my girls are almost 1 year old and i'm trying to put collars on them for the first time! I know! I know! Should have done it sooner, but I didn't. they are not very happy with them on. (even when I gave a yummy treat) any suggestions? should i put in on for short durations of time and then build up? OR just put it on and leave it on? we are traveling with them soon, so I don't have much time!!
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adjusting to collars HELP!
- Thread starter jandm
- Start Date
all of my cats have collars, & all except the senior wear them [she has a tendency to develope hair loss & sores around her neck if she wears her collar - plus, she NEVER attempts to go outside!]. anyway, i've always put the collar on as soon as i got the cat. the ones to whom a collar was a new thing HATED them - they have bells, the tags jangle, etc. each one spent some time trying to 'outrun' the collar, but failed
i just left them on. eventually [usually w/in a day or 2] they got used to them.
every single one of them can walk w/o the bell or tags jangling now, too!
every single one of them can walk w/o the bell or tags jangling now, too!
Mine seemed to do a lot better with the collars when there's nothing on them (ie. bells, tags).
Also, I put them on for a bit at a time for a few days, and they were fine with them after that. Last time I had them on (they are not safety collars, so I only keep them on when I'm around to get them used to it while I figure out what good collars I want to get), they did absolutely fine. Once they get used to the collars themselves, I'll worry about tags/bells.
If their problem is with the tags, you can get non-hanging tags, like this one http://www.boomerangtags.com/page.php?c=collartags.
Also, I put them on for a bit at a time for a few days, and they were fine with them after that. Last time I had them on (they are not safety collars, so I only keep them on when I'm around to get them used to it while I figure out what good collars I want to get), they did absolutely fine. Once they get used to the collars themselves, I'll worry about tags/bells.
If their problem is with the tags, you can get non-hanging tags, like this one http://www.boomerangtags.com/page.php?c=collartags.
Just put them on and leave them on. I took the bell off Bast's collar because she, like me, has very low tolerance for noise. Loud Mouth and Bast adjusted to their collars within a day or two without too much fuss. I'm a baaaad meowmy because I laughed at Marmalade's adjustment to the collar. She kept growling at the thing chasing her.
Even my tough little former street kitty adjusted to the collar pretty quickly.
Angie
Angie
Definitely remove the bells. They rarely work. And I think it'd be awful to have to have a bell on you every time you move, for the rest of your life.
Personally, I don't believe in collars for indoor-only cats. If your cats will need them when traveling, then just put them on when the cats are traveling... they're going to be unhappy anyway due to the carrier and the travel, so a collar won't make much difference.
Personally, I don't believe in collars for indoor-only cats. If your cats will need them when traveling, then just put them on when the cats are traveling... they're going to be unhappy anyway due to the carrier and the travel, so a collar won't make much difference.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
thanks.....they've finally stopped trying to bit,lick, or scratch them off. but I hope it lasts! I took the bells off, that was never an option. I got the smallest tags I could find but they still seem to annoy them a bit. Can't blame them. Once we return home from our trip my indoor cats can be collar free again!
Mine never minded the collars, but I would just put them on and then distract the cat--bring out an interactive toy or give them dinner.
If the tags are the part causing the annoyance, you might look at the type that don't dangle--http://www.boomerangtags.com/ has some nice "CollarTags."
