I don't know why, but my pets are entirely too intelligent. My dog knew how to open gates, children gates, and the sliding door. My bird knew how to open it's cage and change the channel with a remote. My cat know how to remove collars. I can deal with the other stuff, but if someone makes a call on my cat it'll end up in a shelter somewhere never to be seen again. So I need a collar it can't get out of or an idea for how to keep on a collar. I'm desperate guys.
My dogs are houdini too, with their collars constantly falling off which drives me crazy. I honestly don't know how to keep them on especially since they need their tags on them in case they got out. If you find a way to keep your cats collar let me know lol. One thing you can do to ensure that your cat won't be lost forever is get it microchipped so you can be rest assured that he will be able to be traced back to you. About your other pets, they DO seem very intelligent!
Do you let your cat outside? I'm assuming yes because you mention he can end up in the shelter. The problem with collars is this: breakaway collars (also called safety collars) are pretty easy for a cat to remove on it's own, but non breakaway collars can pose a danger for your cat, specially a cat that's allowed outdoors. If your cat's collar gets caught on something and it's not a safety collar it could injure him. My recommendation would be to get your cat micro chipped if he's allowed outside. The way I got my cats to wear collars was simple, I started them with a non breakaway collar. No matter how much they tried they couldn't take it off. After they where used to it I switched it with the safety collar and now they don't take it off. But my cats never go outside so it was much less risk of danger to have them wear the non safety collar for a while.
I think the best way to ensure that your cat won't get lost is to get it microchipped. I read that it only costs $45, so even if it's a bit pricey, you can just consider it as an investment for your cat's welfare and for your peace of mind. By the way, does your bird see you using the remote control? Because it might just be imitating your actions, you know?
Ahh... I tried putting collars on my cats, too, so I can attach a name tag on them. However, the ones I usually buy for them are the retractable ones. That way, even if they get stuck somewhere, they won't hurt their necks. I saw our neighbor's cat without a retractable leash get trapped on a fence. It wasn't a pretty sight. Thankfully, the cat was rescued in time. Anyway, if I were you, I would just microchip the cat. It's much safer. Cats really don't like collars, and no matter how much effort we put into looking for good collars, they will just break free.
I can't keep one on my cat either. Do they make harness type collars for cats? the kind that have straps behind the front legs? That could be an option. I agree with others here that you should get them microchipped. It gives me a good peace of mind that I will be able to find and identify my cat if she ever went missing.
