Frequently Asked Questions
The birds are alarmed by the highly visible swatch of bright color on the cat. The bird sees the predator immediately and flies away, unharmed, before the cat can pounce.
A recent survey shows Birdsbesafe cat collars succeed in reducing songbird losses, according to cats' owners about 95% of the time.
2. Why do birds see the Birdsbesafe® cat collar so well?
Birds see bright colors as more bright than we do and they see bright colors more easily than we do, even in low light conditions, because their eyes have more rods and cones than ours. It's an evolutionary adaptation because birds need to see bright things in their environment like berries and mates' plumage.
3. Birdsbesafe cat collars are bright colors like reds, yellows and oranges so that the songbirds can see the predator easily and immediately?
Yup. (That's "yes" in Yankee.)
4. What makes the Birdsbesafe® Cat Collar safe for my cat?
The Birdsbesafe® ruff is a tube of fabric that falls open when the inner collar releases under pressure. We only sell breakaway interior collars because they are the safest for your cat. See more information on the Shop Birdsbesafe page.
5. If I use a breakaway collar, might it come off my cat unexpectedly, outdoors, and get lost?
That’s possible. Remember, in order for your cat to be safe, the interior collar must come off if the cat snags it on a branch or other hazard. We can not endorse a non-releaseable collar type so we accept the risk of the collar getting lost.
TIPS: The best fit is a fairly snug, yet comfortable fit, leaving a fingertips width--but not enough for the cat to pry the collar off with a paw. More detailed instructions will be sent to you with your purchase and give your cat the best chance of accepting the collar.
Some customers buy two collars per cat and figure that it’s worth it to replace a lost Birdsbesafe cat collar in order to protect the birds. We now get only a very rare complaint. A recent scientific study of cat collars found the Kitty Klip brand breakaway buckle the safest for your cat. (To be published about summer 2012, by a scientist.)
6. What if I already own a “regular” cat collar that I like: can I just buy the fabric Birdsbesafe ruff?
Yes, you can buy just the Birdsbesafe fabric ruff in any of current fabrics. Remember, you're responsible to keep your cat safe.
7. Have Birdsbesafe Cat Collars been tested?
Our first “tester” was our own cat who wore the Birdsbesafe Cat Collar 16 months and caught 2-3 birds, instead of 2-3 per week.
Other customers report similar results. See Feedback page for lots and lots of happy testimonials.
We also have a growing following on our Facebook page, so you can judge us by visiting there. (We only started with Facebook in 2011.)
As of late fall, 2012, a scientific study of Birdsbesafe is being started at a major university in Australia. Results should be available in summer 2012. We're excited!
8. Does the Birdsbesafe Cat Collar work in all situations?
There are three main components to success: the cat’s bright colored collar has to be visible to the bird; the bird must be a songbird whose eyes have the special anatomy to see bright colors; and the bird must have time to and be able to fly away.
If the bird is, say, a woodpecker family bird and not a songbird, the bird is vulnerable. Most of the birds that your cat catches are probably songbirds, but a few might not be.
If the bird is a fledgling that cannot yet fly away, it is still vulnerable. Some fledglings spend several days on the ground practicing after leaving the nest. If you ask a local bird expert, they can tell you when this is most common for birds in your area. You could keep your cat indoors then.
If the bird is a ground-nesting bird (Eastern phoebes for example), a cat may be able to hide in shrubbery and wait and wait and wait until the bird lands on the nest again.
Although the Birdsbesafe Cat Collar has those few exceptions where it doesn’t work, it does help in the majority of bird captures if your cat is often capturing birds.
9. Do cats ever change their hunting habits after wearing the Birdsbesafe cat collars for a period of time?
Some cat owners report to us that their cats seem to get discouraged about hunting for birds after Birdsbesafe makes them much less successful. Sometimes, they hunt less!
Our own cat, George, started to stay indoors and not go out his cat-door exit to prowl at dawn. He became more calm and people-centric--perhaps because he didn't get scolded for bird captures all the time. He mellowed out.
When we first marketed Birdsbesafe, we didn't mention this because it sounded a bit extraordinary, but other cat owners sometimes tell us the same thing happens for their cats.
See the endorsement by Pacific Wildlife Care for example (on home page). So, we don't promise this, but it can happen--even to the most avid bird-hunting cats!
10. Will the collar get wet when it’s raining and be a problem for my cat?
Cats are smart and come in out of the rain. It should only rarely if ever get wet. It doesn’t really hug the neck tightly, so the cat won’t get cold. Our cat came to us when the collar was wet and we took it off to dry out.
11. Can the cat groom with it? Wear it all the time? Is it adjustable?
Yes to all of those questions. The cat can groom sufficiently well and can wear the Birdsbesafe Cat Collar all the time. The collar easily adjust with a slide buckle. See photo on buying page.
12. Where can I buy Birdsbesafe Cat Collars if I’m a retailer or veterinarian?
Please email us through the contact page and we will respond to you quickly.
