Can You Get A Muzzle For A Cat?

[Mia S]

Hi,

I've got 4 cats and live on 10 acres in the country. I let them out into the garden every day, they chew some grass, run around, climb trees etc, but when I tell them to go inside they look like they've had army training, single file & in they go.

My only naughty cat today brought in a tiny finch, I chased him till he dropped it, the bird then flew into the wall so many times it started bleeding out of its beak - I hope its only a superficial wound.

As I don't want to restrict that cat's freedom, I was wondering if there are muzzles for cats? If so, has anyone tried using them? Cat enclosures are not an option right now until we move, so only the other 3 cats will be allowed out until I can find a solution. Is there anything else I can do? Help!

 

[Night61]

you can put a bell on there collar so that the wildlife can here them coming.

 

[Mia S]

I've tried that, for the cat's safety they have to have some stretch, so if the collar gets stuck on a branch, the cat can slip out of it. Unfortunately my cat has figured that out & just takes them of.

 

[raptorrex]

Hi,

I've got 4 cats and live on 10 acres in the country. I let them out into the garden every day, they chew some grass, run around, climb trees etc, but when I tell them to go inside they look like they've had army training, single file & in they go.

My only naughty cat today brought in a tiny finch, I chased him till he dropped it, the bird then flew into the wall so many times it started bleeding out of its beak - I hope its only a superficial wound.

As I don't want to restrict that cat's freedom, I was wondering if there are muzzles for cats? If so, has anyone tried using them? Cat enclosures are not an option right now until we move, so only the other 3 cats will be allowed out until I can find a solution. Is there anything else I can do? Help!

I'm afraid "such is life" if you keep a cat! apart from the bell collar mentioned above and keeping it in the house, this will always happen.(depending on the cat)

 

[Spannaz]

they get round that bell lark pretty soon i can tell you. have had cats for years and some will bring home "gifts" some don't. My last tom would bring home frogs that screamed all night, live birds to the bedroom, a MAGPIE!!! mice, you name it he'd bring it home. We tried bells, even had a ring of them on him, but he still cauhgt them. Living in the surroundings you do is something you'll have to get use to, alas its there way of giving you a present for being so nice, what you need to do is pay no attention to them when they bring it home, but when they drop it at your feet, be nice (as best you can).
We found restricting movents in the house when no one was at home is a very good idea, otherwise you may find visitors in strange places! lol

 

[JustKia]

My male (neutered) cat likes to bring pressies home. So I bought him a "liberator" http/www.woofnwhiskers.co.uk/liberator-c...llar-p-304.html
Unlike the bell, which is really annoying for cats as it tinkles constantly, the liberator is only triggered when the cat cat leaps for it's prey. It makes a loud bleeping noise and flashes a red led.
I gave my boy a warning (yeah, like he understood) that if he bought one more pressie home, dead or alive, that the collar would go on whenever he went out...
He didn't bring anything home last year, so hasn't had the collar on - maybe the warning was enough LOL

 

[millie1]

cats for ya...... their instinct

i think a muzzle would be dangerous if not slightly cruel lol (if there is one lol)

 

[EmeraldSapphirez]

We bought my female, Kiara 2 liberator collars. The first she took off, the second she drowned in some water! She really enjoyed hunting so we let her be now. It's in their nature and you can't escape millions of years of evolution and breeding. Felines are some of the most fine tuned predators out there.

 

[welshy9]

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.hyperdrug.co.uk/images/26627.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.hyperdrug.co.uk/Mikki-Kalm-Cat-Muzzle/productinfo/CATMUZZLE/&usg=__RLm50LD34xOClfsZeWUEiv6lAVY=&h=410&w=300&sz=87&hl=en&start=8&um=1&tbnid=EIZF2RFEgV7ERM:&tbnh=125&tbnw=91&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcat%2Bmuzzle%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

Ive seen these but they do look nasty

 

[JustKia]

There's no way that would be safe to let a cat out loose - simply asking for trouble.
Probably a useful item if you need to take kitty to the vet or do a nail trim or something though.

 

[Aussie_Dog]

Vets have them, but I think it would be cruel to have her wear one outdoors. She can't even chew grass anymore, and it would be uncomfortable enough for her to be too unhappy to just smell the air. Besides, if a cat can remove her collar, you can bet she'll remove a muzzle (dogs are especially good at it, lol, and they aren't so notorious for removing their collars).

You can try breakaway collars, and put a bell on it. They aren't stretchy, but they have a special clasp where, if the collar gets jerked, it'll open and the collar will fall away off the cat. It's meant to save the nosey cat who gets caught up on a branch or falls from a tree and nearly gets hanged. It also protects her from her own self, like getting legs and jaws caught up in it.

Collars are supposed to be snug, just loose enough to stick a couple of fingers under there. You don't want it to be loose enough so that it moves around, yet not tight enough that it doesn't move AT ALL. You may have to fiddle with it for a few days, figure out just how tight it has to be. My own girl wears a breakaway because she's a little escape artist (all three of my girls are indoor cats) and she might as well wear ID for those times she gets outside. For the first few days, I'd think I had it tight enough and then I'd find it on the ground (still clasped). For most cats, collars take some getting used to, but fortunately for me, Buffy was fine with it. It helps that I used to take the girls outside on collars and leashes to let them get their outdoors fix (which made Buffy's escapist behaviour worse...oops) and she associated the collar with going outside. Even though she didn't end up going outside. If your kitty doesn't like it at first, try keeping it loose for the first little while, until she gets used to it. Then tighten it properly and let her get used to that, too. Best keep it all positive, since she'll be wearing it for a long time and might as well like wearing it, lol

 

[pica_nuttalli]

That said, my cat very quickly figured out how to pull off the breakaway collar... by breaking the clasp.

Frankly, there's no good way of preventing a cat from hunting short of keeping it indoors and watching its every move when it's outside.