Many pet cats are occasional or frequent hunters at some time in their lives. Collar-worn predation deterrents are sometimes used to curtail the predatory ability of cats; these include bells, electronic devices, and even brightly colored material ringing the collar. One drawback to the use of these deterrents is the perception that collars cause significant risk to cats through snagging on objects, or by catching their paws or teeth in the collar. This may reduce the use of ID collars. This study assessed the incidence of mishaps involving cat collars in an Australian suburban setting. The investigators defined collar incidents (snagging), collar injuries (requiring veterinary care) and collar death. They surveyed veterinarians as well as owners. Their data indicated that collar-associated injuries or deaths are rare. Among veterinarians, they reported one incident in 2.3 years of practice. Owners reported only one collar injury and no deaths for the lifetime of their cats; however, 27% did experience collar incidents. In contrast, 22% reported cats needing treatment following road accidents, 53% reported cats needing treatment for fighting injuries, and 62% had owned cats killed on the road. Fighting and road hazards are far greater threats to the welfare of cats than ID collars. [MK] See also: Lord LK, Griffin B, Slater MR, et al. Evaluation of collars and microchips for visual and permanent identification of pet cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2010;237:387-394.
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To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
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The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
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The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
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Many pet cats are occasional or frequent hunters at some time in their lives. Collar-worn predation deterrents are sometimes used to curtail the predatory ability of cats; these include bells, electronic devices, and even brightly colored material ringing the collar. One drawback to the use of these deterrents is the perception that collars cause significant risk to cats through snagging on objects, or by catching their paws or teeth in the collar. This may reduce the use of ID collars. This study assessed the incidence of mishaps involving cat collars in an Australian suburban setting. The investigators defined collar incidents (snagging), collar injuries (requiring veterinary care) and collar death. They surveyed veterinarians as well as owners.