Cat Is Afraid Of Collar

[SassKat]

My Cat is afraid when I try to put her collar on. This is actually my fault because I've traumatized her when trying to put it on. This was accidental of course. Now she also growls when I touch her neck area. Is there anything I can do to help her not be afraid. Are there any tips for putting her collar on?Thanks

 

[abyeb]

I'd start by just leaving the collar out for a day or two for her to sniff and get used to the scent. Then you can start getting her used to wearing it. Start with just having her wear it for like, ten seconds, then you can increase as she gets more comfortable.

Does the collar have a bell on it? Some cats don't like jingling as they walk, which might be a reason why your kitty is against the collar.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

What kind of collar is it? How old is your cat?

 

[SassKat]

It did have a bell, but we removed it when we got it. I think its brand is whisker kitty, and I'm pretty sure it's a breakaway collar. Sassy is 2 or 3. If a left the collar on for a short period of time I think she would run away and hide. Also when I put it on her feeding table she runs away.

 

[susanm9006]

Is she microchipped? Does she go outdoors? If she is indoor only and is microchipped then I would not force a collar on her. Some cats absolutely detest them.

 

[SassKat]

Ok, she is microchipped and indoors. I just thought if she ever escaped outdoors then I should have a collar on her.

 

[Kieka]

The bell probably set it off on the wrong foot. I would give her a week or two before you try again. My guys were initially upset by collars but after a day or two adjusted. You could try Beastie Bands; I have found that my cats seem to not even notice they are on. But they do have to be replaced more frequently.

I am personally an advocate for even indoor only cats to wear collars. It is for their own protection should they get outside. I also support either the TabCat or Magpie system on their collar so you can locate them if they get outside. But I tend for over prepared.

 

[SassKat]

I took the bell off before we put the collar on so I don't think that's what upset her. I do agree she should have some time to calm down.

 

[SassKat]

Are the Beastie bands breakaway collars?

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

If you do end up using any treats to get her to wear a collar, it's best to give the treat after the collar is put on, not before. Some people are tempted to "lure" a cat with treats at the outset, to get them near the collar (for example), only to have the cat feel "ambushed" with having a "negative" thing put on them (this is from the cat's perspective, lol). You have to train the cat that if she allows you to put the collar on her in the first place, she'll get some delicious nom noms.

 

[arouetta]

When you say "traumatized", what exactly did you do? Those details might be helpful in finding a way around the kitty's fear/anger.

 

[Kieka]

Are the Beastie bands breakaway collars?

Beastie Bands are kinda like super stretchy foam (think wet suit feel). My cats are indoor/outdoor and they haven't had any problens. I accidentally pulled it off one time catching my boy when he was refusing to come in. My boy has also accidentally pulled the girls off in play. The tines it has been pulled off they barely seem to notice it.

 

[SassKat]

When I tried to put it on once she tried to run away and a pulled back which made her gag. We also would take the collar off before cutting her nails so we could scruff her. I really didn't mean to hurt her and I know I handled it the wrong way.

 

[arouetta]

Well that's not so bad. I know that people will want to say "Why'd you pull back?" but truth is we all can make a stupid split-second decision to try to hold on to a cat when 20/20 hindsight says that letting go would have been better. I was concerned that it might have been a too-tight collar or something equally serious.

The nail thing, biggest mental block for people is to try and do all the claws at once. It's hard to say "Okay, I'll cut one or two and try again in a few hours", but it seems doing so makes the cat stay a little longer next time. Worth a try so scruffing isn't needed in the future.

For attaching the collar now though.....I noticed you said she doesn't like your hand near her neck. Same incident, but two different fears. Working through both at the same time is a recipe for disaster. Make a choice, do you want her to learn your hand won't hurt her neck, or do you want a collar on her?

If you want a collar on her, don't be the one that tries to get it on her. Hire a neighborhood kid if you have to, but her having to face your hand on her neck AND being collared at the same time is probably a bit much for her to handle. Donate the existing collar to the local shelter and buy a new one that looks as completely different from the old one as possible. If she likes catnip rub in some into the fabric. Don't put it where she eats, since you were putting the old one there. Leave it out, dangle it as a toy, just have it out so that she can get accustomed to it.

You also didn't mention when the scary encounter happened. If it was recent, like in the last few weeks, don't try to collar her in the near future. While you don't want a phobia to form, you also don't need to trigger the fear memory too quickly. Since she's not supposed to go outside, you have time on your side.

While you don't want to wait as long as I did, I found that the first try with a collar had my cat shredding the material (strong back feet with determination to get it off in any way possible), but the second try she's cool with it.

 

[SassKat]

The neck incident only happened once and I was still able to touch her neck later in the day. The collar incident happened about a month ago. We also took her collar off a while ago. She doesn't like dangling tags so we had to get the one that attaches to the collar.

 

[SassKat]

Thanks to everyone who replied!