cat losing collars - advice please!

zzzLazyDaisy

Hi, I'm looking for some advice. My cat is chipped, but also wears a collar with my mobile number in case he gets injured and someone needs to contact me.

He wore a collar for about 3 years with no problem. Then he came home without it about 6 weeks ago, so I replaced it. That one lasted 4 weeks, and the replacement only two weeks. (the first two were elasticated collars, the third was one of those quick release ones).

He is a hunter and spends a lot of time outside. tbh I don't think he goes far because we have open fields at the back of the house and he always comes in when I call him. I'm concerned that if anything happened to him - say he was killed on the road - the finder might not take the trouble to have his chip scanned. But I can't go off at £8 a throw every couple of weeks!

Any suggestions (apart from keeping him in - trust me that wouldn't work!)

Thanks in advance

lostinrates

Mine don't wear collars: I rely on the chip. For me the risk of not losing the collar when they need to (i.e. get caught) outweighs the risk of them not being returned to me: which I think unlikely where I live. I do note however that yours are the ''safe collars'' which suggests your cat IS needing to lose them.

patchwork_cat

The elastic ones are more dangerous than you think. They can hang themselves - as a result for about 10 years I haven't used them. I have used the quick release, but the downside is they release too often! We went through them like crazy and I decided not to bother. You can sometimes find bulk purchases of the quick release on ebay so could bulk buy!

MrsTinks

Mine wear collars in winter when it's dark - they easily loose 1 each every 4 weeks but I don't put number tags on them anymore I only stick collars on because I feel better knowing they have reflective collars on making them easier to see at night They're both chipped too but it would be enourmously expensive to replace their collars every time they lost them all year and with tags too...
BTW - I've stopped using elasticated collars after my smaller girl had one and obviously got it caught up and managed to get one of her front paws through it - no harm done to her other than her pride - but I've seen pictures of the injuries it can cause them! I now only buy the safe-release or whatever they're called collars.

zzzLazyDaisy

Hmmmm..........

Maybe I'll look for bulk buy quick release reflective collars, and write my phone number on the plastic with indelible marker!

Thanks for your comments. I think I know what is happening - his favourite route out of the garden is through a gap in a hedge and then through some fairly dense undergrowth. There's probably a whole treasure trove of the things in there!

patchwork_cat

There is 12 on at the moment on ebay. Less than £5 on bids so far.

eamon

I tried a collar on my first cat. Minutes later he performed a kind of forward roll with added twist and voila had the collar off. That was the last of the collar wearing.

Current cats have been through numerous collars and as they have now mainly become house cats they are nude!

spike7451

I've never used a collar on my cats ever since I came home & found a distressed Orbit (rip) with his leg thru the collar as well.Microchipping's the best imho.

UKTigerlily

Collars are way too dangerous, even 'quick release' ones IMO, the brother of my current Cat got his jaw caught up & it didn't release, if the ex hadn't got to him I dread to think what could have happened & it was fitted correctly. I'm lucky though that i'm at least 200ft from any roads & have a park at the back so my lazy cat doesn't go as far as the road.

loulou123

My cat doesnt wear a collar either. We did try her with several, but she can get out of them in about 2 mins. She actually learnt to "open" the quick release ones! She is microchipped though and doesnt go out at night, so fingers crossed she will be ok.

Spudette

You could try a catwalk collection cat collar from Rosewood Pet Products. I have always used them on my cats I think that they are ace.