Help finding the right collar?

Noivurn

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Hello, everyone! This is my first post here, I just now joined. I'm on forums for all of my other pets (mice and invertebrates right now), but never really thought that there might be forums for cats too... kind of a "duh" moment. 😅

Anyway, I've been struggling to find the right collar for my cat, and I'd love some suggestions. My cat is a larger, long-haired black cat, I'm not sure his exact age but he is fairly old, estimated to be around 12-15 years, though he isn't showing his age yet. He's strictly indoor, though I would like to introduce him to supervised outdoor time once I find a harness that fits. (But that's a topic for another day.) He is microchipped as well, but I don't like the idea of him not having a collar in case he did escape and get lost, as there are lots of strays around my apartment complex and I want it to be obvious that he's not one of them. (Plus, I like him having a collar aesthetically as well, though that's not the most important part, of course.)

Right now, I have him wearing XS/S dog collars since when I tried to give him breakaway collars, he's immediately snapped them off, however if there are cat collars that are sturdier and won't allow him to break them off I'm absolutely open to them, especially if it's safer. (He's never had an issue with getting his collar caught on anything, and he is indoor-only, but there's always that small chance.) The issue that I have with them is that he tends to scratch at them a lot, and they get frayed. I bought him a cute Halloween collar maybe a month ago at most, and it's already completely frayed, it looks like it's been on him for years. Every collar I've gotten him, he's frayed, even the same brand/make of collar that my friend's cat has had since he got her (5 years ago) that looks completely fine, albeit a bit dirty.

I'd really like to find a collar that will last longer, I don't want to have to replace his collar every month. I'm happy to get a more expensive collar if it will last. I was wondering if there are any safe / reliable brands of leather collars made for cats, and if anyone has experience with a cat scratching them - would these last longer than fabric ones?

I'd love any suggestions or comments, I appreciate it! Also, here's an obligatory picture of Tobi himself. 💙
 

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Docs Mom

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Go on Etsy.com and look for "the Dancing Hound".
They have wonderful soft leather cat collars with safety attachment.
I like my kittens to wear a collar with a bell so I know where they are and what they are up to... so I looked for a long time to find this soft leather collar. They have a variety of colors etc.

Happy shopping.... of course Kimba decided he wasn't going to wear a collar any more, it is SOMEWHERE in my house, only he knows where...;) a beautiful blue for his orange color....

Lisa and Kimba and the gang
 

Antonio65

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Hi and welcome to TCS.

I don't know much about collars that will stand the brute force of Tobi's claws, but I think you have considered the option of a collar that breaks loose in the event of the cat getting stucked on a branch or else. A sturdy collar would result in a hung cat.

Years ago I had bought a collar that had a safety lock which could be adjusted on the cat's weight. The lock would release when the weight applied was higher than the value it was set to.
The cat was around 6 kg, so I set the lock to 5.5 kg, the instructions advised to set 10% less.
This way the collar was lost only if the cat had been hanging with its weight, not because it was pulling or scratching.

Can't remember the brand of this collar, the only thing I know is that it was Swiss made.
 

Willowy

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I just looked on Etsy and there are a LOT of sellers offering leather breakaway collars. I think that would be your best bet. Be sure to get one with a breakaway snap, not an elastic insert, because cats can still strangle themselves with an elastic collar. And if you don't like dangly tags, you can get a collartag that fits flat on the collar. There are several different brands available now.
 
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Noivurn

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Thank you guys for your suggestions! I figured he would be okay with a non-breakaway collar since he doesn't go outside. But then there's always the chance he gets out on accident, hence the collar in the first place. So I definitely see why a breakaway would be better. Now comes the task of finding one that he can't take off in ten seconds, I guess!

So far the only brand I can find that allow you to adjust the break-away snap to weight is Rogz brand, but I really hate how all of their collars look, unfortunately. :( If anyone knows of any other brands or individual sellers that offer weight-based breakaway snaps I would really appreciate it!

There are some gorgeous leather options available on Etsy, so I'll definitely be taking a look at those. I'm hoping I'll be able to find some that he won't be able to take off immediately.
 

Willowy

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Does he deliberately snap it on something, or does he just scratch it so hard it falls off? If it's the scratching, getting a leather instead of nylon collar might work, because he can't really get his claws in it to scratch it as hard. And keeping it fairly snug can prevent accidental snapping. If he deliberately catches it on things though, well, it's hard to outsmart a cat who has figured that out!
 
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Noivurn

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neely neely Thank you for the link, I'll definitely give it a read!

W Willowy He'll actually put his paw in between the collar and his neck and snap it off like that, or try to bite it off by wedging his bottom jaw under the collar and snapping it - very clever, but very frustrating when I want him to wear his collar. 😅
 

Antonio65

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or try to bite it off by wedging his bottom jaw under the collar and snapping it
If he's able to wedge his jaw under the collar, it means the collar is too loose, and this is very very dangerous.
Collars must be adjusted that only two fingers of yours can be slipped between collar and neck.
 

klunick

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W Willowy He'll actually put his paw in between the collar and his neck and snap it off like that, or try to bite it off by wedging his bottom jaw under the collar and snapping it - very clever, but very frustrating when I want him to wear his collar. 😅
[/QUOTE]

Mine would do that too. I just gave up and stop trying to get them to wear the collars. Then a few weeks later, I randomly put them back on and the kittens were fine with them. But after a day, I decided I didn't like the look of them in collars and took them off for good.
 

ladytimedramon

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What about beastie bands? Those are very soft and are velcro.

It might be that he's figured out the breakaway mechanism and needs something different.
 

Amalfi

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Hello, everyone! This is my first post here, I just now joined. I'm on forums for all of my other pets (mice and invertebrates right now), but never really thought that there might be forums for cats too... kind of a "duh" moment. 😅

Anyway, I've been struggling to find the right collar for my cat, and I'd love some suggestions. My cat is a larger, long-haired black cat, I'm not sure his exact age but he is fairly old, estimated to be around 12-15 years, though he isn't showing his age yet. He's strictly indoor, though I would like to introduce him to supervised outdoor time once I find a harness that fits. (But that's a topic for another day.) He is microchipped as well, but I don't like the idea of him not having a collar in case he did escape and get lost, as there are lots of strays around my apartment complex and I want it to be obvious that he's not one of them. (Plus, I like him having a collar aesthetically as well, though that's not the most important part, of course.)

Right now, I have him wearing XS/S dog collars since when I tried to give him breakaway collars, he's immediately snapped them off, however if there are cat collars that are sturdier and won't allow him to break them off I'm absolutely open to them, especially if it's safer. (He's never had an issue with getting his collar caught on anything, and he is indoor-only, but there's always that small chance.) The issue that I have with them is that he tends to scratch at them a lot, and they get frayed. I bought him a cute Halloween collar maybe a month ago at most, and it's already completely frayed, it looks like it's been on him for years. Every collar I've gotten him, he's frayed, even the same brand/make of collar that my friend's cat has had since he got her (5 years ago) that looks completely fine, albeit a bit dirty.

I'd really like to find a collar that will last longer, I don't want to have to replace his collar every month. I'm happy to get a more expensive collar if it will last. I was wondering if there are any safe / reliable brands of leather collars made for cats, and if anyone has experience with a cat scratching them - would these last longer than fabric ones?

I'd love any suggestions or comments, I appreciate it! Also, here's an obligatory picture of Tobi himself. 💙
Have you looked at Supakit? They do leather breakaway collars. You could ask their advice.
 
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