For your reading enjoyment!
I am not a big advocate of letting your cat live the indoor lifestyle. There are simply way too many dangers in the outside world that could have dire consequences.
It’s easy to teach children safety skills such as looking both ways before crossing the street, but for cats… there is a language barrier.
I’m not really comfortable with allowing a cat to be outside the house where a sudden sound like an ambulance rushing by or a sudden threat like a dog on the loose could startle her.
Frightened cats have been known to run until they drop and then not be able to find their way home. There is also the problem that the wildlife outdoors could also prey upon your cat.
Yet despite taking precautions, there may be times when your cat still gets out of the house. Perhaps there was an earthquake or hurricane or some sort of other natural disaster. A cat collar and identification will be essential during these times.
What Is The Best Type Of Cat Collar?
There have been many instances where natural disasters left many animal refugees in its wake. As such, we have to be more aware of our pets vulnerability to natural disasters.
Our cats need to war collars and tags as well just as you would need to carry identifications in your wallet!
I recommend a good “break-away” collar with an attached identification tag, giving your cat’s name and your name and telephone number. It may also be a good idea to include additional numbers, such as your vet’s office, in the event that your own phone service is disrupted.
You don’t need to label each phone number; if the tag has the cat’s name and your name, that is sufficient information for a caring person to track you down.
The collar should be made of strong, high-quality nylon because it’s lighter than leather, lasts longer, and can be easily washed.
The collar must be the “break-away” kind that opens automatically if it snags or hooks onto something. Although your cat won’t have a collar
The tag needs to be small and light, with deeply etched words and numbers. This is not the time to look for a bargain; an illegible tag is worse than no tag at all.
The collar and tag are like scratching posts, in which you’re going to have them for years. So buying a high-quality one that will be pleasing to you and your cat is heavily recommended.
You can check some of the break-away collars found here on Amazon. Some of them could even be personalized with names and numbers!
Why Should I Keep My Cat Indoors?
Whether you decide to allow your cat to roam outdoors or to only lead an indoor lifestyle, having a collar for your cat is very important.
However, I just wanted to take some time to share some of my thoughts about letting your cat go outside. In short, letting your cat go outdoors allows your cat to lead an enriched life, but it’s also very risky.
It’s very easy to convey your feelings, thoughts, and instructions to other humans or even to children. It’s very easy to teach safety skills to your own child.
My adopted feral, Diba, living happily as an indoor cat.
However, it is tremendously difficult to train your cats about the hazards outdoors. Your cat might not know how to safely cross the road until it’s too late.
There are simply too many hazards in the outside world and you cannot prepare your cat for them. Your cat might even be targeted by another animal or bird of prey.
If you’re interested in learning more about the dangers of letting your cat go outside, be sure to read up on my article “Indoor Cat Wants To Go Outside? – 5 Reasons To Be Indoor Only” here!
Think of the collar as an insurance policy. If your cat happens to get outdoors, there will be some sort of identifications to help your cat on her way back home.
Tips When Your Cat Is Lost
Accidents happen and you may find yourself in a situation where you lose your cat. Maybe someone left the door open for too long. Or maybe the window screen couldn’t hold as your cat pounced towards a bird. Here are some tips to help you through these trying times.
1. Contact Your Local Shelters
File a missing pet report with every shelter in your local area. This will help them to notify you if your cat happens to be dropped off to them. It also helps to visit the nearest shelters every day, if possible.
You can find information on your local shelter by searching online or checking your phone book. If there is no shelter in your area, you can also contact the local police department. Be sure to get the police involved if you believe your pet was stolen.
Be sure to provide photographs and accurate descriptions as possible to help the shelters as much as possible with locating and identifying your cat.
2. Search Your Yard And Neighborhood
Be sure to have a look through your yard and house property. You may find your cat curled up in a corner of your shed or seeking refuge under a bush.
Walk or drive through your neighborhood several times each day. Let your neighbors know of the situation and ask anybody in the area that may have seen your pet.
Also hand out recent photographs of your pet and any contact information so you can easily be reached if your cat is found. Having a collar and identification helps a lot.
3. Post Flyers and Advertise
In addition to asking people around your neighborhood, you can even post flyers and notices as well.
You can post notices at your grocery store, telephone poles, community centers, veterinary offices, pet stores, and any other place where you think your cat might be seen.
You can also advertise in newspapers and on the internet in order to assist with your search endeavors. Include your pet’s sex, age, weight, breed, color
When describing your cat, be sure to leave out one identifiying
4. Try the internet
In addition to posting flyers and advertising, you might also want to utilize online services. Here are some organizations that aim towards reuniting lost pets with their owners:
5. Be wary of pet-recovery scams
Always be wary when talking with strangers who claim they have found your pet. Always be sure to ask them questions to describe the pet thoroughly before you offer any of your own information.
As unfortunate as it is, there are many individuals who are willing to scam people in these times of crisis. Be especially wary of people who insist that you wire them money before returning your pet.\
As mentioned before, if the person cannot identify your pet througoughly and does not invlude some of the characteristice you left out of the advertisements, that person may not really have your pet.
6. Don’t give up your search
Know that there have been many instance where pets who have been lost for months have been reunited with their owners.
The use of a collar and identification, even for indoor cats, will help tremendously with bettering your chances of your cat being returned.
A name, address, and telephone number on a collar tag could go very far in cases where your cat may get outside by mistake.
Should You Microchip Your Cat?
Microchips are both a good and bad thing to it so let me explain them both.
The Go od
If your cat gets lost and is found, the chip can be read electronically by an animal shelter or veterinarian’s office, and your cat will be returned to you.
Most veterinary offices and animal shelters use a universal scanner in order to effectively find more information about lost pets.
The Bad
There have been reports that the chips may migrate away from their original site under the skin, causing physical problems.
More important, cases of soft tissue tumors surrounding the chips have been reported. Be sure to speak with your veterinarian and discuss some of the concerns of microchips.
Final Thought
As you can see, having a collar or some sort of identification for your cat is a must. Thin of it as an insurance policy where if your cat does happen to get lost, it will aid in her eventual return.
It might take sometime for your cat to get used to a collar, but if you get a comfortable one, it will certainly ease your mind.
If by chance your cat is an indoor/outdoor cat, it will give your cat the proper identification when she is out on her adventures. Just know that the outside world comes with many risks and there are many ways to enrich your cat’s life indoors.
As always, I wish you and your feline companions all the best! Be safe!
Sincerely,
James Kim
