Does your indoor cat wear a collar?

[graywing]

We used to have a purebred doll-faced persian named Missy who would bolt on occasion.  And she was an older girl, too.  It almost seemed like a game to her.  She'd run out several feet.  I'd go to pick her up but she'd slip past and run back in on her own.  But it was a game that I wasn't very fond of since it always made me panic.  She did wear a collar.  I wasn't really knowledgeable about microchipping back then so she hadn't been chipped.  I don't know about her early life.  Basically what happened is her owner passed away and the family didn't want her so they were going to take her to the pound if they couldn't find anyone to take her.   I don't know if she was ever left out or not by her previous owner but considering she had her fronts declawed I'd assume she was an indoor only cat (or at least intended that way).

Tuxedo has worn collars in the past.  I tried a few different ones but he was always scratching at them.  There's a permanent ring of hairlessness around his neck.  Because of how his hair lies flat, it generally can't be seen.   I've heard others mention that problem with Norwegian Forest Cats.  I don't know for certain if he is one or part but he strongly resembles one.  I've thought about getting him a collar again but I'd want to find one that wouldn't be so irritating to him.  It did seem the collars before caused him discomfort and I was always careful about there being the right amount of space.

I haven't tried yet with Gizmo.  He wasn't microchipped until he was almost 6 months old.  And so we put him in his safe room if we're going in or out.  I still haven't opened the door around him yet.  I'd like to get him a collar but I'm curious if there's ones that are least likely to cause missing hair in longer haired cats.  Gizmo's hair on the back of his neck is very poofy.  It just kinda goes straight out.  So a ring would be pretty weird looking on him. 

The outside of our front door is a very small enclosed area.  I've thought about somehow basically enclosing  that area and making another door for us to go out through.  I keep thinking it'd maybe be lovely if wrought iron but I have no idea how much that would cost.  But that could basically serve as one more stopping point.

 

[raina21]

We used to have a purebred doll-faced persian named Missy who would bolt on occasion.  And she was an older girl, too.  It almost seemed like a game to her.  She'd run out several feet.  I'd go to pick her up but she'd slip past and run back in on her own.  But it was a game that I wasn't very fond of since it always made me panic.  She did wear a collar.  I wasn't really knowledgeable about microchipping back then so she hadn't been chipped.  I don't know about her early life.  Basically what happened is her owner passed away and the family didn't want her so they were going to take her to the pound if they couldn't find anyone to take her.   I don't know if she was ever left out or not by her previous owner but considering she had her fronts declawed I'd assume she was an indoor only cat (or at least intended that way).

Tuxedo has worn collars in the past.  I tried a few different ones but he was always scratching at them.  There's a permanent ring of hairlessness around his neck.  Because of how his hair lies flat, it generally can't be seen.   I've heard others mention that problem with Norwegian Forest Cats.  I don't know for certain if he is one or part but he strongly resembles one.  I've thought about getting him a collar again but I'd want to find one that wouldn't be so irritating to him.  It did seem the collars before caused him discomfort and I was always careful about there being the right amount of space.

I haven't tried yet with Gizmo.  He wasn't microchipped until he was almost 6 months old.  And so we put him in his safe room if we're going in or out.  I still haven't opened the door around him yet.  I'd like to get him a collar but I'm curious if there's ones that are least likely to cause missing hair in longer haired cats.  Gizmo's hair on the back of his neck is very poofy.  It just kinda goes straight out.  So a ring would be pretty weird looking on him. 

The outside of our front door is a very small enclosed area.  I've thought about somehow basically enclosing  that area and making another door for us to go out through.  I keep thinking it'd maybe be lovely if wrought iron but I have no idea how much that would cost.  But that could basically serve as one more stopping point.

You could try using Beastie bands! They are very thin and light with an extremely soft lining where it touches their necks. They are also stretchy along their entire length for safety and have a velcro closure rather than a conventional plastic breakaway closure.

If the cat gets the collar cought on anything it will either just slip off, or the velcro will come undone.

They come in all sorts of different designs and colors as well.

All 3 of my cats wear them and all 3 are either medium or long haired. I have. Norwegian Forest cat and his doesn't seem to bother him at all.

If you order from Robin's Pet Care, you can pick the background color of the design you want (most sites, you just pick the design and they send you a random color in that design).

http://www.robbinspetcare.com/index.php?route=product/search&search=Beastie

My kitties in their cute Beastie Bands

Zazzie:

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• raina21
• Apr 21, 2016

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• raina21
• Apr 21, 2016

Kiwi:

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• raina21
• Apr 21, 2016

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• raina21
• Apr 21, 2016

Tesla: (the Norwegian Forest Cat, 6 months old)

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• raina21
• Apr 21, 2016

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• raina21
• Apr 21, 2016

 

[theperiodicfam]

I am a super crazy cat lady, just a step below putting my cats in clothing. (I totally would if I knew where to find flannel sized for my cat tho) my cats have no problem with collars, and when I take one of them out for walks I have a black bell collar I have decked out in spiked studs because she's my lil punk brat.


.... I have a problem lmao

 

[DreamerRose]

Have you seen the Hats for Cats GoDaddy commercial?  https://www.etsy.com/shop/ToScarboroughFair

 

[kntrygrl256]

 
Hoping and praying Lucy-fur has been spayed by now?

@Tarasgirl06

She is, @kntrygrl256 said that she was fixed in the last sentence of post #115.

Oh yes. I am a BIG advocate of spay/neuter.  She had pyometra (uterine infection) after her first heat and was spayed. I had her scheduled but we had to move it up because of the infection.

I have all mine spayed/neutered and others too if they can't afford it.

 

[inanna]

I am a super crazy cat lady, just a step below putting my cats in clothing. (I totally would if I knew where to find flannel sized for my cat tho) my cats have no problem with collars, and when I take one of them out for walks I have a black bell collar I have decked out in spiked studs because she's my lil punk brat.


.... I have a problem lmao

My cats fit in the XS dog sized clothes. They hate it though. One of my cat's walks backwards when I dress him up. He also freaks out about wearing a collar.

 

[camillel]

My cats fit in the XS dog sized clothes. They hate it though. One of my cat's walks backwards when I dress him up. He also freaks out about wearing a collar.

OMG that is sooo funny you said that I used to have a cat Rescue That when I put a leash on her she would just roll over and lie on the deck She wouldn't move. We would call her Dope on a rope. She was so funny

 

[graywing]

Thanks!  That's great to know!  I heard before of hair never growing back for another Norwegian forest cat and I've wondered if it's just a long haired issue that can happen in general or something particular to them.  But I know just hearing of another case doesn't really mean much of anything. 

I think I will be ordering the beastie collars.  The problem now is picking out which one.  Maybe the dragonflies on blue for Gizmo since he loves bugs (eating them more specifically).  I'd like something red for Tux but just not sure which pattern suits him.

 

[NewYork1303]

The beastie bands look great. I may have to try those when it is time for new collars in my home.

 

[segelkatt]

The first thing I do when acquiring a new cat is to get a break-away collar, then get a microchip, then a tag with the cat's name and my phone number and that the cat has a microchip, put the microchip tag and the ID tag on the collar and put it on the cat so tight that only two of my fingers will also fit in there. Then ignore the tantrums the cat may have because of the collar. They'll get used to it in a few days. None of my cats have had a problem with that. The little bells that are on the collar are barely noticeable but I did finally put a collar with a bell on the foster because he is black and I did not see him at night, now I can at least hear him when I wander around at night with the lights out. I can tell by the sound of the bell which cat is up and about also and thus will watch out for that one.

These cats are indoors only, no door darters as they have an enclosed second storey  patio to hang out on and thus get plenty of fresh air and can watch birds, bunnies and squirrels. They will sit at the security door waiting for me when I go out and leave the front door open although I used to have one who would sit at that door and meow so loud that you could hear him all over the building even if I just went to get the mail or take out the trash. He would carry on for about 5 minutes before he would realize that I was either coming back or that his screaming did no good. He has now been re-homed because he would not get along with the other cats. Sometimes I even miss his screaming because it was somehow endearing but also embarrassing. 

 

[tarasgirl06]

Good on you for the ID/security things, especially the collars, which we also use.  They can really be life-savers and yes, most cats do adapt well to being indoors-only, especially when given lots of stimuli and love! 

 

[crazy4strays]

I have two resident cats and have had a combined total of 11 foster cats. All of them have worn collars. I had one issue with a foster cat scratching excessively at her collar and creating a sore, as well as having fur loss. I left off the collar while her neck healed and then tried again. It turns out that I just needed to loosen the collar and she's been fine ever since. My litter of kittens just started wearing collars at 11-12 weeks. The ones that just got adopted were sent with collars and tags to their new homes. To date, I've had two foster cats that managed to escape the house. Luckily neither of them got far.

I have one resident cat who has no interest in going outdoors and one who tries to escape at every available opportunity.

In my area, collars are the most reliable way to identify cats. If someone sees a loose cat without a collar in our rural area, the chances of it even being scanned aren't that great. Microchips are wonderful but I'd never rely on them alone. Too risky. Occasionally microchipped cats get euthanized because of animal shelter negligence.

My personal cats are microchipped, wear collars and have two tags on their collar, their rabies tag and an ID tag with my phone number, vet's number, microchip info, etc.

My foster cats don't get microchipped, thanks to the rescue, so it's either collar them or they'll have no ID at all.

Statistically speaking, about 25% of lost cats are NEVER found. Only about 6-7% of lost dogs remain missing. That statistic for lost cats could improve so much just by using ID for cats.

 

[kitkatpoochie25]

Yes,my cat always wear a collar with identification tags on them. Some cats may not like it but itbis importnat for them to wear a collar because we will never know when they will run outside of our home, apartment or condos. So it's also important to microchip your cat to prevent them fron getting lost.

 

[weebeasties]

I worked at a retail store one year that required the employees to wear bells for the two months leading up to Christmas. The jingling drove me CRAZY and stressed me out! There is no way I would make my babies have to listen to that all the time. I have heard of GPS "dots" that you can stick to your stereo, tv, whatever and if the items turn up missing you can track them with your phone. I think that would be a great idea for pet collars but I don't think the "dots" are waterproof.

 

[DreamerRose]

The bells on collars are very small and only make a little bit of noise. Mingo is used to his and is able to catch mice with it on. Ten mice so far. 

 

[kittens mom]

Mercy got a new collar and a strawberry shaped bell. It's very loud. Because she's taken to playing lets hide and make mommy go nuts.

 

[haleyds]

My girl has a bell on it just because our house is rather spread out and it's hard for me to find her at bed time sometimes, it's not loud at all and it's just a gentle jingle. She's such a light stepper I only really hear it when she is playing around. Also she has never minded a collar or the bell, but then again I know some companies I've looked at seem to think the bell is about fashion rathe than function.

 

[meuzettesmom]

My cats use to. They decided they don't want to.

 

[sue f]

Mine never shuts up, so I don't need a bell.

Doesn't stop her from trying to trip me up in the dark, though.  

 I like the GPS idea, though!

 

[kittens mom]

 
Mine never shuts up, so I don't need a bell.

Doesn't stop her from trying to trip me up in the dark, though.  

 I like the GPS idea, though!

Mercy is the feline equilivalt of a fax machine running when she's playing. It's the sneaky stealth mode she's picked up.