We have a little cat recovering from surgery after being hospitalized for almost a week. The "breakaway" collar she was wearing didn't break away when it slipped under one of her front legs and cut into her body as she struggled. If she weren't found by a neighbor after three weeks, she would have died in her incapacitated and infected condition.
This isn't the only time we have seen terrible injuries and deaths caused by so-called release collars. First, it was a cat who almost suffocated when the S-hook on her collar caught onto on an appliance in her home. As she tried to escape, the collar twisted and tightened around her neck. It did not release. By luck, she was found just after she passed out and with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, she started breathing again. Another few minutes and she would have been dead.
Cats choke to death when their collars catch on projections such as little branches when they are outside and, as we have seen, even at home. Even though they may not have the advantage of carrying identification, the far greater advantage of not wearing a collar is clear. And, of course, there is not the slightest excuse for any cat to wear a flea collar which causes nerve damage besides being a hanging hazard.
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