When training your cat, choosing a training collar is an essential decision. Deciding to use a training collar for your cat can be very beneficial, as long as you use common sense in which training collar you decide to use. However, some cats may not be very receptive to the use of a training collar, and trying to force a collar onto your cat can be disastrous. Some cats may even develop behavioral problems from training collars, so it is always best to use caution. Here is some important information regarding training collars, to help you to decide if you wish to use a training collar for your cat.
ELECTRIC COLLAR
Most training collars available for cats are meant as a means of control for your cat, without the use of a leash. These collars contain an electric device, which is able to give your cat a low-level electric shock as soon as they misbehave. These collars are often used for cat owners who wish to take their cats outdoors, since it gives them maximum control over their cat’s actions. Most electric cat training collars are available in the pet training section of most pet supply stores.
AROMATHERAPY COLLAR
As a modification to the electric collar, some cat training collars are developed to use a different means of persuasion. These collars are designed to release a sudden burst of a specific scent. Most of these scents are modified so that they induce a calming effect on a cat, and lower their activity level. Over time, cats that use this type of collar become more obedient, since they have learned that hyperactive behavior induces a strong olfactory response from their collar.
POTENTIAL NEGATIVE FACTORS
It has been suggested by many different pet behavioral experts that training collars can actually be very harmful to your cat. The electric shock provided by most training collars is very low, though it does have the potential to cause serious harm. For example, if the training collar becomes wet, it may emit a high-level electric shock, causing potential injury to your cat.
Also, cats are very independent animals, and may not respond well to the use of training collars. Some cats will associate the pain response that an electric collar produces with their owner, and may begin to become depressed. Electric collars are a type of fear-based training, which is usually not very effectively used on cats.
In addition to this, the use of a collar also presents a choking hazard to your cat. Cats are natural explorers, with a tendency to love hiding in tight places. However, it is possible that a collar may become caught on a fence, branch, or other object, which presents the danger of strangulation to a cat.
If you are concerned about using a training collar on your cat, it is best to use common sense. Try training your cat without the use of an electric collar, utilizing positive reinforcement instead. Motivate your cat to practice good behavior by the use of treats, special food, or catnip rewards. This type of training is much gentler, and may be much more successful in training your cat.
15 Responses to “Cat Training Collars”
Greetings! We have a new addition to our home, Whiskey (aka Shadow), making it a two-cat house. The new one, a 2- to 3-year-old former stray, likes to “sing” at all hours of the night. We didn’t know this when we adopted him because for the first week here, he stayed hidden, and he was simply a-freaking-dorable the second week. We’re now approaching the one-month mark and he won’t shut up! I’ve never heard so many vocalizations from a cat before! Scales and arias galore! It’s like he’s warming up for an encore performance of “Cats.” Maybe we should rename him “Mr. Mistoffelees.”
I’ve been researching shocking collars for cats, but I haven’t found any that are sound-activated like the ones for dogs. I’m tempted to buy an anti-barking collar (maybe there are some for small dogs) and modify it.
Thoughts?
Thank you.
My male cat is healthy and neutered but still sprays all over my house, ugh! He is sweet but will not interact with the other two cats, only the third cat, female. How/what can I do to stop him from ruining my home. I am embarrised to have friends over because the house reeks!!!!!
We have an out side cat that chases all the other cats every time the go out side to potty. He’s a sweet cat, except if he diecides to torture the other cats. He protects them from the other toms in the area but turns around to torture them the next minute. I would like a shock collar to shock he only when he decides to chase the other cats when they have already told him no in their own way. He won’t associate the shock with me and he not just playing so I know the behavior needs to stop or he will have to go to the kill shelter since the other cats can’t even potty in peace. Does any one know of a shock collar for cats with a decent remote?
How to stop a 8+ year old Bengal male cat from meowing? Without any side effects associated from inforcing.
Any for sure ideas that have worked?
I love both my cats very much. My cats have always regulated their own food intake. I have always had some sort of a large dispenser that I just fill up when it’s out of food. Recently I found out one of my cats has diabetes so I had to change his diet, feeding habits, and give him insulin shots twice a day. This created a problem because my other cat has a dominance issue with food and will push the diabetic cat out of the way when he’s eating even if he’s not hungry. Often times he would actually overeat and then vomit in various places around the house (usually my bed). I work twelve hours a day so manual feedings were next to impossible to pull off, but I needed to closely regulate my diabetic cats food intake.
The only solution I was able to come up with worked very well.
I purchased 2 automatic cat food dispensers.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004SBSNB0/ref=oh_o06_s00_i00_details
And a proximity based shock collar that is adjustable from 1 to 6 ft radius. This one in particular is approved for use with cats.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000A76ZYS/ref=oh_o05_s00_i00_details
I simply placed the proximity box on top of my diabetic cat’s food dispenser in a separate part of the house, and the collar on my other cat. I did not want to put anything on my cats that I didn’t try on myself first. This particular collar beeps first, then gives off small ¼ second pulse shocks at increasing voltage each time if the collar stays within the proximity area. I went up to the maximum voltage on myself and although it was uncomfortable it is nothing I would classify as torture or inhumane. It only took 4 days of training and I was able to remove the collar, the proximity sensor, and never use it again. Now my dominant cat does not enter that 2 ft area of the house and does not disturb my other cat while he is eating. In the 4 days I think the cat was only shocked once, all the other times he would move out of range when he heard the beep and before the first shock went off. After training my cat with the dominance problem not to eat of my diabetic cats dish I did the same training on my diabetic cat so that he would not eat out of the other cat’s dish. My cats are both over 13 years old and they had never worn a collar before. Neither of them had any problem with the collar. The dominant oveater cat is very hairy so I did have to take him to the vet to get him shaved prior to this. It is very important with the collar that it have contact with the skin or else it will only work part of the time.
Cats are different than dogs and most trainers recommend against a button press shock collar because cats will quickly associate the pain with the owner and hate you for it. Since the shocks occur while the owner is not there with this unit and they occur every time the cat is doing something wrong, this is a perfect solution for lots of cat training options with minimal effort and time involvement on the owner part. This is a perfectly humane solution to train cats to not get on counters and other places you don’t want them to go. It can even be effective at preventing cats from going to common spraying spots in the house. Unlike water bottles, this works 100% of the time. I found that when I squirted my cats for being on the counter or table, they would just simply not go in those places when I was home and close to a spray bottle. I would still find paw prints on the countertops after being gone for the day.
Please believe me when I say, I’m not interested in solving my cats’ perceived “problems”. Their “problem” seems to be that they want to be fed at 4 or 5 in the morning, when I’m sleeping. They are fed the best food, twice a day, and are wanting for nothing — attention, toys, companionship, they really do get everything they need and are quite plump little examples of domestic cats. They just get bored and want to scratch on the bedroom door and meow pitifully very early in the morning. They’re ruining the finish on the door and making me want to declaw them back to their ample waistlines. So, as an alternative, I’m going to get shock collars for them, and when they scratch on the door tomorrow I’m going to immediately, without further ado, light them up like little Christmas trees. I think behavior modification is a wonderful thing, it works great with dogs and doesn’t harm the animal. And, if they so desire, they can work out their problems with their little psyches amongst themselves at their leisure.
Super feeders make bulletproof automatic cat feeders. I use two of them and they take care of their early morning cravings.
Shock collars are a negative reinforcer. The question of a shock collar brings into question just how well the owner can interpret and sovle behavior problems in cats.’
Same here. And to try to curb meowing. As far as I know, instant correction is what forms the greatest deterrent to unwanted behavior. Scratching and other things can be cured if you can discipline them quickly. That said, whenever I have walked into PetSmart and asked about shock collars for cats, the employees give me this weird look like I have just grown a third arm.
Or worse, assure me that it is a horrible idea, because the cats will never forgive me.
So where can I find one? I can only find toy dog collars. Please feel free to email me at iceman0486@gmail.com if you have any pointers.
Face Man-
I realize that you posted this back in February, but I thought I’d respond anyway. My mom had a cat that had a bad habit of scratching her antique couches, and she did something that really worked. She put double stick tape on the edges of the couches. When the cat would go to scratch the couch, the tape stuck to its paws and freaked the cat out. Eventually the cat became scared of the couch and stopped it. It was quite difficult not to laugh at the poor animal the first few times it tried to scratch! It was very, very effective. This also works for keeping your cat off the couches, too. She would put the double stick tape on the living room couch cushions, and so the cat ended up only getting on the couches in the informal family room. Just remember to take the tape off when you’re expecting company!
I’m looking here because I’m at my wit’s end with my stupid cat and her furniture destruction. Spraying her hasn’t helped, redirecting her to her scratch pad (which she does use!) hasn’t helped, nor has rewarding her for using the scratch pad. I can’t afford new furniture and I hate that my previously well-maintained sofa looks its age. This REALLY annoys me. I’m not a neat freak, but I try to maintain things. Now this damn cat has just about trashed it and she’s starting on the furniture in my bedroom. My goal with a collar would be to give her a little negative feedback when she scratches at it and to not obviously being the one pushing the button. If done in a sly way, will this work? I don’t want to torture her, that’s not the goal here, but I just want her to stop trashing my place!
Nothing wrong with cat schock collars ! I use them eveyday on all my cats, keeps them inline.
Can you tell me were I can purchase a cat shock collar we have three cats and the youngest one as cute as she is, keeps us up all night crying we are hoping this will teach her not to cry all night long please email me with any info you have thank you lviolette123@gmail.com
where did you purchase your cat collar?
I want to keep mine from climbing the fence.
I have already had one cat killed by the neighbors dog. Sure do not want to loose these two. i have put alot of money and extra fencing, but they can still jump up on a wooden fence. Thanks, Janis
Cats should be trained early on, starting when a kitten is around 8 weeks old. Generally, a kitten that is raised together with a mother that uses the litter tray will learn to use the tray itself. Cats generally are not difficult to toilet train. For one, they have the instinct already to bury their wastes. Thus all that is needed is to provide a litter tray. Before any training commences, make sure you have the right litter box.