Feb 21, 2018

Types of Cat Collars


Category: General
Posted by: Suresh

Like dog collars, cat collars also come in different types. There are generally three main types of cat collars namely traditional buckles, break away collars, and elastic collars.

Traditional Buckles

These cat collars are the traditional types, and—as their name suggests—are locked into place with the use of a metal buckle. The collar itself can be made from either nylon or leather, and can come in a variety of decorative styles. Though traditional, these are still very popular nowadays; however, they are not always the safest cat collars available.

See, the problem with these types of cat collars is that they tend to be very restrictive. That is, there is little or almost no room for that cat to maneuver if they find themselves in a situation where the collar gets caught on something and choke your cat. That being said, these types of cat collars are best suited for older and less active cats who are happy spending their time indoors.

Break Away Collars

Break away collars also come in a variety of styles, designs and colours. However, unlike the above, these types of cat collars make use of a clasp instead of a buckle to lock the collar in place. These clasps can be opened by pressing or putting pressure on button or along its sides.

One thing that makes this a better option versus the traditional buckle type collar is safety. Because the clasp can be opened by the application of pressure, even cats themselves can open these types of cat collars, though not without some difficulty. They can even do so by pulling or tugging against the clasp. Thus, whenever it finds itself in a choking or strangling situation, there is a very high probability of the cat freeing itself and surviving.

Despite being a safe option, there are also certain issues with break away collars that you should be aware of, and these issues are actually because of the clasps themselves. As was mentioned earlier, break away collars are easier to open than buckle type cat collars and cats can remove them by themselves. This may not be a big deal if the cat is indoors; however, if your cat removes its collars while it is outside, there begins the problem.

A simple remedy would be to turn the collar so that the clasp is at the back (instead of under the chin) of your cat, though this does not totally guarantee that they won’t be able to open them especially once the cat starts rolling over.

Elastic Collars

As the name suggests, these types of cat collars are made from elastic materials. Thus, cats can easily get themselves out of these collars by simply pulling against it. That being said, it is also a safe option just like the break away collars. Needless to say, it also carries with it the same negative features as that of break away collars.