Bell on cats collars. Cruel or not?

balletshoes

i have had 2 cats, one wouldn't wear a collar and if i ever managed to get one on he would struggle and work it until it came off again, so I stopped attempting to have him wear one. I don't know if he was any good as a hunter but he didn't ever bring home any prey.

The cat we have now is more teddy bear than cat, he wears a collar with a bell, it doesn't bother him. He's a completely rubbish hunter, I've watched him in the garden and with or without a bell on his collar he hasn't got a hope in heck of presenting me with any prey :rotfl:.

minerva_windsong

Before I got my cats, I would have said no. However the bell drove one of them so crazy that we had to take it off half an hour later because it upset him so much. The other one didn't seem to mind it though so we left his bell on.

Unfortunately they managed to get out of the collars we got them within an hour or so (though at least it shows the safety catches worked I suppose), so I might get some new ones and try again.

TBagpuss

I think it depends on the cat. Mine have collars with bells and it doesn't bother them at all. If I had a cat which seemed distressed by it I would remove the bell (and the collar, if necessary)

Mine are microchipped but they have reflective collars to make them more visible. Thye are the quick release, safety kind, and they do lose them periodically.

Mine both hunt successfully so I don't think the bell does much to protect small animals - it may be that it is more useful in regard to birds - other than last week's pigeon mine have not come home with any birds.

teddysmum

I don't have cats, being a dog owner, but agree that a bell would have little effect, as the cat would be lying still, ready to pounce.


However, I don't think a bell would bother a cat, as they are happy to play with those little balls containing a bell.

Slinky

Our old cat had to wear a collar as his cat flap was one of the ones that worked by magnets. He had a bell, it didn't seem to bother him.

Current cat we tried her with a collar but she went ape and we removed it seconds later. I wasn't surprised she didn't like it, she'd been rescued by the RSPCA with a collar wound. Her catflap works off her microchip.

Tropez

A bell on a cat's collar will just make it a more effective hunter, as it will learn to move without rattling the bell until it is too late for whatever prey it has in its sights.

ineed

TBagpuss wrote: »

I think it depends on the cat. Mine have collars with bells and it doesn't bother them at all. If I had a cat which seemed distressed by it I would remove the bell (and the collar, if necessary)

Mine are microchipped but they have reflective collars to make them more visible. Thye are the quick release, safety kind, and they do lose them periodically.

Mine both hunt successfully so I don't think the bell does much to protect small animals - it may be that it is more useful in regard to birds - other than last week's pigeon mine have not come home with any birds.

I agree, both my cats wear a collar with a bell and aren't bothered by it at all. if they were I'd remove it immediately as they are microchipped as well. It does seem to have cut their victims down, I'm glad especially as one of my cats is completely fearless and will go after anything; bats, squirrels etc.

I'm not sure a collar is cruel unless it is actively upsetting the cat, my two don't even struggle when putting on or taking off their collars, they just aren't bothered.

GBNI

Mine didn't wear a collar as even if they are the saftey collars I still think there is a certain amount of risk involved and the cat could still get stuck.

pinkteapot

Collars are safe if fitted correctly. You should only just be able to get two fingers inside it when on, and then they can't get their jaw or leg into it. It will look too tight, thanks to how thick their fur is.

Ours has worn a collar since he was a kitten (we got him at two years old and carried it on), and always with a bell. The bell doesn't seem to bother him in the slightest. It's safer anyway - when he has it off once a month (when we flea-treat him), he gets accidentally kicked/tripped over when he gets under our feet. :eek: Bell stops him being stealth cat. :rotfl:

I've never seen any reports that it's cruel or that the bell bothers them, and they do protect birdlife.

And, in the awful event of kitty being lost or involved in an accident, you'll get them back quicker if they have a collar with a tag with your details. Quicker for passers-by to get hold of you if they don't have to take them to a vet to get scanned.

KxMx

Bells don't stop cats hunting; they still stalk/chase pounce etc, similar to a wild big cat whose been fitted with a big radio collar; doesn't stop them feeding themselves.

It doesn't jingle jangle all the time, collars need as mentioned two fingers space between the collar & neck; this will lead to some movement of the bell as the collar moves. Sometimes when my cat enters the room or scratches it doesn't sound. More often it does.

It's really handy knowing inside the house whereabouts Lily is; like the poster above flea drop time leads to some surprises lol. And when she is outside I can hear her movements without being glued to the window all the time. Lily gets access to the outside only at my wish and if she hasn't been seen/heard for a couple of hours I will call her. I don't believe in letting a domestic cat roam free range at will.

In my opinion they do help prevent the number of things caught, even a fraction of a sound indicates to the prey it's time to move. Cats will stalk, lay in wait, wiggle wiggle then pounce. It's not foolproof of course but ample opportunities for the bell to ring.

I'd shudder to think how many things i'd get from my rather prolific hunter if she didn't have a collar with a bell on!

As always with collar topics DO NOT BUY the "safety" elastic ones which affix by putting a metal pin into a leather hole. The plastic quick release buckle type are the only type to get.