Hi-vis products to keep your cat safe on dark nights

Advert: December 2024

As the weather gets colder and nights draw in, it’s natural to worry about your cat’s safety when it’s dark outside.

Although it can be challenging to know how to improve our cats’ visibility while they’re adventuring outdoors in the dark, there are products you can buy that might help. 

Explore just a few of the great products on offer from VioVet, to enhance your cat’s visibility and improve their safety in low-light conditions…

Hi-vis kitten collar

While it’s generally recommended that young cats aren’t let outside until they’re around five months old, there’s always a chance that kittens could sneak out through a door or window. So, putting a hi-vis collar onto them, that’s both comfortable and properly fitted, may increase their chances of being seen when it’s dark. 

Luckily, the Ancol Hi Viz Kitten Collar offers a pawfect solution to improving their visibility! Available in orange, pink, or green, this collar benefits from great safety features, including a break-away buckle to allow an easy escape and a warning bell to help protect wildlife. Plus, the reflective pattern around the collar is ideal for making sure your kitten is seen in low light conditions – which is especially important around roads. 

For further advice about when to allow your young cat to venture outdoors, please check out our article about letting your cat outside for the first time.  

Hi-vis cat collar

A collar can be a straightforward solution to enhancing your feline friend’s visibility while they’re out and about in the dark. However, before we share inspiration for a hi-vis collar designed for cats and larger kittens, here’s our mini guide to fitting your cat’s collar correctly:

Step 1 – Choose a collar with a quick-release or break-away mechanism. Having a collar that pops undone easily will allow your cat to escape if their collar gets caught on something (like a branch or fence) while they’re out exploring. Avoid collars decorated with items like gems, beads, or studs – since these decorations could cause injury or become a choking hazard.

Top tip: Opting for a cat collar with a bell attached could help to warn wildlife, such as birds, when your cat is approaching and save them from being harmed. But it’s essential that the bell can detach easily from the collar if it were to get caught. 

Step 2 – Thankfully, most cat collars are fully adjustable, which makes it easier to ensure your feline friend’s collar fits comfortably. Make sure the collar is on its loosest setting before putting it on your cat, then, adjust the collar until you can fit two fingers underneath it. 

Fitting your cat’s collar correctly is crucial. If a cat’s collar is too tight, it’ll cause pain. Whereas if a cat’s collar is too loose, it’s easy for them to get stuck and could lead to serious injuries. 

Step 3 – Let your cat go about their activities in your home for around half an hour, to allow them to get used to wearing a collar. Then, double-check the collar still fits them comfortably before letting them outside. 

The Long Paws Tom & Tabby Reflective Cat Collar benefits from a variety of safety features, like being reflective, having a break-away safety clip, and a removable warning bell. Along with being washable (to enhance its hi-vis properties further due to being easy to keep clean), this innovative collar is made from soft, premium quality materials for improved comfort. 

Hi-vis harness and lead

Sometimes, we need to take our cats outside on a lead – whether they’re indoor cats needing exercise, in recovery, or just getting used to the world outdoors. Though taking your cat for a walk on a dark night could become risky, especially if you live near a busy road. 

Fortunately, the Trixie Freshline Spot Cat Harness with Leash offers a simple solution to improving your cat’s visibility on dark night walkies! Thanks to the reflective strips woven into the fabric, both the harness and lead enhance your cat’s visibility in low light conditions. Additionally, the continuously adjustable webbing tape makes the harness easy to fit to your cat. 

To access an array of free resources, visit our cat blog and cat advice guides! 

This Animal Friends webpage uses affiliate links for VioVet; so, if you buy something through these links, we earn a commission.