Choosing the right collar for your cat
Whether you are a first time kitten owner or an experienced cat owner, at some stage you will have to make the decision if your furry friend is going to live exclusively indoors or be allowed outside as well. There are many things to consider, and every feline owner will need to weigh up the pro’s and con’s in making their choice.
Some of the things to consider when making the decision include:
Risk of injury or death from trying to dodge traffic for outdoor cats
Outdoor cats are more susceptible to disease and parasites
Cats who roam outdoors can become lost or get stolen
Are you neighbours cat friendly or is there the potential for trouble?
Some cats can be prone to skin cancer
If you make the decision to allow your cat outdoors make sure they are microchipped, have had their annual vaccinations and are wearing a safety collar and a tag with your contact details.
Indoor cats love scratch furniture and surfaces that they can use to exercise their natural instinct to scratch, or if you have the room you can even build or buy a cat run so they can have the best of both worlds!
Cat toys also provide your furry friends with opportunities to play and exercise. Cats that are not naturally active and will especially benefit from you’re playing with them and encouraging them. Spending just 15–20 minutes each day with your cat can have a marked benefit in increasing their activity and enjoyment of life.
Kittens and cats can also be trained to go outside on a leash and a harness, allowing them to be walked and exercised with supervision.
The Safety of your cat is the most important feature when fitting a cat collar, and you should read below some tips on how and what to choose.
Fitting a cat collar
You should be able to fit two fingers between the collar and your cats neck, if you can’t do that, then it's too tight and your cat can be in danger of being hurt if they get their collar stuck on something.
Styles of Cat Collars
|
 Safety Clip/Breakaway Collars have a special breakaway feature if your cat gets it’s collar stuck on something. The collar is designed to break apart if your cat gets into a dangerous situation. The breakaway clip is a plastic snap device on the collar that can be refastened after the incident.
These collars can be adjusted to fit any sized cat by adjusting the fasteners. If you have a cat that is a bit clever and can easily break out of these collar’s I suggest you look only at a stretch collar. Otherwise it could get costly to keep replacing them.
|
|
 Stretch Collars if your cat is stuck on something, the collar actually stretches allowing your cat to get their head out of the collar without being hurt. Stretch Collars with a buckle can be cut to shorten the length of the collar to ensure the cat is not irritated by the leftover collar.
|
What to Choose
|
 Bells or No Bells, love them or hate them bells are a functional part of the collar design, used to warn off birds that cats love to hunt, however these can be annoying when the cat is inside. Removable bells are a feature of the Trouble & Trix range and can be removed or added to suit you.
|
|
 Reflective Collars
Reflective collars are a must for any night adventurer; the reflective materials used ensure maximum visibility in the headlights of any oncoming cars.
|
We hope this information helps you to understand how to choose a collar, check out our range here.