Fitting a cat collar is important to ensure your cat's safety.
It is important to only buy a quick-release collar designed for cats. Quick-release collars are designed to easily break open if they get caught on something to prevent potential harm to your cat.
You can test that it is working correctly by holding the collar in your hands and pulling it apart. The clip should open when some pressure is applied, but not so easily that it opens on the slightest pull on it.
The collar you choose should also be lightweight and soft with no ends that might stick out and get in the way and annoy the wearer.
A bell is an optional addition to the collar although they can annoy the wearer and many cats are expert at moving in way that silences them when hunting, so I recommend the use of my Cat Scrunchies if you are wanting to protect the birds.
It is good to also have a name tag with your contact details in an emergency or just so the collar can be returned if it comes off in a neighbour's garden.
Measure the size of your cat's neck - you can do this with a soft tape measure (or a narrow strip of paper will work too).
Open the clip of the collar and move the slide on the collar to adjust the size to match your cat.
After fastening the collar, ensure you can fit two fingers comfortably between the collar and your cat's neck. This ensures it's not too tight or loose enough for your cat to get its paw underneath and remove the collar itself.
Cats often tense their neck muscles when we put a collar on them so always check the fit a couple of minutes later and adjust as necessary.
Regularly check the collar to ensure it remains properly fitted as cats can have slight variations in size due to several reasons such as growing or shedding a winter coat as well as weight changes, that could make the collar too tight or too loose.
Special note on Kittens
If you have a kitten wait until they are big enough to fit the collar you have as they may get their paws stuck in the collar if it is too big and not be able to put it under enough pressure for it to open.
Once your kitten is wearing the collar check the fit often- they are growing very quickly it will need adjusting often to keep at the correct (two-finger) fit.
