We have already discussed the safest cat collars here, but do all cats need to wear collars and personalised ID tags, including indoor cats? Since we’ve had Noggins and Binkles, we have lived in different properties and different countries, including Seychelles, Mauritius and now London, but we have always chosen to put a breakaway safety collar and personalised ID tag on them. Noggins and Binkles have never been proper outdoor cats, as they would always go out in their cat harnesses with leads, but we still wanted to make sure they had their collars and ID tags on just in case there were any ‘Houdini’ escape acts...luckily for the humans there weren’t when they were wearing their harnesses!
Binkles wearing his multicolured breakaway safety cat collar and engraved brass cat ID tag
However, when they weren’t on their harnesses outside, they were very much indoor house cats and there are two occasions we can think of when a door was accidentally left open and they went outside and it’s times like that when you think I’m so happy they have their collar and customised ID tag on, as all sorts of thoughts go through your head. Luckily for us, the first time, when a bathroom sliding door was left open by a guest, Noggins just decided he would go and sit on the wall in the garden, so was easily found. The second time one of the humans, (possibly the one writing this!), left the backdoor open for a whole evening whilst we went out for dinner! When we returned Noggins was happily sitting on the top of the kitchen cabinets and Binkles was nowhere to be found in the house, which is when we realised the backdoor was open. Now the thing is, Binkles loves his treats, so we knew that if we rattled the treat jar he would come as long as he was nearby and could hear and luckily within seconds he was meowing by the front door to come in for some treats! We were lucky both times, but both times we were also happy that they had their collars and personalised ID tags on, so at least if they did go off the property and someone found them, we could then be contacted.
Noggins testing our cat harness and lead to make sure it's escape proof!
Now we live in London, we live in an apartment and there are multiple doors and a lift before you reach the busy outside world, but we still put collars and customised pet ID tags on Noggins and Binkles, partly because we make them and part of their job is testing our collars, but also because they look beautiful on them and there is still that chance they might slip through the doorway and into the lift! Although the human isn’t as pedantic as when we lived in Seychelles and Mauritius and there was an everyday opportunity for them to go out, they do still wear collars and ID tags daily.
Noggins wearing his pastel mint green vegan cork 'leather' breakaway safety cat collar and engraved brass cat ID tag
Our experience has led us to think indoor cats should wear collars and ID tags and the Animal Human Society also has this view giving the same reason, that accidents do happen and your cat might unexpectedly run outside, which is sort of what happened to us. They also state that 41 percent of cats that go missing are indoor-only cats, which is quite a high percentage. American Human also point out that if your indoor cat does go outside and is found by someone, they may take them to an animal shelter thinking that they are a stray if there is no way of identifying them. Of course breakaway safety collars can come off if your cat gets caught on something, so it’s also important to make sure they are microchipped and that your contact details are kept up to date, then if they are taken to an animal shelter or your local vet, they will be able to check for the microchip and find your contact details. We hope that your cats stay on the right side of the door or window, but if they do end up going outside, we hope that having a collar and personalised ID tag, along with being microchipped, will help to keep them safe.
Of course a personalised cat ID tag can do more than just provide useful information in case your furry friend gets lost; it can also be a cute and pretty accessory for your furry friend. At Noggins & Binkles we currently offer a range of personalised cat ID tags featuring beautiful designs including our heart, star and moon and star designs which you can also customise with your cat's name, family surname, initial or other information. Keep an eye out for our expanding range of customisable cat ID tags!
