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My cat is freaking out because I put a new collar on her. She has worn the same collar since she was a kitten but for some reason now when I changed it to a different collar, she is in huge fear and all she wants to do is hide under something all day. I will try to take her out of underneath she is and she'll quickly run away and hide somewhere else. I've been petting her, giving her treats, playing with her fav toy, and trying to comfort her but she is still freaking out. What should I do?

My cat is freaking out because I put a new collar on her. She has worn the same collar since she was a kitten but for some reason now when I changed it to a different collar, she is in huge fear and all she wants to do is hide under something all day. I will try to take her out of underneath she is and she'll quickly run away and hide somewhere else. I've been petting her, giving her treats, playing with her fav toy, and trying to comfort her but she is still freaking out. What should I do?

Updated On November 30th, 2018

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 1 year and 2 months old | 4 lbs

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Answered By Stacey Anstaett, DVM

Veterinarian

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Poor Nala! I'm sorry she's upset! First of all, if there is any noise making part of the collar (a bell, a jingle, or even a tag hitting against a buckle, etc) that may be freaking her out. Secondly, if she is a strictly indoor cat, its reasonable to not worry about keeping a collar on her at all, though I would recommend that she be [microchipped](https://www.petcoach.co/article/the-importance-of-microchipping-your-pet/) in case she ever does get out. The feel of this color, or maybe the smell, could also be the issue. If its the smell, you can set the collar out in your house for a few days, put it in her bed, or under your pillow, and try again in a few days.[ Feliway spray](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/feliway-spray) may also help--this is a pheromone product that you can spray on the collar, which should help it have a more soothing effect. If it is the feel of the collar you can either decide to give her time to see if she gets used to it, or just punt the idea of a new collar. Again, for what its worth, its not wrong to NOT have a collar on an indoor only cat. I hope that is helpful for you! Thanks for asking PetCoach!

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