Bells on cat collars are not a good idea

[Shermann]

There's a stray cat in my neighborhood who has a bell on his collar. He's essentially wild as he's been wandering out there for a year or two. I recall seeing him last winter. Once I saw him carrying a mouse around, so he's actively hunting. But the poor guy has that bell, and you can hear him coming and going. That really doesn't improve his odds of survival. I'm guessing somebody is putting food out for him, but who knows.

It made me realize how short-sighted that bell collar was. It's common for cats to run away. It's also not difficult to imagine other scenarios where a house cat might need to remain silent, like eluding a neighborhood dog.

[Rhiannon12866]

1. It's also a bad idea to let your cat outside to roam on his on, way too many dangers out there

And outdoor cats don't live as long - cars, predators, poison, the list goes on.

[Shellback Squid]

2. a studies have shown that domestic cats are super killers

https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms2380

[Rhiannon12866]

4. Studies of the stomach contents of wolves and coyotes - we have coydogs in the woods around here

Indicate that a major part of their diet is cats. And that's not counting those who are hit by cars.

[Shellback Squid]

5. circle of life

[Rhiannon12866]

6. If you don't value the life of your pet.

[Farmer-Rick]

3. That is sad

The bells are to keep the cats from killing so many birds. Cats kill about 41% fewer birds with bells on. The down side is yes, the bell keeps them from hunting as effectively and escaping danger.

Poor thing, can you take it to a no kill shelter?

[Marthe48]

7. otoh

the critters don't really know the bell means danger. It isn't a sound they nature/nurture associate associate with a predator. My opinion. I had a cat years ago who was one of the best hunters I ever met. She brought at least one chipmunk a day back, and I felt bad for the chipmunks. I put a collar and bell on her, but it didn't slow down her murderous effort one bit. The collar caused her a big problem, and to avoid it harming her ever again, I took the collar off and have never used a collar on a cat since then.

We had a dog who got hung up by his collar in the woods. We hunted for him, but he lost his voice barking, and we couldn't find him. He managed to slip the collar and got home a couple days later. Pretty rough, but he recovered. I didn't put a collar on him any more either.

Your points are well-taken. I don't think any pet running loose should have a collar, unless it is loose enough for them them to slip it if they get hung up.

[mike_c]

9. I had a similar experience with chipmonks

Turns out they freeze when they hear the bell. Makes them even easier to hunt.

[Ferryboat]

8. Trust me, the bell doesn't interfere with hunting.

I have a necklace of small bells around Yogi's neck in a effort to stop his serial killing spree.

All it did was teach him to move more slowly. I hope birds get away more often than not, but I'm not sure.

Bird feeders surrounded by fencing and other measures have reduced the carnage. But I find more presents than I care for, so I question the effectiveness of bells. The fencing does have a impact.


Will be building a enclosed cattery for future cats, now that I will have more time after I retire soon.

[Bayard]

10. Can you trap him, and take to a shelter?

[Shermann]

11. I'm not really in the trapping business nt

[wnylib]

12. My concern is the collar, not the bell.

A collar on a cat is dangerous, unless it is the kind that they can slip out of. Cats climb, crawl through brush, and generally get exposed to situations where a collar could trap them and prevent them from getting free to get to food, leave them vulnerable to a predator, or hang them.

I never use a collar on even an indoor cat unless it is elastic enough for the cat to slip out if in an emergency.

For walking on a leash, a harness is better than a collar.

[JustAnotherGen]

13. We have a bell on our - you ready?

Maltese's collar.

He was so small and quiet - we needed it to make sure we wouldn't injure him when he was a baby.

I tried taking the bell off when he reached full height and weight and he wanted it back after a day. Was actually looking at it on a table.

So a bell it is.

In our case - it saves the life of squirrels, chipmunks, and . . . neighborhood cats.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

14. Othello is indoor

He wears a collar and the star tag jingles on his anti whisker standing bowl and his water fountain . He is slow to approach and eat and he drinks in the stealthy way so the jingling tag lets me know he is eating and drinking . Sometimes we eat together at the same time,sometimes not. Good thing about the tag is I can hear it from any room in my apartment and I know.