For a bit, I put a bell on my cat. He's a house cat, I just wanted to hear where about he was going through the house.
Within a few days he had figured out how to walk around the house without causing the bell to ring. The only time I'd hear it make a noise is if he had late night zoomies and go running up and down the stairs.
Another consideration - imagine having a phone around your neck that beeped fairly loudly at an annoying frequency each time you moved. Its really annoying and hurts their ears (their hearing being more sensitive).
Bells on collars don't solve the problem and make it worse for all animals involved.
The wording is not clear. I doubt that it has the 'opposite' effect. I think they mean that the ones with bells brought in the most catches with the suggestion being that the owners put bells on their cats because they bring a lot of catches in the first place, i.e. the best hunters get bells.
