I need for Lucy to wear an ID pendant collar which isn't going so well; she hates it! It did teach her how to do a forward roll! It is a nylon kitten break-a-way collar. I hate to see her throwing a conniption trying to remove it, so what to do? Any advice to help with this process? Maybe she hates the little jingle bell which seems to be well attached?

Thanks!
Rich

I wouldn't recommend collars especially when she's that small, it's not really needed unless she's going outside anyway and because she's small I would worry about the breakaway clasp being too strong for her to pull off yet if she's snagged on something.

Wait until she's older if you want to try a collar on her and also I would recommend taking the bell off only having it on for short periods and playing with her whilst she wears it so she forgets it's on and then gradually build up to it being on all the time. Once she's used to something on her neck then you can put the bell back on. You will find though most house cats don't wear collars.

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- Sarah
Arya 24/04/16 - Seal Lynx Point Rosetted Bengal
Griffith 16/04/16 - Silver Seal Lynx Point Rosetted Bengal
Mina (in my avatar)- 1999-2016 - Seal Mink Spotted Bengal (Snow) - run free at rainbow bridge

Thanks for the advice Sarah! She won't be micro-chipped until she is spayed, and that won't be until she is 6 mos. Given her curiosity and tenacity, my fear is she will shadow herself out the door when someone exits and into the outside world. The pendant provides all the return info on it, unless she gets pinched . You are right; the breakaway collar is too strong for a kitten to break free. I guess I try and determine the less of the evils. I will try removing the bell and play distraction you suggested.

Rich

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- Sarah
Arya 24/04/16 - Seal Lynx Point Rosetted Bengal
Griffith 16/04/16 - Silver Seal Lynx Point Rosetted Bengal
Mina (in my avatar)- 1999-2016 - Seal Mink Spotted Bengal (Snow) - run free at rainbow bridge

Collars have always been a really contentiously debated issue on the forum. There used to be someone whose cat suffered a really horrific neck injury from a (non-breakaway) collar, and who posted those pictures everytime someone mentioned using a collar (even a break-away one, stating that break-away collars are "not always reliable"). I've always been somewhat in the other camp. In the past my cats have always had collars, and I think the bells are particularly useful (especially for kittens or cats that try to run outside). I can't count the number of times I had no clue where my kittens were, and what mischief they were up to, but the "tinkle tinkle" eventually clued me in. Plus a number of times when I did have "escape artists", I was similarly able to find them by running around the neighborhood and listening very carefully. I also believe (but have no numbers to back it up) that you probably have a way higher percentage chance of having a lost cat found and returned to you if they have a collar with a name and address tag, as opposed to just a chip. Because the amount of effort to pull out a cell phone and dial is practically nothing compared to capturing the cat, dragging them to a shelter or vet, and getting the chip read.

That said... none of my cats currently wear collars. They aren't flight risks, and I have no trouble finding them, so I feel ok letting them collar-less (although this could be a mistake at some point...).

To me the issue is basically about odds, not beliefs. You try to weigh the odds of a cat getting the collar tangled up somewhere and it hurting them, and their dislike of it, against the odds of them getting permanently lost and something bad happening to them that way... it's not necessarily a clear-cut decision to me.

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The little monsters 3

Thank you for your perspective Brian. I am leaning towards getting her acclimated to the collar. We never had to worry about our previous cat trying to elope, in fact, we'd have a hard time even pushing her out the door! Total couch potato! Point is, we are not used to pushing the outer doors quickly behind us, and they tend to close slowly. I will try to slowly get her used to the collar, then the bell, and then the tag (I thought women liked jewelry?). I will also keep it loose enough that even if the breakaway is strong, she can (with some degree of effort) finagle her way out of it.

Rich

Rich, is there any reason you are planning to wait until Lucy is 6 months old to have her spayed? Many females are spayed by the breeder before they are 12 weeks old. You definitely do not want her to go into a heat cycle and that can happen as early as 4 months. Check with your vet and see if they will do an early spay and then you can get her chipped as well. As for collars --they are foreign to a cat! It's just a matter of putting it on and trying to distract with toys or treats. I feed an outdoor kitty and I've tried collars on him and he just returns home with them gone!

As with anything, it just takes time to get them used to it. I'd put the collar on and have her wear it as long as she possibly can. Remove it and put it back on later. Do this over and over until she is wearing the collar longer. This may take some time, but you can always try playing with her. She's really young right now -- but even brand new kittens are collared by the breeders to differentiate between the litter.

Hi Sherry...I was a bit taken aback when the veterinary hospital said their policy was six months. I know some go by weight. She has an appointment next week and I will question why and respond.

Rich

Rich, all vets are different! Find out their reasoning for waiting and you can do some research online about early spraying. I think it's better to get it over with earlier. Six months is just too long to wait for some females who go into heat much earlier than that. Then many vets want to wait until the heat cycle is over as there is much more blood in that region during a heat cycle -- and you definitely do not want to go through one with a bengal female, specially! Yikes!

I agree with Sherry on this if she's a decent size get her spayed as soon as you can. Females can come into heat any time from around 4 months ( although rare) and you need her spayed before her first season so latest 5 1/2 months as she will have come into season by 6 months.

I think some vets just worry about spaying younger animals due to the surgery being more complex the smaller they are and they like it easy and routine. How much is she weighing now? If she's near to 4lbs I can't see why they wouldn't do it.

_________________

- Sarah
Arya 24/04/16 - Seal Lynx Point Rosetted Bengal
Griffith 16/04/16 - Silver Seal Lynx Point Rosetted Bengal
Mina (in my avatar)- 1999-2016 - Seal Mink Spotted Bengal (Snow) - run free at rainbow bridge

Hard to believe in the two weeks we've had her she gained almost a pound! She is not quite two and a half pounds now. I can tell she's gotten a little bigger because now she can sit while drinking from her fountain where at first she had to stand on her hind legs.

I definitely want to see if the clinic will spay her at 5 months old (at the latest). We live in a rural area but we do have neighbors and there are plenty of strays around!

Thanks!
Rich

_________________

- Sarah
Arya 24/04/16 - Seal Lynx Point Rosetted Bengal
Griffith 16/04/16 - Silver Seal Lynx Point Rosetted Bengal
Mina (in my avatar)- 1999-2016 - Seal Mink Spotted Bengal (Snow) - run free at rainbow bridge

Rich, hopefully she will be a lot bigger between 4 and 5 months. That's when I would definitely have the spaying done. I agree with Sarah that I think most vets don't want to work on tinier animals -- it's not the health risks -- it's more for their convenience. Happy to hear she is growing rapidly.

I've never had a cat that would tolerate a collar. Plus cats tend to itch their necks anyway so that would get them really itching. It would be like having to wear a necktie 24/7.