cat collars and bells cruel?

[cruisermaiden]

My cats wear collars with their names embroidered on them and no bells. My apartment requires they wear collars with their name and phone number on them in case of accidental escape, even though they are strictly indoor kitties. Bells and tags on cats make a constant tinkle sound which drives me crazy!!!

My dad keeps bells on his indoor cats so that he can hear them coming from behind or under something. They like to bolt for the door when he opens it to let the dog in/out so with the bell he is able to catch them before they escape even when it is dark. The bells do not seem to bother his cats at all.

 

[blessedvegan]

My 2 cats and my dogs all wear collars..they all have tags on them and the cats have the bells. My reason for the bells is simple...the 2 cats love to, in the middle of the night, come running up and leap onto us as we're sleeping, scaring the crap out of me. So this gives me a warning!! Though honestly the tags are louder than the bells, it's what warns me. But really, when the cats are just walking through the house, the bells and tags don't make any noise. It's just when they get a running start. They don't seem to care. Our cats are indoor only but with the amount we come and go, it's always a risk they could get out.

 

[misskalamata]

I don't think it's cruel. Our one cat wears an Invisible Fence collar with a bell.

The collar itself is pretty bulky and heavy...not to mention the two metal prongs that press on his neck. It must be uncomfortable. I can see how others might consider it cruel. But it's the cat's ticket to the great outdoors, and because of that, he's quite willing to tolerate it. He would go crazy left inside all day. He understands that collar=outside, and when we jingle the collar, he comes over to let us put it on. In his kitty mind, the privilege of going outside clearly outweighs any discomfort the collar causes. (The collar is pretty much a just-in-case measure. He's long since learned to stay in his yard.)

The bell is there for our convenience. It allows us to locate him in the fairly large yard (and gives the birds a fighting chance). We can tell if he's hiding in the shrubs without stooping down to look.

 

[cjh27]

Originally Posted by Arlyn

I've never seen a cat bothered by a bell.


There are cats here in the park that are quite successful in hunting with bells on, and I know that cats can walk (without skulking) without their bells making the slightest sound.

I honestly don't think it fair that you imply that those who do have bells on their cats are cruel though..

Yes,

depending on the typ of bell these don't stop a cat from hunting and most cats can walk silently while wearing a collar with a bell. In other words- as it doesn't serve its purpose there's no reason to leave the bell on (though it can sometimes help with a bird loving neighbour) but equally it'S not exactly torture to have your cat wearing a bell. And of course this also strongly depends on the bell itself and the amount of noise it actually makes.

Originally Posted by Arlyn

I don't find that behavior much different than someone implying the owner of an indoor cat cruel, or implying the owner of a cat allowed outdoors cruel.

Thank you for this statement

I do realize that its normal here for indoor only owners stating that letting your cat out is cruel or that they will come to harm and it's best to ignore such statements, but its also nice to read someone who is tolerant towards other ways of cat ownership.


regards,

christine

 

[trillcat]

Originally Posted by MissKalamata

I don't think it's cruel. Our one cat wears an Invisible Fence collar with a bell.

The collar itself is pretty bulky and heavy...not to mention the two metal prongs that press on his neck. It must be uncomfortable. I can see how others might consider it cruel. But it's the cat's ticket to the great outdoors, and because of that, he's quite willing to tolerate it. He would go crazy left inside all day. He understands that collar=outside, and when we jingle the collar, he comes over to let us put it on. In his kitty mind, the privilege of going outside clearly outweighs any discomfort the collar causes. (The collar is pretty much a just-in-case measure. He's long since learned to stay in his yard.)

The bell is there for our convenience. It allows us to locate him in the fairly large yard (and gives the birds a fighting chance). We can tell if he's hiding in the shrubs without stooping down to look.

Now we are getting into an area of debate that is tricky. Shock collars. I am glad it works well for you and your cat, but I have seen animals do not so good with them. They don't put it togethor in the brain that passing the "invisible fence" line is what causes the shock, They run from it, and of course cross the line again and does nothing but hurt and confuse the animal. I am not trying to judge you, it is the reality of what these collars can do.

 

[carolina]

Originally Posted by MissKalamata

I don't think it's cruel. Our one cat wears an Invisible Fence collar with a bell.

The collar itself is pretty bulky and heavy...not to mention the two metal prongs that press on his neck. It must be uncomfortable. I can see how others might consider it cruel. But it's the cat's ticket to the great outdoors, and because of that, he's quite willing to tolerate it. He would go crazy left inside all day. He understands that collar=outside, and when we jingle the collar, he comes over to let us put it on. In his kitty mind, the privilege of going outside clearly outweighs any discomfort the collar causes. (The collar is pretty much a just-in-case measure. He's long since learned to stay in his yard.)

The bell is there for our convenience. It allows us to locate him in the fairly large yard (and gives the birds a fighting chance). We can tell if he's hiding in the shrubs without stooping down to look.

I don't think collars are cruel, and IMO they are necessary... but this is a whole other story - IMO shock collars are cruel. I can't imagine my babies being shocked as part of their training... Sorry for being honest, but...

 

[misskalamata]

Trillcat and Carolinalima-
I can understand your point of view; I do realize how controversial the shock collar is (a bit like spanking kids...people debate whether it's ok to hurt loved ones to teach them their boundaries...And it raises questions like, is it ok for dogs then? Does anyone here have a dog on Invisible Fence?). I would rather the cat not have to be shocked, but a mere enclosure or leash simply won't do.

The cat clearly knows his boundaries...he has been shocked at most once or twice in the several years since he first learned to mind the fence. It only took him a few days to learn. He used to roam around the neighborhood and got himself picked up by Animal Control. Since starting the fence, he's never left the yard. He only wears the collar while outside, which is 3-7 hours a day. He has tons of energy and would not do well as an indoor only cat. The fence keeps him happy but safe. In fact, I am considering getting a second collar for another cat.

A shock collar/Invisible Fence might not work out for all cats (or even dogs), but from everything I've seen, it works very well for my cat. I'd rather he get the occasional shock than risk getting run over, taken to the pound, etc.

RussianKitten-
Sorry if this post was off-topic! I suspect I'm the only one on TCS who has an Invisible Fence for her cat!

 

[rosiemac]

Originally Posted by MissKalamata

.And it raises questions like, is it ok for dogs then?

The cat clearly knows his boundaries...he has been shocked at most once or twice in the several years since he first learned to mind the fence.

No it isn't ok for dogs either IMO, and for me being shocked once or twice in the past several years is once too often.

 

[katkisses]

Ditto. Well said.

 

[yosemite]

All I have to say is that if anyone thinks it is not inhumane then they should wear one themselves and have someone give them a buzz every time they do something the other person does not want them to do. I wonder how long they would want to keep the collar on.

 

[~*regina*~]

My cat wears a collar with a bell and tag. I have it on here so I know where she is in the house or if she decides someday to escape. She is strictly an indoor cat. The bell has never bothered her.

 

[misskalamata]

Well, perhaps I'm a bad person then. We will continue to use what we view as the lesser of various evils. Hopefully I haven't made too many enemies here because of that decision.

 

[katgoddess]

Tofu wears a collar with a bell. I used to take the bells off the collars because I didn't see a need for them then, but we moved into a bigger house recently where he has access to relatives downstairs...and being the sneaky one that he is, I like others to be aware of where he is, especially if they have the door open. It's like a precaution.

He doesn't seem bothered by it at all, but I also understand the other point of view. Well, for us, it's either put a bell on his collar or risk having him run outside onto a busy street (because not everyone in this house is as cautious as I am about making sure he's nowhere near the door before opening it!).

 

[Asteria]

I'll NEVER put a shock collar on any of my babies. One of my girls wants to be outside so I walk her on a harness and leash. If for some reason that didn't work I would build the best encosure I could afford.
And no, I don't think shock collars okay for dogs, either. You'll never catch any of my babies getting shocked like that, especially for something they can't possibly understand.
I agree with Linda. I think people should have to wear it for just as long and often the cat or dog does, and get shocked with just as much voltage, if not more because we're bigger.

 

[trillcat]

Originally Posted by Mollysmom

I'll NEVER put a shock collar on any of my babies. One of my girls wants to be outside so I walk her on a harness and leash. If for some reason that didn't work I would build the best encosure I could afford.
And no, I don't think shock collars okay for dogs, either. You'll never catch any of my babies getting shocked like that, especially for something they can't possibly understand.
I agree with Linda. I think people should have to wear it for just as long and often the cat or dog does, and get shocked with just as much voltage, if not more because we're bigger.

I have let myself feel what they feel, putting a shock collar to my neck. It hurts, and it rings your ears like someone has just screamed into them.
I am sorry but I will never agree with the use of shock collars.

 

[sarahp]

Stumpy's the only one who wears bells since she's the only one who gets outside time. I do wonder if it drives her nuts, or if she doesn't even notice it any more. It doesn't SEEM to bother her.

 

[carolina]

Originally Posted by Yosemite

All I have to say is that if anyone thinks it is not inhumane then they should wear one themselves and have someone give them a buzz every time they do something the other person does not want them to do. I wonder how long they would want to keep the collar on.

Very well said... Don't they say cats have the IQ of iq 2 yr old? I would like to see if the person who thinks it is ok to use shock collars would find it ok to use it on their 2 yr old child too. I bet not!

Originally Posted by Rosiemac

No it isn't ok for dogs either IMO, and for me being shocked once or twice in the past several years is once too often.

Originally Posted by MissKalamata

Well, perhaps I'm a bad person then. We will continue to use what we view as the lesser of various evils. Hopefully I haven't made too many enemies here because of that decision.

You made no enemies here, but we will tell you the truth instead of just agreeing to everything you do... I am sure you are not a bad person, but perhaps if you tried the collar on your own, you would realize that is NOT the lesser of the evils. I have thought my cats to be confined within a yard, with no collars, and no fences - it can be done... the difference is that you would need to be there with them, giving them supervised outside time. Also... if your cat is wearing a collar for an invisible fence, and a coyote, or a dog goes into that area... What happens then? Your cat can not scape, while the dog or the coyote can... I wonder how safe that is?

Originally Posted by Mollysmom

I'll NEVER put a shock collar on any of my babies. One of my girls wants to be outside so I walk her on a harness and leash. If for some reason that didn't work I would build the best encosure I could afford.
And no, I don't think shock collars okay for dogs, either. You'll never catch any of my babies getting shocked like that, especially for something they can't possibly understand.
I agree with Linda. I think people should have to wear it for just as long and often the cat or dog does, and get shocked with just as much voltage, if not more because we're bigger.

Originally Posted by Trillcat

I have let myself feel what they feel, putting a shock collar to my neck. It hurts, and it rings your ears like someone has just screamed into them.
I am sorry but I will never agree with the use of shock collars.

I think this should be e prerequisite for anybody buying invisible fences - the person should try it before buying it. I wonder how many people would go ahead with it.

 

[snake_lady]

Originally Posted by MissKalamata

I do realize how controversial the shock collar is (a bit like spanking kids...people debate whether it's ok to hurt loved ones to teach them their boundaries...And it raises questions like, is it ok for dogs then? Does anyone here have a dog on Invisible Fence?). I would rather the cat not have to be shocked, but a mere enclosure or leash simply won't do.

Very well put

Yup, the shock type collars are quite controversial, hmmmm, might make a good topic for IMO since it is just that, IMO.

back to regular scheduled programming:

I do not think collars or bells are cruel (unless its a cow bell on a kitty). All mine wear collars with dangly tags. I like to know where they are, and on the off chance one decides to go out, a collar has more chance of a returned pet in my neighbourhood.

Kizzy had a bell once.... annoyed the heck outta him... no more bell. The tags make enough noise, but aren't heavy or bulky enough to cause any discomfort, etc.

 

[sandy2u1]

I think collars are a bad idea all together unless you are supervising the animal that is wearing one. I had a dog inside my house get her collar caught and in an effort to free herself was twisting and wriggling around and ended up getting it so tight around her neck that it cut off her airway and she died. It would be so easy for that to happen to a cat. If your cats do wear collars when they are unsupervised, then I would strongly suggest making sure that it was the type collar that will pull off or break in case of an emergency.

 

[browneyes106]

Originally Posted by MissKalamata

Trillcat and Carolinalima-
I can understand your point of view; I do realize how controversial the shock collar is (a bit like spanking kids...people debate whether it's ok to hurt loved ones to teach them their boundaries...And it raises questions like, is it ok for dogs then? Does anyone here have a dog on Invisible Fence?). I would rather the cat not have to be shocked, but a mere enclosure or leash simply won't do.

The cat clearly knows his boundaries...he has been shocked at most once or twice in the several years since he first learned to mind the fence. It only took him a few days to learn. He used to roam around the neighborhood and got himself picked up by Animal Control. Since starting the fence, he's never left the yard. He only wears the collar while outside, which is 3-7 hours a day. He has tons of energy and would not do well as an indoor only cat. The fence keeps him happy but safe. In fact, I am considering getting a second collar for another cat.

A shock collar/Invisible Fence might not work out for all cats (or even dogs), but from everything I've seen, it works very well for my cat. I'd rather he get the occasional shock than risk getting run over, taken to the pound, etc.

RussianKitten-
Sorry if this post was off-topic! I suspect I'm the only one on TCS who has an Invisible Fence for her cat!

I understand your reasoning behind the Invisible Fence. I know two people who use them on cats. One is my aunt who has adopted three cats were born to feral mothers or tame mothers who lived outside. Two of my aunt's cats are brothers were born to feral mom in a wooded area. When they were around 4 or 5 weeks old they started interacting with children who lived near them. The kittens became tame because of those kids. When there were around 9 weeks old one of the parents trapped them and brought them to the shelter that's my ex husband was volunteering at. They were neutuered a few weeks later and adopted by my aunt. For months they found various ways to get of the house. My aunt used to take them for supervised playing outside but they kept running off the property. Soon after that she got the Invisible Fence system. I think both of the cats were shocked a few times but they learned. They are now 5 years old and they go out daily in her yard. They only wear the collars outside. My aunt also has 2 year old female who was born on the streets and still likes going outside. The other person who I know as Invisible Fence adopted tame adult cats who lived on the street or in the woods. I agree the Invisible Fence isn't for every cat or dog.