tongue got stuck on collar

so tonight, Isis was doing her usual grooming regimen, when she started struggling for some odd reason. on closer inspection, i noticed that her tongue was stuck under her collar. i removed the collar, thus freeing her tongue, and checked her out, and she's fine now, but it was very scary. her collar is not tight at all, and i think the problem is that the cloth didn't allow her tongue to pull free the way that fur does, so now she is collar-less, which stinks for me mostly because i like to be able to hear where she is coming from in the house. how common is this?

I take it it's a mesh or cloth-lined collar, and her tongue stuck like Velcro? You should be able to find light-weight leather or vinyl ones at a decent pet store. It might just be a matter of the cloth lining being frayed.

It sounds like her collar is too loose. My kitties, as all cats are, are very flexible, but their collars are not loose enough to let them to get their tongue and/or jaw stuck underneath. Tighten the collar until you can just fit two fingers underneath.

I've found that collars can bunch up the fur around the area, and that place needs routine cleaning just like every other part of the body (otherwise its like a kid never washing behind his ears IMO).

If your cats are indoor only, there really isn't a need for collars, and you may decide that they are not worth it for 24x7 use.

I only put the collars (break-away w/ ID tag and reflective markings) on the cats when I have guests coming over, or when we are going to the vet. They seem to be much happier without most of the time.

I've never heard of a cat getting a tongue stuck in their collar! I've seen cats get their lower jaws caught or their paws, but this is a new one for me. Is it really necessary to have your kitty wear a collar 24/7? I would think a break from that would feel really good to them (I mean, put yourself in their place.) I only put on our cats' collars when they're going to the vet or traveling.

Originally Posted by twobananaz

so tonight, Isis was doing her usual grooming regimen, when she started struggling for some odd reason. on closer inspection, i noticed that her tongue was stuck under her collar. i removed the collar, thus freeing her tongue, and checked her out, and she's fine now, but it was very scary. her collar is not tight at all, and i think the problem is that the cloth didn't allow her tongue to pull free the way that fur does, so now she is collar-less, which stinks for me mostly because i like to be able to hear where she is coming from in the house. how common is this?

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Sorry about your cat, but I am adding this to the list of reasons I never put collars on cats including breakaway collars that do not break away at all and cats hang their selves. My cats are chipped and never allowed outside. My grandmother used to say "if God had intended for cats to have collars, they would have been born with them". Who can argue with logic given by Granny?

My wife is heading to Seattle Thursday but I am unable to go with her. I assume it is as rain free as ever and has not yet been completely Californicated.

so i have yet to put the collar back on her, out of paranoia that it will happen again. the reason we keep collars on them is that:

a) it makes it easier for me to tell where they are in the house, and such. sometimes they crawl into closets and cupboards and the only way we knew they were stuck in there was the jingling.

b) if they ever did get out, people would know that they are owned cats and not ferals, pending on the fact that the collar didn't fall off them while outside.

the collars we purchase we check the "break-away"-ness of them prior to purchase, to make sure they really are easy to come off.

having said all that, i will be on the look out for a vinyl break-away collar today, since the cloth one she has will not do anymore. until then, she gets to stalk the other cat in silence.

I had collars with bells on my cats for a while. Besides the fact that Miss Patchwillow is Houdini in disguise, Shareena learned how to run through the house full tilt without ringing the darn bell once. It was pretty much a waste of time and money. None of my cats wear collars at all now. They are microchipped and strictly indoor cats.

Originally Posted by Persi & Alley

My grandmother used to say "if God had intended for cats to have collars, they would have been born with them". Who can argue with logic given by Granny?

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And yet naked-time is never allowed at Church on Sundays! Hmph.

Our cat is an indoor cat and she goes out only with me, on a leash, wearing a harness. She's microchiped as well.

Yet I have her wear a collar at all times. The microchip is just fine, but I don't really think some neighbour would put in all the effort to find out who she belonged to. This way, they can just read her name and address and give me a call, too. There's always a chance she could sneak outside. I mean, kids do that sometimes, regardless of how much their parents watch them. And a cat is a lot smaller and sneakier.

My cat wear collars because there are a lot of ferals around here, and if a cat were to escape with no collar on people would just assume it was a feral. They are also microchipped as a backup but that would not really help them if they got loose and no one tried to help them due to the lack of a collar.

Originally Posted by Nekochan

My cat wear collars because there are a lot of ferals around here, and if a cat were to escape with no collar on people would just assume it was a feral. They are also microchipped as a backup but that would not really help them if they got loose and no one tried to help them due to the lack of a collar.

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Good point, but everyone and their sister around here also lets their cat out and they all have collars. The only real consideration I think people give is to try and avoid running it over.

Heck, every other week I'm shooing Precious off my car or out of my back yard since it makes my cats all defensive when she stares at them through the window.

Around here I usually only see ferals, maybe 1 or 2 pet cats that are allowed outside (these do not wear collars though.)

My cats also have "Indoor Only" or "Indoor Cat" printed on their tags and/or their collars, or "Lost if Alone".





Also, my cat with immune issues and severe food allergies has a special ID tag on his collar that says MEDIC ALERT - DO NOT FEED - RX DIET ONLY in large letters one one side. On the other side it says Needs Meds, Lost if Alone and my contact info.




My cats are only allowed outside if I am taking them out in a carrier or on a harness and leash, but I am worried about the possibility of an escape... It has happened a few times when a family member held the door open too long, but luckily I was able to catch the cat quickly. So I keep the collars on them just in case, as well as having them all microchipped.

Where I live I do not feel comfortable when my cats don't have collars on. I want them to have visible ID at all times. Cats turn into coyote snacks way too fast, and if they got loose I want someone to see a collar and think, "Oh, this cat belongs to someone." There are a few cats up the road without collars that are known to be feral that nobody thinks much of, except putting some food out for them sometimes. I want my cats to stand out from that group if they were to go near there. Plus, so many people don't check for microchips. Most people I know think "No collar = no owner."

I would definitely invest in a harness-type collar; those are much harder to reach. This way, instead of leaving her out (which exposes her to so many harmful and often fatal elements, poisons, etc., you can take her for walks safely without her getting away on the breakaway collars which they all seem to. If they are using dog collars that do not break away, that is just criminal for the cat in my opinion as they can accidentally hang themselves as it will not break away.

But yeah, try a cute cat harness and buy a cute matching leash and get your cat out there for some exercise and you get to enjoy special time with her! :-D

Warmly,

Julie O'

Originally Posted by twobananaz

so tonight, Isis was doing her usual grooming regimen, when she started struggling for some odd reason. on closer inspection, i noticed that her tongue was stuck under her collar. i removed the collar, thus freeing her tongue, and checked her out, and she's fine now, but it was very scary. her collar is not tight at all, and i think the problem is that the cloth didn't allow her tongue to pull free the way that fur does, so now she is collar-less, which stinks for me mostly because i like to be able to hear where she is coming from in the house. how common is this?

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we never let our cats outside (even on the balcony) without putting their harnesses on, and if they're in the stroller, they are harnessed and tether to it as well, to minimize the risk of loss (just re-read one of my sentences before & realized it sounded like I let my cats outdoors, which I don't. I just meant I like to hear where they are located within the house itself, because sometimes they get locked in closets and cupboards and the such). I wish I could do those collars with the info stitched onto it, but my kitties are both long-haired, and you can't even see the collars! we have to put dangly things on their collars (charms, ID tags, etc), just to show they are wearing collars. today, for instance, Isis was bound and determined to try and get outside (why, I'll never know), and so I put the harness on her, and all she did was stand in the doorway, sniffing the breeze. silly thing.

Thai will not tolerate a collar AT ALL. That being said, he is a scardey cat and would not go outside if you paid him. If the door is open he is running in the opposite direction, usually to hide in his box from the big scarey world. he's a freak but we love him! He is chipped, just in case. Spud is an old man, he's always been an inside cat and he just doesn't have the energy or the desire to escape. I think the best solution is to keep them inside and micro chip them.

Originally Posted by spudsmom

Thai will not tolerate a collar AT ALL. That being said, he is a scardey cat and would not go outside if you paid him. If the door is open he is running in the opposite direction, usually to hide in his box from the big scarey world. he's a freak but we love him! He is chipped, just in case. Spud is an old man, he's always been an inside cat and he just doesn't have the energy or the desire to escape. I think the best solution is to keep them inside and micro chip them.

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It appears that those of us from around the Seattle area think alike. We certainly think alike on this subject. The OS I am using is Snow Leopard. Imagine seeing one of these fantastic animals with a collar on. I had Alley shipped to me from a rescue center in Seattle. When she arrived, the first thing I did was to remove her collar. Imagine wearing a collar to a nudist colony. It's just not natural; I guess it is just a hang up with me but I have never allowed a cat to be outside which in itself is not natural I suppose. Everybody has good arguments for collars here and dogs I have owned always had collars but it never seemed appropriate for me to have a cat with a collar on. I have many pictures from the pyramid days when cats were worshipped and none of them are wearing collars...