Most comfortable cat collar?

[Anicanis]

Hi all, I don't know if this is a silly question but my cat never had a collar and now he's going to have to wear one all the time so I'm wondering what tends to be the best option for them - soft leather or soft fabric? Thank you!!

 

[Kris107]

First, to note, I don't have collars on my cats. If they go outside, they're in my yard and I have eyes on them. I've looked at RIFD tag products before but ended up opting for products that scan their microchip. All of my cats have been microchipped. All of that being said... I've heard in the past that collars should be breakaway collars in case they snag it on something - it'll come off as opposed to choking/hanging them. For an outdoor cat, I'd choose what would be durable/weather proof/etc.

 

[Anicanis]

Thanks. He's also microchipped and won't be an outdoor cat, he'll just have access to our garden but I'm extra afraid of him finding a way out, not being able to come back and not having any identifier. He's very much of an indoor cat and afraid of things outside, so hopefully it will work out. He won't have access to be outside in the rain so I'm mostly looking the most comfortable material for collars, not particularly durable

 

[Kris107]

Gotcha - so a "just in case" collar. I like some where the tag is sewn onto the collar itself - then they don't have anything dangling or jangling. There are also rounded ones that might allow it to float over the fur better? I think lighter weight the better. Just some thoughts!

 

[Anicanis]

Gotcha - so a "just in case" collar. I like some where the tag is sewn onto the collar itself - then they don't have anything dangling or jangling. There are also rounded ones that might allow it to float over the fur better? I think lighter weight the better. Just some thoughts!

Oh that's a good idea! I wouldn't want something weighting or dangling/ making noise. I saw this one online, might give it a try... I hope it's not too uncomfortable to him. Otherwise, I think I'll experiment being without it and try to keep an eye on him at all times, which tends to be hard though...

I also thought of an airtag, but that's a huge addition to the collar. I'm looking into the products you mentioned, the one that scan the microchip. Is it something that can tell you if your cat is nearby? Sorry, I'm very new to this! Maybe I'm overthinking haha

 

[iPappy]

I also vote for a break away collar. I've owned cats that wear them, and I choose the very soft, pliable nylon mesh style. The collars were breakaway as well as stretchy, so if they would get hung up on anything they wouldn't run the risk of strangulation. Sadly, it happens. (For this reason, my dogs don't wear collars 24 hours a day, either.)

 

[Kris107]

Location tracking via microchip isn't a thing - yet. I wish! I have kind of trained my cats to stay in our yard. We do it in baby steps and they earn my trust. If one tries to get out, they get scolded then inside right away. Outside priveleges over for a time. I keep their claws trimmed so they can't climb trees/fences. I check on them frequently. I open the door and call or make a noise and they poke their heads up. My yard layout gives me good visuals. I like what iPappy mentioned. Maybe the collar is just for the going out times. Off inside. When I first train my cats to outside they start with harness. At first they know harness = outside. They didn't like it but that was the rule.

 

[carlgustav]

I'm new here, but I do have recent experience with cat collar use. In the past, all of our cats were masters at losing their collars within weeks, as they were 24/7 indoor/outdoor cats (cat doors in/out of the house and from there in/out of the garage) and always found ways to get out of them. I'm not talking about modern breakaway types, years ago we used regular old style collars and maybe kept them just loose enough for them to be lost . So we just didn't replace the collars when that happened. At the time, there were various family members here to care for our cats and keep up with them, now it's just me.
My recent adoption of a farm kitten led me to looking into keeping a handle on the little guys travels b/c I still want my cat to have fun outside. He has access to an outdoor enclosure (about 900 sq. ft. of deck/yard area), and during daylight hours he can leave the enclosure when I open the gate (he hasn't figured out he could get on the roof if he really tried, yet) and roam. I get him in and close the gate at dark but still allow him out in the enclosure until I shut down.
He is chipped, but that's a backup scenario if he's lost and only works if he's scanned. I have a nylon, flexible webbing, adjustable tension, type of breakaway collar on him that he's actually tested twice . Once in the creek behind my house he apparently got caught in something and the collar let go. He came back in the house and I noticed there was no collar! Because I have a GPS tracker on the collar, I could get close enough to it using GPS, then switch to BT to get eyes on it, and recover. May not always be the case, but worked in this instance. The second time he got his head caught in a screen door I was closing and we were working against each other to get him loose. Again, the collar saved us both by letting loose. BTW, the collar is not particularly expensive, the tracker system not so much .
The collar I use came with a silly little bell that I removed, and I only keep the tracker and his rabies tag on it. It goes on whenever he has any outdoor access and comes off when he's in for the night. He now understands 'collar on', 'collar off'. I'll be happy to provide brand info should the moderators permit .

Thx,
CG

 

[Alldara]

It's likely already mentioned but for safety, you'll want to ensure the collar has a safety release.

 

[Anicanis]

Ye

It's likely already mentioned but for safety, you'll want to ensure the collar has a safety release.

Yes, definitely! For now I only wanted to know more about the best materials, but I think I found it

 

[Anicanis]

t

I'm new here, but I do have recent experience with cat collar use. In the past, all of our cats were masters at losing their collars within weeks, as they were 24/7 indoor/outdoor cats (cat doors in/out of the house and from there in/out of the garage) and always found ways to get out of them. I'm not talking about modern breakaway types, years ago we used regular old style collars and maybe kept them just loose enough for them to be lost . So we just didn't replace the collars when that happened. At the time, there were various family members here to care for our cats and keep up with them, now it's just me.
My recent adoption of a farm kitten led me to looking into keeping a handle on the little guys travels b/c I still want my cat to have fun outside. He has access to an outdoor enclosure (about 900 sq. ft. of deck/yard area), and during daylight hours he can leave the enclosure when I open the gate (he hasn't figured out he could get on the roof if he really tried, yet) and roam. I get him in and close the gate at dark but still allow him out in the enclosure until I shut down.
He is chipped, but that's a backup scenario if he's lost and only works if he's scanned. I have a nylon, flexible webbing, adjustable tension, type of breakaway collar on him that he's actually tested twice . Once in the creek behind my house he apparently got caught in something and the collar let go. He came back in the house and I noticed there was no collar! Because I have a GPS tracker on the collar, I could get close enough to it using GPS, then switch to BT to get eyes on it, and recover. May not always be the case, but worked in this instance. The second time he got his head caught in a screen door I was closing and we were working against each other to get him loose. Again, the collar saved us both by letting loose. BTW, the collar is not particularly expensive, the tracker system not so much .
The collar I use came with a silly little bell that I removed, and I only keep the tracker and his rabies tag on it. It goes on whenever he has any outdoor access and comes off when he's in for the night. He now understands 'collar on', 'collar off'. I'll be happy to provide brand info should the moderators permit .

Thx,
CG

Thank you!! I ended up buying a leather one with his name and my phone engraved on it. He seems to have adapted incredibly well. I put it on and he acted like nothing had happened. I'm so happy! For now I just wanted to see if it would be comfortable enough for him, but I might consider adding a GPS if needed. Tbh I won't encourage him to leave the garden, I'm just afraid he does and then has issues returning to our new house. He's a full indoor cat atm, only has access to a balcony so it will be a big change. hope everything works out once we move. thanks for your input!

 

[carlgustav]

Tbh I won't encourage him to leave the garden, I'm just afraid he does and then has issues returning to our new house.

Cats don't usually need any encouragement to go explore, curiosity and all that . Anyway, GPS may be overkill, I have ~$250 invested (device/collar/2yr sub). A friend who lives on 90+ acres has one on his dog and showed it to me. I liked the idea for my cat while he's young and I have the budget, so there ya are.

CG

 

[Anicanis]

Cats don't usually need any encouragement to go explore, curiosity and all that . Anyway, GPS may be overkill, I have ~$250 invested (device/collar/2yr sub). A friend who lives on 90+ acres has one on his dog and showed it to me. I liked the idea for my cat while he's young and I have the budget, so there ya are.

CG

haha my cat is usually very scared being outside, poor thing. but I'm sure he'll eventually gain more confidence there. what I thought in terms of GPS was actually an airtag attached to the collar if needed... but anyway, I'll also try to safeguard the garden with fence rollers so I'm probably overthinking!

 

[Eurocat]

Hi there
An airtag uses the blue tooth network, so it relies on people having their blue tooth function activated.
For rural areas this isn‘t always so good as if they cat gets away outside your bluetooth range the bluetooth users may be far and few between (as sparsely populated).
GPS can be much better and more accurate in rural settings independent of bluetooth.
I have a GPS tracker for my mostly indoor cat which I use when she sometimes comes away with us to a littlr country cottage which has proved great and has allowed her a degree of controlled independence outside in a somewhat secured area.
The basic price is not bad (between 20 and 50 euros here in Europe) but you do need a subscription for the GPS tracker, which is the costly part. The tracker itself is a little bulky, even though it‘s the smallest on the market. My sensitive kitty tolerated it surprisingly well though. The collar I got for the tracker was basically very similar to what carlgustav mentions and has done its job, releasing when she dived into the undergrowth and got snagged on a bush.
My kitty is very skittish regarding people so I think if I had a secured garden at home (which is my goal sometime), I‘d definitely use the GPS tracker for the first couple of weeks if not months just to feel safer and to get an idea of her movements. Even if you’re not so worried about your cat getting out, there is always the unpredictable issue of other cats getting IN (or being already established in the territory which isn’t much frequented by your kitty) and chasing your kitty or fighting. For this, a GPS tracker is invaluable in finding the cat if she runs off in a panic.

 

[Anicanis]

Hi there
An airtag uses the blue tooth network, so it relies on people having their blue tooth function activated.
For rural areas this isn‘t always so good as if they cat gets away outside your bluetooth range the bluetooth users may be far and few between (as sparsely populated).
GPS can be much better and more accurate in rural settings independent of bluetooth.
I have a GPS tracker for my mostly indoor cat which I use when she sometimes comes away with us to a littlr country cottage which has proved great and has allowed her a degree of controlled independence outside in a somewhat secured area.
The basic price is not bad (between 20 and 50 euros here in Europe) but you do need a subscription for the GPS tracker, which is the costly part. The tracker itself is a little bulky, even though it‘s the smallest on the market. My sensitive kitty tolerated it surprisingly well though. The collar I got for the tracker was basically very similar to what carlgustav mentions and has done its job, releasing when she dived into the undergrowth and got snagged on a bush.
My kitty is very skittish regarding people so I think if I had a secured garden at home (which is my goal sometime), I‘d definitely use the GPS tracker for the first couple of weeks if not months just to feel safer and to get an idea of her movements. Even if you’re not so worried about your cat getting out, there is always the unpredictable issue of other cats getting IN (or being already established in the territory which isn’t much frequented by your kitty) and chasing your kitty or fighting. For this, a GPS tracker is invaluable in finding the cat if she runs off in a panic.

Thank you, that makes sense for rural areas - I'm aware airtags work with bluetooth, but I'm in central London so it would be ok. But for now I'm just looking for the most comfortable thing to get him used to wearing something around his neck