We’ve all watched National Geographic, which shows a lioness bolting from the brush to her unsuspecting prey. Such a cat’s agility, speed, timing, and precision is something to see. Which we do, albeit in a much smaller version; our domesticated companion, the house cat.

While they may be smaller and hunt different game than their Saharan counterparts, the damage they can do to the ecosystem is still notable (and now changeable).

Birdsbesafe decided to study the prey of cats, such as songbirds, and find a way to give them the leg (or wing) up in the game of predator vs. prey. They studied the eye anatomy of songbirds and discovered they have more rods and cones than the human eye. Songbirds see an array of colors we cannot, especially in low-light conditions.

What makes a cat easier to see at dawn and during the day? A vibrant, colorful collar cover, of course!

At a Glance: What We Reviewed

About Birdsbesafe

Who Makes Birdsbesafe and Where Are They Produced?

It began with a cat named George. A ferocious hunter, George brought Ms.Brennan many songbirds from the Vermont woods surrounding their home. After sporting bells, with little success, Ms. Brennan fashioned a lively tube cover for the collar to alert songbirds to George’s presence. The test was a success! George no longer brought birds in through his cat door. In 2009, Birdsbesafe was launched, with scientific studies and backing recorded in 2015 and beyond.

Birdsbesafe products are made proudly in the USA. In 2023, Birdsbesafe was sold to The Power of Gratitude LLC with plans to continue and expand on this terrific product.

Which Types of Pets Is Birdsbesafe Best Suited For?

If you have an indoor-only cat, the extravagant collar cover may not best suit your needs (unless you’d like to use it as a fashion statement, of course). The collar cover is explicitly designed to reduce the success of predation on outdoor, native species of birds. The breakaway collars, however, are safe and useable for everyone with a feline friend, indoors or out.

Birdsbesafe Product & Brand Features

The lively colors and safety features of Birdsbesafe colors have caught our attention (and that of songbirds), but to be sure, we added some FAQs and pertinent info for you to know before you buy.

Materials

The breakaway collars are made of Nylon with reflective thread or tape throughout. The option to have an easy breakaway clasp or a more traditional clasp requiring moderate pressure may be best suited for different types of cats. For example, the Full-Stretch breakaway collar may be better suited for cats who spend most of their time indoors or have a safe outdoor area like a catio.

Each Birdsbesafe collar cover is made of cotton, a very familiar material. If you’re wondering why the material is not waterproof, Birdsbesafe explains that waterproof fabric damages a cat’s whiskers—and we don’t want that for Floofy.

Shipping & Delivery

You can purchase Birdsbesafe collars and covers (and a few extra goodies like whisker-friendly cat bowls and pet shampoo bars) on their website, birdsbesafe.com, or Amazon.

The products come in a plastic bag with an interesting fact sheet on the Birdsbesafe design.

Quality

The collars are made of durable material with sturdy plastic clasps. The collar covers are stitched together in approximately 20” lengths, so they ruffle around the collar for better visibility.

If you’ve purchased cat collars before, some can be so flimsy they will not buckle after the first use. These collars have been on and off all cats multiple times, without fail.

How To Assemble & Wear

The collars fit together using either a side-release buckle or a quick-release clasp with a removable bell. Each collar should be fitted to allow for one finger width between it and your cat’s neck. The key is ensuring it is not so tight that it bothers your cat but not so loose that it could become snagged on something or catch a wayward paw.

The collar cover simply slides over the breakaway collar, with ample length for ruffling. The collar cover does not close in any way, meaning if the breakaway collar releases, the collar cover will as well.

Reviews of the 3 Best Birdsbesafe Products

1. Birdsbesafe Collar Covers

Each Birdsbesafe Collar Cover is made of cotton for quick drying and a lightweight design. The color patterns vary, but floral patterns are never included on the off chance they could encourage garden-friendly insects like bees and butterflies to approach the cat. The patterns make them hummingbird-safe, too!

The collar covers sport a reflective strip around the outside of the collar, so if your cat wears them outdoors overnight, you don’t have to sacrifice the reflective strip for vehicles or our sing-at-dawn songbirds.

The collar covers are long and wide enough (20” x 2”) that feeding the breakaway collar through the cover is simple, and placing it on the cat requires minimal extra effort than a breakaway collar alone.

On the Birdsbesafe website, you can purchase covers as a package deal, so if one cover is damp, you have a second cover to place on your cat before sending them back outside. With the lively color patterns, hanging them on a hook by the door makes them visible as a reminder to outfit your cat with one, and much harder to lose!

However, like all collars, the cover is subject to loss if your cat frequents scrubby or brush-filled areas with many collar-snag opportunities.

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2. Nylon Breakaway Collars

The nylon material used in Birdsbesafe collars makes them durable and more likely usable even after the breakaway clasp opens.

The reflective band around the center of the collar is highly visible to songbirds and vehicles for nighttime dwellers.

The clasp, designed as a cute cat face, requires very little pressure to release, making it the perfect collar for outdoor-only cats, as the likelihood their collar gets snagged on something is greater.

The removable bell alerts songbirds of a cat’s presence, especially if they try to gain distance before pouncing. However, for indoor cats, the jingle may not be necessary. I take Annie’s off in the evenings as she enjoys nighttime rounds around the house, leading to tiny jingling steps into the wee hours of the morning.

The collars are easily adjustable to suit cats as they grow and come in various colors, including black, yellow, blue, green, red, and pink.

The thin band is, however, somewhat hard to see on a longer-haired cat.

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3. Full-Stretch Breakaway Collar

The full-stretch breakaway collar is made of durable nylon, and the stretch material is also reflective for increased visibility on roadways.

The side release clip is easy to use and requires moderate pressure to release. Each collar is outfitted with a metal ring to attach a Cat ID, so if your furry friend gets too far away, they will be easily identified.

The collar adjusts from 8” to 12”, so it fits most cats.

The feedback does mention that, as with any breakaway collar, the likelihood of losing it is much greater than that of a regular collar. However, the breakaway design has likely saved countless cats from injury.

The thin design makes it harder to see longhaired cats.

Our Experience With Birdsbesafe Breakaway Collars & Collar Covers

My two cats, Annie and Teal, have two very different personalities. We often laugh at the fact that our indoor/outdoor furry friend of 8 years, Annie, refuses to step paw outside in the winter months. To be fair, it’s cold here in the mountains of BC, Canada. However, come spring, as things dry up and the world sprouts anew, so does Annie from her warm basket by the fire; with this spring vigor comes the likelihood that birds return, fledglings leave their nest… and the hunting begins.

Some cats hunt to survive, but I can guarantee these two do not have the need; it just doesn’t stop them from trying (and, prior to sporting a Birdsbesafe collar cover, succeeding).

Annie never strays far from the house, but neither do the robins, black-capped chickadees, warblers, sparrows, swallows, finches, and more. They often perch in our honeysuckle, apple, and nectarine trees, and despite the added effort of removing brush underneath, Annie was still relatively successful in catching a bird occasionally.

I outfitted her with the collar cover and watched from the window as she attempted to stalk an unsuspecting chickadee in the honeysuckle. From approximately 4 feet away, the bird took flight. Annie, perplexed, stood from her stoop and tried again. Surely the robin wouldn’t see her coming, she thought, and again, within 5 feet, the bird took flight. I have not seen one bird (or feathers) on our front lawn since outfitting her and Teal with the collars.

Teal, on the other hand, though raised indoors (with many kids for cuddles and love), remains mostly outdoors and spans our entire 10 acres regularly, only returning for her bowl of food every day or two. More often than not, an excellent, agile, compact hunter, Teal evidenced her hunting prowess with mice, voles, and moles from the garden but would show up with a bird or two every few weeks. I sent her out using a Birdsbesafe collar and collar cover, and to my surprise, when she returned two days later from one of her many journeys, the cover was still in place, and she had nothing with her and has not since wearing one.

Interestingly, Teal had kittens a year ago. Many of the kittens found homes with our neighbors, and happily—they’re now interested in purchasing their own Birdsbesafe collars to soften Teal’s legacy of hunting and decimating our native bird populations.

Conclusion

Just as you have the responsibility to provide care, food, and love to your cats, it’s also important that we, as cat owners, own what our cats do when they’re not curled up in our laps.

An outdoor cat can, on average, kill 2-3 birds per month, if not more, and that doesn’t look great for native songbird numbers in our regions.

With Birdsbesafe’s collars and covers, outdoor cats can still enjoy the enrichment of the outdoors without playing a role in ruining it.

Birdsbesafe’s products are backed by multiple scientific studies worldwide, and they prove their effectiveness time and time again. The affordable, easy-to-use, and low-maintenance products are perfect for any cat owner in your life.