6 Unexpected Benefits of Cat Collars

Baby Felix, your fluffy new little kitten, has you wrapped out his furry little paw, and you’re not ashamed to admit it.

Rest assured, you’re not the only person with a feline fixation. Research shows that more than 45 million American households own cats.

The problem, though, is that these fabulous furballs have a reputation for being notoriously independent. Anyone who has known a curoius kitty knows that they, when you least expect it, sometimes like to escape through the front door.

Fortunately, that’s where a cat collar comes into play. Cat collars can not only make your cat more noticeable if they ever get away, but they also offer a slew of other benefits.

Following is a brief summary of six unexpected benefits of collars for cats.

But, first, an important note about the different types of collars for cats. The first type of collar – aptly referred to as a breakway collar – has a buckle that comes apart when tugged on. The second is a small version of a standard collar and has either a standard style buckle (like a belt buckle) or a side release buckle. Please take a moment to review the section “One Final Important Word About Our Cat Collars” at the end of this article for critical thoughts that will help you decide what type of collar is right for you and your beloved cat.

1. Identification

One of the top benefits of a cat collar is that it will make it easy for your cat to be identified if they escape from your home.

Perhaps your feline has already been microchipped. The problem with relying on a microchip is that not everybody knows that they should look for a chip in your cat. In addition, someone who finds your pet might not have the time (as in the event of an extreme emergency or if the cat is scrared and on the run) to take your cat to a veterinarian to look for a microchip.

Instead, it will be much easier for someone who locates your cat to read their cat collar and get in contact with you about their whereabouts, or at the least, know that the cat has a caring home.

In addition to including your contact information on your cat’s tag, consider adding helpful details about your pet.

For instance, perhaps your feline enjoys roaming the neighborhood because he or she loves being an outdoor pet. In this case, you can include a message on the collar or on a charm attached to the collar stating that anyone who finds your cat doesn’t need to contact you unless there is an emergency.

Now, let’s say that your cat is an indoor cat. On their tag, you should emphasize that any person who finds them should contact you or bring the cat to you right away.

2. Safety

What’s great about a cat collar with a breakaway buckle is that you don’t have to worry about your cat getting strangled by the collar if it gets caught on an object. That’s because cat collars designed with breakaway buckles have closures that unclasp with tugged on, unlike dog collars that are designed to stay clasped in order to avoid your dog running off and getting in to trouble.

3. Maintaining Peace in Your House

Yet another unique benefit of cat collars is that, when a bell or bells are added to the dee-ring of the collar, they can help your cat maintain peace with other animals.

This is how it might work: Let say that  one of your cats tends to behave aggressively toward the other cats in your home. Putting a cat collar with a bell on your aggressive pet may alert the nonaggressive cats when the more aggressive cat is near, giving them time to get out of the way.

4. Dressing Up

Yet another benefit of a cat collar is that it can be a fun way to dress up your cat.

Collars with colorful designs can show off your cat’s personality and brighten up the day of anyone your feline crosses paths with. Whether your cat is dressed in a fiesta-themed collar or a beach-themed one with umbrellas and sand buckets, stylish collars prove that dog owners aren’t the only ones who can have fun dressing up their pets.

5. Warning Other Animals

As we mentioned earlier, cat collars with bells can come in handy for keeping the peace at home when you have both aggressive and non-aggressive indoor cats. However, they can also serve as a warning for rodents and birds that an outdoor cat is in the area may try to pounce on.

This is important given that outdoor cats kill more than two billion birds each year.

Although you could keep your outdoor cats inside, being indoors may be depressing if they are used to being outside or may make them anxious, since their natural drive is to hunt. You can solve the problem of cat vs. bird by giving your cat a collar with a bell. The bell will tell a rodent or bird that your furry friend is nearby so that it will have plenty of time to flee.

But, not only does this benefit rodents, but it also benefits you, especially if you’re squeamish about receiving unexpected gifts from your cat.

Keep in mind, also, that birds and rodents may carry parasites or diseases that can be passed on to your cat if it ingests it. Collars with bells can help to prevent this problem by limiting your cat’s hunting altogether.

6. Brightness at Night

Finally, a collar for a cat can help to protect your feline when it’s outside at night, especially if the collar has a reflective strip or thread. In light, a cat’s eyes are usually the first thing to be noticed, but a reflective collar makes your cat that much more noticable in dark conditions.

This benefit is key given that the nighttime is an active period for cats to hunt. When your feline is out and about, you can easily peek through the window and look for its reflective collar to make sure that it is okay.

Also, if your cat escapes from your property at night, a driver or pedestrian is more likely to notice them and thus steer clear of them if they have a reflective collar on. This will increase your pets’ chances of surviving a night on the run before you can find them and bring them back home.

One Final Important Word About Our Cat Collars

Auburn Leathercrafters offers two options for cat collars. The first is an option with a breakaway buckle. This type of buckle will pull apart when tugged on. This is an important feature if your cat loves to climb and get in to small places. However, keep in mind that your outdoor cat may come home without a collar if he or she has gotten into one of these tight spots. The second option is a small collar with either a standard style buckle or a side release buckle. Either a collar with a non-breakaway buckle or a harness are great options if you like to take your cat for a walk outside on leash.

At Auburn Leathercrafters, we take pride in offering top-of-the-line cat collars, dog leashes, and other products for your furry friends. Get in touch with us to learn more about our products, and shop now!