Cat goes bonkers when collar is put on him.

Question
Dear Norman,

I have finally decided for the 2nd time to try and put a breakaway collar on my 2yr old cat who weighs ~ 12lb. The first time we tried a collar he would constantly lick, bite, and scratch at it until he literally rips it to shreds and takes it off. So i took off the collar after a day or two put it back on and found it torn in half.

Recently i got him another collar about 1 year later from the past incident. As soon as i put it on he runs 2 feet stops and freezes and starts violently licking his neck. Then will run around possesed stopping then licking. Then itching then licking etc. Rinse and repeat.

I always make sure i cant fit atleast 1 finger underneath his collar at the throat area. At first it was to loose and he could actually get it in his mouth. So i tightened it and now it has about 1 pointer finger space between his throat and collar. It is going on day 2 and he is still behaving not like himself. It really gets on his nerves. Is there anything I can do and is this normal? I don't want him to be traumatized for life because of this collar. He has the best personality and this collar is ruining it making him psycho!

Thanks,
Rich

Answer
Rich,

Why do you want to have a collar on your cat?  I am hoping the cat is an indoor cat.  Having a collar on a cat is not a thing cats like although, in time, many will get used to them (but it will take more than a day or two).

Unless there is a good reason to have a collar on your cat, I think you may want to heed your cat's opinion of the collar idea!

Best regards... Norm.