Removal Of Cat Collars

[Danglos]

Last week our youngest kitten (nearly 6 months old) was neutered and micro chipped. They are all micro chipped and indoors. Also they are finally getting a long okay with no hissing or real fights. Ollie's head injury is healing and I can stroke him and the scabby area without him reacting...

So after researching the idea of removing the bell from their collars as they are now big enough and sensible enough to not be stepped on. But in the end I have been convinced to remove the collars completely as they are always scratching at the collars and I get the impression they really dislike them. All the cats seem ecstatic at the collar removal and rolled around the floor. Now they've gone to sleep.

Charlie jumps at noises so I'm not sure whether hearing the bell alarms him or if he'd prefer the others having bells so they can't sneak up on him. I've read so many contradicting things on the internet so really not sure. The bells are useful for finding the boys but a hidden cat is pretty silent anyway and late at night their movements and noise can be annoying. What are peoples opinions on this?

 

[GoldyCat]

I tried collars with bells on my cats to begin with, but gave it up because they didn't really do any good. The cat who needed the bell the most was able to run through the house at full speed without the bell making a sound.

If you have indoor/outdoor kitties you might want to keep a collar with ID tags on, but personally I would ditch the bell.

 

[vince]

I got collars with little bells so I could hear where my cats were around the house and for no other reason. They work as intended. They're pretty quiet and the cats don't seem to mind them in the least.

 

[abyeb]

I don’t think the bell is necessary, but if you want your cats to go outside, you should have them in a breakaway collar with their ID and rabies tag. For an indoor-only kitty, a collar isn’t really a necessity, unless they happen to be a door-darter. My Charlie is an indoor cat, and he doesn’t try to escape, so he doesn’t wear a collar, because he got so annoyed with it when he was a kitten (freaking out, trying to take it off).

 

[Jem]

I don't have collars for my cats. They are indoor only and don't try to escape. And the collars just get in the way of a good pet and scratch session! I did have a cat once who wore a collar, and I was constantly fixing his fur that would stick up around the collar by sticking my finger under the collar and pulling the fur back under it. It just bugged me to no end that his fur was not nice and smooth, and that the collar did not just lay perfectly over the fur. OCD at it's finest!

 

[Kieka]

I am a firm believer of collars (without bells) for all cats who will tolerate them. All it takes is one moment and a bad chain of events for even a non-door darter to get outside. If a neighbor finds your cat with a collar you will be reunited quickly. Without a collar? Who knows. The harsh reality is that people who find cats don't always take them to shelters or have vets check for chips. Join your local Nextdoor group and see how many people just post found there before finding a new home or keeping the cat themselves. A collar tells someone at a glance that the cat has a home and where to call.

 

[Danglos]

Well today Charlie picked up his collar and was meowing. He also was kneading a bed and kept looking nervously behind him so I put them back on and none of them complained so I guess they aren't bothered and Charlie likes to heat the others coming. But that's my guess for today... no doubt soon one of them will remove their own collar the little monkeys!

 

[KateMc82]

I have 2 indoor-only cats and one indoor/outdoor cat. The indoor/outdoor one almost always has his collar on with my info on it and it informs people he is microchipped. My indoor only ones don’t wear collars (they are chipped too), but I am thinking about getting them ones if only because I think they’d look cute in them. If you’re confident that they’re not going to get outside, even accidentally, they don’t need a collar. Otherwise, I would keep it on them until you’re settled in for the night and there’s no chance of them getting out.

 

[KateMc82]

Oh, and I don’t have bells on the collar. I think that would drive him (and me) crazy. His tag makes a little jangling noise, so I think that’s enough.

 

[KittyFriday]

My cat is microchipped but does wear a breakaway collar too. It looks cute and he's just your generic yellow tabby so I'm afraid if he got out and ended up in a shelter something could happen to him before I found him. Plus, if he ends up at someone else's house they know he has a home.

He's indoor-only but I'm paranoid, especially living in town.