Shopping For Cat Collars
Wednesday, November 9th, 2022 08:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
snoozefestaudioIt was another glorious fall day at 65F, and sunny. Still some trees out there with full, colored leaves... though the majority are now bare. Lots of dried up crunchy leaves all over the grass... gathered in the curbs, etc.
It turned out that Grape Elementary School is a polling place, so yesterday, the kids and teachers had the day off and me and my two night shift janitoral coworkers didn't have much to do in our mostly empty building... as poll workers conducted voting procedures in the gym.
It was payday, so I ordered an extra large pizza, which I ran to pick up from the local pizza place, and around 6PM, me, Helen, and Vanessa all hung out in the break room eating pizza and chatting for an hour.
It was the first time all three of us had sat down to chat like that. They wanted to pay me, but I told them the pizza was on me... and we agreed to do it again before Thanksgiving... and get Chinese next time.
--<>--
With money in the bank, my thoughts turned to Snoop & Prowly, and their future as outdoor cats.
They're getting bigger everyday and will be full grown before winter is over... and as they get bigger, they're getting a bit antsy about the world beyond the house.
They get to go explore downstairs with me every night when I come home from work and go down to hang out with Dad, but...
Upstairs here, I also have windows looking out, North, South, East, and West... so I've been leaving the blinds open as much as possible for them, so that they can get an understanding of the world outside.
And because the warm weather has held up so long, they've been able to spend a lot of time in two different windows, with just the screens... hearing & smelling the world in real time, as well as seeing it.
And especially when all the leaves were falling and blowing around out there, they were watching that and doing those little cat calls, saying they wanted to get out there and chase those leaves around!
--<>--
At any rate, today, on Amazon, I bought them collars.
It took a while to find the right ones, but... they're getting reflective, breakaway cat collars, with stainless steel info tags that clip onto, rather than dangle down from, the collars.
--<>--
Way back in the day, I tried to introduce Jet and Mauli to collars... after they were adults who had been outdoor cats for over a year, and it did not go well.
Mauli was an adept hunter by then, and did NOT appreciate the dangly, jangly info tag hanging from her neck... because it gave away her position, while out on the prowl!
Next thing I knew, she'd come in the cat door at night, NUDE!
Then I'd find her collar sitting in the grass outside the next day.
I kept putting it back on her, but it kept mysteriously coming off, until one day, I actually caught her in the act, outside, of removing it!
She just shoved her paw up behind the collar, and kept pushing at it, until the breakaway clasp... broke away. Then she shook it off, and went on her way!
But Mauli also TAUGHT Jet, and my other two cats, at the time, Wylie, and little Eli, how to do the same trick! So it quickly became pointless to keep putting their collars back on, because they'd just remove them immediately!
I had to give up!
--<>--
So, this time around, my hope is that I can get Snoop & Prowly used to wearing their collars while they're still younger, and not outdoor cats yet!
And if that works, then when they do graduate to outdoor cats... they might not have any problem continuing to wear the collars, because their info tags will not be all jingly and jangly giving away their positions!
If I'm successful in getting them so accustomed to their collars that they don't even think about them, while outdoors... I'll feel a lot better about them being out there on their own!
For one thing, any neighbors who spot them will know at a glance that they're owned cats, just by the collars.
For the second thing, because the collars are reflective, if they do venture across the street, late at night, they'll be immediately visible to drivers.
And for the third thing, if one gets truly lost, their tag will have my phone number, and tell of their address.
--<>--
Jet & Mauli lived on a large rental property, with sprawling courtyards, fairly far from the main roads. And I did train them to stay away from the roads. So they never got into trouble.
But this is a different neighborhood, on a grid, and times have changed... so there aren't as many outdoor cats as there used to be.
My main concern is just letting others know these cats are owned... because they're wearing collars... followed by cars being able to see them at night.
But, I'm not super concerned they'll ever run away and get lost.
--<>--
They've already been trained to recognize me as their guy!.. they answer to my calls... and now, after they go downstairs with me... they will follow me back upstairs without my even calling them!
They just see that I'm heading up, and run past me to beat me back to our flat!
So... they're minding me... but, as I said above, they're getting the 360 view of the yard and the neighborhood, through our windows up here, which means, when it does come time to allow them outside... with me... they'll have a good idea of where they are, in relationship to the house... and mind me well enough to come back inside after I've let them explore a bit.
The final step will be a cat door up here in a window, which will allow them to come and go as they please... once they're grown up and have the full grasp of everything.
--<>--
Once they can come and go as they please... they begin to have their own lives, independent from mine, which frees me up to go back to working full time.
It also takes the pressure off me to keep them constantly entertained.
That's how it went the last time around.
------------{=0=}------------
I did look into UPS cat collars that can track the cats, and show you where they've been out there on the map at night... or where they currently are, if they're not inside.
I'd love to have these eventually, but... the collars are 45 bucks a pop... they require batteries... and they also require a monthly subscription to a tracking app for your phone.
Maybe someday... but for now... reflective breakaway's with info tags are what I can afford... and will keep them safe down the line, when they finally graduate.
°¦}
https://soundcloud.com/snoozefestaudio
It turned out that Grape Elementary School is a polling place, so yesterday, the kids and teachers had the day off and me and my two night shift janitoral coworkers didn't have much to do in our mostly empty building... as poll workers conducted voting procedures in the gym.
It was payday, so I ordered an extra large pizza, which I ran to pick up from the local pizza place, and around 6PM, me, Helen, and Vanessa all hung out in the break room eating pizza and chatting for an hour.
It was the first time all three of us had sat down to chat like that. They wanted to pay me, but I told them the pizza was on me... and we agreed to do it again before Thanksgiving... and get Chinese next time.
With money in the bank, my thoughts turned to Snoop & Prowly, and their future as outdoor cats.
They're getting bigger everyday and will be full grown before winter is over... and as they get bigger, they're getting a bit antsy about the world beyond the house.
They get to go explore downstairs with me every night when I come home from work and go down to hang out with Dad, but...
Upstairs here, I also have windows looking out, North, South, East, and West... so I've been leaving the blinds open as much as possible for them, so that they can get an understanding of the world outside.
And because the warm weather has held up so long, they've been able to spend a lot of time in two different windows, with just the screens... hearing & smelling the world in real time, as well as seeing it.
And especially when all the leaves were falling and blowing around out there, they were watching that and doing those little cat calls, saying they wanted to get out there and chase those leaves around!
At any rate, today, on Amazon, I bought them collars.
It took a while to find the right ones, but... they're getting reflective, breakaway cat collars, with stainless steel info tags that clip onto, rather than dangle down from, the collars.
Way back in the day, I tried to introduce Jet and Mauli to collars... after they were adults who had been outdoor cats for over a year, and it did not go well.
Mauli was an adept hunter by then, and did NOT appreciate the dangly, jangly info tag hanging from her neck... because it gave away her position, while out on the prowl!
Next thing I knew, she'd come in the cat door at night, NUDE!
Then I'd find her collar sitting in the grass outside the next day.
I kept putting it back on her, but it kept mysteriously coming off, until one day, I actually caught her in the act, outside, of removing it!
She just shoved her paw up behind the collar, and kept pushing at it, until the breakaway clasp... broke away. Then she shook it off, and went on her way!
But Mauli also TAUGHT Jet, and my other two cats, at the time, Wylie, and little Eli, how to do the same trick! So it quickly became pointless to keep putting their collars back on, because they'd just remove them immediately!
I had to give up!
So, this time around, my hope is that I can get Snoop & Prowly used to wearing their collars while they're still younger, and not outdoor cats yet!
And if that works, then when they do graduate to outdoor cats... they might not have any problem continuing to wear the collars, because their info tags will not be all jingly and jangly giving away their positions!
If I'm successful in getting them so accustomed to their collars that they don't even think about them, while outdoors... I'll feel a lot better about them being out there on their own!
For one thing, any neighbors who spot them will know at a glance that they're owned cats, just by the collars.
For the second thing, because the collars are reflective, if they do venture across the street, late at night, they'll be immediately visible to drivers.
And for the third thing, if one gets truly lost, their tag will have my phone number, and tell of their address.
Jet & Mauli lived on a large rental property, with sprawling courtyards, fairly far from the main roads. And I did train them to stay away from the roads. So they never got into trouble.
But this is a different neighborhood, on a grid, and times have changed... so there aren't as many outdoor cats as there used to be.
My main concern is just letting others know these cats are owned... because they're wearing collars... followed by cars being able to see them at night.
But, I'm not super concerned they'll ever run away and get lost.
They've already been trained to recognize me as their guy!.. they answer to my calls... and now, after they go downstairs with me... they will follow me back upstairs without my even calling them!
They just see that I'm heading up, and run past me to beat me back to our flat!
So... they're minding me... but, as I said above, they're getting the 360 view of the yard and the neighborhood, through our windows up here, which means, when it does come time to allow them outside... with me... they'll have a good idea of where they are, in relationship to the house... and mind me well enough to come back inside after I've let them explore a bit.
The final step will be a cat door up here in a window, which will allow them to come and go as they please... once they're grown up and have the full grasp of everything.
Once they can come and go as they please... they begin to have their own lives, independent from mine, which frees me up to go back to working full time.
It also takes the pressure off me to keep them constantly entertained.
That's how it went the last time around.
I did look into UPS cat collars that can track the cats, and show you where they've been out there on the map at night... or where they currently are, if they're not inside.
I'd love to have these eventually, but... the collars are 45 bucks a pop... they require batteries... and they also require a monthly subscription to a tracking app for your phone.
Maybe someday... but for now... reflective breakaway's with info tags are what I can afford... and will keep them safe down the line, when they finally graduate.
°¦}
