bells on collars

i know there was a thread about bells a little while ago but i cant find it so ill just start a new thread, i just wanted to say that i will not be using bells because if my cats were to ever accidentally get outside, i would want them to be able to catch food.

I'm afraid that this post doesn't make a lot of sense to me. You 'want your cats to be able to catch food' if they get outside?
How long were you planning to leave them there?

Some people dislike bells on collars because they make the cat audible. That's the very reason why I use them.

If you keep your cat indoors you won't have to worry about it being lost and 'catching food'.

This may be going on a tangent, but I have read that cats can learn how to walk and move around so that the bells don't make any noise.

I'm a bit confused by the original poster as well... but Harley has a bell on his collar, and I love it. Its a little bit of a comfort - I always know where him and Davidson are (where Harley is, so is Davidson). It drove John a bit nuts at 1st, but we're both used to it, and like I said before, its a comfort hearing that little bell when they are running and playing around.

At first, I didn't want to use bells, and neither did Tyran. Miki refuses to keep her breakaway collar on and anytime she sees it in my hand she goes running. After putting the collar on Tyran, she hated the sound of the bell, but she's gotten used to it and she doesn't mind at all. It lets me know where she is if ever I can't find her. She can walk and crawl in a way that the bell does not make noise and this is normally when she is stalking Miki. Of course when she takes off at a run, the bell jingles.

If an indoor cat gets out, it won't be looking for wild prey for food - it'll be wondering where its food dish is!

I've had collars on Ginger that have a bell, and collars without, and now I won't have one on her that doesn't have a bell - I'd much rather hear that little tinkle and know she's safe and sound!!

I have learned some time ago that a determined cat will catch prey if it so desires, bells or no.

When they stalk, they are very good at not making a sound, if they have bells on their collar, they learn to compensate for that sound as they stalk.
Once they are running to pounce, the bell will make no difference at all, as once the bell is heard by the prey, it is already too late.

But if you have had a cat since kittenhood and it has been indoors, it will not think of hunting as this is a skill that is taught to them.
They have the instinct for it, but but prey animal = food does not enter their thought process without first having been taught.

Well, my cat has never been out of doors in her life--or so I was told--and she literally cannot eat her dinner without 'catching' it first.
I must play with a fur mouse, allow her to chase and catch it, and then she'll eat.
And judging from the way she attacks my feet under the blanket-she can move VERY fast when she wants too, and the absence of claws wouldn't prevent her from making a very large impression on a mouse.
The bell is always ringing unless she is carefully stalking her 'victim'. Her head is held perfectly level so that there is no noise. It rings when it needs to ring, anyway.

Well of my 10 cats, 6 have collars, one I cannot catch long enough to get one on and the other 3 are too small yet, but they all have bells, can you hear it now?! I love the sounds of their little bells I'm pretty sure my crew would not know to hunt for food if they got outside, but my big girl Jinx? well, she got out the other day, with her belled collar on, and caught a baby bird obviously she knows exactly what to do.... she didn't kill the bird, just scared the crappola out of it, I think she wanted to bring me a pressie, but I was not accepting

My cats generally don't have bells for this reason, which is different than any others I've seen: if my cat were to get out, and be out at dusk or dawn, that bell would be the dinner bell for any coyotes or foxes. We have to keep them inside or they would not last long. (But I do have a dog that opens doors, so I have to be vigilant!)

My kitten Lily does not have a bell on her collar because her rabies tag clinks like one. My other kitten Eve does have a bell because she doesn't have her rabies tag yet and she kept attacking Lily's jingling collar. Putting the bell back on Eve's collar desensitised her to the jingling noise and taught her that not everything that jingles is a toy. Although when we first put it on, she played with her neck like a mad kitty for nearly an hour!

Both my girls have bells on their collar. I like it.. IT's comorting to know where they are.. They aren't really loud,, so they aren't that annoying...

But Chestnut has learned how to slyly sneak around the house without her Bell going off.. She's very smart. Angel does it too,, she waits for Chestnut, and she can sneak up on her to pounce on her,, and her bell doesn't make a sound..

It's kind of funny how smart they are...

Originally Posted by Naturestee

Although when we first put it on, she played with her neck like a mad kitty for nearly an hour!

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that is a hilarious image!!! when I put my Demeter's on for the first time she slunk around really low to the floor for a few hrs, like she was crab-walking or something

Originally Posted by gizmocat

I'm afraid that this post doesn't make a lot of sense to me. You 'want your cats to be able to catch food' if they get outside?
How long were you planning to leave them there?

Some people dislike bells on collars because they make the cat audible. That's the very reason why I use them.

If you keep your cat indoors you won't have to worry about it being lost and 'catching food'.

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hmm, well it makes sense to me. i of couse would not LEAVE my cat outside, i didnt say that. i said if she got outside (by accident) and got LOST, which means i cant find her. i would want her to be able to catch food. makes perfect sense to me. even an indoor cat will have enough natural instince to hunt and eat prey if it gets hungry, they dont lose that. and about keeping it indoors, sometimes accidents happen and what if she got out, which is why people keep collars with id tags on indoor cats in the first place.

what that other poster said about it being a dinner bell for other animals is a great point as well.

The concept of chasing small prey is instinctual, but the ability to hunt is taught by the mother cat. It's not unusual for pet cats to have no clue how to actually hunt for food unless they had been raised by a hunting mother. They also would need to have been left with the mother long enough for her to teach them- an 8 week old kitten has not had much time to hone his skills with Mom.

The idea that all cats can hunt because of instincts is not only false but dangerous. This is what leads people to believe that a pet cat can be dumped in the woods or a farm field and still survive. From personal experience, these cats can not fend for themselves.

I would like to have a bell on Villy's collar, but I tried to put one on her and it drove her absolutely nuts she's a pretty vocal cat, and usually meows wherever she is, so we have to use that instead! I would really want it so that I could find her when she's hiding, but when she's hiding she's usually sitting still, so I guess the bell wouldn't ring anyway!

I agree with naturestee. They can't 'hunt for food' if they are lost outdoors. The collar is the best way of identifying them if they become lost.

Originally Posted by gizmocat

I agree with naturestee. They can't 'hunt for food' if they are lost outdoors. The collar is the best way of identifying them if they become lost.

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yes, she will wear a collar, just not a bell )