Putting a collar on your cat can seem daunting – but it needn’t be! Here at Supakit we’ve helped thousands of cats around the world discover the joys of wearing cat collars, and we’d love to share what we’ve learned along the way with you. Here’s our simple step-by-step guide to get your cat wearing their collar happily in no time at all…
We’ve written this guide so that it applies to all breakaway cat collars, but if you’d like to stack the odds in your favour we’d recommend that you use our ultra-soft breakaway cat collars (they’re so lightweight & comfortable that our mailbox is full of customers telling us that their cats didn’t even notice that they had their Supakit collar on!)
1. GET RELAXED
The first thing to do is take a deep breath and relax, so that your cat will feel relaxed too! If your internal monologue is telling you that you’re a bad cat parent for disrupting your cat’s peace and quiet with the arrival of a new collar, don’t forget that putting a collar and ID tag on your cat is one of the most important things you can do to keep your cat safe from harm.
2. STRIP THE COLLAR BACK
To get started, begin by removing everything dangly from the collar. This includes bells, identity tags, charms – anything but the plain band of the collar.
Once your cat has got used to wearing their collar, you can introduce those things gradually. But to start off, let’s keep things nice and simple.
3. OPEN THE COLLAR UP
Next, open your cat’s collar up. For a breakaway collar, you’ll do this by pulling the band firmly apart either side of the breakaway buckle.
4. ADJUST THE COLLAR LENGTH
If your collar is adjustable (all Supakit collars are), adjust the length so that it is in the right ballpark for your cat – see below.
If your cat is switching over from another collar, you can measure up off that one. If it’s their first collar, you can use your fingers to measure your cat’s neck while stroking them, and then use that as a rough guide when adjusting the length of the collar.
THE PERFECT FIT
Supakit collars are designed to sit close to your cat’s body. When the collar is done up, you should be able to slide one fingertip only (flat to your cat) between your cat’s body and their collar. We’ll talk a little more about the perfect fit in step 9.
5. GATHER SOME TREATS
Gather together a few tasty treats – whether it’s cooked chicken, cheese, or our homemade tuna cat treats… whatever gets your cat going. And you’re good to go!
6. FIRST ENCOUNTERS
Hold the collar up about 30cm away your cat, and let them inspect it.
How did it go?
- My cat wasn’t interested in the collar at all
If your cat is relaxed in the presence of the collar, that’s great news. You can head straight on to the next step. - My cat has given the collar a good sniff / inspection
Perfect – once your cat has given the collar a good inspection, head on to the next step. They may try to claw at or play with the collar. Don’t let go of the collar if they do. Just progress smoothly to step 7.
7. PUTTING YOUR CAT’S COLLAR ON
Get into a position where your cat is facing you head on. I know this is a ridiculous thing to say because the chances of a cat staying still for even one second are slim. But try your best!
Then, holding the far ends of the collar in each hand, slide the collar under your kitty’s chin and WHOOP! do it up at the top, with as little hesitation as possible.
This manoeuvre will take some practice so don’t worry if you get it wrong at first.
How did it go?
- Success! We’ve got the collar on
That’s great! You’re ready to head to the next step. - My cat keeps running away
If your cat keeps running away, you can try asking someone to hold your cat in their arms while you put their collar on (still approaching them from the front). Take your lead from your cat. If they have a mortal fear of being picked up, then picking them up AND introducing a collar is probably not going to go well. On the other hand if they don’t mind being held at all, then this might be an easier option!
8. TAKE STOCK
Take a moment to judge your cat’s reaction to having their new collar on.
How are they feeling?
- My cat isn’t bothered at all
Great! Give them a tasty treat and head straight on to the next step. - My cat is giving me a death stare!
It’s quite common to find yourself on the receiving end of a kitty death stare at this stage. Don’t worry, it won’t last! It’s just your cat telling you how much it hates having to work out how it feels about new things. This is a good time to give your cat their treat and reward them with lots of praise. When their death stare starts to soften, head on to the next step! - My cat is reacting very badly to their collar
It can be unnerving, but it’s not unusual for a cat to react to their new collar by running around like a crazy thing, rolling around on the floor, or pawing at their new collar. Let them do all of these things, it’s part of the vetting process. Don’t rush over in a panic thinking ‘I’m the worst cat parent in the world’ and take the collar off again. Just supervise them and wait for them to begin to calm down. When that calm starts to descend and you sense that they are teetering on the brink of a decision about whether this collar is going in the ‘OK’ or ‘NOT OK’ mental box, it’s time to deploy the treats! Give your cat some of the tasty treats you’ve assembled and watch their mistrust start to melt and soften. ‘Oh, this collar thing comes with snacks? Well then…’
9. CHECK FIT
Give your cat a little stroke to reassure them that all is well, and take the opportunity to check their collar. Make sure you haven’t trapped any of their fur in the buckle when you did it up (if you did, just unclasp it and do it straight back up again, taking care to clear their fur out of the way).
Check the fit too – remember, you want to be able to slide one fingertip only between your cat’s body and their collar. If the fit isn’t quite right, try to estimate how much longer/shorter you need the collar to be, take it off, adjust and put it on again, following the exact same process as above.
Take care to get the fit right for your cat. A good close fit is important for safety (it reduces snags and makes sure your cat can’t get their collar in their mouth). But it’s also comfier for your cat too! A closely fitted collar cuts down on any sensations of the collar moving across their fur.
10. BUILD UP TIME IN THE COLLAR
All you have to do now is shower your cat with love and affection and pat yourself on the back for doing so well! Try to leave the collar on your cat for an hour or so before removing it on this first encounter, and then build up over the next few days until they are wearing their collar full time. Continue to offer your cat treats and lots of praise while you do so.
Eventually, if their collar is comfortable enough, they’ll soon forget it’s even there! Then you can finally start to add things back to the collar, like bells or ID tags – remembering that each one of these will be vetted by your cat. The good news is that you can use the exact same process you used for the collar (sniff first + treats + building up time of exposure) to reassure them that these things are OK too.
Best of luck, and if you need any help or advice, feel free to leave us a comment below or send an email to hello@supakit.co – we’ll be very happy to help out!