I am amazed that the cat still had its collar on 3 years later! My cats lose theirs at least every few months or maybe as long as a year.
A number of years ago when I lived in an apartment there was a cat that appeared on the front porch which appeared to be hungry.
Having once had a cat, I still had some cat food and so I went upstairs and poured some into a cup and took it downstairs to give to the apparently hungry cat.
When I got out there, I then noticed that the poor cat had a zip tie around it's neck that had obviously been placed on it when it was a kitten since the poor cat had grown into it to the point that it was being choked to death and its eyes were bulging out.
I then ran upstairs to get a pair of wire cutters but when I returned, the cat had gone and I never saw it again........
That broke my heart and it was then that I vowed that I would do anything in my power to prevent cruelty to any animals..........