Belling cats

FosterFurEver

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I saw the long thread about whether to bell or not, but didn't want to necro that one just to make this point. I haven't seen or read of this happening before, so I just wanted to share this here.

My cats are indoor/outdoor and I have belled them for years because of the local wildlife and etc, especially in the spring and summer. Always with the breakaway collars. I usually add another bell or two because the ones they come with are not usually very loud. They DO cut down on the mess in the "kill room" aka my shower. Very proud of myself, right?

Well, today, our big Buddy was sitting on the deck rail and started scratching his neck and his toenail got stuck in one of the rings of the bells, and my husband caught him before he could fall off. I don't know what he'd have done if we weren't watching him or out there at all. Especially at night. I don't think the breakaway feature would've helped him.

I read that brightly colored collars can help almost as much as bells, so I ordered some for them today. The ones they had weren't very bright, so we didn't feel just cutting the bells off of them would do much good.

Anyway, I know this is a hot topic, and I'm not trying to sway anyone one way or another, but I just wanted to share what happened with us, because I'd never heard of that happening before (and google is no help).
 

IndyJones

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Honestly the bells don't do much outside of serving as a cowbell to locate the animal. Cats are ambush predators and crawl along the ground so by the time the bell does anything the bird is in the cats mouth.

If your cat wears a collar please also have ID tags made and attach the rabies tag as well.

the best way to protect wildlife is to keep your cat indoors or in an enclosure. This also would protect the cat from predators like hawks or wild dogs.
 
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FosterFurEver

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They sure help us to know where they are in the house lol! They're chipped so they should be ok. I definitely don't want anything else hanging on the collar.

They're kiiind of in an enclosure because they rarely, maybe 2x a year and 1 cat, go over the fence. But that doesn't keep wildlife out. Lots of birds and squirrels out there. So far they've thankfully never brought in squirrels cuz that would be crazy making for me. These squirrels around here are NOT shy, but they manage to keep away from the cats.

TBH, tho, as I tried to find other people with this issue, and reading a bit about it, as far as I can tell, bells are probably as helpful as banning straws. The problems are much bigger than our cats and lay at the feet of big corps polluting everything. Again, not trying to sway anyone, just what was going through my head.

The main thing I worry about with the indoor/outdoor thing is a racoon or something coming through the cat door, but we keep it closed at night.

I'm excited about the new bright pretty collars that are on their way. I don't know how well that will work, but they'll be pritty and safe from this particular issue.

Thanks for your response. <3
 
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