Bell collars for cats

convert

Pretty much as it says in the title. We've been adopted by 4 cats in the last few months (seems we've become known as 'the' house in the area! ) and given that they're targeting all the birds in the garden (as cats will naturally do), I was thinking of getting some bell collars for them in the hope that it might help to prevent them from hunting successfully.

So I was wondering if anyone has any experience of using these types of collars? Are they good/useful/safe? How did you find them? Have you any recommendations as to particular brands? And where would you advise going to purchase these collars (south Dublin area). I'd prefer a shop than an online store as I'd like to go in and have a look at what's on offer and 'see' them before buying, if that makes sense.

Thanks in advance.

Rochester

If you can get the cats to keep them on.........go for it.

Mynners

My cat had one for quite a while and didn't seem to mind it too much, annoyed this ****e out of me though. So now it's just a playful toy I have for her :P
I'd say any pet shop would have them, any at all.

Sigma Force

Cats can get caught in collars so safer to go for something like a release collar so if the cat gets caught on something it will release.
You might be able to just buy the bells online somewhere and attach them to any collars.
Avoid letting the cats out at dawn and dusk that will help the birds.

EGAR

I have spent a small fortune on quick release collars for my cats and have given up now. They lose them after only a day or two and I never found them again.

PaulieBoy

Yeah it's an expensive hobby!
If your near a Tesco then they have a single type that does grand and it's near enough about the cheapest you will get.
It does "snap" open, and never get one that don't.
However to my mind they can be a little to hard to snap open, so I take a nail file to them and ensure they are able to open with reasonable pressure applied.
One day I will work out a mathematical formula for this but for now it's guess work :-)
Lastly, my cats bring home as many birdies as they did before I got the bell collars. Go figure!

EGAR

My cats are collarless now, I simply can't afford to keep 7 cats in quick release collars anymore . Mine are kept in at night and I wont let them out until mid-morning and so far they only managed to kill one bird this winter.

Amberjack

I've 3 cats ranging from 3 to 18. The young fella terrorises anything that moves and has loud bells on his collar to no avail. They learn to adapt and when hunting can stalk prey without having the bell move, so I dont really think they work too well.

shinikins

My own Puss is a divil for bring back freshly killed "gifts". He now wears a release collar with no less than 3 bells on it!! I've found that the more bells i add, the more noise they make as he's a fluffball and one bell would just be nestled and muffled by his fur. It hasn't stopped him killing field mice as he's just too quick for them, but he no longer stalks the birdies in the garden. You can buy packs of bells in any pet store, or online.

planetX

my cats wear collars with my phone number woven in to the fabric - well one cat does. The other one has lost 6. They're expensive! I put the last few on extra tight, I think he has learned to 'pop' them, and always does it somewhere far from the garden. I don't think the bells make a bit of difference to hunting.

Twee.

Our cat wouldn't wear a collar for so long, he hated it! The only reason he keeps it on now is because we took off the bell! He used to go mad trying to "catch" the bell that was following him around. It's more just to identify him as an owned cat, not a neighbourhood stray.

rachel

I have spent a fortune buying cat collars for my 4 in stores and ended up buying in bulk on eBay. They still managed to lose them all! The record is about 1 hour after having put a collar on. I've given up on collars as there's no way they all came off by accident, my cats appear to have refined the art of removal.

I would like to think that there is a bush or hedge out there with lots of lovely collars and bells hanging off it where my cats have liberated themselves of their collars

planetX

rachel wrote: »

I have spent a fortune buying cat collars for my 4 in stores and ended up buying in bulk on eBay. They still managed to lose them all! The record is about 1 hour after having put a collar on. I've given up on collars as there's no way they all came off by accident, my cats appear to have refined the art of removal.

I would like to think that there is a bush or hedge out there with lots of lovely collars and bells hanging off it where my cats have liberated themselves of their collars

I'm looking for that bush as well:D

convert

Thanks for all your advice, guys. I'll try the quick release ones for a while and see how the cats get on. I wouldn't think about putting a non release one on the cats for fear of what could happen...

I'll let you know how I get on when I get a few new collars and bells! Here's hoping I won't have to buy in bulk too regularly! :pac:

anniehoo

I got this one for Beanie from Zooplus


I was having the same problem with him constantly losing the quick release ones, didnt want to let him out without one and didnt want to buy one that he'd get stuck in in an emergency either. This one is perfect and the longest lasting yet. There isnt a quick release clasp but the whole collar is elasticated nylon, with reflective strips for nightime and a bell. Has worked a treat and cheap as cheaps on zooplus.

beanie.

I have a good few cats, so collared the worst offenders, also had to double bell the collars as the bells on them weren't really effective (took extra bells from a venetian mask). I found having a few different types of collars useful, and rotated the collars from cat to cat made them last longer.
One cat decided to get revenge by comming into my room and scratching at around 4am every night.:mad: