm willing to bet that if you put your mind to it you and your family probably could do it and find supplies easily enough. (I'm assuming that having the horses that someone has built a fence before)

As for collars and tags, best to just start out with collars first - no tags. The problem I've always ran into is that the safety break away collars always get removed by the craftier cats.
 

firedancer722

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if you decide on trying a collar, i would recommend the safety collar that will open up if the cat were to get hung on something. I'd say since the cat goes outside, it would imperitave to have a collar with ID tag, especially if the cat isn't microchipped, but others may disagree. Heck, both my cats are microchipped, collared, and tagged and they don't even go outside at all!
But I guess I worry too much about them getting loose somehow.


Good luck with whatever you decide to do!
 
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junebugbear07

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We live in the city and our dog usually is in the backyard, and most of the cats dont like her lol, cause she tries herding the cats, like they are cattle
. My parents dont seem to understand many things about animals, the way we see it. It took me a long time to get them to have two kitty litters for our 5 cats....yah i know its sad. How much is micro chipping does anyone know?? Im just afraid if i get the collars, my June Bug who loves trees will hang herself
I cant wait until i can move out and hte cats are officially mine
 

chapperice

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Aren't most collars break-away collars now anyway for cats? I mean, the first one we had for Simon was and we got it at the Dollar Store (later got him a better one because he kept itching at that one..had some odd sparkly crap on it).
 

merindah

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Libby is collared, tagged and microchipped as well, and she's an inside cat. I'd hate for her to get lost. I even wrote 'microchipped' on her tag. I put a collar on her for the first time last week and she got used to it very quickly- she's 7 months old.
 

nekochan

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It is easier for them to get used to if you start when they are young, but older cats can also get used to wearing collars.
I would recommend using a comfortable stretchy or breakaway collar, such as the Beastie Bands type or a soft fabric collar. I also have found that cats seem to get less irritated if the collar does not have anything hanging off it like a tag or bell.
My cats all wear collars, all 7 of them! Most of them wear collars from Ragtime Collars which have my phone number embroidered on them, and one wears a stretchy type of collar with a CollarTag(a type of tag that does not hang, it hooks to the collar like a nametag.) They are also all microchipped.

Microchipping varies depending on the brand you get and where you go. I was able to get 5 kittens microchipped at a mobile shot/chip clinic our city sponsored for $10 each, but then I also had to pay for the registration because it was an AVID chip which requires separate registration. The registration was $40 for 5 cats IIRC.
If you have any shelters or places that offer low-cost vaccinations they might offer microchips as well.
 

carolina

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I highly recommend Ragtime Collars with Boomerang Tags. The collars are not only break away for safety, but they are also made of fabric, very flexible, light and comfortable - my cats don't even notice they are wearing it. The boomerang tags are not the dangling type, so they don't bother them either.
 

breellablue

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Safety Cat, I believe is the name of the brand of break away collar I use. I'm also having my forever cats micro chipped next week.
 

arlyn

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My two young cats wear Safety Cat collars.
Even breakaways can get stuck in the jaws and a panicked cat can break a tooth or worse before the collar will pop.
Be sure any collar you use if poperly fitted, it should not slide around on the neck, it should fit snugly and you should be able to get your index finger between collar and neck without much effort.
Not two fingers as you'd do with a dog collar.
 

merindah

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Originally Posted by carolinalima

I highly recommend Ragtime Collars with Boomerang Tags. The collars are not only break away for safety, but they are also made of fabric, very flexible, light and comfortable - my cats don't even notice they are wearing it. The boomerang tags are not the dangling type, so they don't bother them either.
This is what I purchased after reading the reviews on this site. I also recommend both companies!
 

persi & alley

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Originally Posted by Arlyn

I would never collar a cat that goes outside, but that's just me, and a moot point as mine don't go outside
My cats are never allowed outside and do not wear collars. My grandmother used to tell me: "If God had meant for cats to wear collars, they would be born with them."
 

zoeysmom

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I use collar tags with Beastie Bands. They are also very lightweight, are stretch, and attach with velcro. My cats don't seem to mind them much, although they started wearing them as kittens.
 
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