Our Cats Got Bright Red Hearts for Valentine’s Day—And Coordinated New Collars Too

This year – for Valentine’s Day -- I wanted to do something special for our cats. And -- what better way is there to show them how much we love them and want to keep them safe – than giving them new, bright red engraved hearts to flaunt – complete with our name, address and phone number? Although they’re all micro chipped – we know ID tags are the best way to get them back quickly -- if – god forbid –they ever get lost outdoors. Microchips only work when the cat ends up at a major shelter or goes to a clinic where a conscientious vet scans for a chip on a first “new home” examination. By the time either of these events happen, it may be weeks or months after your cat originally got away.


Why? Because when people find a lost cat outdoors – especially a friendly cat – they often jump to conclusions. They assume that -- since the cat doesn’t have a collar -- she doesn’t have a loving home – or was cruelly abandoned. If they’re attracted to the cat, they may rescue her by taking her home to live on a trial basis. Sometimes that works but often it creates a problem – especially if there are other pets and the guardian doesn’t know how to introduce the new cat to them Or, if the other family members don’t find the cat as attractive – the tension it creates often results in the cat being abandoned weeks or months later – or given to a rescue that may not be equipped with microchip scanners and may assume the cat was abandoned.

The statistics on recovering a lost cat are abysmal – but an in-your-face name tag is often the best way to ensure your cat comes back home. It’s hard to assume a cat was abandoned when they’re dangling their address around their neck. The microchip is important too – as a back-up -- if the collar comes off before the cat is found. There's always that possibility because a cat collar is intentionally designed to come off if the cat hooks it on something for the cat's safety.

No matter how careful you are, your indoor cat is vulnerable to getting out– it happens in a fraction of a second. If you try to catch your cat the situation often worsens, as the cat will bolt and run to get away from you. As hard as it is, it’s often better to observe them without moving quickly – so they don’t think you’re being aggressive. Unlike dogs who’ll run when they’re lost, cats simply hunker down in the closest and best hiding place they can find – often within feet of where they got out. They’ll stay hidden during daylight and come out between dusk and dawn –only to look for food or to try to find their way back home.

If you have a good general idea of where they are, your best option is to bait a live trap with the stinkiest canned cat food you can buy, and place it in the vicinity of where you lost the cat. Eventually she’ll get hungry enough to enter the trap. When she does, quickly cover it with a towel to calm her, and then bring her indoors torelease her.  If you can't trap her, hopefully the ID tag will be her best ticket back.   And -- even if you never lose your cat -- you can still admire how pretty she looks -- with a loving heart dangling from a color-coordinated collar.