Cat Collar Problem...as in, my cats arent being moneysaving! ;)

dw85

so my darling 16month old kitty Lola has just returned from wherever she goes to do her ninja/killer training without her collar.
Wouldnt mind so much but this is collar #5 in the last 3 months.

My other cat (3yr old) is much more a housecat and goes out occasionally but even he has lost 3 in the last few months.
:wall:

On one hand, i can only assume the breakaways are doing their job, but at the same time it is getting very annoying that i cant have the nice collars that a friend makes as it is getting expensive and even cheap ones from PAH arent lasting.

So suggestions to help or where to buy multipacks cheaply?

(fyi they are both microchipped but due to where we live, id prefer they wore collars to know they have a home!)

helcat26

Try to get film of them when they are trying to get them off- with their leg stuck under and a really narked look on their face. Post it on you tube and recoup the cost of the collars.:j

adandem

We rescued our cat a few months ago, Cats Protection advised us not to use a collar. Ours is chipped, they said they see a high number of injuries due to collars, be thankful that yours came off, they may have trapped your cat.

McKneff

Also a high number of hanged cats that catch their collars on branch and they struggle to get off it,

We all know what happens next.

A chip should be enough

dw85

Thank you for your replies.
Just rereading my post, it sounds like i want them to have collars for vanity (partly..they are cute ). It isnt, its more that they have a bell so the local wildlife stands a chance too. She brings in way less birds/mice/cows when she has a bell on.

Think id better prepare for alot of 'gifts'

UKTigerlily

Sorry but would you like to have a bell around your neck 24/7 with no way to get it off? Doesn't your cat come before local wildlife? There have been studies that show that a bell makes no difference as cats are ambush predators & lie in wait, and when they pounce it doesn't ring as it would if they were running (can't remember how it was worded).

What if it gets caught? Even safety collars fitted correctly can & do, my old cat got his in his mouth around his lower jaw somehow & the vet had confirmed it was fitted perfectly & said she sees lots of collar injuries

I don't mean this to sound as harsh as it probably does, i'm bad at wording things, but please put the cat first. It's like putting a bell on a lion so it doesn't get any zebra, cats hunt it's how they are & what makes them cats. Clever ones would get around any bell issues anyway but it's never stopped the few with collars here & i've heard no noise from bells when one cat here has got a pigeon

GwylimT

If you're worried about wildlife and people thinking your cat is a stray you can easily cat proof your garden, that way puss can go out, but can't go beyond the garden so unlikely to catch any birds and definitely wont be taken in as a stray. It also has the added benefit of zero risk of being run over.

fairy_lights

dw85 wrote: »

Thank you for your replies.
Just rereading my post, it sounds like i want them to have collars for vanity (partly..they are cute ). It isnt, its more that they have a bell so the local wildlife stands a chance too. She brings in way less birds/mice/cows when she has a bell on.

Think id better prepare for alot of 'gifts'

If your cat is able to get a collar off though he will just remove it before he goes on a killing spree and bring you your gifts anyway.
We gave up on collars after the second one - the first one kitty took off somewhere and lost, the second one he tried to get off, but it got stuck over his face and cut in to his mouth and caused a lot of distress.
I think if a cat hates wearing a collar so much that they repeatedly try to remove them then it's not really fair to keep putting them back on.

dw85

UKTigerlily wrote: »

Sorry but would you like to have a bell around your neck 24/7 with no way to get it off? Doesn't your cat come before local wildlife? There have been studies that show that a bell makes no difference as cats are ambush predators & lie in wait, and when they pounce it doesn't ring as it would if they were running (can't remember how it was worded).

What if it gets caught? Even safety collars fitted correctly can & do, my old cat got his in his mouth around his lower jaw somehow & the vet had confirmed it was fitted perfectly & said she sees lots of collar injuries

I see your point but my cats genuinely don't seem bothered by wearing one, they don't struggle when we take it off/on and they aren't scratching to get it off.
They have been wearing them for a long while, but i guess with the summer months and being out alot more, they are prone to getting snagged (which is why im grateful of the breakaway - id like to point out i do make a point of testing the clasp so it will come away- id hate anything like what ive read above to happen!).
I dont want to seem rude, but your comment about wearing a bell 24/7 with no way to get it off - trust me, with my two, if they didnt like it, theyd sure let you know (like the chorus in the back of the car on the way to the vets for the annual vaccinations yesterday).

I do appreciate everyones advice and viewpoints, but with regards to the wildlife, id like to feel im giving them a chance - regardless of how effective it is - it was my choice to bring another predator into the area.

Anyhow, i'll be letting them run around the neighbourhood naked :eek: and hoping very much that i dont run into a half dead something when we come down in the morning!

Owain_Moneysaver

dw85 wrote: »

She brings in way less birds/mice/cows

Are you sure that's a cat? Mine used to chase cows but couldn't get them home.

SensibleSarah

My 4 cats are all chipped & wear safety collars with tags (although not bells) and it can be a costly business keeping up with the rate they disappear at times. They wear collars because only a small minority of people think to get cats scanned for a chip, and most councils, when picking up deceased cats from roadsides, certainly don't. So its a risk I'm prepared to take, and I keep stumping up for replacement collars & tags on a regular basis.

OP - I get mine from eBay and usually buy a bulk lot in one go.