Content
- A little history: Cat bells
- Why do cats use rattles?
- a health issue
- Myths and truths
- The rattle makes the cat deaf
- The use of bells in cats is dangerous
- All bells are bad for cats
Certainly you are used to bells for cats once they became famous in animal designs. But, are you sure this practice is healthy for your pet or do you have doubts? If the answer is yes, at PeritoAnimal we will explain to you why not put a bell on your cat's collar.
Aren't rattles good for cats? Do bells make cats deaf? Or, do cats like the bells? These are some of the most frequently asked questions about this topic. What is certain is that felines have a highly developed auditory sense and putting ourselves in our cat's fur will help us understand why the bells are not a good idea.
A little history: Cat bells
The famous phrase, "Who sets the bell to the cat?", comes from one of the most famous fables of the English poet Odo de Sherington, "The book of cats", written in the 12th century. denounced him, but of course, putting this fabulous idea into practice was something more complicated.
In addition to this literary reference, we are bombarded with images from adorable cats with bells as is the case of the famous Doraemon, the Fluffy cat, etc. Perhaps for this reason, there is a tendency to associate the use of the rattle as an aesthetic thing necessary for our pet, when the truth is that cats with rattles are not usually very happy.
Despite all this, society is increasingly informed and today there are many people who defend the health of cats explaining why it is not healthy to use these noisy props.
Why do cats use rattles?
While there are other solutions to the questions below, there are three main reasons why people rattle their animals. Are they:
- Aesthetics: Having historical precedent, we know that for many it's lovely to see yours. pets with a beautiful bell around his neck.
- Localization: The rattle is also used to be able to locate the cat at all times, especially if our cat likes to go out and visit neighbors.
- Warning: Cats are secretive hunters and bells were used to help their poor victims, such as birds and some rodents. Upon hearing the rattle, the prey had time to escape calmly, as the rats in the fable wanted.
If you thought about using this object for another type of need, the Animal Expert can help you find solutions so that both your cat and you are happy. Remember that cat health issues are always more important than aesthetics.
a health issue
Despite these three reasons, putting a rattle on the cat has more disadvantages than anything else. Although it doesn't seem like it, the bells can be a real torture for our little friend.
First of all, keep in mind that the purpose of a rattle is to make noise and it is precisely this aspect that makes it something negative for cats. Cats have a very keen auditory sense, are secretive and audacious, and having a "trim-trim" so close to their ears can upset them more than you think.
We propose an exercise for you, imagine that you have a cell phone glued to your neck and ringing all day... that's right! This is how the cat will feel. A constant noise so close to the ears has terribly negative effects on your pet, the most prominent ones are:
- nervousness
- Stress
- Hearing deficiency
Cats like calm and quiet, so deliberately altering this won't do more than harm the quality of life of your pet. Putting a bell to our cat can mean having a scaredy, stressed and listless cat. Noisy environments are one of 13 things cats don't like.
Myths and truths
The rattle makes the cat deaf
No. But it can cause irreversible damage to the cat's eardrum. Although there are no scientific studies in this regard, we know that the auditory system of cats is as complex as that of humans, which makes it possible to deduce that if we subject the cat to a loud and constant noise, so close to its hearing aid, we will cause a significant deterioration in it. It's like wearing headphones with loud music all day, every day.
The use of bells in cats is dangerous
Yes. As already explained, there are more negative than positive aspects regarding the topic of the bells. Also, remember that if the cat feels that something is bothering him, he will do everything to make it go away and that's when he can choke with the collar or pull out a fingernail trying to get the rattle off.
All bells are bad for cats
No. In this article we always refer to the bells on collars, but don't forget that our cat friends are magnificent hunters. Therefore, if you want your cat to play with rattles, we recommend that you make a homemade toy for cats, putting the rattles inside a sock or ball, so that they can chase and hunt.
If despite all this it seems necessary for your cat to use a rattle, we recommend that you use a small rattle so that the noise is as low as possible. The truth is, we don't rattle cats, are you really going to do that?
