Question regarding 'tagging' Theo - a socialized stray male just over 1 year old.

I have finally had success at 'socializing' Theo and want to be able to eventually t him out doors. I understand that there is a lot of opposition to letting one's cat outside. We have a very unique situation of safety in this location which though in the city proper is isolated and not close to any heavily traffic roads. Too we have over 30 years of experience here and have never lost a cat, We have had altercations with other cats but nothing in a predictor situation. We also NEVER leave a cat outdoors over night and generally when we leave the house we make sure in most instances the cats are indoors.  We plan to get Theo chipped but I am curious about how people feel about a collar of some type.  Ideally I would like Theo to be noticed as a cat belonging to people and hence my interest in a visible symbol of just that. I would like it to have a metal engraved tag with his name and perhaps our phone number.  I understand there is a danger of the collar getting caught on objects and also of the collar being too tight and fraying the hair on the cats neck.  If people have opinions on this subject I would like to hear from them. I am not ready to let Theo out just yet but because we would like to afford ALL our cats the benefits of going outdoors we would like Theo to have the same rights. At this point , even though we have many glass doors and windows Theo has not expressed an interest in the outside. We also have an inner courtyard in the middle of the house which we can use as a test case. 

Thanks to all who helped me in the project . This site has been a valuable asset for me!!

Michael

I prefer to keep my cats inside but we live on a busy street.  At some point, I plan on building a screen porch or "catio" so they can enjoy outdoors without any fear.

Your courtyard sounds like an ideal situation, actually.  If there is a way you can secure it so the cats can't wander away from it, they'll get the benefits of outdoors without the dangers.

As to a collar - they have break-away collars that will snap open if caught on something.  Many of my friends who have outside and feral cats use them.  The only problem is having to frequently replace the collar if the cat is adventuresome.

Thanks for the quick reply . The breakaway collars are a good idea but obviously getting engraved name tags would be asking for trouble , because of their cost,  if one needed to keep replacing them.  But one can use a simple plastic protected label to get around that problem. 

Michael

Yes, the ones my friend uses have a tag built into them already.  She writes her name and number on them, just in case someone finds the cat before it looses it collar or after the collar is lost.

I think she gets them at Big Lots or somewhere similar.

Thanks for info. I found the safety collars which separate if required for safety  and a self-serve tag engraving machine that is not too expensive to use at the local Pet Smart store.

Good news.  Thank you for caring for Theo.