Cat Collar Considerations

by Stan Beck

From: saunalahti.fi

You’ve been thinking about getting a collar for Fluffy but you don’t know where to start or what to look for - that’s what this article is about.

What are some of the benefits/function of a cat collar?

Identification

Cat collars allow you to attach tags that give a lost kitty’s information and your contact information to someone who finds him or her.

Visibility

Some cat collars come in a reflective material that allows a cat to be seen more easily at night.  Most cat car accidents happen at night, so if you cat happens to be out in the darkness, headlights of a car would illuminate the reflective collar.  The reflective material can also be useful in the home, enabling you to see them before stepping on them by accident.

Audibility

Although cats have been domesticated for centuries, they are still natural hunters.  Cats, out of respect for their owners, will bring home little hunted delicacies.  Well, to give the wild-life abroad a fighting chance, many owners attach a bell of sorts to their cat’s collar to alert the skilled hunter’s prey of its presence.

Control

I’ve seen more and more people out walking their cats in recent times.  So a collar provides the means to control your cat’s movements about when you are strolling about the neighborhood.  However, a standard cat collar with a lead attached can actually harm the cat’s spine, so it’s better to use a harness instead.  There are two basic types of harnesses: figure-eight and h-style.  Using a harness gives you more control over the cat’s entire body.

The Collar’s fit on Fluffy is Important

Above all, the collar’s fit on your cat is very important.  Too tight and your cat is uncomfortable; Too loose and your cat can slip out of it or even worse can cat caught on something while jumping about and choke itself to death.  This choking hazard lead to the invention of a break-away type collar which will ‘break away’ from your cat in the event that he/she gets caught at the neck - an important safety feature, especially for indoor cats.

Reflective Material

Some collars come in a reflective material which allows an oncoming car, at night, to spot Fluffy.  Most auto-cat accidents happen at night and it a reflective collar can really help.

Types of Collars

There are several types of collars.  The most common, because of the ease of getting it on and off and adjustability is the buckle collar.  Another type is an elastic collar, which I am not a fan of because of fit issues.  We mentioned earlier the break-away collar, which allows the collar to break-away from the cat if he or she gets caught on something.  And then there are the harnesses (figure-eight and h-style), which mentioned earlier also.

Collar Styles

Collar styles run the gamut.  Leather, metal studs, pink rhinestones, etc, etc, etc.  Once you’ve select the best type of collar, go have fun shopping for a collar style that matches your cat’s special personality.

Collar Hunting Tip

When looking for a cat collar, it is advised that you take your cat with you.  This allows you to try on several different collars and will save you a lot of time running back and forth to the pet store.

Cat Collars
Cat Collars

Tags: Kitten Pictures, Kitten Pictures - Misc, Articles, Cat Tips