collar quandary

I've posted some queries about taking our kitten on vacation, and several of you have suggested that we get a collar for him, just in case he gets out. (He's an exclusively indoor cat now, and we plan to keep him that way wherever we go, but we don't want to take any chance of losing him.) So we bought a safety collar today and tried it on - and he went bananas!. He immediately started clawing & biting at it and managed to slip it over his lower jaw, so that it ended up pressing in his mouth like a bit. (We've already adjusted the collar so that it is as small as possible. ) Is there any way to help him get used to it - or another type of collar that won't bother him so much?
(By the way - thanks to everybody who's responded to all my other questions. We seem to have a new one everyday, and you all have been great with your help. Wiggles is not our first cat, believe it or not, but he is our first kitten, so it's a whole new set of challenges. Our last cat was a sedate, aloof, and elderly adult - not nearly so troublesome - nor so lovable!)

try getting 100% cotton collar, it is breathable and not so intrusive to the neck. Before you even put it on, just lay it out and let the kitty get used to seeing it. Put it by his food bowl, let him sniff it play with it, whatever. A few days of this, put him in your lap and just start petting him. Have the collar nearby. When he is settled down, take the collar and drape it across his neck but don't fasten it. Just let it lay there. If he shakes it off, call it good and try again later. If he lets it just lay there, give him a tasty treat, and put the collar away, again, don't fasten it. Do this several times a day until he offers no resistance to the collar. The first time you do fasten it, don't make it tight, just fasten it loose enough that he can get it off- keep doing this until he accepts it being snug on his neck. Then go out and buy a breakaway collar for him, and start all over again. If he does get out on your trip and he doesn't have a breakaway collar he could catch the collar on something and strangle. I would talk to your vet about microchipping him instead of a collar. But that is just my preference.

Hissy has given you excellent advice about how to prepare a cat for wearing a collar, so I won't expand further on that ... but as for the type of collar, I have had more luck using the harness type than the around-the-neck kind. I like the "figure 8" ones, and I have the litte "message in a bottle" with my contact info and the vet's name/phone number inside that hangs off the top. It has worked better for me than the other kind of collar.

Whatever type of collar you choose, you will probably want to make certain you have your contact information attached to it just in case the unthinkable does happen - that way, if someone came across your baby, they could call you immediately and let you know he was safe. Microchips require a scanner, and I can tell you from personal experience that not all vets or local shelters have the scanning technology to read them. Until there is a more uniform process with that, I won't be doing any microchipping unless state ordinances force me to.

While it wasn't clear from your message how you would be traveling, the best advice I can give you for taking kitty with you while driving is to make certain you have him securely in a carrier at all times that car doors either are open or could potentially be opened. Make it a rule before you even open them to ask yourself, "Is Kitty safe?" If you do let him out to potty or whatever, only do so within the confines of the car with the doors and windows closed (you can leave the windows open a small bit, but remember that cats can and will flatten themselves to amazingly small sizes to escape if they feel the need). You can "air out" the car as needed after kitty goes back into the carrier and is again secure. As far as staying in a hotel or other temporary accomodations, again, keeping kitty in his carrier unless you are there to supervise his actions is the best thing to do. That way, if you do have to leave for a time, then anyone who enters while you are away won't accidently let him out. In the past when I have traveled with cats, I have stayed nearby when they came in to clean the room, or have taken the cats out to the car while cleaning was going on.

I hope this helps,

Gaye