One of our dogs disappeared for two days. Then on my way home I got a frantic call from my wife that he had come home but his leg was in a bear trap.

Turned out to be a coyote trap and there was a plastic link on the chain that attached it to the tree or whatever, that he had chewed through then limped home on three legs. If not for that link, he'd probably have died out there since the person who set it was clearly not checking it every 24 hours as required by law.

Luckily he was big enough that the trap couldn't close tightly enough to damage his leg and he was running around fine by the next day.

Depending where you live contact information may be required to be permanently attached to the trap. Glad to hear your dog is okay.

Each trap has a unique ID that should be traceable to an owner. We happened to know someone who worked for Animal Control and he was looking into it, but I don't recall how that worked out.

Interesting, is the plastic link meant to make it escapable by animals larger than a coyote?

I don't know. I'd think that a coyote would probably escape the same way if so.

My cat will remove them within 20 minutes, never to be found. I've reluctantly settled on the non-safety collar after losing a half dozen. Although if I equipped one with RFID I could at least have a shot at locating his stash!

My cat used to do the same. But then I found out that she likes the color red (or orange). Once I switched to that collar it would only come off every few days and seemed more like an accident. She also likes the bell and when she first got it would proudly walk in a way that made a lot of noise.

So idk if this helps, but maybe try different colors and configurations and find what your cat likes. Also tightness has a lot to do with it.

Maybe replace the elastic section with a loop of fishing line that's rated at 1/4th the cat's weight (loop having 2x the rated strength). Too strong for the cat to remove, but will snap under their own weight.

Or the cat might be OK with the breakaway collar now, due to "learned helplessness".

What about a harness design?

I think that would be even more likely to snag on something.

edit -- but of course danging by something other than a neck might be preferable...

One of our cats removes hers within minutes. She purrs when you put it back on - I think she sees it as a game. :)

From what I can tell at least 90% of cats see annoying humans as a game.

PSA: Keep your cats inside. They will live longer, healthier, and so will the birds.

And if they are indoor make sure they have areas to run around, be sure to play with them (they are a pet! They are your responsibility!), and watch their diet (often people let them get too fat and it takes awhile for cats to lose weight).

> and watch their diet (often people let them get too fat and it takes awhile for cats to lose weight).

Given the crap that barely passes for industry pet "food" it's hard to keep an indoor animal slim (it's easier for dogs though since us can openers take them out for walks regularly). Pet foods are made to look and smell appealing primary to us can opener humans, not the pets. And dry foods are even worse for cats and dogs - they are used to stuff like grain as small part of the mice and other rodents they naturally eat, not as filler material.

PSA: Get your pets high quality food that is similar in composition to what they'd eat in nature and not highly processed crap. You don't diet on frozen pizza, burgers and full sugar soda all year, so please don't feed your pets the equivalent.

I agree that you should get them good quality food and not the cheapest, but that doesn't mean "let them hunt and kill birds and mice." Not only does that lead to the decimation of bird populations (cats kill for sport) but your cat will have more health problems as they are much more likely to be exposed to worms, fleas, parasites, and fights. The life expectancy of an outdoor cat is significantly lower than that of an indoor cat.

And you are encouraged to take your cats on walks. My friend runs a line across his backyard and attaches the cat's harness to it. She gets to run around and the bell makes birds very aware of her presence. Telling people to keep them inside doesn't mean you don't play with them (I explicitly said the opposite). I should refine that you shouldn't let them roam outside. On a leash is fine.

People don't realize this, but you can in fact train cats. My cat does tricks.

Props for bird lives. It's amazing how many people don't realise cats kill for sport, and unlike a dog for example, can't be trained not to do so.

Rats ravage bird nests also, is not a simple equation.

Where do you live that the coyotes don't get the cats before they kill all the birds?

Scotland. Not everywhere in the world has coyotes.

Swarming with them here in London. Can't move for the things.

Pretty much everywhere I lived people would have their cats outside and do fine. They only got caught by the coyotes when young, old, or unlucky. So in the mean time they're killing birds. Either way, keep them inside anyways.

Once on my way from work I saw a cat jumping and catching its collar in the fence and choking. Fortunately I got there quick and released the poor thing.

We've gone through a lot of collars with our cat and he seems to tolerate the neoprene and velcro type the most. The brand I'm familiar with is Beastie Bands. They're more secure than I imagined and fit loosely without snagging or easily pulling off. Additionally, it seems to generate less matting, which is a plus.

Do they still sell rigid collars?

Yes. And that's not all that bad if you use them to go for a walk with the cat, like with a dog on a leash (but then a harness is better). But it's a real problem if the cat is alone. The veterinarian looked so damn sad when talking about how important those breakaway collars are...

If you're walking them get a harness (same for a dog). Don't pull on the neck, pull on the body. This is not only better for them but you'll have more control.

I can recommend the Kitty Holster: http://www.kittyholster.com/

Ha.. thanks. going to try out on my outdoor+indoor hybrid cat to see if i can take it for a walk.

Advice: be patient, use the various techniques to get your cat acclimated that are listed on the site.

Ultimately, how cats deal with being harnessed even after being acclimated is extremely individual personality-dependent. I've seen some happily walk like dogs. Mine don't particularly want to walk alongside people and very quickly want to go off under plants or other places where they can hide and stalk, and where people can't easily go. We take them out for as long as both they and we can stand, and don't jerk them around.

The Kitty Holster type harness is significantly less escape-prone than say the PetSafe style of nylon straps, and probably less uncomfortable as well.

The term for this is "break-away collar" if that helps.

I’ve also seen them referred to as “safety collars”.