How Tight Should a Cat Collar Be?

If your cat needs access through the cat flap, you may want to consider a magnetic or electric key to your cat’s collar, or you can opt for a cat flap that opens by recognizing the microchip in the neck of your cat. Some people prefer visual recognition as opposed to a microchip, to make it easily recognizable amongst your neighborhood. Wearing a collar just for decoration can pose a threat if not chosen correctly.

So, how tight should a cat collar be? Selecting the perfect collar for your cat takes time because your cat cannot sit still long enough, which makes it a challenging process. Ensuring that the fit is perfect is vital to ensure your cat’s safety.

1.    Perfect Fit

One way to gauge whether the collar is perfectly fit is to ensure that you can easily slip 2 of your fingers between the collar and your cat’s neck. Try to adjust it a few times to ensure you able to accomplish this and that your cat is comfortable and secure.

2.    What if it’s Too Loose

If your cat’s collar is loose and swings from a body, it could get caught in something or something could get stuck in it. She could get hooked while trying to pounce over something. Or while scratching her paw could get tangles. It’s also possible that some cats even get their jaw caught in the collar when eating or drinking. These are just some of the reasons why a loose collar can pose a huge danger.

3.    What if the Collar is Are Too Tight

A collar that is too tight fit can be just as dangerous as a loose one. If your cat’s collar is too tight, she could face trouble trying to swallow and prevent her from breathing properly. This is because the collar puts pressure on your cat’s throat. When the collar is too tight, it can cause chaffing on your cat’s neck which can result in fur loss and even blisters and cuts on her neck.

4.    Flea Collars

With the ultimate purpose being preventing bugs and outbreaks of parasitic infections, these collars are a different group and have intention.

However, when selecting and fitting these collars, the same fitting guidelines apply. These collars usually come in a free size meaning one size fits all, which means that you will need to adjust it to follow the two finger rule of between collar and neck. Once you’ve sized the collar, mark the correct position and snip off the excess. Ensure that you thoroughly wash your hands after fitting the collar because flea collars have special medicines on them.

Also, ensure that you keep checking your cat’s neck for a few days to make sure that there’s no sign of any reaction to the flea medication on the collar.

5.    Bells and bits

Anything hanging from your cat’s collar can be quite harmful as it can get caught in something especially when your cat is moving about. So the key here is to decide whether you need the bells or not.

There will always be a need for cat collars so while in the perfect world we might believe that cats are better suited without collars, being able to recommend and guide people on the best type of collar will allow those who want to use it, to select and appropriately fit the safest option available.

Using these tips will ensure that you are well schooled on how tight should a cat collar be and what are the warning signs and potential hazards.