My cat refuses to wear a collar, what can I do?

Question

If I put one on him, no matter how tight, he gets out of it. If he cannot, he gets it as far as his mouth, like a bit in a horse's mouth, then he panics and uses his claws - resulting in blood everywhere! What can I do? I want to put a flea collar on him, they've become a real problem for him and nothing else is working to get rid of them.

Answer 1

Crystal cats should be kept indoors it's that simple . Fleas don't live on the cat they only "Dine" there, they live in the carpets the furniture and OUTDOORS. Train your cat to stay indoors treat your house and your problrem is solved. Your cat will live ALOT longer: no fleas, no disease, no cars, no dogs, no kids with BB guns etc etc etc. Trying to get that poor animal to wear a collar as you describe is cruelty
Please talk to your Vet about how to retrain your cat to be indoors it isn't as hard as you think and with a little effort your kitty will be happier, healthier, and safer.

Answer 2

A flea collar is a bad idea. The toxins in the collar are not healthy for a cat at all. I understand it is frustrating when trying to get rid of fleas but if you care for your cat you wld not put a collar on him besides it is obviously uncomfortable and maybe he sences its not a good thing cats are very smart.. If the other store products are not woking go by your vet or any vet. You can just go in and buy some kick but stuff. Do forget the collar its only hurting your cat. Another way is to not let your cat out to much during flea season. If he goes outside to potty then only leave him out for a few moments.

Answer 3

One of mine hated to wear hers too. I would come home and she would have it stuck in her mouth like a horse's bit too and would work and work on getting it off. It may be that it is irritating to his skin. It IS a pesticide. Some kitties hate the smell of the collar and object and some really have a reaction to it like their hair falling out.
The vet would have tons of free advice on different flea medication alteratives. I would give the vet a call. It is free.
Flea collar is very weak and does not work as good at combating fleas than the advantix/advantage stuff.Especially if you have chronic flea problem.
I know its your pet and you would like it to do what YOU want but sometimes, it does not work like that! It is not work the risk of serious injury and high vet bill when there are tons of other flea care alternatives that the vet could recommend that would work even stronger than the collar though. Good luck!

Answer 4

if you have a flea problem the best product is frontline. It is a little expensive but it will kill the fleas that get on your cat. Then you will want to treat your carpet with a powder and sweep every 3-5 days or so for a couple of weeks. Another way to catch fleas is to get a large baking pan, fill it with water and dish soap, and put it under a lamp and leave the lamp on all night. you will be surprised at how many fleas you can catch this way. just be sure your cat is contained in another room!

Answer 5

Forget the flea collar - doesn't work anyway. I am also adverse to cats wearing collars becuase they can get it caught on a nail or branch and it chokes them to death. Get a proper anti-flea medication from your vet such as Advantage or Frontline or Revolution. Don't get over-the-counter stuff becuase those things can poison your cat. I used Advantage (applied at the back of cat's neck - at the nape where he can't lick it) and it worked like nothing else I ever used. One application is good for 30 days and costs something like $13.00.

Please don't force your poor kitty to wear a useless flea collar.

Answer 6

The flea collar won't help...you have an infestation of fleas that are, among other places, in your carpets.

Go to your pet supply place (like PetCo) and get:
1) cat flea shampoo and
2) Zodiac Household flea spray.
http://www.petplanet.co.uk/shop_store/Zodiac_Household_Flea_Spray_400ml_p3200.html

Spray your carpets, bedding that your cat sleeps on, your cat's bed, etc. and at the same time, give your cat a good flea bath (you think he doesn't like the collar, wait till you try and get him in water).
Then spray your carpets again in a few days and periodically thereafter.
A couple of hours after you've sprayed your environment, do a good vacuum to pick up the dead and dying fleas.

This will work.

Answer 7

Flea collars cause more damage than they do good. A lot of cats can actually have allergic reactions to them. Get some Advantage and apply monthly. A lot of cats hate collars, they just have to get used to them. Only buy collars with a break-away section to avoid blood mishaps until he gets used to it.

Answer 8

Flea collars do not work all that well and if your cat freaks everytime you put on one him and gets it into his mouth, it could make him very sick. What works really well is Frontline Plus. You put it on the cat once a month and it keeps fleas, ticks, etc. away.

Answer 9

FLEA COLLARS ARE NEVER THE ANSWER. And honestly, unless your cat eats a lot of birds there is no point for a collar (even then the collar should be as thin as can be and have the tinest bell you can find). Please, try using Revolution or Advantage and stop stressing out your feline friend. Good luck to you both :)

Answer 10

Flea collars are outdated and dangerous. If you have a flea problem the best thing you can do is use products like advantage, or frontline. Personally I perfer frontline, but you can talk to you vet and see what they say you should use.

As far as collars go, it is not uncommon for cats to not like them. My cat is strange, he likes his. But the other two cats in my house hate them, and will stop at nothing to get the off. It can actually pose a hazzard to them if they do not want them on, because they can get hurt trying to get them off. And like I said before, flea collars can be very dangerous, especially if your cat is biting at it trying to get it off. If you want to use a reg. collar, just keep trying different ones, maybe you will find one they like. But like I also said, most cats hate them.