Warning against unsafe collars after badly injured cat rescued
A Gateshead cat charity has warned against the use of dangerous pet collars after a sweet-natured stray was found with a severe injury to her front leg.
Locals in the Ashington area had seen a limping cat with a collar trapped around her neck and front leg.
A member of the public was able to feed and build confidence with her before contacting their local Cats Protection branch at East Northumberland for help.
The volunteer fosterers – who named her Chilli - got her immediate veterinary treatment and likely saved her leg from amputation. But despite topical treatment and care, the infected wound was not healing. After advertising and leaflets around the area resulted in nobody coming forward to claim her, the branch drafted in the charity’s Tyneside Adoption Centre to help.
In consultation with the centre’s vet, the decision was made to operate.
Adoption centre manager Emzi Frater said: “The branch fosterers made sure to get Chilli the immediate help she needed but with armpit wounds like this they are in such an awkward place they can struggle to ever fully heal. Surgical intervention gave her the best chance to get rid of necrotic tissue and allow her to live a normal life again.”
Chilli was first brought into branch care in January and transferred to the adoption centre at the beginning of March. The collar, and her trusting, friendly nature, suggested that she was someone’s pet but she was not microchipped and repeated appeals on websites and social media proved unsuccessful.
Emzi added: “Chilli is such a sweet girl and the fact that she had a collar and had been neutered before coming into our care suggest she has had a loving home at some point but nobody has come forward for her in all this time. The treatment and recovery has been hard for Chilli but she has kept her lovely temperament throughout – in fact that’s how she got her name, she’s just so chilled out despite what a difficult time she’s had.
“The whole team are so pleased that she has now made a full recovery from this terrible injury, and living life on the streets, and is ready and looking for her new home. We’d love to see her matched with a special new owner who can turn her luck around.”
To find out more about the adoption process, visit https://www.cats.org.uk/tyneside/adopt-a-cat
Sarah Elliott, Cats Protection’s Central Veterinary Officer, said: “We have seen too many injuries caused by collars, where cats have got caught while playing, hunting or trying to escape from danger.
“A cat’s leg or jaw may become caught in an elasticated or ill-fitting collar and this can result in serious injury. In their desperation to get clear, their legs can get stuck under the collar or the collar can travel down around their chest, getting tighter and biting into their body and causing open sores.”
Cats Protection believes that all owned cats should be identified in order to trace their owner should they become lost or injured. The preferred method of identification is an implanted microchip as this is permanent and safe.
If an owner also chooses to fit a collar with their contact details attached, the charity advises that only a 'quick release' or snap-opening collar is ever used - not an elasticated one. Then the cat would be less likely to be trapped should the collar become caught or tangled, keeping it safer from injury or death.
Making sure the collar fits correctly is important. Two fingers should fit snugly underneath the collar to ensure safety and comfort and any damaged collars should be replaced immediately. Cats Protection’s advice on the use of collars is here: www.cats.org.uk/choosing-a-cat-collar