Should My Indoor Cat Wear A Collar

[manz21]

Hi guys i currently have an indoor cat and i bought him a collar but i’m really indecisive on whether i should make him wear it because i feel his fur looks nicer without it and there is a very very low chance that he will escape my apartment

 

[tinydestroyer]

Its totally up to you. If you're concerned with aesthetics, they make collars that are prettier than the normal nylon woven ones. I found some really cute and inexpensive collars here on Etsy:
Handcrafted Animal Friendly Cat Collar & Dog Collar by Chockypetshop

I like that you can put your info on the leather tag so that they don't have to wear a dangling tag on the collar. In my opinion, the owners info being on the collar is the only real benefit. If you have extra doors outside your apartment that would prevent your cat from getting outside, and your neighbors know he's yours, you might be less likely to have to deal with the stress of a lost cat. I'm more in the safe-than-sorry camp, but everyone's situation is different.

 

[Kieka]

I use Beastie Band collars with wrap around tags. They are very light weight and will stretch to come off if caught on something.

I am personally a believer of collars on even indoor cats. Even though chances of escape are low it only takes one time. One slip. I know I would hate myself if my cat got lost without a collar. A collar could be the difference between coming home and not.

 

[kristenann]

Gorgeous cat! Absolute stunner!

I too have both my indoor only kiddos wear collars. I'm not a huge fan of the way they look either but I don't want to take any chances. To get around the asthetics I've ordered both my boys glamorous sparkly ombre colors in different shades of blue. Most people will not think to look for a microchip but a collar is a clear sign a kitty is owned. So they can make all the difference if on the off chance your baby does somehow get out.To make sure people don't assume my cats are outdoor cats their tags read:
I'm lost!
Call my mom!
xxx-xxx-xxxx

I don't like dangly tags either as I find them annoying but I highly recommend slide on tags. You can get them special ordered online. Below is a picture of my kitties to give you an idea of the slide on tags

 

[ailish]

My indoor cat wears a collar that I take off at night and put on first thing in the morning. We have no open doors at night, although I realize even that is a bit of a risk. She is microchipped as well. I agree that even though she is an indoor cat she could get out. Also, she goes to the vet and we go for the occasional ride so she doesn't totally hate the carrier. Plus I like having cool collars. I found a different etsy source for a large variety of really cute collars. Ailish is black, so the possibilities are endless.

 

[happilyretired]

In 30 years of cat companions, none of my cats have ever worn a collar--and none have ever been outside my home [except for vet visits].
I'm neurotically careful:-)

 

[lea98]

I make my barn kitties wear them so others can tell the difference between them and strays in the area. My indoor kitties wear them all the time now. I took them off one week because I was so sure they would never find a way out, unfortunately, my youngest/only male managed to. I have not seen him since. I looked all over, posted "lost" ads but he's just gone. So now they all wear collars & tags. Which is good thing when Chloe got out she was returned because someone's kid found her and wanted to keep her but the mother saw the tag and did the right thing and called me. So Chloe was back home and safe! Honestly I think she was looking for her brother because she had never felt the need to go outside before... poor thing. It's my fault.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

In 30 years of cat companions, none of my cats have ever worn a collar--and none have ever been outside my home [except for vet visits].
I'm neurotically careful:-)

My first cat was partly outdoor as a young cat and wore a collar, but it wasn't long before I keep her indoors at all times and I eventually ditched the collar for her once I had her trained to be indoor only. My 2nd indoor cat never wore a collar. I am also neurotically careful about my indoor cats and YET, I wince when I read about how it just takes one time of getting loose, and I certainly understand that scenario intellectually... (and lea98 , you lost Leo?! oh no! My heart breaks for you!)... I know I would never forgive myself (or my husband!) if Milly got outside, collarless. I do see myself eventually getting around to training her to wear her collar (she is used to a collar/leash for her daily indoor walkies already so I have no excuses -- I walk her indoors through our floor's hallway of our apartment building) -- but she is just so cantankerous with one around her neck if worn at all times! I like the idea of a part-time collar that A ailish mentions...

 

[PMousse]

My cat is micro-chipped, and she's 100% indoor except for vet visits. So I feel comfortable not to put a collar on her. Also, when I adopted her from the shelter, the staff told me there's no need to give her a collar and some cats don't like it because it's not comfortable.

 

[sweetblackpaws]

I think for apartment cats, you should. I don't know about where you live, but in many places, maintenance is always coming in and out, etc.

 

[betsygee]

My indoor only cat is microchipped but also wears a collar. If she did manage to get out somehow, I'd want people to see that she's owned by someone and be able to contact me right away.

 

[sweetblackpaws]

I agree with above. Microchipping is great (all mine are chipped), but it only works if they actually take the cat in someplace. If they find kitty and decide to keep her, they may never know if they don't have the chip scanned. Mine don't have collars, but they should. This thread has me thinking about this.

 

[PMousse]

sweetblackpaws and betsygee are making me reconsider about collaring.

I also found this discussion thread from a while ago where @eb24 gave a detailed explanation.

Collars and microchips: What does your cat have?

 

[lea98]

lea98 [/USER], you lost Leo?! oh no! My heart breaks for you!

Yes, unfortunately Leo is no longer with me I was careless enough one day to leave the door open one day as my sister and I were moving out my old dining table and bringing in my new one. Sometime between that time he must have gotten out. Due to me believing he didn't need his collar If someone has him, I hope they take good care of him!

 

[2MiniPanthers]

My two indoor girls wear collars! They're brand new so one is still iffy on hers and they're both microchipped, but it makes me feel safer that they have collars. Should they escape, people will know they belong to someone on sight, and as they're both black, the colourful collars will help them be seen (ngl, this is useful at home too!).

 

[ailish]

Just as a reinforcer for this, we were driving down the road one summer evening and there is a dog. We stopped and this friendly dog jumped in the car. No collar, but obviously a pet, although we didn't recognize her. My sister kept her overnight and we put a notice out on Facebook on one of those local lost pet pages. She took it to her vet the next day to see if the dog had a chip and she did, but it hadn't been up-dated and was registered to someone in Oregon, we live in PA. Luckily we recognized the last name as being someone in the neighborhood, so we went to his house and asked if she was his dog. She was. All of this could have been avoided and this man could have had his pet back sooner if she had had a collar. Plus, if the person the chip was registered to, the man's daughter, hadn't had the same name as her father, we never would have figured out who the dog belonged to. And we would have had a really nice red heeler.

So to me, collars are an extra level of security. Plus, I have a black cat and she looks great in colorful collars. She has a whole wardrobe of collars.

 

[jcat]

Our indoor-only cat is microchipped (and registered!) and wears a Beastie Band with an ID tag 24/7. If the skin inside his ears wasn't black, I'd have had them tattooed when he was under anesthesia for a dental cleaning, too. A lot of people who find strays won't bother taking the animal to a vet, shelter or the police to be scanned for a microchip, so a collar tag is a necessary backup.

I work at a shelter and can tell you that indoor-only cats that "aren't door darters and can't really get out of the house/apartment" get out and lost all the time. All it takes is an incautious guest/repair person, a fire, a burglary, a medical emergency, or a natural catastrophe, and your pet is out.

 

[tangers40]

My indoor-only cat also wears a collar. She was actually wearing one already when I adopted her (but it was pink, and we don't do pink in my house! So I got her a red one instead), so she is totally comfortable with it. She isn't a door-darter, but as others have said, maintenance people are in and out of my apartment a lot, and even though they know I have a cat, who knows what might actually happen when I'm not there. It only takes once, and she is so friendly that I know whoever found her would want to keep her.

And besides, since she wears a collar, I had an excuse to get her a really cute ID tag with fish bones on it Her tags rattling also let me know approximately where in the apartment she is when she gets into something naughty.