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by latexr 701 days ago
> Mount a bell on your cat. Maybe more than one, with different sounds - collar, back and (if you can get him to tolerate it) a leg.

No, don’t do this. Would you like to have bells mounted on you in several different places, just jingling all day with every movement? That becomes stressful for both the cat and the humans.

2 comments

Do you have any evidence for this, or is it from intuition? People have been putting bells on cats for generations, so if it was an issue someone probably investigated it by now .

My anecdotal experience is that cats adapt very quickly to ignore noises that don't have consequences, even if initially they find them extremely startling. Cats also walk extremely smoothly - there are reports of cats that manage to catch prey despite being belled. Although I admit that this wouldn't likely work for a leg bell.

Anyway, if you put a bell on your cat it's probably going to be obvious if the cat hates it.

> Do you have any evidence for this, or is it from intuition?

I used to interact with a large number of veterinaries, including some with an explicit interest in cat behaviour. That is the consensus I recall. Though I have no doubt that this will be a spectrum and anxious cats will be more prone to disliking the bell, but the original comment suggest multiple bells in different body parts with each new one adding to the discomfort.

As for it being annoying to the humans as well, naturally that depends entirely on yourself.

I know it would be torture to tie a bell around a cat's neck (as they are by nature a stealthy predator) but I have always wondered how cows can grow accustomed to having a loud bell around their neck at all times.