Afraid to put collar back on...

marishka

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So, on Saturday I wake up and Marishka comes up from the basement and is collar-less (this collar: Pink Collar from Petsmart). She is a strictly indoor cat, so I figure I will find it somewhere, and figure out whatever she got it caught on. So I look everywhere, and can't find it. So, since I like to keep a collar on her (in case she ever gets outside) I just got her halloween one out and figure we'll celebrate a little early
But she acted funny when I tried to put it on, and actually pitched a fight (never has before). So I sighed and took it off, hoping to find her pink one, at least to see what she got it caught on so I can block her access to it.

I was talking to my mom later, and she said she saw the collar on the basement floor (finished basement with berber carpet). She went to pick it up, and it is snagged on the carpet...and was tough for her to pull off. We figure she got it caught somehow, and it stretched when she was trying to squirm out, and she pulled her head free.

Now, I want to put another collar on her, thought about getting one from that Ragtime Pet Collar website anyway. But I'm a little afraid to. If she hadn't got out of the collar, I would have found her...but still.

What do you think I should do?
 

rapunzel47

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Well, that's not a safety catch -- it's a standard buckle -- so the only safety feature is, I suspect, a piece of elastic under that bow -- right? Not good enough, to my mind. The catch should be one of the safety ones that will pull apart with just reasonable force from the cat. That's the minimum. For my comfort, the collar material also needs to be somewhat stretchy -- not just an inset bit of elastic in a non-stretchy collar.

I use Tenth Life (scroll all the way to the bottom of the page). It's also reflective, which, if the point of the exercise is "in case they get out", makes a scared kitty more visible to traffic at night.

I wouldn't not use a collar. Even on an indoor kitty, the possibility that she will get out makes it important that whoever finds her can easily see that she has ID. If she's not used to the outdoors, she's going to need all the help she can get to get home -- yes? Visible ID is part of that. There are collars and collars. Some are not worth the powder to blow them up. Those Tenth Life ones are great. I've used them for at least 10 years.

Good luck with your little sweetie.
 

hissy

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I don't believe in collaring cats, have been a witness to to many collar accidents in my life. Microchipping is the best way to keep an identity on a cat.
 

starryeyedtiger

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I collar and tag all of my kitties. They are all indoors only, but i would never risk it. Microchipping is also a good idea- but a lot of shelters do not have the money to purchase the technology needed to scan for chips, so if your kitty per chance winds up in one....it might be quite unfortunate. (I rescue from two of the most high kills shelters in the country...they "say" they hold them 3 days before euthanizing- but i've seen way too many come in and be euthanized on the same day
) I wouldn't risk it. Purchase a good collar that the kitty can break free from if needed.I highly recommend Rogz collars. I highly recommend Rogz collars- my velvet use to have issues where she would find her neck in a most akward position with her old collars- once i got her a Rogz collar- she has had 0 issues, and i know if she ever does, she will be easily able to get out of one
My Velvet wears the pink sushi one. Jasmine has a purple break away collar with rhinestones i added to it, Isabella & Abilene have leather rhinestone collars from a shop called Hollywood Pet Star

Here is the link to the website:
www.rogz.com

Here is the link to the kitty collars that I have had a ton of success with:
http://www.rogz.com/catalogue.asp
 

buzbyjlc10

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Oliver has a ragtime pet collar (personalized), a tag and a microchip and he's indoor only.... the ragtime collars have release clips on them that do work appropriately. Oliver doesnt mind his collar at all.... your kitty just might need a little time to settle down before allowing her collar to be put on again, so try again a little later... I think the collar issue is just personal preference: as long as it's not going to hinder your kitty's health, I don't see it as a problem.
 

katiemae1277

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I would also suggest getting a collar with a safety latch, I have collars for all my indoor cats with those safety latches, I got them at petsmart too, they have a great selection
 

laureen227

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i just recently switched all of mine from Beastie Bands to the Ragtime collars. i really like them - so many choices of patterns! also, i like that cotton material - not as likely to get fuzzy from grooming. the Beastie Bands, & the nylon-ish ones from the pet stores tend to get pulls on them from the cats grooming each other & themselves.
 

goldenkitty45

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When we first put a collar on Ling (its very loose and a snap on - breakaway), she acted like she was tortured!. She fought like mad and got it off, time and again.

So we let her not wear it for weeks, then tried again. She keeps it on most of the time, but still once in awhile she will be collar-less and I have to go hunt it down. Usually its by the cat tree or on the floor of the basement.

She only wears it cause I need to hear where she is before we open the door - otherwise she would not need to wear it.
 
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marishka

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Thanks for all for the recommendations on sites...and the reassurance. I felt so bad about it...

I feel like I need to keep one on because she was a stray kitten when she found me...so every once in awhile she attempts to get out. I would like to have at least a collar (plus her id, normally) so any neighbors won't call the shelter on her if they see she has a home- that way they could just call me if she were to slip out one day.

While I am glad that the elastic one did what it was supposed to, I am going to go exclusively with the break away to be safe. Wish I could figure out what part was caught on the carpet...maybe the bell? Hmmm...

Anyway, thanks again : )
 

gizmocat

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I highly recommend a collar. The want ads and telephone poles in my town are filled with 'lost cat' ads. Not everyone will take it to be read for microchipping. A collar and I.D. ensure that a lost cat can always be found.
 

jaycee

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Originally Posted by Marishka

Thanks for all for the recommendations on sites...and the reassurance. I felt so bad about it...
While I am glad that the elastic one did what it was supposed to, I am going to go exclusively with the break away to be safe. Wish I could figure out what part was caught on the carpet...maybe the bell? Hmmm...

Anyway, thanks again : )
i was just going to post about this: ive been searching for a suitable collar for a couple weeks now, and the break away collars just dont seem safe at ALL to me. they are very hard for me to pull apart with my hands, and thats when im pulling at the exact spot. if my cat gets caught on something, how is it actually going to break away? there is not going to be stress on each side of the break away part, actually pulling it apart. they just seem as unsafe as a regular collar to me. at least the stretchy ones will actually stretch when it gets caught. i havnt bought one of those either because they all have a buckle type closure which just comes undone during normal movement.
 

buzbyjlc10

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The ragtime collars are great as far as breakaway... I can easily break them with my hands, but it's not like falling off every time Oliver scratches his neck or something... I'm really satisfied with it and am not worried about his safety when he wears it
 

jaycee

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this might sound cruel but has anyone actually tested their breakaway collars? like pull on it from the opposite side of the break away part to see if it will actually break away if the collar become caught on something?
 

stormysmom

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Samuel has that same collar... (the blue one not the pink lol) and he kept coming out of it too. Then the bow slowly disapeared and now he is just wearing the blue collar with the stretchy elastic showing. My kitties need new "undies" soon. I was fairly happy with it except for the fact that he would get out of it and then carry it around in his mouth for half an hour meowing like crazy. Let us know what kind you replace it with.
 

scuffy&samantha

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Same with Scuffy, when the collar get too old, it get twisted and not straight anymore, it's rubbing their neck and bugs them, so I had to buy a new collar.

Scuffy lost his collar one time, it was outside. The neighbor found it. He took off his collar a few times here inside the house cause he does not like the collar rubbing on his neck, so I bought a new one.
 

rapunzel47

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Every one of my cats has lost a collar at least once (that has later been found) and Fawn loses them every few months. When they turn up, sometimes they are closed, sometimes not. The times they are closed, the collar has loosened, so the stretch was sufficient to let the collar slip off. That says to me that the safety catch pulls apart under the kind of stress it was designed for, and gives me confidence in the product.
 
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marishka

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Well, I ended up ordering two from Ragtime Collars (how could I not...they are so cute!). She is so quick! I ordered on the 22nd, she had them done on the 23rd and shipped it out yesterday. I only live like, and hour away from her, so maybe they will be here tomorrow

I'll try to get pictures as soon as they get here.
 

jaycee

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Originally Posted by rapunzel47

Every one of my cats has lost a collar at least once (that has later been found) and Fawn loses them every few months. When they turn up, sometimes they are closed, sometimes not. The times they are closed, the collar has loosened, so the stretch was sufficient to let the collar slip off. That says to me that the safety catch pulls apart under the kind of stress it was designed for, and gives me confidence in the product.
where did you find collars that are stretchy and also have the breakaway closure?

oooh i just looked at the website that sells beastie bands, they also sell few different kinds that are stretchy and also have the breakaway collar. yay )
 

jaycee

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i looked at the ragtime collars, they dont look like they have the breakaway closure, it looks like a normal one that you have to squeeze to open, are they stretchy?
 

rapunzel47

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Originally Posted by jaycee

where did you find collars that are stretchy and also have the breakaway closure?

oooh i just looked at the website that sells beastie bands, they also sell few different kinds that are stretchy and also have the breakaway collar. yay )
See my post #2. There's alink in there to a site that sells the collars I buy, Tenth Life.
 
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