Cat parents... do you wear a collar on your furbaby(ies)?

[Lynn B]

I notice a lot of "collared" kitties in the photos around here...

I don''t have a collar for Boo... (although I have *thought* about it)... but I do have a harness and a leash that we put on him when we take him outside with us.

I realize there would be an advantage to an "everyday" collar, especially one that had a tag that said something like, "Indoor cat/I am lost/Phone #" etc., but I just seem to think that he is probably a little more comfortable without one? Plus, I worry about it getting caught on something (he''s such a little monkey) -- even though I know most (if not all) are the "breakaway" type.

I dunno... should I get one? Do you have one? Does it have a tag? What does the tag say?

All input and advice welcome! THANK YOU!

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 9/11/2007 8:08:33 PM
Author:Lynn B

I realize there would be an advantage to an ''everyday'' collar, especially one that had a tag that said something like, ''Indoor cat/I am lost/Phone #'' etc., but I just seem to think that he is probably a little more comfortable without one? Plus, I worry about it getting caught on something (he''s such a little monkey) -- even though I know most (if not all) are the ''breakaway'' type.

I dunno... should I get one? Do you have one? Does it have a tag? What does the tag say?

All input and advice welcome! THANK YOU!

I haven''t gotten around to getting collars for my cats but I think about it from time to time. I like putting a tag on it like the one you mentioned that I highlighted. I like specifying that it''s an indoor cat.

What do you think about microchipping Boo instead of getting a collar for him (or her?)? I haven''t done that either but again, it''s something I"ve thought about.

 

[VegasAngel]

My cat wears a breakaway collar w/tag. Even when I used to never let her go outside she wore a collar. There is the possibilty your cat could slip out an open door/window for example. With a collar/tag you will get your pet back a lot faster if they get lost. In Vegas the shelters are scary, sometimes they dont even bother scanning for microchips

 

[sumbride]

All my cats have collars, even the one that is afraid of the open door. I may just be paranoid, but it''s comforting to know they are labeled. Two of them are microchipped, but if somebody finds them on the street, they won''t know about the chip and my neighbors aren''t exactly tech-savvy. They all wear break-away collars and the tags I have are from Boomerang tags... a REALLY good tag company. They are high quality plastic and they let me print both sides so they have their names, our address, our home phone, my cell phone, FI''s cell phone, and the vet''s number. It may be overkill, but I''m ok with overkill. I''m not ok with losing them.

I don''t know that the cats especially LIKE them but they''ve had them on since we got them so they don''t really have an option. I haven''t been able to put Jack''s tag on yet because it''s too big for him and he chews on it... got to let him grow up a bit. But he still wears his collar.

 

[Catmom]

All of my cats wear break away collars with a tag that has their name and our phone number on it. We start them wearing it as soon as they are big enough to wear a collar and it''s never bothered any of my cats. It''s a precaution in case any of my cats were to get outside and get lost.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

One has a breakaway collar and one doesn''t (I know, makes no sense). Our female did have one but somehow got out of it and we never put it back. But she is less curious of the outside world. Our male has gotten out before (they are both indoor cats) luckily I found him but knowing he was wearing a collar (therefore people know he is not a stray) makes me feel better. He doesn''t have a tag b/c we moved. It has been on my to-do list for months.

 

[AmberGretchen]

We don''t do collars, but all our babies are microchipped. I think microchipping is really worthwhile - non-breakaway collars are not really safe if kitty gets out (or even in the house) - I''ve heard more horror stories than I care to share about kitties getting theirs caught on things with some pretty horrible consequences

I think the microchip is a really good idea, but a breakaway color probably isn''t a bad one if you live in an area with tech non-saavy people like Sumbride or shelters that don''t scan for microchips like vegasangel.

 

[monarch64]

Hee hee, I had to collar my kitty and put a bell on it when I first got her in college...I lived by myself and she was a sneaky little thing when she was a kitten, if I got up in the middle of the night she would somehow end up right under my feet and would trip me on my way to the bathroom, so I got smart and put a bell on her collar so I could hear exactly where she was without turning the light on right away! She never seemed to mind it, and I ended up naming her Tinker-Bell...

 

[laine]

We got a breakaway collar for our cat when he was a kitten. I loved having the bell to find him, however, he quickly learned how to get it off (it is breakaway afterall), and then learned how to hide it when he got tired of us putting it back. We gave up pretty quickly, and never really bothered with the new kitten.

 

[wolftress]

Both our cats don''t wear collars. We got them both nice leather ones with bells when we first adopted them, but our boy Mako has dermatitis and it was irritating his skin so we took it off him. After that, we felt that it was giving Mako an unfair advantage when he was playing with Mika because she couldn''t sneak up on him with her bell on. He was also grabbing her by the collar and giving her kitty punches (all in play, mind you. They get along fine) so we took the collar off Mika to level the playing field, so to speak

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Monnie, our boy''s has a bell on it too! I like that we can hear him coming.

 

[Pandora II]

Mine all have PetSafe collars.

There''s a wire running round the garden and if they go to close the collar beeps, if they don''t move away they get a mild electric shock.

The collars seem quite heavy and the shock seems a mean idea - but ours are all quite happy wearing them.

We had one cat who didn''t have a collar as he never went near the road, but he was so jealous of the other cats collars my mother had to go and buy him a normal one. He was so proud of it - for some reason it was purple with cows on it!

(He also wore big sparkly bows round his neck at Christmas and pose for pictures - he was a very odd cat.)

 

[DivaDiamond007]

We tried collars for our kitties when we first adopted them, but the orange one got out of hers and hid and the other wouldn''t come out at all so we pitched them. They both stay inside all of the time so we don''t worry too much about them getting lost. We''ve considered microchipping them (the pugs are chipped) but DH thinks it''s a bit expensive for a cat so it''s still up in the air.

Jess

 

[sumbride]

At most humane organizations you can get your cat chipped for something like $15. Tell him it''s worth it!


I had to take the bells off the collars... they were driving me crazy! And with little Jack I watched him trying to fall asleep one day but he would jerk a bit, the bell would make noise and he would wake up. When I took it off, he slept better. Our neighbor''s cats have bells and FI really wishes ours did because it''s "cute" but man, I just couldn''t take it... especially at 3 am when they are wrestling with each other!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 9/11/2007 11:11:01 PM
Author: AmberGretchen
We don''t do collars, but all our babies are microchipped. I think microchipping is really worthwhile - non-breakaway collars are not really safe if kitty gets out (or even in the house) - I''ve heard more horror stories than I care to share about kitties getting theirs caught on things with some pretty horrible consequences

I think the microchip is a really good idea, but a breakaway color probably isn''t a bad one if you live in an area with tech non-saavy people like Sumbride or shelters that don''t scan for microchips like vegasangel.

We had a terrible experience with a ''safety'' collar almost choking one of our cats , luckily my Father was able to rescue him in time, but it was very frightening. Microchipping although not readily visible, is a good thing as if lost, all vets and most animal organizations have access to a scanner, my cats are mainly indoor and are all chipped just in case.

 

[FireGoddess]

Both my cats are microchipped. They do recommend collars (if you can do it) as well in case they escape, as people won't know whether the cat is microchipped when it's wandering around.

Holly wears a breakaway collar with tag. The tag says (and I got this from one of the Pam Johnson-Bennett books I recommended to you):

Indoor Only
I'm Lost - Holly
phone number

They recommended this because sometimes people have outdoor cats and seem irked when you call them to say you've seen their cat. This lets people know the cat should NOT be outside and is indeed lost.

Chloe, after living for 10 years without a collar, promptly scratched ALL her fur off in a ring around her neck where I put her collar (I got her one when I got Holly's). So it's not on her anymore...but I'm trying to put it back on slowly (few hours each day) till she gets used to it cuz it's the scaredy cats that will be mistaken for ferals cuz they won't go near anyone, and at least if there's a collar, people know she belongs to someone.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

We have collars & tags for our four cats, but they constantly loose them, which makes replacing them month after month kind of pricey.

Our cats wear break-away collars with tags that have their name, our address & phone number. Since they go outside, I think it''s important that they have some form of identification. If they were inside only, I wouldn''t bother.

 

[omieluv]

I have a collar for Omie. The collar is black velveteen with crystals & I have a pet tag attached to it. The pet tag has my cell # and her name & now after reading this thread, I am thinking of having a new one made stating "Indoor Cat" & "I am lost" because families where I live tend to let their cats out at night (stupid, IMHO). The problem is that she hates wearing her collar because it gets hung up in her furry rough around her neck, so I only put it on her when I will be taking her out of the house. She does have a microchip, so I am covered there.

 

[Lynn B]

Thanks, everyone, for your input. I am honestly scared of collars because I know someone who had a cat that got its collar caught inside the house (yes, it was a breakaway), and they found the cat too late.

I would just die if that happened to Boo.

He''s also not microchipped... it''s something I"ve been thinking about, but in the small rural area where I live, it''s not common AT ALL; the shelter doesn''t even have a reader! I doubt that anyone who would find Boo would even think to take him somewhere for scanning!

Around here, people generally put ads ("Lost" or "Found") in the local paper when they find a pet... that would probably be my best shot of getting him back if he accidentally got outside and got lost.

OY! This is a subject that I really fret about!

 

[Elmorton]

Around here most vets have readers, too. I can''t believe your shelter doesn''t - awful! Both of our kitties also wear breakaway collars for the simple reason I like to give them coordinating ones because it''s cute. We do have a little unscrewable capsule on each of their collars that has our address and phone number on a tiny piece of paper- everyone always asks what it is though, so I''m not sure it the capsule would be much help if they were lost.

One thing I wanted to add that I didn''t see posted before: I''ve read that when you make a tag, don''t put a pet''s name on it - just yours and your contact info. This is awful, but apparently people are more likely not to return pets that have its name on the tag (they bond easier to an animal that is named and decide to keep it).

Almost all of our collars are made by safecat - if you can open and close it with relative ease, your cat probably could too. We have two young males who love to roll around and every now and then they''ll pop a collar off, which makes me know that the collar is working how it''s supposed to. As long as it''s fitted properly (not too loose, not too tight) it should be fine.

 

[Lynn B]

Date: 9/12/2007 9:52:20 PM
Author: Elmorton
Around here most vets have readers, too. I can''t believe your shelter doesn''t - awful! Both of our kitties also wear breakaway collars for the simple reason I like to give them coordinating ones because it''s cute. We do have a little unscrewable capsule on each of their collars that has our address and phone number on a tiny piece of paper- everyone always asks what it is though, so I''m not sure it the capsule would be much help if they were lost.

One thing I wanted to add that I didn''t see posted before: I''ve read that when you make a tag, don''t put a pet''s name on it - just yours and your contact info. This is awful, but apparently people are more likely not to return pets that have its name on the tag (they bond easier to an animal that is named and decide to keep it).

Almost all of our collars are made by safecat - if you can open and close it with relative ease, your cat probably could too. We have two young males who love to roll around and every now and then they''ll pop a collar off, which makes me know that the collar is working how it''s supposed to. As long as it''s fitted properly (not too loose, not too tight) it should be fine.

OH MY! Who knew???! And Boo is soooooooo adorable, I think it would be awfully easy for someone to just KEEP HIM.

 

[Mannequin]

I keep a cute green breakaway collar on Chandler/Mad Cow at all times, even as an indoor cat. The collar has a small bell, a little gold and rhinestone cloverleaf charm, and a metal tag with his name and my cell number. He hangs out near my condo door so much that I didn''t want to take any chances with his safety should he happen to get out.

 

[FireGoddess]

Elmorton - I''ve seen those capsules but I''ve always wondered - would my cat let anyone get close enough to have time to unscrew it and get the info out? Definitely not my cats. That''s why I went with a tag. That''s sad about not putting their names on it - I did it so that if they are close enough to read the tag but not to catch the cat, perhaps calling it would help. Anything to get my babies back. Of course, if they want to keep your cat, there''s not much you can do, nametag or otherwise.

 

[Elmorton]

Our kitties would definitely let someone close enough - once on our way out the door easter morning, Morty bolted out unnoticed. At the time, DH lived in a condo complex with a bunch of elderly women and there were all interior hallways in the building. When we came home, roughly 8 hrs later, Morty was asleep on the doorstep with a bowl of water and some newspapers next to him - and, for the next week or so, all the ladies had story to tell about hanging out with him all day (I think they appreciated having a "friend" on Easter - many didn''t have family nearby). While I''m so glad everyone took care of him, you can imagine how neurotic I am now every time I open or close an outside door now that we''ve moved to a house. That close call still makes me sick to my stomach just to think about.

I digress - anyway, I agree with you on the capsule thing...if our friends always ask what on earth that is, it''s probably a sign that a random person wouldn''t know, either. We really should get them normal tags. When they were kittens, I just couldn''t find any tags that were kitty sized. Anybody have any tag recommendations?

 

[divergrrl]

no collar for my kitty...she''s a declawed indoor girl (has back claws though...tears up hte neighbor cats when she gets out..she''s MEAN) and she''s chipped. but she''d hang herself on a traditional collar, so I got her a safety collar...well she got it caught so much it spent more time off than on so I gave up.

Oh well.

 

[BriBee]

I have two Ragdolls that are indoor only kitties and I have breakaway collars and tags for them. The tags have their name and my address and phone number on them. I can't tell you how happy I am that they wear collars since they have both gotten outside recently. On the 4th of July, someone who shall remain nameless, was very careless and left the house with a door WIDE open! I came home and my cat was gone!!!

Thank GOD he was wearing his collar! He managed to get into one of my neighbor's houses (which is why I couldn't find him after hours of searching) and she called me the next morning to let me know she had him. Then, just a week or two ago, my kitten (who I bring to work with me) got out of a door that had the top half open. I guess we hadn't realized that she had gotten big enough to get out. Thankfully, someone saw her right away and knew she was my cat, but she also had her collar on as well.
I usually take their collars off at night when they come to sleep in our room. I think maybe they are more comfortable, and I also think that they have started to learn that collar off means bedtime. The collars seem perfectly safe to me. I have one outdoor kitty and he is CONSTANTLY coming home without his collar. It's a little annoying to have to keep replacing it, but at least I know it works and he's not going to accidentally get stuck somewhere or be strangled by his collar.

I thought about microchipping, but I had heard some iffy things about it. Just a few days ago I read a study that had linked microchips in rats and mice to tumors. The article broght up the concern that potentially millions of pets have been microchipped without totally knowing the side effects. The point of this article was also to discuss the potential risks for microchipping humans (which I think is scary in itself).

 

[Lynn B]

Date: 9/13/2007 5:41:13 PM
Author: BriBee
I have two Ragdolls that are indoor only kitties and I have breakaway collars and tags for them. The tags have their name and my address and phone number on them. I can''t tell you how happy I am that they wear collars since they have both gotten outside recently. On the 4th of July, someone who shall remain nameless, was very careless and left the house with a door WIDE open! I came home and my cat was gone!!!

Thank GOD he was wearing his collar! He managed to get into one of my neighbor''s houses (which is why I couldn''t find him after hours of searching) and she called me the next morning to let me know she had him. Then, just a week or two ago, my kitten (who I bring to work with me) got out of a door that had the top half open. I guess we hadn''t realized that she had gotten big enough to get out. Thankfully, someone saw her right away and knew she was my cat, but she also had her collar on as well.
I usually take their collars off at night when they come to sleep in our room. I think maybe they are more comfortable, and I also think that they have started to learn that collar off means bedtime. The collars seem perfectly safe to me. I have one outdoor kitty and he is CONSTANTLY coming home without his collar. It''s a little annoying to have to keep replacing it, but at least I know it works and he''s not going to accidentally get stuck somewhere or be strangled by his collar.

I thought about microchipping, but I had heard some iffy things about it. Just a few days ago I read a study that had linked microchips in rats and mice to tumors. The article broght up the concern that potentially millions of pets have been microchipped without totally knowing the side effects. The point of this article was also to discuss the potential risks for microchipping humans (which I think is scary in itself).

BriBee -- YOU HAVE 2 RAGGIES AND WE HAVEN''T SEEN PICTURES???! Helllll-oooooooo???!!!

This is the first I have heard about this!!!

We have a Ragdoll thread here in Hangout -- now march right over there and SHOW US THE KITTIES! (Please!)