Sturdy collars?

[meruumeruu]

My cats wear their collars out really really fast. So far I've gotten them nylon breakaway collars and they just get shredded. Threads come loose, they fray, and they start to look nasty and worn pretty quickly. Not to mention they keep taking their collars off and dragging them through the dirt and rocks. The collars have bells so of course they play with them and chew on them. This happens when they're in their house at night and there shouldn't be any places where the collars are getting caught and pulled off, so they've either figured out how to take them off or they come off when they're playing so I'm thinking of switching to a different type of collar.

What's a sturdy collar than will last a while? I'm tired of buying new collars every few months. 

 

[red top rescue]

I recommend Beastie Bands.  They are made of a type of foam, painted on one side.  They are not very expensive (around $6-$7 generally).  They are lightweight and fairly safe, safer than breakaway collars, because if they get caught on something, they stretch and slip off.  If they stretch and get caught in the cat's mouth (I've seen that more than once), the cat can chew through them.  They attach with velcro and you cut of the excess length so they fit perfectly.  Yes, they will get worn eventually, or more often lost (if your address is on their tags, you will often find them in your mailbox.  People return them.)  Like other collars, they may wear down the cat's fur and leave a collar mark on him, but they don't irritate the skin.  I dont see them in stores but they are easy to find on the internet.  They come in all sorts of interesting designs including seasonal ones.  Many with white in the designs are also reflective, which is a good idea if your cats are out at night. Here's just ONE link so you can see a quick photo.  I usually get them from someone who has an eBay store.  PM me if you want her name.

http://www.arcatapet.com/item.cfm?cat=20196

 

[jcat]

I second the Beastie Band recommendation. Mogli was horrible with breakaway collars, most of which barely lasted a week. He'd get them off and chew them.

He hardly seems to notice the Beastie Bands and leaves them on.

 

[karma2222]

I like the RC brand - yes I will Be honest, it is a line I rep

My cat has had one of their collars for over a year now and it seriously looks completely brand new .... any other ones I have tried would start to look frayed and gross within 3-4 months. The collars are also made in house in Vancouver, Canada and the quality check is impressive. There are two styles - one with a breakaway clip (breakaway) and one with a normal clip and the elastic part in case it gets caught (clip). They also have the cutest patterns - boomer (in my avatar) has the pirate cat and my new cat holly rocks back to the wild.

They also have a lifetime warranty so if anything happens (clip breaks, gets chewed and starts to fray) is it 100% covered and the store will be able to exchange it out for a new one. It really is an awesome company I love working for them.

 

[sivyaleah]

Ours wear collars from Sweet Pickle Designs.  

Breakaway and come in a myriad of interesting and fun patterns.  Casper's is a blue and red plaid, Cocoa's is an orange glittery one.

They are kind of pricey, $12 or so but so far have lasted better than any others.