A few days ago, a cat was found at Furuset in Oslo. “Lasse has been wearing a collar and got his paw inside the collar, which has resulted in terrible wounds. He has been walking like this for a long time as the wounds are deep and he is extremely hungry.” This is how the story of the cat “Lasse” on Facebook begins. Now Animal Protection in Lillestrøm has taken care of him. They are the ones who called him Lasse. Lasse is unneutered, without ID markings and had a collar. But he had stuck one paw in the collar. Open wounds around his head – He has open wounds on his neck, on his back, on his neck and under his arm. There are sores all around, says Siri Lindsveen, chairman of the board of Animal Protection Lillestrøm and surroundings. Lasse has large wounds after he got one of his front paws through the collar. Photo: Hanna EM Caquet / Animal Protection Lillestrøm Lasse has probably been going like this for a long time. – Those wounds don’t come in a day. He was also very, very hungry and quite carried away, she says. This is not the first time they have seen cats with such injuries. Someone has stuck their paw in the collar or the collar has become stuck in a tree. They have also seen cats walking outside with harnesses that don’t fit properly. – Some of the stories have ended much worse than Lasses. Better an ID chip than a collar Animal protection has clear advice about collars on cats. – We will certainly warn against the use of collars. – Especially on cats that go outside without supervision while you are at work, or that are gone for a few days at a time, says Lindsveen. Siri Lindsveen is chairman of the board of Animal Protection Lillestrøm and surroundings. Photo: Private – Then you have no control over whether something has happened. She believes that a chip is the best way to tag a cat. – Easier to see them with collars Veterinarians are also not unfamiliar with the fact that cats with collars can get stuck. But they are not consistently against collars on cats. – There are collars that open or break if there is too much stress, says Frauke Becher. She is head of communications at the Norwegian Veterinary Association. – What about a chip or other ID marking, which Animal Protection recommends? – It is absolutely good that cats are chipped, so that you can track down the owner if you find a cat, she says. Recently, the Veterinary Association supported a proposal from the Liberal Party on mandatory ID marking of dogs and cats. But Becher also believes that collars can be good. Frauke Becher is head of communications at the Norwegian Veterinary Association. Photo: The Norwegian Veterinary Association – Then it is clearer that the cat has an owner. And in the autumn darkness, it is important that cats are seen when they run across the road, so a reflective collar is good, says Becher. And Lasse, what about him? – It’s probably going well with Lasse. If we can’t find the owner, he will be relocated. In the meantime, he stays in a foster home and is looked after by someone who is an animal carer, says Siri Lindsveen in Animal Protection.
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