Some cats really hate collars

[Sweet72947]

So that elegy's thread won't get hijacked by this discussion, I am posting this here.

Originally Posted by Saje

That's why they have stretchy breakaway collars for cats ^ You can also put a tattoo in their ears which is visible to the average person. Usually.

And why can't a person just check for a microchip? What's hard about that?

I bought a breakaway collar for my male cat. It broke away much too easily and he lost it posthaste. He has a non-breakaway right now that he's had for a while and it seems to be working out all right.

My male cat that I used to have hobbled up to me once with his paw stuck in his collar, like he'd been trying to get it off. Some cats just really hate collars and will do anything to get them off. All my cats are microchipped.

BTW when I move out, my male cat is coming with me and he will be an indoor only cat. But my mom believes in letting cats outside.

[Buddy'sParents]

I can't keep a collar on Adobe. I put one on and it's gone in a matter of minutes. I stopped trying. Stupid cat.

[bubbatd]

Anything against a harness ??

[Buddy'sParents]

Yes. If cats get caught on something, how are they going to get free? It's the same issue as a collar. Breakaway collars are great, but they are easy to get out of period. It's just safer for a cat to not have a collar on, in my opinion.

[noludoru]

Harnesses are DANGEROUS to leave on, Grammy. About the most dangerous thing you can do to a cat, trust me. Once I left Chili with her harness and leash on for a bit when we were having guests over, because she kept door-darting and no one wanted all the cats locked up.... I came back and she didn't have it on. Apparently everyone heard some horrific screaming and wailing, and found Chili caught in it and a chair, and a few people helped her out of it. Thankfully there were no injuries, but it's a quick way to get a cat killed.

I agree about collars.. some cats just do not tolerate them, period. Chili used to be like that, even though I did my best to desensitize her to them as a kitten.

Not sure why people can't look for a chip or tattoo, but I didn't read the original thread.

[TheGoldenRetriever]

Originally Posted by Sweet72947

And why can't a person just check for a microchip? What's hard about that?.

A shelter or vet's office can certainly check for a microchip, but the average person on the street who finds a lost pet cannot. Its uses for identification purposes are limited to those who have the equipment to read microchips, additionally it has to be the right equipment. Microchip scanners often read only one brand of microchip but not other brands.

Not against microchipping, it's just that it can't be depended upon as a means for strangers on the street identifying and returning lost pets. Most people would either bring the cat to a shelter, or possibly just leave it outside figuring it's stray or feral.

Originally Posted by Sweet72947

My male cat that I used to have hobbled up to me once with his paw stuck in his collar, like he'd been trying to get it off..

If he could get his paw into it, the collar was too loose. Breakaway collars are safest for cats, but collars have to be placed a bit tighter on cats than on dogs. Not too tight of course, but tight enough so that it's difficult for them to hook a paw through it. The "two-finger" rule for dog collars doesn't work for cats.

Originally Posted by Sweet72947

Some cats just really hate collars and will do anything to get them off.

Absolutely true!! But that's where training comes in. My escape-artist collar-hating cat was trained to a breakaway collar by using treats. Put the collar on and treat, using a treat that only appears when the collar goes on. Then take the collar off. Repeat as necessary until the cat associates the collar going on with getting the special treat. Leave the collar on for progressively longer periods of time and treat accordingly. It doesn't take long for the cat to anticipate the treat and ignore the collar, this leads up to the collar being on full-time with the cat ignoring it.

Originally Posted by Sweet72947

BTW when I move out, my male cat is coming with me and he will be an indoor only cat. But my mom believes in letting cats outside.

Cats really should be indoor pets to keep them safest, and to keep local wildlife safe if the cat is a hunter. (Not all cats are ... our two current ones wouldn't dream of hurting anything!) We have a Turkish Angora and a Himalayan, both are indoor-only and show absolutely no interest whatsoever in going outside.

But we also had a little black/white DSH female who was an escape artist, she wore a breakaway collar with an ID tag though. She didn't like the collar at first, but completely ignored it once she began associating it's being put on with her getting pieces of roasted turkey.
We don't have her anymore, but not because she got lost. We had to have her PTS when she became very ill and there was nothing more the vets could do for her. Her illness had nothing to do with her escaping habit though, she never did that anymore after she got older.

It's too bad your Mom believes in letting cats out, especially since you don't agree!! It's a myth that cats "need" to go outside, and most vets do not agree with letting them out. Maybe your vet could speak to your Mom about the dangers oudoor cats face ... like disease, parasites, aggressive animals, cruel people, poisoning, traps, traffic? Some people let cats out because they don't want to deal with indoor litter boxes, but properly maintained litter boxes do NOT smell. Odors only occur from neglect to keep them clean. Is it that your Mom is afraid she will be the one ending up cleaning your cat's litter box?

My stepson has a gray male DSH that he does let outside, mostly because stepson's non-custodial bio-mother convinced him that not letting cats out is "mean".

The fact that out of her last 4 cats 3 died violently and 1 from an outdoor-caught disease doesn't seem to change stepson's mind. (Not his fault ... his mother is far too skillful at guilt-tripping him, even though she only uses her visitation time when it's convenient for her. ) But I put a breakaway collar and ID tag on his cat, using the same treat-training method, the cat rarely leaves the backyard, and I always let him back in anyway. The cat's had the same breakaway collar for over a year now, and he's never lost it but then he ignores the collar now. But I don't argue with stepson about his decision to let the cat out ... I know it's more an issue with his mother and besides it's HIS cat. (Kinda what I was thinking about your cat and your Mom ... it's YOUR cat so why do you have to let it outside when you don't agree?)

Originally Posted by Buddy'sParents

It's just safer for a cat to not have a collar on, in my opinion.

Fine for indoor-only cats. But it makes identification nearly impossible if they're outdoors and become lost. The average person on the street who finds a lost cat is not likely to pay a vet's office-visit fee just to find out if the cat has a microchip or not. They could try going to a shelter to check for a microchip, but it's possible either the shelter won't be able to do it or there may be a fee involved there as well. WOuld somebody from this forum do it anyway, fee or no? Probably yes, but I'm talking about the average person on the street.

If the cat gets killed by a dog, it's unlikely the dog's owner is going to pay to check for a microchip either ... and what would be the purpose? The only way that could end would be for the dog's owner to return the cat's dead body. Kinder to care for the remains oneself, like Red did from the other thread, and let the cat's owners think it just got lost or found a new home.

If the lost cat ends up in a shelter, hopefully the shelter has the right scanner, if the cat is microchipped at all. A shelter is not the place anyone would want their cat ending up anyway, shelters typically euthanize far more cats than dogs.

(EDIT to fix multiple-quoting.)

[Pam111]

Unfortunately, many people who might find your cat aren't going to take it to a shelter or vet to get the microchip checked. If your cat can't stand collars, it might be your best option, though. I always have collars on my cats because I highly doubt anyone in my area would take the cat in to get checked, but if they see the tag they MIGHT call me. My cats are indoor cats but they do try to escape sometimes

[Saje]

Because:
1) The cat has to be brought somewhere for the chip to be read

2) not all chips are the same brand so if the vet uses a different brand they may not be able to read it

If a cat goes outside he should have VISIBLE ID. That's my point. So if a collar isn't your thing try a tattoo maybe. They are usually easy to read. Someone can find your cat and call around with the tattoo or they can put the description and tattoo on the radio or a poster.

[noludoru]

Originally Posted by TheGoldenRetriever

A shelter or vet's office can certainly check for a microchip, but the average person on the street who finds a lost pet cannot. Its uses for identification purposes are limited to those who have the equipment to read microchips, additionally it has to be the right equipment. Microchip scanners often read only one brand of microchip but not other brands.

Not against microchipping, it's just that it can't be depended upon as a means for strangers on the street identifying and returning lost pets. Most people would either bring the cat to a shelter, or possibly just leave it outside figuring it's stray or feral.

Not to be rude, but considering that Cristy devotes a far amount of her time to rescue, I'd say she's aware of that, and her point was more along the lines of how hard is it to take the cat to the vet/shelter to get it scanned, which I think isn't that hard - but then you get into the problem of them maybe not having the right scanners. I hate the idea of ear tattoos, but due to the limitations microchips have and her collar issues, if I ever find a vet who has EXPERIENCE tattooing (ie... does it under anesthesia on a deeper layer of skin so it doesn't fade or get blurry with time) I think I would get it done to her, for her safety.

[TheGoldenRetriever]

Originally Posted by noludoru

Not to be rude, but considering that Cristy devotes a far amount of her time to rescue, I'd say she's aware of that, and her point was more along the lines of how hard is it to take the cat to the vet/shelter to get it scanned, which I think isn't that hard -

You don't sound "rude" at all.

Actually I agree with you ... would I take a stray cat to a vet or shelter to check for a microchip? Ya, been there done that and paid the associated fees too ... but so far none had microchips.
You would take them too, I'm sure. But seriously doubt most people would even bother ... meaning the average person on the street that might encounter a loose cat. That's the problem with relying on microchips alone.

Originally Posted by noludoru

but then you get into the problem of them maybe not having the right scanners.

Yep, there's that too. Suppose it's possible one of the cats I brought in had some weird brand of microchip .... but out vets use 2 different kinds of scanners and still nothing turned up.

Still wondering why she has to let her cat outside when she doesn't agree with that though? Maybe you didn't read my whole post (it was very long! ) but there's a similar but opposite situation in our house and I let my stepson make his own decision for his own cat.