So… How Do Stop Cat Collars Work?

By ENHANCING the UV PROPERTIES of our collars we are INCREASING the VISIBILITY of your CAT (the predator) to the birds AND other wildlife during both day and night, dawn and dusk, when birds are at their most vulnerable.

Our BIRD SAVER – HI VIZ cat collars give excellent visibility during both day time to birds and other wildlife and night times making your cat more visible to cars and other road traffic with a reflective trim around the edge for night time visibility – (helps make cats appear larger to cars and other cats) and OUR ALL IMPORTANT – UNIQUE UVR REFLECTORS – which act like 100’s of mirrors reflecting the UV rays back towards the birds, birds have the ability to see colours in the UV spectrum and these are the colours that BIRDS SEE BEST – Allied with our dual tone bird saver & wildlife bells makes this collar an ideal all round addition to your cats wardrobe keeping your cat safe at night, audible during the day and night and ultimately more visible to birds and wildlife 24/7.

PLUS – EVERY COLLAR BENEFITS FROM OUR UNIQUE TRACKING SYSTEM – which has helped reunite many lost collars, cats & kittens with their owners.

So whether you want added protection for night time prowlers – higher visibility 24/7 to make others aware of your pusskins presence or just loud bells to alert other living things – this might just be the collar for you

RECENT REPORTS REGARDING CATS HUNTING HABITS

Research shows that brightly colored, wide cat collars (often scrunchie-style covers like StopCat) reduce bird predation.

Cats are stealthy hunters, they need to avoid being seen while stalking prey. Research shows a significant reduction in song birds caught by cats wearing a bright ruffle type of collar.

This collar does not physically stop your cat from catching birds but it does alert birds (and other wildlife) by giving both visible and audible warnings that the cat is close by thus allowing the cats’ prey the opportunity to escape.
Cats are believed to be responsible for the deaths of 55 million birds in Britain every year and have been blamed for contributing to the long term declines of garden birds like the house sparrow.

Populations of other garden birds, such as the robin and dunnock, are also said to suffer from predation by cats.
Dr Tim Harrison, from the BTO, said cats were able to reduce the effectiveness of bells through careful movements. By keeping their heads still as they stalk, the sound of the bell is reduced. “It is fascinating that you have this animal that can try to compensate for this bell put round its neck.[1]

The bell will warn potential prey of the cat’s approach. Cats eventually learn to walk without ringing the bell and pet owners are therefore encouraged to regularly change the bell [2]

References
1. Jasper Copping. “Change your cat’s bell to save birds”, telegraph.co.uk, 30 May 2010.
2. Anton Karis. “Katter dödar 16 miljoner fåglar om året” (at 8 min), Studio Ett, Sveriges radio, 28 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.

 

THE PROS & CONS OF BELLS
A number of studies have looked at whether or not bells help prey escape from cats, and the general consensus is yes! Bells on collars seem to reduce the amount of prey caught by about half, which could be enough to no longer pose a threat to ecosystems.

Effectiveness aside, many pet parents worry that a bell will hurt their cat’s ears. According to Veterinary PhD student Rachel Malakani, a collar bell will produce sound at about 50-60 dB, but studies have shown cats to be unaffected by sounds under 80 dB. While some cats with anxiety may not react well to the bell’s sound, it’s likely that the majority of cats simply won’t care.

Some owners worry that as well as alerting prey, a bell would also alert large predators to a cat’s presence. While this is possible, given most predators acute hearing, it’s unlikely that the relatively quiet noise of a bell would make the difference between your cat getting detected or not. If you live in an area where your cat is at risk of being attacked by large animals you should probably be keeping your cat indoors anyway, or at least supervise their outdoor activities. You can also invest in a cat enclosure, which will allow your feline to enjoy the fresh air safely!

 

BELL ALTERNATIVES

If you’re unwilling to put a bell on your furry buddy, you do have another option – cat bibs. these devices are brightly coloured to alert potential prey to the cat’s presence before they can pounce. While your cat might look a bit silly wearing a rainbow bib, the scientific research on these products shows they reduce predation rates by roughly the same amount as bells. That said, the devices that rely on colour to alert potential prey work much better on birds (who have very good colour vision) than they do on small mammals (who generally have quite poor vision).

If you’re scared of attaching any collars or collar-mounted devices to your felines – you shouldn’t be. While fears that cats can become strangled or trapped by a collar caught on debris are common, actual adverse effects from collars are rare. One study looked at 107 veterinarian practices and found only one collar-related injury per every 2.3 years, with collar-related deaths being even rarer. You can mitigate your fears further by using a breakaway collar.

If your cat ventures outdoors, especially if you live in an area with endangered species, please do your part to aid conservation efforts by outfitting your kitty with an anti-hunting device.

Ada McVean, BSc
Ada has a B.Sc. from McGill University with a double major in chemistry and gender studies, where she recently started a master’s degree in chemistry. She has been writing for the McGill Office for Science and Society since 2016 and spends her spare time cleaning up after her guinea pigs and gecko.