Cat
Collar, Good Idea?
This is a tough question. Most of
the cats I've owned would throw a fit if I tried to put a collar
on them. If you start when they are a kitten, it doesn't seem to
be a big deal. But if you've rescued a feral cat, forget it, most
don't like collars and will definitely tune you in if you try.
Before the days of liquid flea
control products, flea collars were popular to keep fleas down to
a minimum. For both the cat and the people. They were pricey but a
good alternative to trying to give your cat a flea bath. Now that
used to be a real adventure with several of our cats.
Identification is also a common
reason to put a collar on your cat. If the cat is lost or wanders
off, this is a good way for people to know that the cat has an
owner (especially animal control). I just saw an article in the
paper about a cat lost in Colorado on a camping trip that was
returned to his owner in Texas weeks after he was lost. Without
the identification on his collar, this would have never occurred.
A lot of owners like to dress up
their feline friend on the holidays with colorful decorations that
match the holiday. We had a particularly docile house cat that our
kids used to make different collars for each holiday. On Christmas
he used to lay under the tree with the presents, it was a popular
family photo.
Some people put bells on their
cat collars to warn the birds and other wildlife to the danger of
the approaching threat. I'm not sure that works since most cats
are pretty stealth and the bell might just be the last thing the
bird ever hears.
They even now have GPS tracking
cat collars, web cam collars, and flashing lights that turn on
after dark. I saw a show on the discovery channel the other night
of the web cam model and they were able to see exactly what the
cat saw during his trip outside. If was funny but mostly boring.
Your cat doesn't do as much as you think, at least this one
didn't. The GPS unit can track on Google Earth where you cat went
and there's also a real time tracking unit available to show
current location.
A cat collar can be dangerous
too. If your cat is an indoor cat and rarely runs the gauntlet of
outdoor obstacle courses, it may not be an issue. But if you have
a far wandering adventurous cat, there are many things a collar
can catch on and trap or hurt your pet. If you have a young cat,
he can quickly out grow the collar too and cause choking or eating
problems.
The best solution for your cat's
safety is a breakaway cat collar. These can be found at most major
pet stores. The connection is plastic and will open under stress.
You can personalize these cat collars like any other with
identification, rhinestones, or holiday illustrations too.
Some owners complain that their
cat comes home without the breakaway cat collar and they have to
buy a new one. Well, which would you rather do, buy a new cat
collar or lose your cat? Not much of a choice in my household, and
probably not in yours either.
Related Articles:
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