Cat Accessories to Wear: What to Buy Today
Three things go on a cat, and they answer three different needs. A collar, for identification. A harness, if you are going to take the cat outside on a lead. A recovery cone, for the ten days after surgery. Everything else on this shelf is a variation on one of those three.
In stock as we write: the Pets Pot Premium Cat Harness at ₹440, the M-Pets Diamond Cat Collar at ₹325, and the Zeal Pet Elizabeth cat cones in four sizes from ₹240 to ₹380. The cones are filed under our cat supplies and surgical accessories rather than here, so ask if you cannot find them.
Three rules before you buy anything a cat wears.
A cat collar must be quick release. This is not a preference. Blue Cross: "Avoid using non-breakaway or elastic collars on your cat." The reason is specific and grim. "If your cat manages to get their front leg through the collar then it can cut into the skin behind their shoulder or on the leg, leaving a nasty wound. This can get very infected and take a long time (and even major surgeries) to heal." Collars also catch on branches, fence posts and a cat's own jaw during grooming. A quick release buckle means that when it snags, "they can pull away and leave the collar behind, instead of getting trapped themselves." If a collar you are looking at does not say quick release, breakaway or safety buckle, assume it is not one and ask us.
Never clip a lead to a cat's collar. A frightened cat pulls with its whole body against its own neck, and a quick release collar will do exactly what it is designed to do, which is come off. Leads attach to a harness. If you want to walk the cat, the harness is the purchase, not the collar.
Two fingers. Blue Cross again: "You should be able to fit two fingers between the collar and your cat's skin." Loose enough and the cat gets a leg through it. Tight enough and it rubs. Check it weekly on an adult and every few days on a growing kitten.
What to Buy for What You Need
| What you want |
What to buy |
What not to buy |
| Your indoor cat to carry ID in case it slips out |
A quick release collar and a cat name tag |
Anything elastic, or any collar without a safety buckle |
| To take the cat outside on a lead |
A harness sized to the cat, plus a fixed length lead |
A collar with a lead clipped to it. A retractable lead |
| To stop the cat licking stitches after a spay or neuter |
An Elizabethan collar for cats in the right size |
A dog cone. They are heavier and too deep |
| To warn birds the cat is coming |
A cat collar with bell, quick release as always |
Relying on the bell alone to stop hunting |
| Permanent identification that cannot fall off |
A microchip, from your vet |
Nothing. Do this as well as the collar, not instead |
| Something for a kitten under four months |
Wait. Fit a collar when growth has slowed and check it weekly |
An adult collar taken in with a knot |
Will a Cat Even Wear a Collar?
Most owners assume theirs will not, and most owners are wrong. This is worth knowing before you decide it is not worth the ₹325.
The largest study on the question, published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association in 2010, followed 538 cats across 338 households for six months. The result: "391 cats, or 72.7 percent, wore their collars for the entire six-month study period." The researchers compared plastic buckle collars, breakaway buckle collars and elastic stretch collars. And the finding owners find most surprising is this one, that "in almost 60 percent of cases, the animals' tolerance of collars exceeded owners' expectations."
So roughly three cats in four keep a collar on. If yours is in the other quarter, you will know within a fortnight and you will have spent a few hundred rupees finding out.
The same study scanned 478 cats for their microchips at the end and found three had migrated away from the implantation site. That is a very low failure rate, and it is the argument for doing both: the chip is permanent but needs a scanner and a vet, the collar and tag are readable by the neighbour who finds your cat on the stairwell.
Harness and Leash: The Honest Version
We sell cat harnesses. We are also going to tell you what the welfare bodies say about walking cats, because it is not a straightforward yes.
Blue Cross does not recommend it: "we would advise that you don't walk your cat," while acknowledging that "some cats will tolerate a harness if introduced slowly, usually when they are young." Their objections are behavioural rather than mechanical. A cat on a lead cannot retreat to a hiding place at its own pace, cannot get away from a dog that decides to chase it, and cannot toilet privately. And if it does get loose, "if the lead is dropped or they escape their harness it is unlikely they will return to you."
That last point deserves its own line, from Preventive Vet: "No harness is escape-proof. Cats can turn into liquid and slip or roll out of any harness, especially in times of distress."
So if you are going to do it, do it properly. Start indoors, with the harness on for a few minutes at a time and something good happening while it is on. Add the lead indoors before you add the outdoors. Go somewhere quiet rather than a park with dogs. Never leave the cat tethered and unattended. And use a plain fixed lead, not a retractable one, which is worth saying because the only cat leash currently in stock in this collection is a retractable at ₹1,750, and a retractable gives a bolting cat a running start before the lock catches.
An older cat who has never worn anything is not a good candidate. A kitten introduced gently often is. If your cat flattens itself and refuses to walk in the harness indoors, that is your answer, and a window perch or a secure balcony is a better use of the money.
The Recovery Cone Nobody Plans For
Almost every cat in Mumbai wears one item at least once, and it is not a collar. It is the cone, after the spay or neuter.
People arrive at the counter the evening after surgery having discovered the cat can reach its stitches. So: buy the cone before the operation, not after. Sizes matter more than people expect. The cone should extend past the nose when the cat looks forward, and it should sit on a soft collar snug enough that the cat cannot reverse out of it, which is the two finger rule again.
Our Zeal Pet Elizabeth cat cones run from ₹240 to ₹380 across four sizes and all four are in stock. Do not buy the dog version because it is available, since dog cones are deeper and heavier and a cat wearing one will crash into doorframes and stop eating.
Two practical things. Take the cone off for supervised meals if your vet agrees, because a cat that cannot see its bowl edge often will not eat. And check the neck fit daily, because cats lose a little weight in the week after surgery and a cone that fitted on day one can be loose by day four.
One more thing about cones, and it is the reason we would rather you bought the right size than the cheapest one. A 2020 study in the journal Animals surveyed 434 owners whose pets had worn an Elizabethan collar in the previous year, and the majority reported a worse quality of life score while it was on. Specifically, 60.2 percent reported difficulty drinking, 67.5 percent said the animal could not play, and a quarter reported an injury connected to the collar, whether bumping, falling, itching or distress. The authors' recommendation to vets is to "explore alternative methods to Elizabethan collars," and the alternatives they list include inflatable collars, visors and clothing.
Which brings us to the thing we do not stock. A recovery suit is a soft bodysuit that covers the surgical site instead of blocking the cat's head, and for a spay incision on the belly it is a genuine alternative to a cone. We do not carry one. If you would prefer that route, ask your vet, because many clinics keep them. We would rather tell you the option exists than sell you a cone by omission.
Measuring Your Cat Before You Order
Sizing across these brands does not agree, and a collar that does not fit is either useless or dangerous. Two measurements cover everything on this page and both take a minute with a soft tape.
Neck, for a collar or a cone. Run the tape around the neck where a collar would naturally sit, low and just above the shoulders rather than high under the jaw. Keep it snug against the fur, then add the width of two fingers to the number. Most adult cats land between 20cm and 30cm, but measure rather than assume, because a large male and a small female are not close.
Chest girth, for a harness. Run the tape around the widest part of the ribcage, just behind the front legs. This is the number harness sizing actually keys off, not the cat's weight, and it is the number people skip. Take the neck as well, since most cat harnesses adjust at both points.
For a cone, add the nose. Measure from the front of the collar position to the tip of the nose. The cone has to be at least that deep or the cat will reach the stitches around the rim, which defeats the entire purchase.
No tape at home? A length of string and a ruler works. Send us the numbers and we will tell you what fits before you pay for it.
What Is in Stock Right Now
This collection lists 29 products and 3 are in stock, which is thin and we would rather say so than let you fill a basket that empties at checkout.
In stock: Pets Pot Premium Cat Harness ₹440, M-Pets Diamond Cat Collar ₹325, and a retractable leash with torch at ₹1,750 which we would not recommend for a cat.
Out of stock: the Truelove cat and small dog harness range in every colour and size, the Trixie premium collars, the Pets Pot digital print and reflective collars, the M-Pets urban style collar, the Pet Glam collar set, the Smarty Pet nylon and necklace collars, and every leash except the retractable.
Not in this collection but in stock: the Zeal Pet Elizabeth cat cones in four sizes. They are filed as surgical accessories.
Not in stock at all: a cat name tag. The only collar tag on our system is a dog product and it is out of stock. If you want ID on the collar today, a cobbler or a key cutting stall will engrave a tag for very little, and your phone number matters more than the cat's name.
Order From the Counter
Goodman Pet Chemist runs four branches and moves stock between them, so something showing sold out here may be on a shelf.
-
Parel, open 24 hours
- Mahim
- Sewri
-
Seawoods, Navi Mumbai
For a collar or harness, send us the cat's neck measurement and chest girth taken with a tape, or the cat's weight if you have no tape. Sizing charts across these brands do not agree with each other and a returned collar helps nobody.
Questions We Get at the Counter
Is your cat collar a breakaway cat collar?
The M-Pets Diamond collar's listing does not say, and we are not going to tell you it is when the specification does not state it. Message us before ordering and we will look at the physical buckle in the store. This is a fair question to ask about any cat collar sold in India.
Should an indoor-only cat wear a collar?
Yes, if it tolerates one. Indoor cats get out through open doors and windows, and a cat with no ID that turns up two streets away is a much harder cat to get home.
My cat hates the collar. Do I keep trying?
Give it two weeks with short sessions and something good happening each time. About three cats in four settle. If yours is in the last quarter, stop, and rely on the microchip.
Can I walk my cat with a cat harness and leash?
Some cats take to it, usually ones introduced young. Blue Cross advises against it on balance, and no harness is escape proof. Start indoors, use a fixed lead, and stop if the cat freezes or hides.
Do bells actually stop hunting?
Partly at best. Blue Cross notes that "some cats won't be put off by a bell." Buy the bell if you want the warning, not as a guarantee.
What size cat recovery cone do I need?
Enough length that the cone clears the nose when the cat looks straight ahead, and a neck fitting that takes two fingers. Bring the cat's weight and we will size it, or buy it before the surgery when you have time.
Can I use a dog collar on a big cat?
Please do not. Dog collars are not made to release under a cat's body weight, which is the single feature a cat collar exists to have.
Should I buy a cat collar online or come into a branch?
Either works, but the sizing is the catch. If you buy a cat collar online, take the neck measurement first and send it to us, because the listings on this site do not publish neck sizes and we would rather check the stock in hand than have you return it. If you are near a branch, bring the measurement and try the buckle yourself. Feeling a quick release buckle open under thumb pressure tells you more than any product page will.
Where do I get a cat name tag?
Not from us at the moment, and we would rather point you at a local engraver than sell you a dog tag. Put a phone number on it, not just a name.
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