What can i do to stop my cat from constantly loosing collars?

Question

My cat is 10 months old and is forever loosing collars and they never last more than a couple of weeks before she comes home minus the collar i've always found the collars with a good bell on to be a useful warning for small creatures as my cat is always hunting and eating them when not wearing a collar
is there anyway i an stop her from loosing them or should i just give up and stop buying collars alltogether

would just like to add that the collar is a correct fit for the neck so it's not a problem with them being too loose

also she's been micro chipped

Answer 1

Eeee, there's not really a lot you can do. The collars need to be able to slip off, for safety reasons so you can't make it that they can't come off.

I think your cat is trying to tell you he doesn't want to wear a collar! Also cats do not find it at all difficult to catch mice an birds when wearing a collar - they just sit hidden and wait til one wanders by and then pounce. I've known a few who've learned to hold the bell in their mouths when they hunt.

I'm afraid cats are just too clever for us! Your cat is microchipped, so don't worry about collars. I don't like them anyway, I think they spoil a cat's beauty - plus they don't always slip off when they need to, I've seen horrific injuries causes by collars. You're lucky your cat just comes home with no collars instead of horrible injuries! I say, forget the collars.

Chalice

Answer 2

Its good thats she's chipped, at least if she gets found when lost she'll come home. I thing the only way is to bulk buy some cheapish collars with bells (make sure they have safety catches on) and just replace them when they get lost. At least she isn't becoming snagged and left hanging on something.
It is nice to say keep the cat indoors, but for a cat that loves the outdoors, its cruel to keep them prisoner.
and for the comment that says cats are not native so therefore shouldn't be allowed out. Humans do more damage to wildlife than all the cats in the world.

I think you have a good attitude. The act of hunting is what you cat thrives so make sure she has plenty of toys to kill.

Answer 3

My cat did the exact same thing but I figured it was a good thing because he may have got caught on a fence or something and I always put elastic collars on him. Then I decided to do away with a collar and let nature be nature. He always came home and I shutter to think what could of happened if he had a collar that he could not get loose from should he get caught up on something.

Answer 4

The only kind of "safety collar" that is really safe is the breakaway kind see http://kittycollars.co.uk the so called safety collars that are elasticated are dangerous as the cat can get its front leg trapped. There are cases where cats have had to have front legs amputated due do horrific injuries due to this. I personally would rather lose a collar once in a while than lose or injure one of my cats. I only use a collar on one of my cats and only during the day when fledglings are around.

Answer 5

Cats really dislike sounds like jangling bells, especially close to their ears. I'd give up on the collars and either keep the cat inside where it's safe and doesn't need a collar to warn prey or just accept that cats are going to kill small creatures because it's in their instincts to do so.

Answer 6

altho my cats don't wear collars and don't go out i found them useful for the first six months of their life as they were always hiding. i found my male was constantly minus collar thats when we gave up now we can't get a collar big enough anyway. you cat could be getting himself caught up and that why he is losing them at least you have him microchipped and he wears saftey collars that if fitted correctly will release if he struggles when stuck. i would not give up on collars they make something called a liberator collar which maybe more useful in preventing him hunting. i am an advocate for cats to be indoors or out on lead and harness. this is much safer for them and for the prey animals that they hunt as they can't do so.

Answer 7

My cat does the exact same thing. He is also microchipped but I had a collar on him for the bell and I also had a tag on the collar to advised people if he got lost that he is microchipped as not all people think to take them to the nearest animal shelter/vets. But he just kept taking the collar off. I kept putting it back on, he just took it off again. It was the correct fit round his neck and everything. I have just given up in the end as it doesn't matter what type of collar I put on him, he just takes it straight back off again. I think its his way of saying, "I don't want to wear it love".

Answer 8

some cats don't like to wear collars, some get upset without them. one thing to try and check is if anyone is removing them.
sometimes some people think that collars are cruel and will take them off a cat if they can.

if your cat has been microchipped at least it can be tracked.
you could always try a harness collar which fits over there chest.
you should try to work out if your cat likes the collar or not first I think.

Answer 9

My cat had the same problem when she was young. I use a break away collar with a name tag. I just kept an ample supply of extra collars and name tags.

I don't like using a bell because hunting is natural for cats and yours should be able to do and eat its prey. Its just natural animal behavior.

Answer 10

Give up! I did! In actual fact, even if you use 'safety' collars, they can still be dangerous as they don't always undo when they should. My Sabby kept losing his collar, and if I found it it wasn't undone, and I know that it wasn't too loose, so he'd obviously struggled with it. I decided to abandon collars for all my cats, just in case the worst should happen. As long as your ktity is microchipped it should be fine. Unfortunate for the wild life, I know, but TBH I took their bells off anyway before fitting their collars as the noise drove me mad, and I'm sure it drove them crazy too! Imagine living with a constant ringing in your ears!