Tightness Of Collar

[dhammagirl]

I took my cat Zeke to the vet for constipation, and as I was paying and they got him ready, the vet came out with his collar.
She said his collar was too tight, they had to loosen it to get it off over his head, and the fur under his was gone. I said, yes, we’ve noticed that, but the skin doesn’t look at all irritated, no redness or bumps or anything. (We had fixed the snap on the collar so it wouldn’t come open all the time, he’s indoors only).

Anyway, I truly thought his collar was plenty loose, I can easily, very easily, put three, even four, fingers under it when he’s wearing it. I don’t know why the hair under the collar is gone. Friction? Even if it’s not tight? It doesn’t seem to bother him, and no other vet has mentioned this, and he gets regular exams.
My outdoor kitties collars are tighter and there’s very little, or no, hair loss underneath.

What do y’all think about how tight, or loose, a collar should be?
If it’s loose enough to pull over their head, isn’t that too loose?

 

[cuppa]

2 or 3 fingers loose is how I've ever done it. I'd still be nervous about the closed snap even on an indoor cat. Never know what they might get into. Maybe try a collar with elastic instead? That way it can stretch and come off if it gets caught on anything?

As for lost fur: I'm not really sure. Could be from the collar rubbing on the neck. Cat could also have an allergy towards the collar's materials, though that seems kinda unlikely. Is it really lost fur, or is it just a part in the fur (like a human's part)?

 

[FeebysOwner]

How about a harness instead?

 

[dhammagirl]

It’s a strip of fur-free skin, about the width of the collar.

I think I’ll look at collars with elastic.
The closure of the collar is operable, but we made it stiffer because we’ve had collars and tags get lost multiple times because the break-away collars tend to break-away very easily, it was getting expensive to keep replacing them on the outdoor kitties.

 

[FeebysOwner]

In addition to the harness I previously suggested, since only the one cat is losing hair with the collar you are currently using, perhaps you should try ones made of different materials. He might just be allergic to the material of the ones you have had. If you have tried multiple materials on him to no avail, then it just isn't working for him to have that type of collar, and I would again recommend a harness.

Also, didn't you say the one who is having the issues is an indoor only cat - so do you really have to continue to replace collars on him, or add stiffening to his?

 

[dhammagirl]

Yeah, since he’s older now, he’s not so anxious to get out. When he was younger, that was our concern, and that his collar would come off as it did in the house, and sometimes it took a lot of searching to find it.

We’ll try a different material.
Thanks

 

[Purr-fect]

In the past, my cats also ended up with a bald area under their collars.

It didnt seem to bother them. No sores were visible. But it bothered me.

We used the 2 finger rule and then a little looser.

As a result of my previous experience of the fur being rubbed off, Greg and arnold dont wear collars during the winter months. I may have to put flea collars on them soon. But will take them off after flea season.

The boys do go out but are in a large fenced enclosure.