# collars on cats?



## Andy b 1 (May 14, 2007)

does anyone have collars on their cats/ kittens? 

my mum wont let me put collars on mine. Her argument is if they get caught in a bush it will strangle them.

ive said about safety collars etc but she isnt having any of it.

but all of mine are microchipped


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## Fuzzball (May 16, 2007)

Mine dont wear collars anymore, but then they are indoors cats and have been microchipped.

They wore them up until a few months ago until we came home and found one tangled up in the shoe rack, the safety catch hadnt released itself, luckily the cat hadnt panicked and had just sat still meowing away!


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## Andy b 1 (May 14, 2007)

yeah, mine are outdoor cats though


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## GlitterBug (Mar 31, 2008)

I have a friend who's cat went missing, was an outdoor cat without a collar and no microchip. I couldnt believe it, safety collars are alot safer for cats, my cat James has a safet collar even though hes an indoor cat. We do allow him to sit in the back garden and the other night he bolted out the door and didn't come back till some woman found him in her kitchen eating her cats food xD 

It's hard to identify a missing cat, alot of people around here have black long hair cats, I would put a collar on depsite what your mom says, they are YOUR cats not hers.


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## Andy b 1 (May 14, 2007)

we used to have safetly collars for our cats but the safety switch didnt open up when my cat was hanging out of a tree on a branch by his collar


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## Willem (Apr 10, 2008)

Neither of my cat wear collars both are outdoor cats and both are microchipped.

I refuse to put collars on my cats coz my parents friends once found their cat strangled to death hanging of a fence because its collar had got caught!

However as glitterbug said they are your cats so its up to you if they have collars or not


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## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

I don't trust people, a lot of people think cat with no collar = stray = freebie if they want to keep it!! A lot of people don't have the responsibility to actually take an animal to the vet to check for microchip if they find it. If an animal is dead on the side of the road, and has a collar on with a nametag, I think more people will phone the owner... not that many people will pick up a dead cat, take it to the vets and ask them to scan it. Personally I have mine on safety collars.

Additionally, mine are absolutely identical all black cats down to no distinguishing markings, not a single hair different, and exactly the same size. Given time I can tell them apart by personality but really my life would be very difficult if they didn't have different coloured collars!

I keep my collars loose enough that if pulled they actually slip over the head as well as the safety catch comes loose, although have tested it and it's tight enogh for them not to get a leg caught in it... I can't see how they could strangle themselves, if you grab them by the collar they can slip out of it if they try, it's really just for identification.

My mum has had cats for 20 years all of which go out with collars - sometimes they come back without collars - we have never had an incident where the collar has caused injury, although I know it's a possibility, I personally think the risk is justified.


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## SNAKEWISPERA (Aug 27, 2007)

Ummmm...I remember my dad telling me that at a invention show he seen a cat collar and when he pulled it they would just slide of the cats neck, 
REALLY GOOD, DUNNO IF THERE FOR SALE YET THO


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## finsandpaws (May 14, 2008)

In our Pet Shop we sell adjustable Cat collars that are also elasticated. That way if the cat was to get stuck any time and the safety catch didn't release, the collar would stretch and slip over your cats head allowing it to go free.


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## Salamanda (May 28, 2008)

my cat has a collar mainly because the bells on it stop him from catching animals, also he is a pedigree and we don't want him stolen


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## beardedlady (Jan 22, 2008)

one of my friends cat had a coller on an was scratching as cats do an it got its back leg caught in it that was bad enough but it was out an about when it happened an when it was finally found it was not pretty site.
if there chipped i dont see why u need a coller on a cat


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

I dont put collars on my cats because i had to climb a tree to cut one of them down as her collar got stuck on a branch thank god the tree was in our yard where we used to live otherwise she could have died hanging from a tree


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## poizon (Jan 7, 2007)

Athravan said:


> I don't trust people, a lot of people think cat with no collar = stray = freebie if they want to keep it!! A lot of people don't have the responsibility to actually take an animal to the vet to check for microchip if they find it. If an animal is dead on the side of the road, and has a collar on with a nametag, I think more people will phone the owner... not that many people will pick up a dead cat, take it to the vets and ask them to scan it. Personally I have mine on safety collars.


 
that is so true, all mine have collars, and we are always having to buy new ones as they loose them either where the collar has got caught and the safty latch has opend or its slipped of their necks as i always have it loose enough to.

yes i'm alwys buying new collars but much better than people thinking that they are strays/ferrals which people tend to do if there no collar, they presume it has no home. plus the bell helps stop them catching the wildlife.


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## gopher (Jun 15, 2008)

I used to volunteer at an animal sanctuary and I saw a lot of gruesome injuries caused when cats had tried to free themselves from their colars and got their foreleg trapped in the collar. 
Like someone has already said, if the cat is microchipped then theres no use for a collar.


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## poizon (Jan 7, 2007)

gopher said:


> I used to volunteer at an animal sanctuary and I saw a lot of gruesome injuries caused when cats had tried to free themselves from their colars and got their foreleg trapped in the collar.
> Like someone has already said, if the cat is microchipped then theres no use for a collar.


 
thats not strickley true though is it? how many people can be bothered to take a cat and scan it? and if it gets run over, theres more of a chance the person would ring you to let you know than scrape it off the road and take it to get scanned.

from the amount of collars i'm always having to buy i have no doubts about them being safe.


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## gopher (Jun 15, 2008)

poizon said:


> thats not strickley true though is it? how many people can be bothered to take a cat and scan it? and if it gets run over, theres more of a chance the person would ring you to let you know than scrape it off the road and take it to get scanned.
> 
> from the amount of collars i'm always having to buy i have no doubts about them being safe.


I suppose that's also true, but then there's a risk either way. if theres no collar then, like you said, people may presume it's a stray or not be bothered to get it scanned, but then with a collar there is the risk of injury.


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## poizon (Jan 7, 2007)

gopher said:


> I suppose that's also true, but then there's a risk either way. if theres no collar then, like you said, people may presume it's a stray or not be bothered to get it scanned, but then with a collar there is the risk of injury.


 
i think if your not carful then yes there is defo a risk of injury, spec with these fancy colllars that have no give whatso ever, but mine are always safety ones, with elestatic and always on so loose that it dont take much to come off. i always test them before i put them on as well


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## jonnydotcom (Sep 8, 2006)

I don't have a cat anymore but when i did i used one of the elasticated one's which was put on not as tight as its meant to incase of the whole hanging off a fence or tree incident.


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

Being a Trustee of an Animal Sanctuary I see a lot of collar injurys.Collars dont ever stop people stealing your cat either.Mine arent allowed out the garden so never wear them (all ID chipped though). Collars can be dangerous.Too loose and they catch a leg to tight and they catch on things and strangle the cat.The safest collars are the ones with breakaway fasterners. What I find amazing is that if people bother to put a collar on a cat then why dont they bother to have a tag with a contact number??(Even if the cat is chipped)


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## Alice (Apr 30, 2007)

We’ve never put collars on our cats. We personally don’t use them because of the dangers involved. As it has been said in previous posts; the safety catches can fail, if a collar is too loose or has an elastic portion then a cat (and they often do) can get it’s legs caught in the collar. Our cats have always been very outdoorsy and I suppose that’s another reason why we don’t use them as outdoor cats are more likely to come into a situation where their collar could get caught if they had one. We’re lucky though in the sense that we live in a small village and our cat is a bold tortie (and so was her daughter who sadly died a few years ago), and so easy to identify and all the locals know who she belongs to. She’s 19 now and I think that if she wore a collar (even with a safety catch) then she wouldn’t be strong enough to get free if she got it caught. I can understand someone using a collar on their cat if they think it’s a necessity though. I suppose it just depends on your personal situation and what sort of area you live in and what your cat is like. I think collars are ok if they’re chosen very carefully and the cat has worn one since it was a kitten. What I don’t agree with is people putting collars on their cats as a fashion statement.


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

Andy b 1 said:


> does anyone have collars on their cats/ kittens?
> 
> my mum wont let me put collars on mine. Her argument is if they get caught in a bush it will strangle them.
> 
> ...


collars are evil and unnecessary. In the rescue where my mum got her 3 legged cat there was another who had her front leg amputated because she got it caught in her collar. There are countless cases of cats who get snagged in bushes and in their struggles either strangle or get a front paw through the stretched collar with terrible results. I'm with your mum on this. None of my have, or will ever have collars on them. They do nothing, don't warn birds off (scientifically proven) and can cause injuries.


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

finsandpaws said:


> In our Pet Shop we sell adjustable Cat collars that are also elasticated. That way if the cat was to get stuck any time and the safety catch didn't release, the collar would stretch and slip over your cats head allowing it to go free.


the problem is that a cat will instinctively go forward to escape if they get snagged and the collar slips down over a leg or two, then snaps back into position once it gets free. That's when the problems occur. Cat gets free, feels something still grabbing it around it's middle then panics and runs off to hide. Collar stays tight around the torso causing distress and cutting off blood supply to the leg or legs. Ask at any cat rescue and I bet they have experienced the injuries caused by them. WOuld you place a bit of elastic around your child's neck? No? Then why around your cat?
I won't even have collars on the dogs when they are at home since finding Ursa caught by his collar which had snagged on one of the trailers in the yard. Had I not been home and heard his screaming, he could easily have strangled himself, yet I know people leave nooses (throttle chains) on their dogs all the time.


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

Salamanda said:


> my cat has a collar mainly because the bells on it stop him from catching animals, also he is a pedigree and we don't want him stolen


it has been proven that the bells on collars do nothing to prevent them catching birds. Also, if I was a thief, and saw your pedigree cat with his collar on, what's to stop me pinching your cat and removing the collar?


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

poizon said:


> i think if your not carful then yes there is defo a risk of injury, spec with these fancy colllars that have no give whatso ever, but mine are always safety ones, with elestatic and always on so loose that it dont take much to come off. i always test them before i put them on as well


it's the elastic ones which cause the injuries. Collars or no collars, why would your neighbours, who probably see your cat regularly, think it was a stray? None of mine has a collar on and my neighbours don't think they are strays any more than I think their cats are strys when they have no collars on. If someone did thinnk it was a stray (despite it being well fed and cared for) and took it to a rescue centre, they would scan it first and find your microchip and call you. If your are always osing their collars, how come they haven't been whisked off the streets by people who see they have no collar on and think they are stray? Yours are more likely to never find their way home if they get lost, having lost yet another collar and having no microchip.


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## Esarosa (Jul 13, 2007)

mine have had collars on ever since an elderly woman up the road decided to take in Meg as she looked and i quote 'underfed and skinny so presumed she was a stray'.. complete and utter bull, this woman had tried stealing cats from about 10 people in the area. if they didn't have a collar she would claim they were a stray and that they were ill treated..dunno if she genuinly believed it or what but i can assure you none of the cats she tried to take were badly treated. Meg certainly wasn't.

We asked her nicely to stop feeding our cats (she'd already tried to tempt sophie in), and she wouldn't be told, they were microchipped but this wasn't enough. Eventually my mother put collars on the three sisters (Meg,harriet & sophie) and had some very strong words with the woman. Mentioned that what she was doing was effectively stealing property and if she continued she would take the matter further. After that she left them well alone.

So i'm rather paranoid now of something similar happening. The next cat we get we have already discussed will be a house cat, and we'll cat proof the garden (similar to feorags if anyone has seen that) so there will be no need to wear a collar and a microchip will suffice.


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## poizon (Jan 7, 2007)

fenwoman said:


> it's the elastic ones which cause the injuries. Collars or no collars, why would your neighbours, who probably see your cat regularly, think it was a stray? None of mine has a collar on and my neighbours don't think they are strays any more than I think their cats are strys when they have no collars on. If someone did thinnk it was a stray (despite it being well fed and cared for) and took it to a rescue centre, they would scan it first and find your microchip and call you. If your are always osing their collars, how come they haven't been whisked off the streets by people who see they have no collar on and think they are stray? Yours are more likely to never find their way home if they get lost, having lost yet another collar and having no microchip.


 
i never said they wernt microchipped. my cats do not stay just in the garden, so yes my nextdoor neibours know who they are, but other people in the village dont, and we live near farms, and some farmers are known for shooting ferrals! thing is you cant say oh it looks well fed, must have a home as there is more than enough animals too keep a cat fed. 

they amount of turnover there is we do knot know most of the people in our villange (and i've lived here all my life) and so they dont know us, or our animals.

tbh there are good reson for and against, its just up to each indvidual to decide what they think is best.


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## Rou (Dec 23, 2007)

Andy b 1 said:


> we used to have safetly collars for our cats but the safety switch didnt open up when my cat was hanging out of a tree on a branch by his collar



doesn't that answer your query then?

I would advise against wearing collars as even in a controlled environment such as a house bad things can still happen. I dont rate the safety collars either.

Your best bet is to have them micro chipped and keep it at that.


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## Kathryn666 (Dec 16, 2007)

I have 8 cats and none of them have ever worn a collar. However I do live in a very secluded place where their "playground" is several hundred acres of forest.


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## poizon (Jan 7, 2007)

faroopnorthsnakes said:


> I have 8 cats and none of them have ever worn a collar. However I do live in a very secluded place where their "playground" is several hundred acres of forest.


 
oo they are lucky things, bet they love that?


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

Yes faroop I do believe that your cats are living in my house. :lol2: 
So jealous of you all :mrgreen:


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## poizon (Jan 7, 2007)

tbh before this thread i had not heard much of things happening with collars, but i must say the more i read, the more i am thinking of taking their collars off


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## Opheodrys (Feb 5, 2007)

My kitty wears a collar as there is another cat in the neighbourhood that looks exactly like him (I have mixed them up before) and the owner has a grudge against my family so I'm not risking anything. 
Where I live if somebody sees a cat with no collar they do assume it's a stray and wont check for a microchip.
: victory:


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## vetdebbie (Jan 4, 2008)

I and my boss operated on 1 cat roughly every 2 weeks for 18months trying to get his collar wound under his front leg to heal, before he eventually died under GA (and yes we did try healing it without surgery and that went even worse). My diabetic cat wore a collar for 1 week when he first went out with a suitable warning for any neighbours, and my kittens wore fluroescent collars for the first 5 or 6 excursions into the garden so I could see them whilst I watched them, then they were removed.


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## Pliskens_Chains (Jun 8, 2008)

i did hear that you could get a freeze mark done on your cat, or a tattoo in its ear, so it can be identified.
heres a couple of links i just found Freeze Branding and Marking, Microchipping, Permanent Livestock Identification
Pet ID tags - microchipping and tattooing - pet identification - weekly pet tips by Pets.ca
if they do it in the states maybe they do it here somewhere


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## GlitterBug (Mar 31, 2008)

I wouldn't let them touch my cat with those xD

James has a safety collar which snaps off, its totally safe and I've had it texted on my arm.

Put it on my arm then caught on something and tugged, came off without any problem. I also have a little tag on teh collar with his name and my phone number on it....need a new one as he's managed to scratch it.

But even with dogs its a hazard with collars...lots of risk's with pets.
The cats I've had that were microchipped and never had collars who went missing I have never heard from again.
Simba who I got ashes from got hit by a car, the vets rang me up because he had a collar on with my phone number...poor simby.

It's up to you, with our without collar there will always be difficult complications with animals.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

My cats have never worn collars because they don't go out, so I clicked no.

However, as with lots of situations like this there are two sides and two arguments - for and against. 

I think it's one of those situations where you're damned if you do and damned if you don't!


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## Dan (Jan 11, 2006)

Keep your cats in your garden and you wont need collars


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## Andy b 1 (May 14, 2007)

reticulatus said:


> Keep your cats in your garden and you wont need collars


and how do you do that? :lol2:


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## Dan (Jan 11, 2006)

I have seen plenty of animal cages that would be suitable.
You can get dog kennels made to specific sizes, or just a standard dog kennel would proabably do.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Or cat proof it with a mesh overhang like Shell and I have done - it really works - your cats get to sunbathe, eat grass, mooch about the plants and do most of what cats do, but in a smaller safer environment and you get to watch them and enjoy them without the worry of them being stolen, getting lost or getting killed!

It's 18 years since I did mine and I've _never_ regretted it!!

If your garden isn't suitable to be totally cat proofed, then put up a run. I know loads of cat owners who put up large runs that adjoin the house and then put either a cat flap in the wall or leave a small window open so the cats can come and go into the run as they please.

Sadly nowadays there are far many more reasons to stop your cats roaming than there ever used to be.


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## Dan (Jan 11, 2006)

feorag said:


> Or cat proof it with a mesh overhang like Shell and I have done - it really works - your cats get to sunbathe, eat grass, mooch about the plants and do most of what cats do, but in a smaller safer environment and you get to watch them and enjoy them without the worry of them being stolen, getting lost or getting killed!
> 
> It's 18 years since I did mine and I've _never_ regretted it!!
> 
> ...


Not to mention the added bonus that other people don't have to put with your animals in their garden - Top marks to that lady!! :2thumb:

P.S. 
If you're a bloke, oops and sorry :lol2:


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

reticulatus said:


> Keep your cats in your garden and you wont need collars


 Trying to work out how to keep my cats in my just over half acre garden which has no fences but loads of mature hedges. Any clues?:lol2:


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## Dan (Jan 11, 2006)

fenwoman said:


> Trying to work out how to keep my cats in my just over half acre garden which has no fences but loads of mature hedges. Any clues?:lol2:


Just because you have a big garden doesn't mean you can't have cages within it


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## Andy b 1 (May 14, 2007)

yeah keep cats in cages....no


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## Pliskens_Chains (Jun 8, 2008)

Andy b 1 said:


> yeah keep cats in cages....no


i dont think they mean like small cages i think they are talking about a secure run type enclosure. but its still impracticle for most people


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## Dan (Jan 11, 2006)

Pliskens_Chains said:


> i dont think they mean like small cages i think they are talking about a secure run type enclosure. but its still impracticle for most people


If it's impractical for you to keep any other animal that requires a cage then you don't buy it, why are cats different?


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## Dan (Jan 11, 2006)

Andy b 1 said:


> yeah keep cats in cages....no


By cage i do mean something more like a dog kennel/run rather than a little pokey box :2thumb:


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## Pliskens_Chains (Jun 8, 2008)

reticulatus said:


> If it's impractical for you to keep any other animal that requires a cage then you don't buy it, why are cats different?


i had cats once and after some d:censor:k shot mine with an air-rifle i wouldnt have them again. the local council can be a real f:censor:er with sheds and dog runs so i wouldnt want to risk getting another cat. Spike was a house cat and it was his first time ever going outside, he didnt die immediatley he was shot in the head and ran into the road where he was hit by a car. too much heartbreak to go through again. and the police did nothing!!!


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

reticulatus said:


> Just because you have a big garden doesn't mean you can't have cages within it


and why would I want to cage my country cats who have a job to do controlling vermin?
What a sad state the world is coming to when a few moaners demand that all pets be kept in cages.I don't have a garden, I have land. I have a registered smallholding. Why should I cage my cats?


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## Dan (Jan 11, 2006)

fenwoman said:


> and why would I want to cage my country cats who have a job to do controlling vermin?
> What a sad state the world is coming to when a few moaners demand that all pets be kept in cages.I don't have a garden, I have land. I have a registered smallholding. Why should I cage my cats?


Because they kill native animals is the ONLY reason i could come up with for you to be honest. 

It's the people who have them in built up areas that annoy me the most. Letting there cats defecate in other peoples gardens, scaring off birds from other peoples gardens, killing rabbits in other peoples gardens - you get the point. If i let my dog roam the streets barking at all hours of the night there would be hell to pay. With cats though it's just acceptable?

But still, why should they be allowed to roam free? No other domesticated animals are allowed that are they?


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## Pliskens_Chains (Jun 8, 2008)

fenwoman said:


> and why would I want to cage my country cats who have a job to do controlling vermin?
> What a sad state the world is coming to when a few moaners demand that all pets be kept in cages.I don't have a garden, I have land. I have a registered smallholding. Why should I cage my cats?


i dont think they are saying that all pets should be kept in cages, i think they are trying to think of a solution that would be preferable to collars which can be dangerous.


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## Andy b 1 (May 14, 2007)

reticulatus said:


> Because they kill native animals is the ONLY reason i could come up with for you to be honest.


plenty more where they came from


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## Dan (Jan 11, 2006)

Pliskens_Chains said:


> i think they are trying to think of a solution that would be preferable to collars which can be dangerous.


Nope, i am trying to get cats out of my garden :lol2:


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## Durhamchance (Mar 21, 2008)

Athravan said:


> I don't trust people, a lot of people think cat with no collar = stray = freebie if they want to keep it!! A lot of people don't have the responsibility to actually take an animal to the vet to check for microchip if they find it. If an animal is dead on the side of the road, and has a collar on with a nametag, I think more people will phone the owner... not that many people will pick up a dead cat, take it to the vets and ask them to scan it. Personally I have mine on safety collars.
> 
> Additionally, mine are absolutely identical all black cats down to no distinguishing markings, not a single hair different, and exactly the same size. Given time I can tell them apart by personality but really my life would be very difficult if they didn't have different coloured collars!
> 
> ...


Totally agree with everything you say. cat with no collar = stray. Our pusses have their collars loose enough to come off if they struggle- and also on occasion they have come home without them.

We've had cats for 25+ years and have never had a collar related injury.


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## Pliskens_Chains (Jun 8, 2008)

reticulatus said:


> Nope, i am trying to get cats out of my garden :lol2:


hahahahaha. cats are fun apart from when irresponsible owners allow their un-spayed cats to run wild and you end up with a cats chorus outside your bedroom window while your trying to sleep.


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## Dan (Jan 11, 2006)

Andy b 1 said:


> plenty more where they came from


What about yellow belly and Pallas's warblers?


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## Dan (Jan 11, 2006)

Pliskens_Chains said:


> hahahahaha. cats are fun apart from when irresponsible owners allow their un-spayed cats to run wild and you end up with a cats chorus outside your bedroom window while your trying to sleep.


Or when they cr*p in your garden.


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

reticulatus said:


> Because they kill native animals is the ONLY reason i could come up with for you to be honest.
> 
> It's the people who have them in built up areas that annoy me the most. Letting there cats defecate in other peoples gardens, scaring off birds from other peoples gardens, killing rabbits in other peoples gardens - you get the point. If i let my dog roam the streets barking at all hours of the night there would be hell to pay. With cats though it's just acceptable?
> 
> But still, why should they be allowed to roam free? No other domesticated animals are allowed that are they?


Yes my cats kill rats, voles, mice, shrew, even weasels occasionally, plus the odd baby rabbit. All except the shrews and weasels are eaten by them.
Nature evolved so that certain animals kill other animals. I have no problem with this.
If I lived in a built up area and had no cats, it would be easy enough for me to deter unwanted cats from my garden and I think I would do this instead of obsessing about them.
A friend of mine was moaning about cat turds on her lawn last year, moaning that it was the neighbour's cat, until one evening we were sat drinking tea after I'd helped her take some overgrown shrubs down and along ambled a large hedgehog and deposited a 'cat turd' right in the middle of her lawn.:lol2::lol2::lol2:


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## freekygeeky (May 25, 2007)

havent read the rest of the thread..

but 

my old ginger cat.. he got caught in a tree for 4 days...by his collar and now refuses to wear one, he isnt micro chipped or anything, but everyone knows he is ours..

our kitten however wears a collar, he hasnt ogn eout mby himself yet, but he will eb wearing one, he is stupid, really stupid... and i think he needs to be seen and known, it is bright read,m has a reflective bit on it , 2 bells, a name tag, a phoen number tag, and a tag with his address on it, and he is microchipped!


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## Dextersdad (Mar 28, 2008)

Collars for sure.

My cat was a prolific murderer of birds without a collar with a bell. He didn't like it but cats are responsible for decimating many of Britain's native bird populations.


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## Dan (Jan 11, 2006)

fenwoman said:


> If I lived in a built up area and had no cats, it would be easy enough for me to deter unwanted cats from my garden and I think I would do this instead of obsessing about them.


I know what you are saying but why should i have to "protect" my garden from somebody elses animal?
The owner of the animal is responsible for that animal, not his neighbours.


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## freekygeeky (May 25, 2007)

havent read all the thread, but my cats dont scare of birds, we have Many nests in our garden. and they cats dont bother them. if they poo, they tidy it up. (its free fertilizer) the onyl thing i dont like is the next door neighbours cats eating my fish in my pond, thats the only downside.
what i hate is people who are determind to make my cats life a misery... for example, my ginger cat has been in the vets numours times for being kicked. and i have seen him being hit many times by my neighnours!


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

reticulatus said:


> Not to mention the added bonus that other people don't have to put with your animals in their garden - Top marks to that lady!! :2thumb:
> 
> P.S.
> If you're a bloke, oops and sorry :lol2:


Yes, I'm a lady (well the word 'lady' is debatable) and yes you're right! I don't appreciate other people's cats crapping in my front garden, so why should I think it is acceptable for mine to go and do their business in someone else's??



fenwoman said:


> Trying to work out how to keep my cats in my just over half acre garden which has no fences but loads of mature hedges. Any clues?:lol2:


Well, we sold a kitten years ago to a couple with 3 cats, one of which had been shot, survived and then went missing never to return and so they decided to cat proof. However, they lived in a detached house with a huge garden on a slope! So what they did was built a large enclosure within the garden with a tunnel that led from the son's bedroom outside and into the ground coming out inside the enclosure. They put a double door so they could go into the enclosure and collared the mature trees so the cats couldn't climb up them past a certain point! Job done and it worked.

I realise that this isn't necessary for you in your situation, because you have no intention or need to keep your cats in, but I've put how they did it for anyone else with a difficult garden - it can be done!

As far as deterring them from your garden - try orange peel. That's what we put down in our front garden and our neighbour goes mad cos the cat across the road, comes into our garden, mooches around the orange peel and then goes and craps in hers!!


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

I couldnt let my cats roam as to many horrid people out there. I can understand Fenwomans point and Id love to be in her situation then my cats would have more freedom. Sadly cats do hunt but surely it is the sick and the weak that they catch first.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Mother Nature - survival of the fittest! That's the way it works. Course when they take out young birds and other animals who didn't stand a chance, whether they were fit and strong, then maybe it doesn't??

I too would prefer a totally 'natural' life for my cats, but where I live that isn't an option, therefore I prefer to keep them safe too.


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

Not an option here either


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## sparkle (Mar 21, 2007)

Andy b 1 said:


> does anyone have collars on their cats/ kittens?
> 
> my mum wont let me put collars on mine. Her argument is if they get caught in a bush it will strangle them.
> 
> ...


 
Hmm your mum obviously hasnt seen the safety collars..

ANCOL PET CAT SAFETY COLLAR WITH BELL CAMOUFLAGE DESIGN on eBay, also Collars Tags, Cats, Pet Supplies, Home Garden (end time 23-Jun-08 08:34:44 BST)

there is no need for you to have a collar that snags on anything.. these collars release if theres too much pressure.. and theres no need to have a cat without a collar.. id never use the old fashioned ones.. but id also always use a collar... the ancol ones provide safety for your cat whilst letting you put a collar on.. 

so u both win..


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## poizon (Jan 7, 2007)

sparkle said:


> Hmm your mum obviously hasnt seen the safety collars..
> 
> ANCOL PET CAT SAFETY COLLAR WITH BELL CAMOUFLAGE DESIGN on eBay, also Collars Tags, Cats, Pet Supplies, Home Garden (end time 23-Jun-08 08:34:44 BST)
> 
> ...


 
see now i thought safety collars were fine too, however the majority here are saying that the safety catch tends to fail, which worries me


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

Dextersdad said:


> Collars for sure.
> 
> My cat was a prolific murderer of birds without a collar with a bell. He didn't like it but cats are responsible for decimating many of Britain's native bird populations.


I remember watching a science type programme many years ago where tests were done. It proved that bells on collars do nothing to warn birds, but warn rodents. It showed that to protect birds you had to have a visual warning like a reflective disc. Besides, the far biggest threat to wild songbirds is people's love of spraying toxic chemicals on the very insects which parent birds need to rear nestlings, like blackfly and greenfly.


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## poizon (Jan 7, 2007)

reticulatus said:


> Because they kill native animals is the ONLY reason i could come up with for you to be honest.
> 
> It's the people who have them in built up areas that annoy me the most. Letting there cats defecate in other peoples gardens, scaring off birds from other peoples gardens, killing rabbits in other peoples gardens - you get the point. If i let my dog roam the streets barking at all hours of the night there would be hell to pay. With cats though it's just acceptable?
> 
> But still, why should they be allowed to roam free? No other domesticated animals are allowed that are they?





fenwoman said:


> I remember watching a science type programme many years ago where tests were done. It proved that bells on collars do nothing to warn birds, but warn rodents. It showed that to protect birds you had to have a visual warning like a reflective disc. Besides, the far biggest threat to wild songbirds is people's love of spraying toxic chemicals on the very insects which parent birds need to rear nestlings, like blackfly and greenfly.


 
and magpies are hugly responsible too


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

poizon said:


> and magpies are hugly responsible too


Loads of animals prey on birds, magpies, rats, weasels, stoats, cats, hawks, yet cats are singled out as though they are the only culprits. Lack of habitat and cramming nestlings full of poison chemically laden aphids have more to blame than cats. I have 12 cats yet have hedges full of too many species of wild birds to name. However, I do not spray the aphids.


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## poizon (Jan 7, 2007)

fenwoman said:


> Loads of animals prey on birds, magpies, rats, weasels, stoats, cats, hawks, yet cats are singled out as though they are the only culprits. Lack of habitat and cramming nestlings full of poison chemically laden aphids have more to blame than cats. I have 12 cats yet have hedges full of too many species of wild birds to name. However, I do not spray the aphids.


 
yes you are right there

oo 12 cats, you lucky thing, i sooo wish i had lots more. 

someone was moaning about cats doing their buisness in others garden, well not all cats do, every single one of our 4 come in to use the little box! (then bugger off out again lol) maybe i am lucky and have posh cats :lol2:


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## Dan (Jan 11, 2006)

fenwoman said:


> Loads of animals prey on birds, magpies, rats, weasels, stoats, cats, hawks, yet cats are singled out as though they are the only culprits. Lack of habitat and cramming nestlings full of poison chemically laden aphids have more to blame than cats. I have 12 cats yet have hedges full of too many species of wild birds to name. However, I do not spray the aphids.


Oh, so because there are other causes it doesn't matter about cats adding to it?


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

reticulatus said:


> Oh, so because there are other causes it doesn't matter about cats adding to it?


no, it doesn't really. If cats didn't kill birds, the population would not rise. As I said before, some thing kill other things, that's nature and nature has designed prey species to have enough babies to ensure the species survives.
hawks kill sparrows, owls kill rodents, wolves kill deer, humans kill pigs, lambs and cattle.


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## ferretlad (Mar 6, 2008)

reticulatus said:


> Nope, i am trying to get cats out of my garden :lol2:


You should move to my area m8, there is no cat problem in peoples gardens here. If a cat wonders into a garden round this way it will either be shot in the eyes or the Greyhound/Lurcher men will trap it and use it to train their dogs with, I cant remember the last time i saw a cat in my area.


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## sparkle (Mar 21, 2007)

poizon said:


> see now i thought safety collars were fine too, however the majority here are saying that the safety catch tends to fail, which worries me


 
wel i have a cat with a tried and tested cat collar from ancol...

found it on the floor after he got caught on the door handle.. hes a tad nuts as hes bengal but the collar worked...


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

ferretlad said:


> You should move to my area m8, there is no cat problem in peoples gardens here. If a cat wonders into a garden round this way it will either be shot in the eyes or the Greyhound/Lurcher men will trap it and use it to train their dogs with, I cant remember the last time i saw a cat in my area.


what a nice lot of people you know.


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## ferretlad (Mar 6, 2008)

fenwoman said:


> what a nice lot of people you know.


I know of these people...but i dont know them personally.


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## Andy b 1 (May 14, 2007)

my cats occasionally bring in mice and birds, only about twice a month though, the magpies do more damage though (pecking at my tortoises and what not)


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