Author Topic: Cat keeps on losing collar - any ideas?  (Read 12902 times)

Cat keeps on losing collar - any ideas?
« on: 16 November, 2009, 10:40:46 am »
Mr kitty has a collar on with two tinkly bells to try to curb his mousing habit. However, he's now just lost the fourth one in in the 8 or so months we've had him. The last one lasted a while, but yesterday's new addition had dissapeared by the morning!

We are using the ones with a plastic safety catch thing on them as we don't want him choking. He doesn't seem too put out by wearing one, bar the odd scratch.

Is he going to be trying to remove them himself, or are they more likely 'missing in action'?


border-rider

Re: Cat keeps on losing collar - any ideas?
« Reply #1 on: 16 November, 2009, 10:43:28 am »
Missing in action, I'd say.  That suggests that he's regularly getting caught somewhere, and it might be safer for him to not bother.

Or else a neighbour is trying to adopt him ;)

Re: Cat keeps on losing collar - any ideas?
« Reply #2 on: 16 November, 2009, 10:55:36 am »
Or the collar is too loose and he slips them over his head. Possibly due to the collar getting caught somewhere and his need to free himself.
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andygates

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Re: Cat keeps on losing collar - any ideas?
« Reply #3 on: 16 November, 2009, 11:26:40 am »
Or pulled off in fights.  One of ours used to bring them back as trophies.

You can either give up on collars, or get used to buying lots of collars...
It takes blood and guts to be this cool but I'm still just a cliché.
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Basil

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Re: Cat keeps on losing collar - any ideas?
« Reply #4 on: 16 November, 2009, 11:39:07 am »

Or else a neighbour is trying to adopt him ;)


Yes possibly the reverse of what we experienced once.

We had a cat without a collar.  One day she came back wearing one.  I took it off.  Nothing happened for about a week and then she came in wearing another.
I attached a note to the collar, "Why do you keep putting collars on our cat?"

Collars stopped appearing, but I'm pretty sure that she continued to live at two addresses for the rest of her life.
Admission.  I'm actually not that fussed about cake.

andygates

  • Peroxide Viking
Re: Cat keeps on losing collar - any ideas?
« Reply #5 on: 16 November, 2009, 11:42:38 am »
Six Dinner Sid!
It takes blood and guts to be this cool but I'm still just a cliché.
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Re: Cat keeps on losing collar - any ideas?
« Reply #6 on: 16 November, 2009, 11:46:37 am »
Talisker looses collars at the rate of about one a month.  Sometimes they'll last two or three months, on other occasions they're gone in a few days.

I just treat it as an additional expendable, at about £2-99 each from the locals Pets At Home, it's less than I spend on any of milk, cat food, and medication in the same time period.
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

JT

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Re: Cat keeps on losing collar - any ideas?
« Reply #7 on: 16 November, 2009, 11:53:54 am »
The collars with the safety clasp are rubbish. Any active cat will lose them very quickly either accidentally or deliberately by putting their paw through it.

Alfie and Geordie both have collars with an elasticated section and the type of fastener that doesn't have a pin pushing through a hole (like a belt). They work loose but they don't manage to lose them - not often anyway. And they are very active cats that enjoy hunting in the woods and fields next to where we live.
a great mind thinks alike

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Cat keeps on losing collar - any ideas?
« Reply #8 on: 16 November, 2009, 07:25:57 pm »
You could get him/her chipped, although this will only help if he/she is found and taken to a vet.  Most councils don't scan cats that are found dead on the road, but maybe you'd rather not know anyway.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Kim

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Re: Cat keeps on losing collar - any ideas?
« Reply #9 on: 16 November, 2009, 07:52:48 pm »
When my parents finally got round to knocking down their old, rotten shed, they discovered the nail which our cat had been using to remove collars, complete with an assortment of removed collars in various stages of mouldiness.

Cunning creatures, cats.

Re: Cat keeps on losing collar - any ideas?
« Reply #10 on: 16 November, 2009, 08:24:18 pm »
You could get him/her chipped, although this will only help if he/she is found and taken to a vet.  Most councils don't scan cats that are found dead on the road, but maybe you'd rather not know anyway.

Tali is chipped as well.  I put a collar on him for two reasons (i) to attempt to minimise his impact on the local population of rodents and birds (ii) so he is obviously "owned", since he occasionally does wander off for a day or three.
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

anth

Re: Cat keeps on losing collar - any ideas?
« Reply #11 on: 16 November, 2009, 08:33:44 pm »
Or...

There's a gang of similar looking cats who are working on you towards some as yet unknown grand master plot, but clearly something for which they need lots of collars...

fruitcake

  • some kind of fruitcake
Re: Cat keeps on losing collar - any ideas?
« Reply #12 on: 16 November, 2009, 08:48:43 pm »
Check your ebay account. 
It is possible that your cat is selling the collars for a profit.

Re: Cat keeps on losing collar - any ideas?
« Reply #13 on: 16 November, 2009, 09:33:31 pm »

(C) Talisker's Three Stage Plan To Profit Inc.
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

Re: Cat keeps on losing collar - any ideas?
« Reply #14 on: 16 November, 2009, 10:21:39 pm »

(C) Talisker's Three Stage Plan To Profit Inc.

 ;D

Re: Cat keeps on losing collar - any ideas?
« Reply #15 on: 17 November, 2009, 10:28:16 am »
Well, some helpful suggestions anyway...  ;D

He is chipped, but collar is for something to attach bells to really.

I'm thinking it could be some sort of deal with a secret local organisation


Re: Cat keeps on losing collar - any ideas?
« Reply #16 on: 17 November, 2009, 10:34:58 pm »
Bugger! I read this yesterday thinking smugly "well, ours haven't ever removed their collars."

...

You guessed it...

Tonight prowly-mog has returned without her collar with bell and tag that says "please don't feed me".  ::-)

I guess there will be small dismembered rodent corpses daily until we go to the pet shop for a replacement on Saturday.  ::-)

Yes, it was one of the collars with the safety clasp. I'd rather the cat didn't choke and I bought a new collar occasionally. I'm just annoyed about losing the engraved tag, as that cost about eight quid! >:(
Have you seen my blog? It has words. And pictures! http://ablogofallthingskathy.blogspot.com/

Re: Cat keeps on losing collar - any ideas?
« Reply #17 on: 20 November, 2009, 09:19:17 pm »
Yes, it was one of the collars with the safety clasp. I'd rather the cat didn't choke and I bought a new collar occasionally. I'm just annoyed about losing the engraved tag, as that cost about eight quid! >:(
Kittycollars http://www.kittycollars.co.uk/personalised-cat-collars.htm make safety collars with a message printed on the actual fabric for £7.99, so might work out cheaper than replacing tag, bell and collar.

Our mog has lost a couple in scraps.  Our neighbours post them back through the letterbox when they find them.

After being presented with a vole recently at 5am, we added a bell to the collar.  Two hours later we found the collar lying very pointedly on the floor...

The elastic collars are ok, but can cause horrible injuries if the cat manages to get a front leg through.

Re: Cat keeps on losing collar - any ideas?
« Reply #18 on: 22 November, 2009, 12:13:20 pm »
Yes, it was one of the collars with the safety clasp. I'd rather the cat didn't choke and I bought a new collar occasionally. I'm just annoyed about losing the engraved tag, as that cost about eight quid! >:(
Kittycollars http://www.kittycollars.co.uk/personalised-cat-collars.htm make safety collars with a message printed on the actual fabric for £7.99, so might work out cheaper than replacing tag, bell and collar.

Our mog has lost a couple in scraps.  Our neighbours post them back through the letterbox when they find them.

After being presented with a vole recently at 5am, we added a bell to the collar.  Two hours later we found the collar lying very pointedly on the floor...

Mog went and brought a vole in. I hastily went to LPS (local pet shop) and bought a scarlet collar with "DO NOT FEED" emblazoned on it, plus a bell and a neon yellow reflective name tag shaped like a fish. :sick: That'll teach her to lose the tasteful one! :thumbsup:

Cat then went and brought a mousie in last night regardless.  ::-)

Mousie bludd goes a long way on beige carpets...
Have you seen my blog? It has words. And pictures! http://ablogofallthingskathy.blogspot.com/

border-rider

Re: Cat keeps on losing collar - any ideas?
« Reply #19 on: 22 November, 2009, 02:44:29 pm »
we had a pale lilac carpet in the lounge at the last house.   Vanish Carpet Spray is your friend.

A couple of years later we had a new hall carpet.  That was kind of russet coloured.  You live and learn :)

LEE

Re: Cat keeps on losing collar - any ideas?
« Reply #20 on: 22 November, 2009, 02:58:52 pm »
I think the best thing to do is tighten the collar about 6 or 7 holes tighter than appears comfortable for the cat.

PS.  It's entirely normal for their eyes to bulge like that for the first day or so.

Re: Cat keeps on losing collar - any ideas?
« Reply #21 on: 22 November, 2009, 04:39:36 pm »
we had a pale lilac carpet in the lounge at the last house.   Vanish Carpet Spray is your friend.


We have an elderly ferret with incontinence and a younger ferret for whom no glass of red wine is out-of-reach. Vanish carpet spray is indeed our friend. :thumbsup:

Quote
A couple of years later we had a new hall carpet.  That was kind of russet coloured.  You live and learn :)

Best place we ever rented had dark red carpets. They didn't show blood, bolognaise, red wine, and you had to look really closely to spot the chain grease marks.  :smug:
Have you seen my blog? It has words. And pictures! http://ablogofallthingskathy.blogspot.com/

Re: Cat keeps on losing collar - any ideas?
« Reply #22 on: 23 November, 2009, 07:23:16 am »
Oh that reminds me!

Our Moggy collar stock is getting a bit low.

Must order some more :P
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Jaded

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Re: Cat keeps on losing collar - any ideas?
« Reply #23 on: 23 November, 2009, 08:43:24 am »
A couple of years later we had a new hall carpet.  That was kind of russet coloured.  You live and learn :)

I put this carpet forward as the best carpet for cycling cat-owners. It is Floatex too.  :thumbsup:



We didn't choose it - the house used to be a Drs Surgery. I guess it hid the blood and allowed the sputum to be scraped up.
It is simpler than it looks.

Re: Cat keeps on losing collar - any ideas?
« Reply #24 on: 23 November, 2009, 11:54:37 am »
My soup is going to taste so much better now that the thought of sputum being scraped up is in my head!

What a lovely cat.