What about Feral Cats?

Occasionally, we hear from people or from non-profit groups, wanting to know if we would recommend using the Birdsbesafe® cat collar cover on feral cats. Sorry, no, we don't recommend it at this time. Our pet product is a well-designed, scientifically validated solution for protecting birds from pet cats is not really a great match for feral cats.

The goal of protecting birds from feral cats is good goal, obviously, but our intention was to create a product for pet cats. Is our pet product also a solution for the problem of feral cats harming birds? From all we know, to date, unfortunately the answer is "no".

Here is short summary of the issues.

Problems for Use of Birdsbesafe® Collar Covers on Feral Cats

Handling a feral cat for putting on and adjusting collar is difficult. Just being able to hold the cat still, safely, while gently adding a collar is difficult and takes both expertise and time.
Cat collar fit must be adjusted or reviewed from time to time (such as, every few days) to make sure a cat collar is not tightening or loosening appreciably.
Birdsbesafe® covers should be maintained in dry, clean condition, which may sometimes involve removing them to dry or launder. This is not difficult with a pet, but could be impossible with feral cats.
If the product comes off in the outdoors, it will need replacement.
Continuous wearing outdoors of the product, without monitoring by a pet owner, has not been done to-date, so other problems might occur that are unforeseen.
The product is NOT designed to be used on a non-pet cat. The Birdsbesafe® cat collar cover is a pet product, and as such, it has not been developed for un-monitored use for the above and other reasons.

However, there is a silver lining. Many of our customers' cats, over the years have been "re-homed" or adopted former stray or feral cats. These cats have developed great hunting skills for survival, and then, when the cat is living with a pet owner, that type of cat often hunts birds a lot. Birdsbesafe® collar covers are ideal for such an owned cat, and have always worked well for them! It may even help them break their hunting habits, when their efforts are not "rewarded" with prey captures. That's the good news!

Apparently, it works.

Sasha had killed five birds within 10 days (two on one day), then I put him one of the collars from the three-pack, and he has only able to catch one bird in the last month (as far as I know - I am pretty sure he takes all of his catches into the house). Kudos!

fewer birds caught!

I've been using birdsbesafe collars for two years now. My cat used to catch and bring birds inside my house often (one time 5 birds in a week, yikes). In the past two years I have seen him catch maybe 3 birds, so the collars seem to help considerably.
I give him a treat when I put the collar on or take it off and he really doesn't seem to mind it at all. He has lost two collars, dunno know where or how but I guess that's good proof that the breakaway works!
Also really appreciate the reflective trim and I love how the ruffs make him look like a goofy little clown <3

Not 100% effective for good hunters

Certainly cut down on the bird deaths but not entirely. The “clown collar” is well made; be certain to have your own internal collar. Definitely take it off when kitty is indoors, tends to bother his neck-perhaps all of the folds of the collar?

Comfy for kitty, and seems to be working so far.

So far, this seems to be working. I have a cat that loves to sit out on the patio with me, but I needed to tame her killer instinct with birds. It is costly, at $55. Now that I have it, I see that it is simply an ordinary safety collar with a little bell, along with three different brightly colored fabric "tubes," which I think would be very easy to sew at home out of brightly colored fabric. Each one is simply a 12" by 2.5" tube of fabric, open on both ends, that the collar slips into. The collar then fastens at the open ends of the tubes and the bell hangs down at the opening. There may be something about the particular colors and patterns that is effective here. In any event, I notice when I sit out on the patio, I don't hear chirping like I used to, so maybe the birds leave as soon as they see my cat in this. Either that or she's already killed all of them.

Bejeweled Bummer

I love the blue color of the Bejeweled Stripes collar, especially for my orange cat, but it's just not as effective as the Rainbow Sally. For over a year, our cat Khan wore either the Rainbow Sally or the multi-colored puzzle collar when outside and he caught no birds. I don't know if it's because of the grey light in SoCal with the marine layer, or if our birds don't see blue as well as red or yellow, but unfortunately our Khan Kitty caught a hummingbird and a finch during the week he wore one of his new Bejeweled Stripes collars. We switched his collar back to the Rainbow Sally and he hasn't caught a bird since. So we will only be ordering multi-colored collars from now on. Rainbow Sally is our favorite.

Rainbow Sally Rocks

My cat wasn't supposed to be an outdoor cat. Plenty of humans and a whole interactive dog to play with inside. After Khan Kitty bent/broke six window screens, however, we surrendered to the inevitable and began taking him outside on a harness and leash, with the leash turning into a long line. Even on a lead, Khan CAUGHT A BIRD in our backyard. We were able to free the finch and it flew away, but wanted to make sure Khan never caught one again. One of his kitty cousins on the East Coast wears the Birdsbesafe collar, so we ordered the Rainbow Sally and put it on Khan's harness. He's caught no birds while wearing the Rainbow, whether it's on his harness for walks or his collar when playing in the yard. He has, however, caught the pocket gopher destroying our butterfly garden, 2 rats, and about 8 mice. While Khan can no longer sneak up on birds, the Rainbow Sally doesn't stop Khan from serving as rodent pest control.

Bell collar

Love the collar. We had to get this for one of our cats because she likes to go after birds and lizards. It works!! And I love that they are breakaway collars.

We think Cubby looks quite fetching in his BBS collar

Cute collars, fast delivery

I purchased two Birds Be Save collars for Jane and Sally, my two long-haired cats, on the recommendation of a friend. It's too soon to tell whether the collars protect birds (and I may never know), but Jane and Sally look adorable.

Saving God's finest creatures one collar at a time

I think these work! Of course the cats don't like the collar during wet weather, dew on the grass, or during the summer when temps rise. Always use a brake away collar. They really don't survive too well being run over with lawn mower - but do survive if left hanging from a tree limb along with the brake way collar. Between the collar & this bird deterent, you will spend $30+ but I really didn't intend to have 5 to 6 cats when we established a Purple Martin colony. p.s. I do NOT rely on these collars as the only predator deterrent. Fencing and water squirt bottles reinforce "stay away cat!" Get a quality brake away collar.

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What about Feral Cats?

Let customers speak for us