Why you shouldn't put a bell on your cat

When a cat arrives at home, the first thing many do is buy a collar with a bell, this is a serious mistake and here we will tell you why you should not put a bell on your cat. We are used to seeing cats with collars and rattles and, for this reason, we do not even consider whether it benefits or harms them, since it is something that is already in the collective unconscious. But the fact that it has always been done does not mean that it is beneficial to them. Surely you will also have the image of a cat drinking milk, and that is a food to avoid at all costs, or you will have the normalized image of a cat vomiting, and frequent vomiting in cats is a sign that something is wrong . So, never trust what has been normalized in cats.

What function do cat bells have?

I suppose you will consider that if it has always been used, it will be for some reason, and certainly, it has been done, mainly, for four reasons:

1. Warning : they can be useful for the prey that the cat is about to capture. We will save the prey, but the cat is a hunting animal and never being able to catch its prey is very frustrating and can lead to behavioral problems. On the other hand, if the cat gets lost with its collar and bell, it will be very difficult for it to hunt and survive.
2. Aesthetics : for some people, the fact that the cat wears a collar with a bell can be something very attractive, but what seems aesthetic to you is torture for them.
3. Identification : The rattlesnake is always attached to a necklace that can be identified, but today there are much more effective methods, such as microchipping. Furthermore, collars are dangerous, as the cat can get trapped and drown.
4. Locator : Thanks to its sound, we can easily locate the cat, but the consequences of the doorbell are much more serious than the fact that you cannot know where your cat is at all times.

Why is it not good to put a bell on your cat?

The cat's ear is more sensitive than that of dogs and humans. It has the ability to hear between 50,000 and 85,000 hertz, well above that of a dog (40,000 hertz) or a human (20,000 hertz). They are particularly sensitive to high-frequency sounds and are able to move and orient each ear independently towards the sound they perceive. They can locate prey by the sounds it makes that you can't even hear. Their hearing places them among mammals with the longest hearing range! After this explanation, I hope you can get an idea of ​​what it means for them to constantly listen to the sound that they themselves emit with every movement, and which also comes from a place so close to the auditory pavilion. The human equivalent would be listening to music with headphones at a medium-high level, every time you make a movement.

How does the rattlesnake harm them?

In addition to what we have already discussed, we will tell you other reasons explaining why you should not put a bell on your cat:

• Hearing Damage: It has been observed that cats wearing rattles can lose their hearing in the long term.
• Stress: Chronic stress is very common in cats that wear a rattle.
• Reduction of activity: the cat learns that when it is calmest is when it is not moving, because it is in those moments when it stops hearing the torture of the sound of the rattle.
• Behavioral problems: Chronic stress can manifest itself in several and varied behavioral problems.
• Decreased quality of life: Even in cats that do not show obvious stress, their quality of life is less than desirable.
• Discomfort: Auditory discomfort aside, they also don't find wearing a collar around their neck pleasant.
• Dangerous: The rattle is attached to a collar and in many cases, when you try to remove it, they can pass the lower jaw under the collar and it gets stuck between the lower and upper jaw, so the cat does not put its mouth near it. It can also cause injury, they can catch nails or drown.

Now that you know why you shouldn't put a bell on your cat, you will understand that something so simple causes a high degree of stress and discomfort and something as simple as taking it off and never putting it back on again will be something that will greatly relieve your cat's pain. .