Cat owners expect a lot from a cat collar: a clear signal that the cat is not masterless, parasite defense, monitoring via GPS or simply a colorful decoration for the velvet paw.

But cats should only wear collars in selected situations. Animal welfare organizations and the German Animal Welfare Association even warn against putting a collar on the cat, even a cat collar with a safety lock. This is due to the behavior of the animals.

Cats Are Not Dogs

Every dog wears a collar. Then can’t the cat wear one too? No, it shouldn’t, according to animal welfare organizations and veterinarians. At least not all the time. Because cats, unlike dogs, are much more independent. Whether free roamers or house cats, cats often go their own ways and are unsupervised for hours.

In the worst case, it is not noticed when the cat tries to take off the collar and it gets stuck in the mouth or under the front leg. For outdoor cats, there is also the danger of the collar getting caught on a fence or branch when the cat tries to slip through a narrow spot. This can even be fatal.

A cat collar with a safety latch is better than typical collars and parasite collars. The safety clasp opens more quickly when stressed.

This reduces the risk of hanging and death. However, the cat collar with safety clasp does not open in all dangerous situations because the safety clasp is simply not loaded enough.

Therefore, veterinarians and animal welfare organizations advise against wearing all collars all the time. This also applies to the cat collar with safety clasp.

Risk Collar For The Cat: Risk Of Injury And Death

Cats are independent animals that like to slip through tight places and try the funniest contortions when they feel something on their fur. Therefore, many cats perceive a cat collar as something foreign that they want to get rid of.

If you put a cat collar or a cat harness on your cat for the first time, you will probably observe that the cat tries to get rid of the “thing”.

However, even velvet paws that are used to a cat harness or cat collar and do not resist it are at risk when wearing collars.

It regularly happens that cats injured by collars hit the shelter or the vet. The injuries often involve the forearm.

If the cat collar has become jammed under the front leg and the cat tries to break free, deep wounds can result. Sometimes the front leg must be amputated. It can even be fatal if the collar gets stuck somewhere and the cat cannot free itself.

These risks unfortunately threaten all types of collars, including parasite collars, cat collars with GPS and cat collars with safety lock.

When A Cat Collar Can Be Useful

A cat collar can be useful in certain situations. The prerequisite is that the cat is not unattended. For example:

For a visit to the vet: For a visit to the vet, a collar with cat leash can be useful, so that the cat can not move uncontrollably or run away.

A cat harness with a leash is an alternative that puts less pressure on the sensitive neck. A so-called soft harness, such as a Beroni cat harness, is particularly comfortable.

However, a cat harness could interfere with the examination. In addition, a cat harness has a certain dead weight, which is not insignificant when weighing in practice.

For Walking

Every cat enjoys eating fresh grass and having the sun shine on its fur. Some indoor cats can be accustomed to going outside the front door with a collar and cat leash or cat harness with a leash.

When Traveling

If the cat is coming with you on vacation, a cat leash with a collar or cat harness can help keep it from escaping on the road.

At A Cat Show

If you want to present cats at a cat show, you specifically train your animals to be very patient. The collar with cat leash or a cat harness with leash is an extra safeguard that the animal will not escape if something unexpected happens.

For runaways: If cats or males regularly run away and don’t come back for days, a cat collar with GPS can help figure out what the velvet paw is up to

Ideally, the cat collar with GPS should have a safety latch that opens quickly if the collar gets stuck or caught somewhere. Especially unneutered animals often have the urge to roam around

However, sometimes cats look for a second “owner” whom they want to visit again and again. In addition to neutering, which minimizes the urge to roam, a paper cat collar with a request for contact can provide clarity if the cat collar with GPS does not provide any information or is lost along the way.

Cat Harness A Better Alternative To Cat Collar?

For cats, the cat harness with leash is a better alternative to the collar. The harness has the advantage over a collar in that it distributes the weight from the sensitive neck to the entire upper body when the cat leash is pulled.

A collar can cause tension in the neck muscles, headaches, and even breathing problems for the cat when the leash is pulled hard.

In particular, a Beroni cat harness or so-called soft harness is worked wider than a classic strap harness and prevents too much pressure on one part of the body.

However, the harness is less suitable for constant wearing. Firstly, it weighs several hundred grams (relatively much, considering that cats weigh only a few kilograms). Secondly, the harness interferes with grooming and visiting the litter box.

Collar Against Parasites: Spot-on As A Solution

For the purpose of parasite defense, some pet owners put a special collar on their cats. For the effect against fleas, ticks and Co. the collar would have to be worn around the clock. However, experts advise against cats wearing collars because of the risk of injury.

An effective alternative are so-called spot-on preparations, which are dripped into the cat’s neck.

Conclusion

A cat collar is only useful in specific situations. Mostly it is superfluous and even dangerous, warn animal protection organizations.

Collars can lead to bad injuries and even death in cats. Who wants to put on its velvet paw a collar, this should always do under supervision.

In some cases, a harness may be a better alternative, especially since a soft harness such as a Beroni cat harness puts less pressure on the neck.

Spot-on preparations rather than special collars have proven to be a good alternative for parasite defense.

Outdoor cats should not be identified as “pets” with a collar, but should have a chip or tattoo. In this way, lost and found animals can be assigned to the owner without any doubt and find their way back home more quickly.

A cat collar with GPS can help to find the reasons for the runaway. It is important that the cat collar with GPS has a quick-opening safety lock.