First collar gone wrong,,,,,,,,,,,, sad meow

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First collar gone wrong,,,,,,,,,,,, sad meow

(22 posts)

Started 2 years ago by spanky_mouse
Latest reply from spanky_mouse

I finally did it. I found my Bengal boys collars. I wanted them to be leather so they CANT just chew them over night and it be a loss. I also wanted the safety break away type. Took me some time to find the leather with the break away but urban cat saved the day. I ordered the tags from red dingo the are going to be so cute !!So I came home today all excited, get the collars out and start the process of making them smaller so they will fit my boys and its easy enough - the kid at the store showed me how to do it. I get Tommy's on and then Mowgli's is on too!! They are not use to the bell and it seems they are trying to figure out this bell that is on there necks.
.....They seem fine, they are playing and running around with the new toys - we leave to run to the store real quick....when we come home but I see Tommy run into the bathroom, and then back in the bedroom. Something seems very wrong - I am calling him, no response. he goes to leave the bathroom and I can see there is something wrong !! His new collar is stuck in between his upper and lower jaw and he is scratching at it to get it off and now his paws have blood on them- I feel so bad that I even put the collar on him !!

I took the collar off Mowgli because I don't want the same thing to happen to him.....I don't know. I am really frustrated. I wanted to do something nice and order their tags and collars and instead I get a kitten that now going to be afraid of the collar not to mention the blood on his paws and teeth make me feel like a bad person

Posted 2 years ago by spanky_mouse #
Oh I sympathize with you SM!! Exactly the same happened to my miso AND sumi when I tried yet again, on different occasions with both of them, to get them to wear a collar, with a view to sometime letting them go out in the garden. I tried it in a small room with the door closed, so so lucky, because miso went into a complete panic attack, getting the (quick release) collar well and truly wedged between upper and lower jaw. The release did not work, there wasn't enough pressure on it. But she was frantic and it was a frightening situation because she was trying to run away from the collar. Then she got her paw stuck in there as well, and started screaming and rolling on her side, pawing with the other 3 paws. I managed to free her in the end by grabbing a towel, but I still got severely scratched in the process. I was so thankful I'd tried it in a small room - if she'd run up the house, there could have been a sad and sorry outcome, who knows. I was shaking after, and said never again, no collar for miso - she's from a feral background and seems to be allergic to any kind of restraint on her, though she loves her cuddles and kisses. With sumi, much the same thing happened - I just have no luck with either of my girls - it's as if they talked about it amongst themselves, and miso warned sumi about the death-collar!

Posted 2 years ago by eleniki #
The only thing I can suggest is to have them micro-chipped just in case somethings happens to them.

Posted 2 years ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #
Shadz won't wear a collar, she acted like a bucking bronco at the rodeo when we tried one on her. Never again. My biggest worry was her getting it caught on a branch or something while out hunting and becoming trapped. No collar but she is chipped.

Posted 2 years ago by Moonshadow_NZ #
Hermes has managed to weasel his way out of a collar and a small dog harness. I couldn't find a cat harness big enough (lol). So we've abandoned the idea. Our first kitty, Sid, did just fine on a leash. Used to hook it to the clothes line in the back yard so he could roam. He loved it.

Posted 2 years ago by Siobhan #
I just know miso would somehow manage to strangle herself if we put her on her harness from a line of any kind. She's already 'backed' out of a pretty secure jacket-type harness - no idea how, but I was left looking down in the dark at an empty shell of a harness. She's impossible to contain, it seems..
(Love the bucking bronco image, MS!!)

Posted 2 years ago by eleniki #
oh no how tramatic for you and your little one, so i guess you wont be trying it again? my sammy was'nt really bothered when i put it on him and he was a kitten but the again he was so ill he properbly didnt have enough fight in him to care, i have'nt tryed with sharn as i dont think i would have much luck she's like a hyper- active durecell battery maybe when shes older.

Posted 2 years ago by sammys mum #
I've had that happen to both cats and dogs. It is scary and you feel so bad because they have no idea what's going on. One time my dogs were playing and they got stuck together by their collars and were getting frustrated by not knowing what was happening and started to growl at each other. Luckily we were home and I just ran over an unsnapped the collars. They don't wear them in the house anymore.
Another time I tried taking Calvin out on a leash when I was younger. As soon as we were out the front door he started that crazy spaz twirling around and trying to back up and just all over the place. I was just trying to keep hold of the the leash and the neighbor guy was outside and yells over, hey what the he** are you doing to that cat? Calvin was making such a fuss I'm sure it did look like I was mistreating him but it was just because he was so scared. I had to yell for my mom to come and help me get him back in the house.

Posted 2 years ago by ama58873 #
I have to chime in w/the same results. When my Binky use to be allowed to come & go,I tried keeping flea collars on him. He came home one day w/out his collar on. Four days later...I found it hanging off a branch of the apple tree out back. I was so glad that the collar was loose enuf for him to slip out of. I never put another collar on him again. At the old age of almost 16,I also don't let him out anymore. He's unhappy w/that but,much safer.

Posted 2 years ago by feral #
That must have been so scary for you both. AZDeb had a great idea, microchip and forget the collar!

Posted 2 years ago by 2bpurring #
I've always been afraid of collars for that very reason Susie. As much as I want others to know he's mine and not just another feral, I just fear for what might happen to him as he's out there roaming and running.

Posted 2 years ago by Karenopa #
It was a stressful night, thanks TDK for letting me know I wasn't alone in this. I really felt/feel so bad about it, he got his first taste of people food chicken last night because I was feeling guilty !! He seems to be doing fine this morning, and there is a part of me that wants to try again with the collar just maybe removing the bell. Do you think the bell is what was making him want it off that badly ?

Posted 2 years ago by spanky_mouse #
How scary for you! I tried the collar on Sylvester and he didn't like it at first but seemed to tolerate it but eventually he got too big for it. I decided at that point because he was microchipped and an indoor only cat, that he didn't need the collar and the tag and I wasn't sure there was a big enough cat collar for him. I never got one for Mia and I can imagine that it wouldn't have been a good idea with her since she has a bit of feral in her which comes out when she is stressed. The feral part I think is because she was found alone at four weeks and who knows how long she had been alone.

Posted 2 years ago by SylMiaFelixMomma #
Chloe was never a problem with a collar. She looks at me strangely if I take it off! Mili on the other hand....is a true Houdini with her collar. I thought we had gotten past that... she had it on for months. I came home from work one day this week and there she was - collarless. Took me a good while to find where she stashed it (back of my closet). I don't think I'll put it back on her. And yes... she had the 'caught between the jaws' syndrome too. No more for her.

Posted 2 years ago by 2 Popoki #
Aww poor kitties..don't feel bad Spanky you were only trying to do the best for them. I also just ordered a red dingo tag...hopefully Sophie will be good about it. :P

Posted 2 years ago by iliketea #
This is a tale of my daughter's cat Alex. Alex was a semi-feral orangie with issues. He used the litterbox religiously for poop but always went beside it for pee except when they got the Jack Russell. Then he marked where ever the puppy had accidents (yes he was neutered but he had notions of ownership rights).

If he had access he would use the great out of doors for his eliminations. Since he was an indoor-outdoor kitty, he was outfitted with a collar. Several collars over time. He would Houdini out of them and destroy them. He even removed and destroyed his buddy's collars.

He had orange collars, black collars, fancy collars, cheap collars... you name it. One day he was given a plain woven collar in green. It was his first and only green collar it matched his eyes. He stopped removing his collars.

Obviously he was not being provided with a color that properly set off his eyes and was not shy about letting you know this was not acceptable. I wasn't told what color had become acceptable for Linux but I am sure it had to compliment them both.

Posted 2 years ago by ailuromaniac #
The last cat of mine who wore a collar was my Tiger Lily, who went to the Bridge the last week of 1999 at the age of 18 1/2 years. She scratched the collar until it bent into a weird shape. When I took it off of her, it twisted into a figure 8 on edge.

That's why I'd like to get my cats microchipped. The safety collars are designed to break away, and the identification goes with it.

I'd also like to get them these harnesses; I think someone else posted this link earlier?

http://www.kittyholster.com/?gclid=CPLw3oiU0ZwCFRpdswodSzhMnQ

Posted 2 years ago by Leeny #
Lol Ailuromaniac! Lovely story! And yet miso's rejected collar was the most beautiful burnt amber colour, which looked so divine against her thick chocolate coat! My Lolie also wore a collar for most of her 18 years, Leeny, but I removed it when she became so fragile, in her last year or so. It chafed her poor thin little neck.

Posted 2 years ago by eleniki #
Some kitties just hate collars! My sister had a cat that learned how to unbuckle her collar - a skill she taught to the other cat. No more collars in that household.

I wonder if the leather was an issue in your Bengal boy's collar incident. My kitties find leather to be wildly attractive for chewing on and playing with. They'd probably go nuts (OK, they ARE nuts, they'd go more nuts...) if they had leather around their necks. If you ever decide to try collars again, start with inexpensive nylon. You can always "upgrade" if they get used to wearing a collar.

Posted 2 years ago by scaredicat #
Oh yeah - I forgot to say - When I was a kid we had a cat do the horrible collar-in-the-mouth thing. It scared us! We put the collar back on her the next day, and she was fine with it. The whole incident bothered us a lot more than it bothered her.

Posted 2 years ago by scaredicat #
I'm considering making collars for my kitties using bright Hawaiian fabric (I know, no surprise there .. lol) and magnets. If I ever get to it, I'll let you know how it works.

Posted 2 years ago by 2 Popoki #
Scaredicat you bring out an interesting prospective...they do have leather toys they love!...Tommy snuggled me last night to I know I am not in the dog house!!

This was just a very unexpected scary situation, thanks TDK it seems this is just one of those things that should be in the kitten parenting guide.

Posted 2 years ago by spanky_mouse #

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