Collars for scruffy cats

Princess_Jane

Hello,

Can anyone recommend a collar for a long-haired cat?

my middle cat Norman has quite long fur which snarls up quite badly.

We've found if we put a collar on him his neck fur gets matted up very quickly.

I was wondering if anyone knows of a collar for long-haired cats which could avoid this problem?

Is there even such a thing?

I prefer my cats to wear collars so I can have tags on them, and it always makes them looked more 'kept', esp for a scruff-bag like Norm.

the_devil_made_me_do_it

If your cat is chipped, then you don't really need a collar.

denice37

none of my cats year collars, after a frightening and near fatal experience when our cat jumped off a fence and her collar caught leaving her dangling luckily a neighbour rescued her and no harm was done.

Alcmene

There are pros and cons to collars.

I lost a cat two years ago, she was run over and just left in the middle of the road. Luckily a cat loving person found her and picked her up and wrapped her up. I got a phone call straight away and fetched her. If she had not been wearing her collar the person may never have been able to call me (and yes she was chipped all my cats are).

I have seen my eldest cat who is a wild 'un been stuck on bushes, trees etc. I always make sure I buy those collars with bits of elastic on them so if they get stuck they can force them over the head and get free. The negative side to this is you find if you have a very adventorous cat that they do tend to lose their collars. However, a quick scan of the surrounding area usually unearths them!

chez22

None of my cats used to wear collars, but I started having problems with other cats coming through the cat flap. I got an infra red cat flap so now they have to wear collars. As already mentioned, my more adventurous cat has an elastic collar but he is on his fifth one in 18 months (at £13 a go.) :eek:

A few years ago Cats Protection used to sell a collar for cats that was a thin clear plastic tube with a reflective strip inside. It just slipped over the cats head, I bought one for my black cat after a near miss on the drive on a dark night. I don't know if you can still get them but it might be a solution for Norman.

picklepick

you can get collars that have a snap fastening now that will come open under a cats weight, say if it was caught hanging on a fence like the above poster mentions. just look for a collar with a safety fastening not a buckle.
like this one..

http://www.petsathome.com/find/category-is-1+cat/category-is-1c+collars+leads+and+tags/category-is-1c01+collars/product-is-23028

Princess_Jane

chez22 wrote: »

None of my cats used to wear collars, but I started having problems with other cats coming through the cat flap. I got an infra red cat flap so now they have to wear collars. As already mentioned, my more adventurous cat has an elastic collar but he is on his fifth one in 18 months (at £13 a go.) :eek:

A few years ago Cats Protection used to sell a collar for cats that was a thin clear plastic tube with a reflective strip inside. It just slipped over the cats head, I bought one for my black cat after a near miss on the drive on a dark night. I don't know if you can still get them but it might be a solution for Norman.

Thanks, that might do the trick.

We had a Persian cat previously and were advised not to put a collar on him as it would snarl up too much.

I hear what is said about chipping, but I've lost two cats to cars, after which some kind soul took the poor wee thing's collars and rang me.

The peace of mind was priceless and if there hadn't been a visible means of ID I don't know if they would have gone to the trouble to track me down.

ailuro2

If his hair is really long and tens to get matted anyway, could you give it a trim for him first?

I know it sounds a bit odd, but I know a cat owner who does this on a regular basis - keeps the areas prone to matting a lot shorter to keep the matts at bay.

If he's a scruff bag anyway then having a trimmed neckline might not make him look much odder.:p

UKTigerlily

The trouble with collars that have safety features is if it opens to release things, things can get in too such as legs or in my Cats case jaws lol

picklepick

i dont understand what u mean tigerlily? about things getting in?

Princess_Jane

ailuro2 wrote: »

If his hair is really long and tens to get matted anyway, could you give it a trim for him first?

I know it sounds a bit odd, but I know a cat owner who does this on a regular basis - keeps the areas prone to matting a lot shorter to keep the matts at bay.

If he's a scruff bag anyway then having a trimmed neckline might not make him look much odder.:p

Norman and the scissors are very well acquainted as we have weekly de-tatting sessions.

He howls the house down like he's being murdered while his little sister watches in amusement.

Scruff-bag is dead on. My fella calls him "cut and shut cat" as his back half and his front half are completely different in terms of fur length.