Can cats lick their flea collar?

Question
Hi,

I'm new at owning a cat and I recently got a flea collar for her so she could go outside.  She immediately licked it a few times... I'm pretty sure I put it on correctly, but I found her licking it and immediately after, she would drool a bit.  Is it okay for a cat to lick their flea collar?  I took it off in fear of harming her.

Answer
Well, first off, flea collars are generally not too toxic, but you did the right thing by removing it. It all depends on the type of collar, and some collars contain compounds that simply are nasty to fleas and get rid of them, and some contain chemicals that are or are similar to pesticides, and those can harm your cat. My guess is you may not have tightened the collar enough (which is common, as nobody wants their animal to have trouble breathing), or the collar may be too big. There are often several collar sizes, just as there are many different cat sizes, and you may wish to look for a flea collar with a specific size if you can measure your cat's neck size. This should give you a better fit and make it less likely to be able to lick its collar. Hopefully this should help a bit, but if your cat is always able to lick its collar, I would only let it outside when you intend to watch it, and avoid collars.

Also, you should be able to get medicine for your animals that prevent fleas, ticks, etc. These do not work 100% of the time, but they are still another option. Regardless of what you use for fleas, you should still consistently check to make sure your animal does not have fleas or ticks. Ticks are often spotted near the neck or on the paws of the animal.

Another bit of advice, you should be careful about letting your cat outside. Most cats are fine on their own outside, but always keep an eye out for various animals, such as raccoons, other wild cats, etc. Not only are they dangerous, but they can transmit disease. Good luck, and I hope you can find a safe way for your cat to have fun outside!