new kitten/Beastie Bands question

[mandy1178]

Hello! I haven't posted here for a LONG time but I read the forums and a couple years ago some of you were awesome at answering my questions about my diabetic kitty, Cammie. I still have her and her sister Frisky, they are almost 13 now! Because everyone here was awesome then, I'm back to post about the newest addition to our family. In October we found a long-haired orange kitten under our a/c unit in our backyard. We have no idea where he came from and were not in the market for a 3rd cat but after asking around the neighborhood about him and checking for a microchip at the vet and finding nothing on both accounts we decided to keep him, of course.  Cairo is about 5 months old now and is at the vet today getting neutered and microchipped! We love him! Now for my actual question . . . for Christmas I ordered 3 Beastie Band collars for him. I wasn't going to put one on him until we get his tag after he's microchipped today but I couldn't resist putting the "devil cat" (LOL he's mischievious!) one on him. Because he's little I trimmed the excess off after I got it on him. Within hours the end I trimmed became frayed and he kept scratching at the hanging threads, sometimes getting his claws stuck in them and pulling more loose. I trimmed those too and he just pulled more out. I took it off of him before he ruined the whole thing. I want to put one on him when we get him home from the vet, am I doing it right? You are supposed to trim the excess off Beastie Bands right? Or did I totally mess that up? If I don't trim it there will be way too much sticking out. I know Beastie Bands get great reviews, I was hoping some of you have them and can give me advice! Thanks in advance!

 

[Draco]

I trim them off. it is suggested to, as well.

I have to replace my cats bands every so often. with their play and scratching, they do shred up. I don't think anything can be done about it.. at least that I am aware of!

 

[mandy1178]

Okay thanks! I'm picking him up tomorrow morning, I'll try putting one on him again!

 

[alicatjoy]

I've used Beastie Bands on my cats for years. I like keeping collars and identification on them despite the fact that they're microchipped. My neighborhood is such that they would likely never find their way to a vet to be scanned for a chip. Therefore, I play it very safe where they're concerned -- we have never had an incident where one of the cats got out (we have multiple safety measures in place to ensure that they cannot get out of the house), but there is always the possibility of an accidental escape. So, collars and tags it is.

While I don't use Beastie Bands exclusively, I have run into the same problem with them that you have. I like to use them on younger cats and kittens and the way they're made makes trimming them a necessity. However, I've come to the conclusion that I can get a lot more wear out of them if I trim them and then use a lighter or match along the edge to heat seal the fabric. I always do it outdoors and have water nearby in the event of an accident, but it has helped in the past to maintain the shape of the collar and keep it from fraying immediately after its first use. My roommate glues the excess to the band so that is an option as well, but I haven't tried that method personally as of yet.

Good luck with whatever you decide to try. The collars are cute, safe, and come in so many different varieties. But, I've also come to like regular safety collars for my cats. In fact, with my new kitty, I started him right off on a safety collar instead of going with Beastie Bands. But, just this post is causing me to consider picking a cute one up for my new little guy. However, he's more sweet than naughty...so, we'll be foregoing the "Devil Cat" design 

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