Collars.

jemjdragon

Member
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240
Location
California, USA
So I am thinking of getting collars (for Christmas) for my fiance's family's 2 cats, Chomper and Rocky.
They are ~3 years old.
My question is how do I keep them from kicking off the collar?
My cats had always had collars and I have never had one kick one off.
His mom says that gave collars to the cats once when they were younger and the cats took them off. And they never put them on again.
They are microchipped but his mom states she would prefer collars on them with tags as well. Not everyone checks for mircochips (though some also ignore the collars) and she is worried the cats might escape. These cats are indoor only cats and have not managed to escape at all.
I am assuming when I introduce collars to them, I should do it without the bell and tag first so that they get used to just having something around their neck and then later introduce the bell and tag.
 

KTyne

Kayla
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Lancaster Park, AB
Unlike Dogs, Cats should only have one finger width of room in between their collar and their neck, so that they can't slip out of it. If you don't want them pulling them off though you'll want to get the non safety clip ones as Cats tend to pull them off when they're playing and stuff. If they go outside make sure to get the safety ones though. Tricky decision there, lol.
 

Embrace Calamity

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Pennsylvania
Yeah, you might have to replace them. I got one with a bell for my mostly blind kitten so I'd know where she is, but she goes outside sometimes so I made sure to get her a safety collar. She removed the first one almost immediately (not sure how), and then I got her another one and she pretty quickly removed it too. Then I found one and put it back on, and she's had it on for a while now without any issues. I think she just needed to get used to it. I think the safety ones are much better, that way you don't have to worry about them getting caught on anything, which could be really bad. And I think most cats could probably become accustomed to them.

~Maggot
 

jemjdragon

Member
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240
Location
California, USA
Well, they live next to a really busy road, so I don't think these cats will ever go outdoors, unless by halter/leash or they escape. I will go to the store and look at the collars and compare them. I might start with a non-safety collar then switch to a safety collar when they get used to wearing the first one. Thank you for the advise. =]
 

KTyne

Kayla
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531
Location
Lancaster Park, AB
Well, they live next to a really busy road, so I don't think these cats will ever go outdoors, unless by halter/leash or they escape. I will go to the store and look at the collars and compare them. I might start with a non-safety collar then switch to a safety collar when they get used to wearing the first one. Thank you for the advise. =]

They should be fine with the non-safety collars then. :) One of my cats has a collar with a metal buckle and he's had that collar for over a year with no issues. :) My other cat has a safety collar that gets pulled off within the day from the other two cats biting at it so I've just stopped putting it back on, lol.
 

Embrace Calamity

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They should be fine with the non-safety collars then. :) One of my cats has a collar with a metal buckle and he's had that collar for over a year with no issues. :) My other cat has a safety collar that gets pulled off within the day from the other two cats biting at it so I've just stopped putting it back on, lol.
Well I suggested a safety collar because it was my understanding (maybe I'm wrong) that OP was getting the collars in case the cats escaped, so, in preparation for that particular event, a safety collar might be better. I'd personally be scared of using a regular collar because if they escaped and got caught on something like a thick branch, machinery, etc., they could starve or be strangled. Not that people shouldn't use them, but...I dunno. They make me nervous.

~Maggot
 

KTyne

Kayla
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Lancaster Park, AB
Well I suggested a safety collar because it was my understanding (maybe I'm wrong) that OP was getting the collars in case the cats escaped, so, in preparation for that particular event, a safety collar might be better. I'd personally be scared of using a regular collar because if they escaped and got caught on something like a thick branch, machinery, etc., they could starve or be strangled. Not that people shouldn't use them, but...I dunno. They make me nervous.

~Maggot

That makes sense for sure, that's why my Cats have collars. Thing is, the only way they would escape at my house is if they bolted out the door when I was coming in or going out. In that case I'd just go grab them and bring them back in.
If the OP is one to leave doors/windows open in the summer by accident or on purpose and such then I'd definitely get the safety collars.
 

Embrace Calamity

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That makes sense for sure, that's why my Cats have collars. Thing is, the only way they would escape at my house is if they bolted out the door when I was coming in or going out. In that case I'd just go grab them and bring them back in.
If the OP is one to leave doors/windows open in the summer by accident or on purpose and such then I'd definitely get the safety collars.
I think I'd be nervous about even having them on an indoor cat. If a cat were to jump off something and get it caught, they could be strangled. That's probably me just being paranoid, but I've heard of horror stories like that, and god knows my cats aren't the most graceful creatures on the face of the planet. >.>

~Maggot
 

KTyne

Kayla
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Lancaster Park, AB
I think I'd be nervous about even having them on an indoor cat. If a cat were to jump off something and get it caught, they could be strangled. That's probably me just being paranoid, but I've heard of horror stories like that, and god knows my cats aren't the most graceful creatures on the face of the planet. >.>

~Maggot

Lol, if you're thinking like that then you could say the same thing about some Dogs and they generally don't have safety collars. Especially small dogs and puppies that are jumping up all over the place.
 

Embrace Calamity

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Lol, if you're thinking like that then you could say the same thing about some Dogs and they generally don't have safety collars. Especially small dogs and puppies that are jumping up all over the place.
Well I don't think dogs are generally on top of high things like bookcases, desks, dressers, etc. like cats are.

~Maggot
 

jemjdragon

Member
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Location
California, USA
Actually it depends on the dog.
Like I said, the first time they had collars they got them off. Maybe I should have been ore clear. From what my fiance said, they seemed to freak out and got them off.
This is why I am thinking of starting with normal collars with no bells or tags to get them used to having a collar on. Also, there is nothing really high inside their house the cats get on top of. The things they do get on top of have no projections for a collar to get snagged on.
Once they get used to having a normal collar, I'll add a bell if his family would like them to have bells and tag. Once they get used to that I'll switch to safety collars.
I am hoping the end result will be them wearing safety collars without getting them off.
 

Embrace Calamity

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Actually it depends on the dog.
Like I said, the first time they had collars they got them off. Maybe I should have been ore clear. From what my fiance said, they seemed to freak out and got them off.
This is why I am thinking of starting with normal collars with no bells or tags to get them used to having a collar on. Also, there is nothing really high inside their house the cats get on top of. The things they do get on top of have no projections for a collar to get snagged on.
Once they get used to having a normal collar, I'll add a bell if his family would like them to have bells and tag. Once they get used to that I'll switch to safety collars.
I am hoping the end result will be them wearing safety collars without getting them off.
That's why I said "generally."

I'm sure you could get ones without bells. I only did that so I knew where she was, since an almost black, mostly blind runt kitten is easy to lose track of. >.> Again, not saying that you totally, absolutely, positively shouldn't use regular collars. I'm just saying personally, as a long-term thing (which I understand you're saying this isn't supposed to be), they'd make me nervous. (That probably also comes from me being around horses so much and knowing the importance of safety halters.) But it might be the better route if you don't feel like replacing the safety ones the first few times they get them off.

~Maggot
 

cassicat4

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151
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Alberta, Canada
OP - how do you feel about harnesses?

They make some very pretty ones for cats. I used to use a variety of collars for both of mine, but found either they a) Houdini'd their way out of them, no matter what kind or how tight they were or b) were annoyed with them and would scratch at them all day.

I switched to harnesses for both of my cats which I leave on full-time and have never had an issue with them. After a day or two of adjustment, they haven't bothered my cats either. If they ever got hung up on something (they haven't) it wouldn't choke them either. They also have tags on their harness as well in the event of an escape. Plus in the summer, when I let them outside for a bit of fresh air and sun, it's very easy to clip a rope leash to them and send them outside without fear of escape.

Just an idea anyway if you wanted to try something other than collars. :)
 

katie_

Wonder Reptiles
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Ontario
Cats should only have the safe clip away collars.
Older collars that do not snap away pose a huge strangulation hazard.
I have seen and heard of a lot of cats who hang themselves. You may think your house is safe, but I guarantee theres something they could kill themselves with. Dont risk it, Ive seen it too many times.

You'll have to deal with the possibility that they might get kicked off. Your cats shouldnt go outside anyways, so theres no harm in losing the collar.
 

jemjdragon

Member
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240
Location
California, USA
You'll have to deal with the possibility that they might get kicked off. Your cats shouldnt go outside anyways, so theres no harm in losing the collar.
They are indoor cats and have never been outside. The collars are for if they manage to escape. The only time they will go outside in the future is if my fiance's family harness trains them, which will most likely not happen.

And the thing about kicking off collars, is what is the point of putting a way to get them home if they manage to escape if they are going to kick them off? If they kick them off indoors, they are going to do it outdoors when they escape. But they are only kicking them off because they are not used to them. Which is why I want to get regular collars to get them used to having something around their neck that won't be easy to kick them off. Then when they get safety collars, they won't know they can kick them off. This will all be done while I am visiting for the holidays, so I will be supervising.

As for harnesses, I feel they should only be used when "walking" them. Mainly because I feel that harnesses can be just as dangerous as regular collars.

To be honest if these were my cats, I would have given them safety collars when they were kittens. It is easier for kittens to get used to them and not be able to kick them off.

Anyways, I did get another idea of how to get them used to collars and that is to tape strips of card stock paper around their neck. I feel this paper should be strong enough to stay on through play and if they kick at them but not strong enough to stay on and not rip if it gets caught on something. What are your ideas on this?
 

katie_

Wonder Reptiles
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2,645
Location
Ontario
So what if they kick them off? Just put them back on...
If your cats are microchipped then the collar is a backup plan.
The chances of them kicking them off and running outside is slim.
The chances of them hanging themselves is much higher if you use regular ones.

Ive seen first hand the damages a "regular" collar can do. Its much much more dangerous than the chances of them getting outside.
 
Last edited:

jemjdragon

Member
Messages
240
Location
California, USA
So just wanted to update you guys on the collar situation with my fiance's 2 cats.
I put safety collars on them and they didn't react to having them. And not only that, they didn't kick them off at all.
I am a little surprised (though its a nice surprise) because his mom and dad would tell us constantly how they freaked out with collars and what not and kicked them off immediately. I was expecting more drama from the cats about the collars. They've had them on since Christmas with no problems. Maybe when they first got collars they were still feral, since their 2 cats were kittens that they found in their yard (with a bunch of other kittens who all got good homes). I guess I will never know.

Next time someone tells me their cats have issues with collars I am going to put one on them to observe them and make sure they really do have issues.
 

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