If you have a cat that likes to spend a lot of time outdoors, it’s extremely important to make sure it’s wearing a collar at all times. Collars can help keep the cat safe, and if it gets lost, the collar can provide anyone who finds it with the information they need to return it. However, with so many different brands available, finding one suitable for your pet can be challenging. We’ve chosen several brands to review for you so you can see the difference between them. We’ll give you the pros and cons of each one, and we’ve also included a short buyer’s guide where we discuss what makes one cat collar better than the next so you’ll know what to look for if you continue to shop.
Keep reading while we discuss length, durability, material, bells, breakaway features, and more to help you make an informed purchase.
A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2023
Image Product Details
Best Overall
CollarDirect Leather Cat Collar & Bell
Multiple colors
Stretchy elastic
Small metal bell
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Best Value
Frisco Nylon Breakaway Cat Collar & Bell
Multiple colors
Quick-release buckle
Breakaway design
Check Price
Premium Choice
Buckle-Down Breakaway Cat Collar & Bell
Personalize
Breakaway design
Bright colors
Check Price
Pawtitas Nylon Breakaway Cat Collar & Bell
Tear-resistant material
Glows in the dark
Breakaway buckle
Check Price
Red Dingo Nylon Reflective Breakaway Cat Collar with Bell
Tear-resistant material
Glows in the dark
Breakaway buckle
Check Price
The 7 Best Cat Collars
The CollarDirect Leather Cat Collar with Bell is our pick as the best overall cat collar. It uses a durable leather material and can extend to 11 inches long, and one section features stretchy elastic that will stretch enough to let your cat pull its head out if it gets stuck. It’s available in a wide variety of colors, so you can get the perfect one to match your cat’s personality, and it comes with a small metal bell that can help it from killing the local wildlife.
Neck Size: 9–11 inches
Material: Leather
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We enjoyed reviewing the CollarDirect and used it on several of our cats. The only thing we didn’t like about it was that it was a little small on some of our bigger cats.
Pros
Multiple colors
Stretchy elastic
Small metal bell
Cons
It might be small for some cats
The Frisco Nylon Breakaway Cat Collar with Bell is our pick for the best cat collar for the money. This nylon collar is available in four colors: red, blue, black, and pink, so it’s easy to find one to suit your cat. The nylon is extremely durable, and it has contoured edges, so it won’t dig into your cat’s neck. It has a breakaway feature, so it will come apart if the cat gets stuck, so it isn’t trapped. The quick-release buckle makes it easy to put the collar on and take it off in the middle bell helps protect the local wildlife.
Multiple colors
Stretchy elastic
Small metal bell
- Multiple colors
- Stretchy elastic
- Small metal bell
It might be small for some cats
- It might be small for some cats
Neck Size: 8–12 inches
Material: Nylon
The only thing we didn’t like about the Frisco collar was that the bell was too quiet for our liking.
Pros
Multiple colors
Quick-release buckle
Breakaway design
Metal bell
Soft, contoured edges
Cons
Quiet bell
The Buckle-Down Personalized Breakaway Cat Collar with Bell, Hibiscus Collage is our premium choice cat collar. It extends out to 12 inches and features an attractive and colorful design. You can even personalize it to include your pet’s name, which can help people track you down if the cat gets lost. The breakaway design makes sure the collar comes loose if your cat gets stuck, so it’s not trapped.
Multiple colors
Quick-release buckle
Breakaway design
Metal bell
Soft, contoured edges
- Multiple colors
- Quick-release buckle
- Breakaway design
- Metal bell
- Soft, contoured edges
Quiet bell
- Quiet bell
Neck Size: 8.5–12 inches
Material: Polyester
The only downside that we can think of when it comes to the Buckle-Down is that it’s extremely expensive for such a small thing.
Pros
Personalize
Breakaway design
Bright colors
Cons
Expensive
The Pawtitas Glow in the Dark Nylon Breakaway Cat Collar with Bell is our top pick for kittens. It uses a reinforced, tear-resistant, extremely durable nylon material and features a breakaway buckle to prevent your cat from getting caught. It’s available in eight colors, and the material glows in the dark.
Personalize
Breakaway design
Bright colors
- Personalize
- Breakaway design
- Bright colors
Expensive
- Expensive
Neck Size: 7–11 inches
Material: Nylon
The Pawtitas is a great color, but the glow feature is so dim it’s hardly worth mentioning. Many people say they don’t notice anything glowing even after the collar has been sitting in direct sunlight.
Pros
Tear-resistant material
Glows in the dark
Breakaway buckle
Cons
Minimal glow
The Red Dingo Nylon Reflective Breakaway Cat Collar with Bell comes in several colors, including blue, orange, pink, green, and red. The material is also reflective, so it’s easier to see in traffic, and the breakaway design makes sure your cat doesn’t get stuck on any objects. A quick-release buckle makes it easy to put the collar on and take it off, and the wildlife safety bell helps protect the environment.
Tear-resistant material
Glows in the dark
Breakaway buckle
- Tear-resistant material
- Glows in the dark
- Breakaway buckle
Minimal glow
- Minimal glow
Neck Size: 8–5 inches
Material: Nylon
The downside of the Red Dingo is that the material is stiff and might be uncomfortable for your cat. We also didn’t think the material was too reflective, and it didn’t provide much additional safety.
Pros
Reflective material
Breakaway design
Quick-release buckle
Wildlife safety bell
Cons
Material is stiff
Not very reflective
The Safe Cat Snag-Proof Polyester Breakaway Cat Collar with Bell is a thin collar that many cats prefer. It uses a snag-proof nylon material for extra durability and a breakaway buckle to help keep your cats safe. You could get it in multiple colors, and it also includes a safety bell.
Reflective material
Breakaway design
Quick-release buckle
Wildlife safety bell
- Reflective material
- Breakaway design
- Quick-release buckle
- Wildlife safety bell
Material is stiff
Not very reflective
- Material is stiff
- Not very reflective
Neck Size: 8–12 inches
Material: Polyester
The Safe Cat is a nice color, but it breaks away way too easily, and many cats will pull it off with their paws.
Pros
Snag proof nylon
Breakaway buckle
Several color options
Includes safety bell
Cons
It breaks away too easily
The GoTags Nylon Personalized Reflective Breakaway Cat Collar with Bell is the last brand on our list of reviews, but it’s still worthy of your consideration. It features a reflective strip through the center to make it easier to see at night, and you can personalize it with up to 21 characters, so it’s more likely your pet will be returned to you if it gets lost. It comes with the wildlife protection bell, and it’s available in five colors.
Snag proof nylon
Breakaway buckle
Several color options
Includes safety bell
- Snag proof nylon
- Breakaway buckle
- Several color options
- Includes safety bell
It breaks away too easily
- It breaks away too easily
Neck Size: 8 – 13 -inches
Material: Leather
The downside to the GoTags is that it’s extremely expensive. We also found that it is too easy for our cats to get off, so we needed to replace it frequently.
Pros
Reflective strip
Personalize
Wildlife protection bell
Available in five colors
Cons
Extremely expensive
Easy to escape
Buyer’s Guide: How to Select the Best Cat Collar
Size
One of the first things you want to look at when choosing a cat collar is its size. Many brands offer collars that are too small, and your cat will resist your attempts to put them on. You want it to be snug but not tight, so we recommend using a soft tape measure to get the measurement before you begin shopping and choosing a brand that easily fits. Most collars are adjustable within a range, and we tried to list them for each of our reviews.
Reflective strip
Personalize
Wildlife protection bell
Available in five colors
- Reflective strip
- Personalize
- Wildlife protection bell
- Available in five colors
Extremely expensive
Easy to escape
- Extremely expensive
- Easy to escape
Material
Through our experience, we found that the type of material isn’t as important as its durability. Send material that frays or tears won’t last long, and it could cause your car to play with it more, trying to get it off. We listed the material for each collar on our list, and we also tried to point out any that were not durable.
Glowing and Reflective Material
If your cat spends a lot of time outdoors at night, you may want to consider a reflective or glowing material. These materials can help use light to increase the cat’s safety without the need for batteries or electricity, and there is usually very little or no additional cost. We tried to point out any brains and our list that had glowing or reflective features
Breakaway Design
A breakaway design is a special weak point built into the collar. If the cat gets its collar snagged on a branch or fence as it’s walking. This weak point will allow the collar to break so the cat is not trapped. The downside to this design is that the collar might break when the cat is not stuck causing you to go through more collars than you normally would. Higher quality designs will only break when the cat is in danger.
Wildlife Bell
A wildlife bell is a nice addition to your cat collar because it helps protect the animals your cat might encounter while it’s outdoors. Since your cat can eat at home, there’s no reason to kill, so the bell can help protect the wildlife.
Conclusion
When choosing your next cat collar, we highly recommend the CollarDirect Leather Cat Collar with Bell, which is comfortable, available in many colors, and is extremely durable. It also provides your cat with an elastic breakaway feature. Another smart choice is our pick for the best value. The Frisco Nylon Breakaway Cat Collar with Bell Is a low-cost color available in many colors that features a breakaway design to keep your cat safe.
- You may also want to read: 10 Best Breakaway Cat Collars in 2021 – Reviews & Top Picks
Featured Image Credit: Piqsels
