Limerick has now had 3 collars get caught around his lower jaw. We've tried break away, ones with an elastic in it, dog collars, but we still gets them caught around his jaw. Has anyone else had this problem? Should he be collar free, or is there something else we can try?
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Collar problems
- Thread starter eburgess
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Mine did that when I tried collars on them so I just gave up - they're indoor cats anyway so don't really need them. I prefer the look of a cat without a collar anyway! Just make sure he's microchipped.
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That happens to Ginger only when the collar is too loose. I would tighten them up so they can't get their jaw underneath but you can still slip a couple of fingers between the collar and the kitty's neck.
Jackson has actaully had similar problems. One afternoon I had him outside and I brought him back in and decided I would keep his collar on (Break Away collar)It's a good thing I came inside when I did...Or I don't know if my little man would still be around. The collar didn't break away. he was so upset and scared his little heart was beating.
I personally DO NOT keep a collar on him anymore 1 because he's microchipped and 2 what If I never came inside my house when I did, or if I was at school and my boyfriend was at work...Oh boy!
I would keep it off just to be safe. And again it was already metionaed if your cat is an indoor cat, you shouldn't have to worry about it. If he's not microchipped it's definatley something to look into.
Best of luck!
Jayme and Jackson
I personally DO NOT keep a collar on him anymore 1 because he's microchipped and 2 what If I never came inside my house when I did, or if I was at school and my boyfriend was at work...Oh boy!
I would keep it off just to be safe. And again it was already metionaed if your cat is an indoor cat, you shouldn't have to worry about it. If he's not microchipped it's definatley something to look into.
Best of luck!
Jayme and Jackson
eburgess - my youngest kitty Anika has had that happen about 4 times and it is very scary. We thought it would only happen when she was a kitten, so we kept the breakaway colar on her, but it recently happened again about a week ago even though she is now 2 years old. We decided to let her go collarless now because we can't take the chance of that happening when we are at work or out. Even though it was a breakaway colar, it didn't break away!
I've only had that happen with collars that are too loose.
A collar should fit snugly around the neck, but allow for you to put two fingers in it.
It should not be able to move very freely around the neck just from simple movement.
A collar should fit snugly around the neck, but allow for you to put two fingers in it.
It should not be able to move very freely around the neck just from simple movement.
Skittles did tell she got to be about 6 months old... SHe has a collor and microchip...
When we first put trouts collar on when she was little, she would get her jaw stuck in it..Poor thing. If you tighten it though, there should be no reason they get it stuck. Trout hasn't for a year.
I don't keep collars on indoor kitties- what's the need?
But then I don't keep collars on dogs while they're indoors either- only on their "out the door" collar/lead.
But then I don't keep collars on dogs while they're indoors either- only on their "out the door" collar/lead.
Mine wear breakaway collars, never had a problem. Sometimes rocky will lose his collar when he is a real rough & tumble wrestling match with Zakk- he wears a lupine and it breaks right off. Although mine are indoors, I worry that they may sneak out.
Tavia used to be able to take all of her collars off not sure how breakaways and the others but she hasn't in some time. But I keep her collar at a proper fit and she still does it. I can't seem to find a vet that does microchips in my area. I am still working on that. But hopefully soon.
The first cat we had I think always wore a collar but nothing like that happened but our second cat never wore a collar. She was the type who was likely to get it caught on something so we never put one of her.
Please don't be discouraged by all of the collar issue your've been having with your furbaby. You probably just didn't have the collar on snug enough. You should be able to fit 1 or 2 fingers underneath the kitty's collar but that's it, any more and it would be easy for the kitty to get it part of the way off their necks and stuck on their jaws or something else. Also, some people were suggesting not collaring indoor cats- i couldn't disagree more!....it's a bad idea. Even if your cat is microchipped, many shelters do not have the proper equipment to test for a microchip if your cat were to get loose and be picked up and taken to the shelter. Without a proper form of identification such as a lisence and collar, your cat may be out of luck if it were to get loose. I suggest microchipping and using a collar on your cat. All 4 of my cats are indoors only and all wear collars with the proper identification on them. You never know when your furbabies might try to make a run for it, there's always a first time for everything....so please play it safe and collar your kitties. Just make sure the collar is snug enough (but not too tight) and you should be good to go. Also there are several new collars on the market which make collaring a kitty easier.....i really like the www.rogz.com collars....i got one for velvet she she started to loose some of the fur around her neck from her old leather collar rubbing her- they work like a charm (she has the pink/white "Sushi" one! With soo many great collars and products available now, there's no excuse not to be responsible and collar your kitties.
I think very much depends of the quality of the collar. My cat had a collar for more than two years and we never had any problems with it. But when she needed a new one, I couldn't find the same one, so I bought an other kind of collar. About two weeks after I gave her the new collar, she didn't came back home for days. I think she probably got stuck somewhere and the collar got a bit loosened, because when I finally found her, she had put one of her front legs through the collar... I went to the vet and he had to remove part of the skin under her leg. It healed quite quickly, but still... if I hadn't found her, she could have died of an infection. Now she doesn't have a collar anymore, and I won't buy her a new one if I'm not sure it's a good one.
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If you think that microchipping is the only thing you need to identify your cat please please read this:http://www.hsus.org/pets/issues_affe...icrochips.html
If your cat was microchipped after around 2003, then each brand of microchip needs its own scanner and the chances of your cat being taken to a shelter that has that exact scanner and also volunteers who will scan for each type of microchip with each different scanner are certainly not 100%.
Microchips are EXTRA, they are not a replacement for a plain old collar with a tag on it, which is also a visible cue that the cat might be lost and not a stray or abandoned pet. Your cat is not going to choke on the fastened collar, as it's in her mouth and not blocking her airway. Try it yourself. If you put a collar in your mouth, you will find that you can't get it anywhere near your airway while across both sides of your mouth. Yes, it can hurt their jaw. But it's not going to kill them. Being lost and taken somewhere without the right scanner might.
If your cat was microchipped after around 2003, then each brand of microchip needs its own scanner and the chances of your cat being taken to a shelter that has that exact scanner and also volunteers who will scan for each type of microchip with each different scanner are certainly not 100%.
Microchips are EXTRA, they are not a replacement for a plain old collar with a tag on it, which is also a visible cue that the cat might be lost and not a stray or abandoned pet. Your cat is not going to choke on the fastened collar, as it's in her mouth and not blocking her airway. Try it yourself. If you put a collar in your mouth, you will find that you can't get it anywhere near your airway while across both sides of your mouth. Yes, it can hurt their jaw. But it's not going to kill them. Being lost and taken somewhere without the right scanner might.
Over here scanners are universal so any scanner will be able to read the chip in my cats.
Zissou - I think you make some good points about the usefulness of collars but since a good collar will be designed to come off should the animal get it caught, there's a good chance the cat won't actually be wearing the collar should it be found wandering the streets. I would never put an elasticated collar on any of my cats as I consider them very dangerous, and when I tried the ones that snap and breakaway my cats managed to get them off - almost every day I'd come home from work to find them on the floor. For me the chances of my cats getting out is very slim (they haven't managed it yet in 9 years) so I feel a microchip is adequate back up.
If you think cats can't get hurt by collars read this
http://www.rspca.org.uk/servlet/Sate...48449&marker=1
Collars can cause life threatening injuries.
Zissou - I think you make some good points about the usefulness of collars but since a good collar will be designed to come off should the animal get it caught, there's a good chance the cat won't actually be wearing the collar should it be found wandering the streets. I would never put an elasticated collar on any of my cats as I consider them very dangerous, and when I tried the ones that snap and breakaway my cats managed to get them off - almost every day I'd come home from work to find them on the floor. For me the chances of my cats getting out is very slim (they haven't managed it yet in 9 years) so I feel a microchip is adequate back up.
If you think cats can't get hurt by collars read this
http://www.rspca.org.uk/servlet/Sate...48449&marker=1
Collars can cause life threatening injuries.
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Non-breakaway collars can. I'm not saying anyone should use a non-breakaway collar, they're dangerous.
The best thing you can do is have a good-quality breakaway collar fitted correctly--and if it's fitted correctly they shouldn't be able to get them off-- on your cat at all times, regardless of what you think the chances of them getting out are. And if you live in a country with universal scanners for microchips then that's a good idea too, but here in the US it's not quite as helpful and certainly not a good idea to rely on a microchip.
The best thing you can do is have a good-quality breakaway collar fitted correctly--and if it's fitted correctly they shouldn't be able to get them off-- on your cat at all times, regardless of what you think the chances of them getting out are. And if you live in a country with universal scanners for microchips then that's a good idea too, but here in the US it's not quite as helpful and certainly not a good idea to rely on a microchip.
The "one or two fingers" rule is good, but doesn't work with all cats. Jamie wears a breakaway, reflecting collar, as does ZsaZsa, our "half cat", who goes outdoors. Miezi, our other "half cat" (both decided to live here, and were semi-successfully rehomed at our neighbor's, due to Jamie's antipathy toward other cats), doesn't wear one, because she usually manages to dispose of them within 2 or 3 days. Her record was 3 lost collars in a little over a week. All three are tattooed and microchipped (we have universal transponders here), but many shelters don't have scanners, and town/county road maintenance workers don't use scanners if they remove dead cats from roads. They will notify owners if the cat bears ID tags, but that's it.
I'm a bit skeptical about the breakaway collars, as for some reason I have trouble opening the plastic catches. I don't trust the ones with elastic bands at all, as the elastic stretches far too easily. Jamie has managed to get out of the house about 5 times in the past seven years (he opens doors), so I feel he needs the added protection of a collar with tags, and at this point he feels "naked" without a collar. I put a new one on him Friday, and he fussed the whole time while I removed his tags from the old one, and put them on the new one.
I have seen an alternative here - some people have their cats' ear pierced, and a little capsule earring has the owners' name, address, and phone number
inside.
I'm a bit skeptical about the breakaway collars, as for some reason I have trouble opening the plastic catches. I don't trust the ones with elastic bands at all, as the elastic stretches far too easily. Jamie has managed to get out of the house about 5 times in the past seven years (he opens doors), so I feel he needs the added protection of a collar with tags, and at this point he feels "naked" without a collar. I put a new one on him Friday, and he fussed the whole time while I removed his tags from the old one, and put them on the new one.
I have seen an alternative here - some people have their cats' ear pierced, and a little capsule earring has the owners' name, address, and phone number
inside.
I use beastie bands. Pudge has no problem with her collar. It's snug enough to not snag on things, but loose enough for me to fit 2 fingers under it. As she's not microchipped yet (not sure if vets here do it, but I'll get it done when she goes for her annual checkup if they do), I feel it is necessary although she is an indoor cat.
