magnetic cat collars? Breakaway collars

[sarah ann]

I've noticed that many of the breakaway collars that are sold in the stores, aren't really breakaway.  It requires too much force to pull them off.

So I was thinking, what about taking the breakaway snap off, and adding a magnetic piece. I saw lowes sells O ring magnets. I could sew the magnets on the collars and than if an emergency happens, they should come right apart.  The issue would be finding a strong enough magnet without adding too much weight to the collar.

Anyone have suggestions on cat collars that break away easily?  The only ones I found were by Petmate, but they fell off too easily.  I bought a second one and it disappeared within one day and was never seen again!  It has been over a year and I still haven't found. I have a feeling it fell under the oven, or some other large immovable piece of furniture.

 

[jcat]

Getting a breakaway collar whose snap isn't too tight or too loose is tough, and some cats manage to get any of them off, like our Mogli. After his going through a collar a week - of various brands - I started using Beastie Bands, which are made of stretchy neoprene and close with Velcro.

Using magnets is an interesting idea - please keep us updated if you try it.

 

[Willowy]

Small strong magnets aren't recommended for children or pets, because if they get eaten they can cause parts of the intestine to stick together. Now, cats shouldn't go around eating parts of their collars, but you just never know.

It is best if a cat collar requires almost full cat body weight before it snaps, so the ones you think are too strong might be OK---like you found out, one that snaps too easily isn't good either. Or, you can usually modify them a bit to snap more easily.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Hmm....  The eating it would be a concern in my house.  I guess it depends on the cat and the size of the magnet pieces.  Noodles has a thing for eating strings, ribbon and tulle; so I might be a little more paranoid about that.  

My 2 wear collars from Safe Cat.  They seem to open easier than some but not TOO easy.  I always test them in the store.  We had an incident at our old house when M&N were kittens.  Our heat vents were flush with the floor.  Somehow Noodles got her tag stuck in the vent and the collar did pop open; but when I found her she was just laying there still over the vent with it open.  I grabbed her and she was a bit limp.  I nearly panicked but after I picked her up she was fine.  We got the Safe Cat collars after that.  These are the ones I use: http://www.petsmart.com/cat/collars...6-catid-200014?var_id=36-9405&_t=pfm=category.  Its pretty rare that they get out of them; but it does happen maybe once a year.  

 

[sarah ann]

I bought some magnets today. They are ring magnets with a hole in the center. I would think they are safe enough as long as I sew them onto the collar. I can't imagine one of my cats trying to eat them!  I've heard some of types of magnets will snap easily. I tried to find ones that wouldn't... I could see a cat trying to eat a broken magnet.

 

[tdonline]

Or, you can usually modify them a bit to snap more easily.

How would you do that?  I'd like my cats to start wearing collars and I did buy ones with breakaway buckles.  Still, they take some force to snap them open.  How can I modify the buckles to snap open more readily?  Thanks.

 

[zoneout]

There was one collar we last used that had an elastic band for safety instead of a snap buckle. That seemed to work well.

 

[Willowy]

How would you do that?  I'd like my cats to start wearing collars and I did buy ones with breakaway buckles.  Still, they take some force to snap them open.  How can I modify the buckles to snap open more readily?  Thanks.

You can file down the little catchy bits on the clasp (on most collars). Some kinds of buckles are different, but you can usually file/cut/stretch some part to make it snap easier or harder.

I don't trust elastic collars because I just envision them stretching and then twisting so the cat can't escape :/. I don't even know if that happens or it's just my overactive imagination :tongue2:. I prefer a collar that actually comes apart.

 

[tdonline]

Willowy, yes, after posting my question, I figured filing or sanding down the catch on the clasp is the way to go.  Thanks for replying.  Will look for that sandpaper now.

 

[tdonline]

I also wanted to add one cat did undo her collar the other day so at least there's evidence one of my cats can unbuckle when needed.

 

[Margret]

Jasmine has managed to slip her collar, losing all the tags. It was a standard breakaway collar, which is how she did it, so that feature does work. I've ordered a Beastie Bands collar for her -- doesn't break away; it's elastic and will stretch enough to come off if caught, but is much harder for the cat to deliberately remove. When it comes I'll write a review, but I found it in the first place from a review on this site, so check them out. Also, I'll check the twisting thing Willowy mentioned. The Beastie Bands is fairly wide, so I think twisting that way would be less likely.

Margret

 

[Willowy]

Well, Beastie Bands also close with velcro, which is supposed to rip open if needed. The fabric is neoprene which does stretch a bit but isn't really elastic, so I think the main safety feature is supposed to be the velcro. I used them before and found that they get ratty around the edges pretty quickly :/, but they're nice collars all around.

 

[Margret]

Thanks for warning me about the neoprene. I guess I'll have to do a blanket stitch on the edges before I put it on her.

Margret

 

[jcat]

The Beastie Bands aren't terribly durable, but you can clip the frayed edges with a pair of scissors to keep them looking decent. The painted designs tend to wear off a bit over time, too. The comfort factor outweighs that, though.

Mogli wrecked (snapped and chewed) so many "regular" collars that it's cheaper for me to get him a new Beastie Band every year or so.

 

[snufkin]

I. Wondering if the magnets would affect the microchips in the cats? That was my first thought.

 

[Margret]

Probably not, but they're still dangerous. Not a good idea.

Margret

 

[Margret]

Okay, I'll bear that in mind. Thanks.

Margret