Collars or No Collars

[kittiesmom]

    I would love to know where the collars get to, my two       have lost so many I have given up, I only put them on to save the wildlife but it didn't work.

[sheilarose]

Purdy, if you're worried about cats in your area that may be strays, have you tried fitting your own collar to them with a message and your phone number?

Paper collars are the advertised method, but I keep one quick release collar which has my name and number written on the inside and the word "LOST?" scrawled on the outside. I've successfully identified one real stray and one psuedo stray with this method, so know it works. We have a LOT of well-meaning cat lovers around here and as a result, lots of strays also are attracted to the village as they get fed (not by me I hasten to add unless the cat is clearly suffering). It does get quite confusing.

One of my boys, Theo, quite frequently turns up with someone elses collar on, as he's a wandering soul with big eyes, a limp, a fondness for children and a soul wrenching meow  He hates wearing collars though and has worked out how to wriggle out of the quick release ones I put on him so thats not an option. As a preference, though, I don't collar my cats. Having seven of them is a cost implication but also as they are all chipped and established here I don't see the value to what I perceive an added risk (we have had safety collars fail to release). Also, my old lady Pursley has a bald ring right around her neck due to wearing nylon collars in her younger years. It's handy for applying flea treatment but looks bad and she can scratch her skin with her back claws which worries me.

Chip scanners are only one step. When cats with chips get lost, only vets are allowed access to the database company linked to the chip, so you'd still have to take the cat to a vet to determine if it is local or not. Some vets have lost and found books for local owners, so they would possibly recognise a lost cat you took in even if it wasn't chipped.

[emmmy_lou]

I only put collars on to try and stop the local vermin from getting caught, but it didn't work 

They dont last that long in our house either. I said to OH its a wonder the streets arent littered with used cat collars??!!  I wonder where they all go to...

I would love to see the cat ladder when its done too 

[Tiggy's Mum]

Sue -

The cat ladder is half built, the weather has not really been ideal for getting on a ladder outside to put it together but yes it should be up a running for the summer. Maybe I should get them collars now and try them out. Then they will hopefully be used to them when they go out.

Ooh exciting! Piccies please when it's ready 

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

I find a lot of people who don't have cts themselves assume that if a cat isn't wearing a collar and tag it's lost or a stray.  Always makes me worried a bit.  plus, when Mac was run over and killed last year, the people who let us know did so as a direct result of being able to get the telephone number from his disc.  They admitted they'd never have thought of having him scanned for a microchip.  That's one reason why i prefer mine to wear a collar.

I have to say though (and on a lighter note), Dickie can divest Ross of his collar in the blink of an eye, the funniest thing being that he then slinks away with it in his mouth looking really furtive.....

[Mymblesdaughter]

The cat ladder is half built, the weather has not really been ideal for getting on a ladder outside to put it together but yes it should be up a running for the summer. Maybe I should get them collars now and try them out. Then they will hopefully be used to them when they go out.

[CuteCats]

Not keen on collars, but would microchip.  Ours don't go out but all are microchipped.

[Tiggy's Mum]

My two will be going out this summer so not sure about the collars as they've never worn them. Think I will try them and see how they go but not much you can do if they won't wear them.

Did you sort out your cat ladder then MD?  If you're trying to get them used to collars for the first time I would try and get the ones with the little notches in that you squeeze gently to pull apart (see pic) as you can then take them on and off very easily without yanking them and associating collars with being yanked at! Mine didn't like wearing them at first so I only kept them on for very short periods, Riley is fine with his now and Lu seems fine but you turn around and he's taken it off himself 

[Mymblesdaughter]

I used to put collars on my old cat but she used to get them off pretty quickly sometimes within a day so I gave up. My two will be going out this summer so not sure about the collars as they've never worn them. Think I will try them and see how they go but not much you can do if they won't wear them.

Most cats I see around don't have collars and I don't assume they don't have homes. I only usually think that if they are looking skinny or scruffy. Although it does seem there are lots more strays at the moment. If they were trying to get into the house that would be a different thing though.   

[maryas]

I think we are 50/50 on here on this subject but we all agree on the quick release ones.

I say yes because my last cat went missing and because his coller came off in a field miles and miles away from me and someone phoned me I was able to put posters up in the right area.

Mary

[Rosella moggy]

Much depends on the individual cat's reaction but ALWAYS use quick release 

and

ALWAYS MICROCHIP whether collared or not OR indoor or not 

[Tiggy's Mum]

I am personally pro-collars, as long as they're the quick release kind. The snags are that not all cats will wear them, one of mine will - although I only put it on when he goes out - and the other makes light work of taking them off so I don't routinely put his on when they go out.

Also if you saw a cat with a collar that was hanging round you might immediately assume he/she had a home on the basis they had a collar on when they might be lost  I have a tag on the collar (for the one that will wear it) that says 'New to area, if you are reading this he is lost' - he's not new to the area but I have my back garden catproofed so if he had escaped somehow then technically he would be new to the area!

If I had to choose whether to microchip or use collars I would choose a chip everyday, yes not everybody knows about chips or would think to take a 'stray' to the vets to check for a chip but a collar can be lost in seconds and once it's gone, it's gone.

[Purdy Bear]

After looking after one stray cat, and my neighbour finally adopting her, I'm finding it more common for even owned cats not to wear collars.  I can understand all the safety requirements but it is really hard to know if the cat has a home without something visible to show it.

Yet again today another small 6 month old kitten has begun to come round the houses, so yet another we have to trace.  I'm thinking of getting a microchip scanner, or thinking of doing a list of local cats so at least we can spot one that needs rescuing quickly.

What are your thoughts on out door cats wearing collars?