My cat will remove them within 20 minutes, never to be found. I've reluctantly settled on the non-safety collar after losing a half dozen. Although if I equipped one with RFID I could at least have a shot at locating his stash!
My cat used to do the same. But then I found out that she likes the color red (or orange). Once I switched to that collar it would only come off every few days and seemed more like an accident. She also likes the bell and when she first got it would proudly walk in a way that made a lot of noise.
So idk if this helps, but maybe try different colors and configurations and find what your cat likes. Also tightness has a lot to do with it.
Maybe replace the elastic section with a loop of fishing line that's rated at 1/4th the cat's weight (loop having 2x the rated strength). Too strong for the cat to remove, but will snap under their own weight.
Or the cat might be OK with the breakaway collar now, due to "learned helplessness".
