The RSPCA has issued a warning over the hazards of cat collars after a cat is left with an terrible damage.
Black and white cat Geoff was discovered straying in Zetland Road, Stockton-on-Tees final month together with his leg caught in his flea collar which had precipitated a nasty damage as he tried to wrestle free.
Thankfully, a member of the general public noticed his plight and contacted the RSPCA and Inspector Krissy Raine got here to his rescue.
She mentioned: “This poor cat had received his leg caught in a flea collar and as he struggled to get his paw free he precipitated a nasty damage beneath his armpit. Sadly, we do see cats coming into our care with accidents attributable to collars which actually highlights simply how harmful these sorts of collars will be when cats can so simply get caught in them.”
Cats are pure hunters and curious explorers and luxuriate in pushing by tight spots, so it’s crucial that any collar is designed to free the cat ought to they turn out to be snagged and they also don’t get their leg caught.
A fast-release collar is designed to snap open when tugged with ample pressure and may make sure that a cat is launched from its collar in the event that they turn out to be caught.
Elasticated collars, flea collars, or collars with buckles that don’t launch with out human assist can go away cats struggling to free themselves when their legs turn out to be caught – inflicting horrific and typically deadly accidents.
Alice Potter, the RSPCA’s cat welfare professional, mentioned: “This serves as an necessary reminder to cat house owners to solely use fast launch collars on their pets as different collars will be deadly.
“All too typically we get known as to cats which have turn out to be injured because of a collar as there are too many harmful collars on sale. We would strongly advise in opposition to buying a collar with buckles that don’t snap open, or collars comprised of elastic.
“The majority of flea collars are additionally not advisable as they don’t have security buckles, so we’d encourage pet house owners to prioritise security first and provides your cat flea remedy one other approach.
“The most dependable method to determine your cat is to have them microchipped quite than having a collar and tag which can fade over time, or hinder them once they discover.
“It can also be much better to should pay for a brand new collar in case your pet has misplaced theirs than to should pay for pressing veterinary remedy when your pet turns into injured because of its collar.”
Geoff was taken to RSPCA Great Ayton Animal Centre for remedy the place the employees have been working exhausting to patch him up and provides him some much-needed TLC.
He is now utterly healed and will likely be accessible for rehoming quickly.