PetScoop -- Vet Study Concludes All Cats Should Wear Collars

Here's a good excuse to start shopping! The New York Times reports the scary stat that "less than 2 percent of cats in animal shelters make it back to their owners, whereas about 15 to 19 percent of dogs are returned, and one reason is that more dogs wear collars."

Does your kitty wear a cat collar? If you answer no, it may be time to rethink that decision, according to the findings of a new study published in The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Cats were randomly assigned to wear 1 of 3 types of collars: plastic buckle, breakaway plastic buckle safety, and elastic stretch safety. Each cat was fitted with the assigned collar, and a microchip was inserted SC between the scapulae.

The result was that 391 of the 538 (72.7%) cats successfully wore their collars for the entire 6-month study period:

Most cats successfully wore their collars. Because even house cats can become lost, veterinarians should recommend that all cats wear identification collars since they are the most obvious means of identifying an owned pet.

For some cats, collars may frequently come off and become lost; therefore, microchips are an important form of backup identification.

Owners should select a collar that their cat will tolerate and should check it often to ensure a proper fit.

So time to get cracking! There's nice-looking cat collar selections at Amazon, Muttropolis, and if you are into bling, CatsPlay.

Read More in: Cats | Collars and Leashes | Pet News

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