Topic: Cat collars - or not? What do YOU do?! (Read 5921 times)

JackSpratt · « **Reply #22 on:** March 24, 2008, 12:18:01 PM »

Indoor/outdoor - microchipped and wear safety release collars.

Leanne · « **Reply #21 on:** March 24, 2008, 10:14:53 AM »

Ours are microchipped but are indoor kit kats so they don't wear collars,

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #20 on:** March 22, 2008, 16:30:13 PM »

Quote from: hOrZa on March 22, 2008, 09:23:27 AM

Indoor only, microchipped and no collars

I think Lynn's Sebastian also indoor/cat proofed garden but a houdini for escaping? Just saying it ain't simple.

Susanne (urbantigers) · « **Reply #19 on:** March 22, 2008, 10:16:00 AM »

Quote from: hOrZa on March 22, 2008, 09:23:27 AM

Indoor only, microchipped and no collars

Samem here. If they went outside, I'd be unsure what to do, but would only use a breakaway safety collar.

hOrZa · « **Reply #18 on:** March 22, 2008, 09:23:27 AM »

Indoor only, microchipped and no collars

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #17 on:** March 21, 2008, 20:19:28 PM »

Quote from: Harna on March 21, 2008, 16:10:33 PM

A friend of mine lost her cat and in searching, discovered that he had been in an RTA and picked up by the street cleaning crew of the local council. She never saw him again so didn't have the chance to bury him herself - he was chipped but they didn't scan him and 'disposed' of him without her ever knowing. It was only when she exhausted phoning local rescues & vets that someone suggested calling the council just in case. She phoned them and they said that a cat answering his description had been found and dealt with . . . . . seeing her distress makes me certain I don't want to be in that situation.)

Similar (not quite the same) thing happened to me when Aslan died in 2006. This is one of the reasons I am so undecided about use of collars. Unfortuantely (fortunately?) I cannot get sight of my beautiful Baron, with her front leg caught in her collar jumping on my chest at 3am more than 20 years ago, out of my mind either.

As I said, there are pros and cons. I suppose I put more weight on possible physical hurt of my cats rather than my emotional turmoil on that comparison. What worries me more is if one of the boys are hurt and not brought to a vet as no collar or a reflective collar may have prevented an RTA esp with my 2 black fellas like Lyn mentioned with her Sebastian.

Christine (Blip) · « **Reply #16 on:** March 21, 2008, 17:02:48 PM »

Quote from: Harna on March 21, 2008, 16:10:33 PM

Hi Christine - I tried the 'report to moderator' button but it said I couldn't report my own posting - and I didn't want to report someone else's!

so you can't! Oops. Sorry.

Probably best to PM a mod then in similar circumstances: although I'm of the opinion that it never hurts to bring up an important issue again, for the benefit of new members.

For what it's worth, I am against the use of collars. For those who disagree, safety collars like those made by Kitty Collars are the best bet.

Harna · « **Reply #15 on:** March 21, 2008, 16:10:33 PM »

Hi Christine - I tried the 'report to moderator' button but it said I couldn't report my own posting - and I didn't want to report someone else's!

Thanks for all the replies. It is a difficult decision to make and part of me thinks that there is no way my cats would get their paw stuck without one of us noticing (OH works from home, I currently work p/t and will be working from home from September) let alone having it stuck for so long that it went gangrenous (

) so I thought I would keep them on for whilst they are settling in - we've only had Alfie & Wilf since Tuesday and the bells on their collar helps us know where they are as they explore the house - especially if they are near the front door as they seem to be keen to go outside.

However, another part of me thinks that if they are inside with us most of the time then do they need collars at all? I think I am so worried that if they did get out, being pure-bred persians they might not ever come back; for a number of reasons. And although they are chipped, I would rather I wasn't relying solely on someone with a good heart to find them and think about checking if they are scanned. (A friend of mine lost her cat and in searching, discovered that he had been in an RTA and picked up by the street cleaning crew of the local council. She never saw him again so didn't have the chance to bury him herself - he was chipped but they didn't scan him and 'disposed' of him without her ever knowing. It was only when she exhausted phoning local rescues & vets that someone suggested calling the council just in case. She phoned them and they said that a cat answering his description had been found and dealt with . . . . . seeing her distress makes me certain I don't want to be in that situation.)

Christine (Blip) · « **Reply #14 on:** March 21, 2008, 14:40:36 PM »

Quote from: Harna on March 21, 2008, 07:13:53 AM

Ah - sorry; hadn't seen that thread . . .

How to I ask a moderator to take this one down?? I don't know if I want to continue this given the debate raging on that one!

No reason to take this one down

but if ever you do want to draw moderators' attention to something, you can use the 'Report to Moderators' facility that appears on the right of each post. This isn't just for offensive or abusive posts, it can also be used to communicate things like that. Your message, whatever it is, then comes to all of us

tigerbaby · « **Reply #13 on:** March 21, 2008, 14:35:13 PM »

The views on collars are varied on here, so go with what you feel is best.
We don't have a collar on Jameson - mainly because he is a little adventurer and loves climbing and playing in shrublands. Although I'm sure a quick release collar is super-safe, I still don't trust collars to 100%.

Ela · « **Reply #12 on:** March 21, 2008, 14:24:18 PM »

Quote

Wonder if that lady still makes them?

If she is still Cats Protection possibly not as Cats Protection had what they thought the intimate in safe collars designed. unfortunately that also lead to cats being injured and it was withdrawn. Now Cats Protection do not really recommend cat collars.

Dark Moon · « **Reply #11 on:** March 21, 2008, 13:26:22 PM »

We have huge problems with ticks here. Mostly the kitties remove them themselves... but my longer haired ones often had problems. So there for a brief time I put tick collars on. Break-away, of course. And they did - break away, that is. Lost enough of those silly things to pay for....... But I stopped instantly when one of my babies not only got the collar into his mouth but and a paw underneath it too.

For me it is just not worth it.

Gillian Harvey · « **Reply #10 on:** March 21, 2008, 13:19:39 PM »

I used to put collars on my cats (before I had persians). Years ago I used to buy cloth ones made by a lady from cat protection (cat protection league as it was then!) They were great, they were made with a soft cotton material with elastic running through it and were fastened with an elastic band. You could write address and phone no on the cotton with a permanent marker pen. They would break away easily because of how they were fastened (and I guess a lot of them got lost because of that!) but I always had a stash of them, to replace the lost ones. Wonder if that lady still makes them?

I liked them because they were soft and didnt rub the fur which would be probably be good for persians. I don't actually put collars on mine anymore, don't really like collars on persians anyway, but I suppose I could still get my ginger mog to wear one as he goes out and about!

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #9 on:** March 21, 2008, 09:39:19 AM »

Don't worry Harna. It's an important matter and as a result it crops up quite a lot. The only reason I put the link to the recent thread is because it cropped up relatively recently. Can't say I've ever really made up my mind that I'm doing the right thing (i.e. no collars) as there are pros and cons. It's just important that people know them all.

Ela · « **Reply #8 on:** March 21, 2008, 09:28:09 AM »

Quote

I don't know if I want to continue this given the debate raging on that one!

I would not say raging

. I would say that people put their views often relating to what they have had to deal with, especially the rescues who have to deal with dead cats under hedges simply because of a collar (sometimes a so called safety collar) or seeing a cat suffer needlessly often for weeks, sometimes months because of a collar injury. Obviously people who only have their own pet cats may not have come across such horrors or only hear of them very occasionally. People can see both sides of the debate and make the choice on informed information. This is a topic like the indoor/outdoor debate that we all agree to disagree on.

CurlyCatz · « **Reply #7 on:** March 21, 2008, 07:29:06 AM »

Hiya

My cats dont get free range outdoor access (ie they only get into an outdoor run) but if they did get out I would also want them to have a snap safety collar, preferably reflective !

(mine are chipped too but that does nothing to make a black cat more visible ! )

Harna · « **Reply #6 on:** March 21, 2008, 07:13:53 AM »

Ah - sorry; hadn't seen that thread . . .

How to I ask a moderator to take this one down?? I don't know if I want to continue this given the debate raging on that one!

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #5 on:** March 20, 2008, 23:15:40 PM »

You may find this thread of interest. Views are mixed

http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,12617.0.html

Den · « **Reply #4 on:** March 20, 2008, 22:48:27 PM »

Oh plus he's microchipped and indoors. I have my own issues with microchips and their reliability.

Harna · « **Reply #3 on:** March 20, 2008, 22:42:11 PM »

Oh yes - mine are all quick release ones, too . . . . . .

Den · « **Reply #2 on:** March 20, 2008, 22:40:08 PM »

I have a quick release safety collar (aka comes off all the time) collar with a bell on my boy.

Harna · « **Reply #1 on:** March 20, 2008, 22:34:22 PM »

Just a quick question:

we have been owned by Persian cats for the past 15 years. They have all been microchipped and are predominantly house cats although they do have supervised access to our garden. We have always had collars on them - not only do they have our contact details in should they ever get out the front door (just in case) but they also have a bell on - it helps to know where they are in the house sometimes!

The thing is, this week, I adopted a couple more persians from an RSPCA shelter. The staff there were HORRIFIED when I said that I put collars on my cats, as they said that collars are responsible for appalling injuries to cats - that paws could get hooked through and no-one realise and legs could become dislocated / cat could be strangled / sores could develop. Well, given that my husband and I work from home and are pretty much with our cats all day, I think we would notice pretty swiftly if they got anything stuck, I said. So their reply was; there is no point in putting a collar on a cat if it is microchipped. Hmm. I just think that if one of mine should ever get out and run off and get lost, someone would be more likely to look for details on a collar than take them to the nearest vet to be scanned. . . . wouldn't they??

Anyway, my question is: do you collar your cat? And if so, do you bell your cat, too? (Our ex-neighbour's (neglected

) cat used to roam free and hungry and kill birds in my garden . . .)

I'd be interested to know where thoughts lie on this - am I wrong to put bells on my cat's collars so that I know who it is hopping down the stairs - and should I be putting a collar on them in the first place?!

Author Topic: Cat collars - or not? What do YOU do?! (Read 5921 times)

Dark Moon