Compact, related, and prepared for cat-sumption, a brand new era of digital screens worn across the neck on a collar may also help you monitor your feline pal.
To seek out one of the best cat GPS trackers, we consulted with Molly DeVoss, an authorized feline coaching and conduct specialist, licensed cat conduct marketing consultant, and founding father of the nonprofit CatBehaviorSolutions.org. The tracker you finally choose must be sufficiently small in order that your cat is not bothered by the machine, and sturdy sufficient to face up to the weather your cat is more likely to encounter. A GPS tracker is especially useful for locating a misplaced or trapped cat, however DeVoss additionally finds the devices helpful for multi-cat households, permitting you to see patterns in a cat’s conduct, the areas they could think about their territory, and the way typically they socially work together with one another.
Our favourite cat tracker is the Tractive GPS Tracker for Cats, which is light-weight, continually updating, and has a wealth of options throughout two completely different subscription tiers.
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Location updates each few seconds
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Extra light-weight than every other tracker we’ve examined
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Premium subscription gives household sharing and extra
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Waterproof and shock-resistant
The Tractive Mini GPS Tracker for Cats can entry real-time GPS areas utilizing three completely different main mobile networks, making certain the very best protection so long as you’re in an space with 4G mobile entry. It updates your cat’s location each two to 3 seconds. Superior options embrace the power to set secure zones or areas the place your cat shouldn’t go—you’ll get a notification in the event that they cross right into a no-go zone.
The machine itself is waterproof, ultra-durable, and may go 5 days and not using a battery cost. Plus, it’s tinier than every other full-featured GPS tracker we evaluated. At simply over a single ounce, with a physique that’s underneath three inches lengthy, the Tractive tracker will nonetheless take some getting used to on your cat however is as unobtrusive as doable.
As with most cat trackers, the Tractive requires a subscription however gives two completely different tiers with completely different options. Each Fundamental and Premium subscriptions offer you limitless stay monitoring and entry to the Tractive app’s knowledge monitoring, which incorporates your cat’s sleep and exercise patterns.
Premium subscriptions can have a number of folks monitoring your cat directly—so you can share knowledge with a cat sitter or member of the family. Premium subscriptions additionally present worldwide help, retain your cat’s location knowledge for a full yr, and even let you export GPS knowledge so you are able to do your individual evaluation.
Subscriptions begin at $13 a month, or you may get a yr of the Fundamental subscription for $8 monthly by paying for the yr upfront. Premium plans begin at $9 a month, paid yearly. The Tractive GPS Cat LTE machine comes packaged with a charging cable and a bracket for attaching it to your cat’s collar.
Dimensions: 2.1 x 1.1 x 0.6 inches | Weight: 0.9 ounces | Battery Life: As much as 5 days | Water Resistance: IPX7 | Collar: Suits collars as much as 0.8 inches thick | Connection: GPS, 4G | Vary: Limitless | Subscription Required: Sure
This full-featured GPS tracker is barely heavier and bulkier than our favourite general, the Tractive tracker, which makes all of the distinction with regards to a tool you anticipate your cat to put on round its neck.
Nevertheless, whereas most of the Dice’s options are similar to the Tractive, it differs in a single main side by triangulating your cat’s location with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, along with GPS over mobile networks. This makes it notably helpful in city environments, the place tall buildings can block the road of sight mandatory to ascertain a location utilizing GPS satellites.
The Dice GPS Tracker can connect to most cats’ collars with ease, due to the slide-on design. You should buy the machine individually or in tandem with one of many model’s specially-made collars.
There’s a wonderful cellphone app that corresponds with this piece of wearable tech. Obtain the app, then allow monitoring and site companies. Whereas the Dice itself is simply $30, unlocking its options through the app requires a subscription, which prices $16.50 monthly or $198 per yr.
The Dice tracker accounts for myriad completely different specs, together with, in fact, location—in actual time and traditionally. It additionally tracks the pace at which your pet is shifting, in addition to after they cease and begin shifting.
There’s additionally a helpful audible ringer characteristic. In case your cat is out and about within the yard, however visually out of sight, this tracker permits you to ring it audibly from a distance, making it that a lot simpler to search out your furry pal after they’re meandering by way of the bushes! When it comes to battery life, the Dice GPS tracker outlasts many different comparable choices, with a 10- to 60-day use per charging session.
Dimensions: 2.75 x 1.57 x 0.64 inches | Weight: 2.23 ounces | Battery Life: 10 to 60 days | Water Resistance: IP67 | Collar: N/A | Connection: Wi-Fi, GPS, 4G, Bluetooth | Vary: Limitless | Subscription Required: Sure
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Lifetime guarantee
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Has chase mode performance
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Constructed-in SIM card works with outdated and new mobile towers
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A number of gadgets might be related
The Tracki GPS Tracker is gentle, weighing a mere 1 ounce, and attaches simply to your pet’s collar. It’s 1.5 inches in diameter, which generally is a bit cumbersome when on the collar of a smaller cat. It has a novel chase mode perform that allows you to obtain updates each 5 seconds on the place your pet has taken off. Plus, this perform permits you to add a number of gadgets so family and friends may also help you find your misplaced pet.
Like different GPS trackers, it does require a subscription—however this one is a little more reasonably priced than some, costing solely $3.99 monthly in the event you go together with the long-term plan. The month-to-month plan is a little more at $9.95 monthly. The tracker has a built-in SIM card that’s able to working with each outdated and new mobile towers, so it supplies protection in 2G, 3G, and 4G networks.
Dimensions: 1.5 inches in diameter | Weight: 1 ounce | Battery Life: As much as 7 days | Water Resistance: IP67 | Collar: N/A | Connection: Wi-Fi, GPS, LTE, 4G, 3G, 2G | Vary: Limitless | Subscription Required: Sure
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No subscription wanted
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Comes with two homing gadgets and two silicone instances
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Makes use of RF (radio frequency) to point location indoors and open air
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Shade-coded handset with lights to point the place cat is positioned
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Battery life as much as one yr
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Two-year producer guarantee
The Cat Tracker v2 from TabCat is a dependable monitoring machine that doesn’t require a month-to-month subscription to be used. The set comes with two homing gadgets, two silicone collar instances, and a handset that retains monitor of your cat’s location. As an alternative of utilizing satellite-based GPS, TabCat leverages the placement monitoring capabilities of radio frequencies (RF), which, in line with TabCat, is extra correct than GPS and may find your cat indoors and open air inside 1 inch of the place they’re at any second.
With the homing machine contained in the silicone case positioned round your cat’s neck, activating the handset with the press of a button will generate a sequence of beeps. On the handset, color-coded lights will point out which path to stroll in to search out your cat, and extra lights come on the nearer you get. The colour crimson signifies you might be far-off, amber means you might be getting nearer, and inexperienced lights come on when you’re shut.
Whereas the tag itself will not be waterproof, the protecting silicone case offered will assist maintain it shielded from rain and puddles. Plus, not like GPS trackers that have to be recharged repeatedly, the batteries for the Cat Tracker system have sufficient energy to last as long as one yr. The tracker could be very light-weight so it is possible your cat will not thoughts sporting it, however the detection know-how can not differentiate between completely different cats.
Dimensions: 1.18 x .79 x 0.35 inches | Weight: 0.17 ounce | Battery Life: As much as 1 yr | Water Resistance: When inside silicone case | Collar: N/A | Connection: RF | Vary: Limitless | Subscription Required: No
The Apple AirTag is compact, light-weight, and doesn’t require a month-to-month subscription, however the tracker is simply appropriate with Apple merchandise, and it isn’t as efficient in distant areas. You will additionally must buy a collar with an AirTag holder to maintain it securely connected to your cat and shielded from the weather.
AirTags pair simply with Apple gadgets and you can spot your cat’s location through the “Discover My” app. In case your cat goes lacking, you’ll be able to activate an alert that may transmit a notification along with your contact data to any iPhone or iPad person that finds your cat. Sadly, if the individual that finds your cat would not have an Apple machine, they won’t obtain the notification. .
In case you are an Apple customers, the AirTag is an reasonably priced choice. Plus, the battery lasts a few yr, so you do not have to cost it.
Dimensions: 1.26 x 0.35 inches | Weight: 0.39 ounce | Battery Life: 1 yr | Water Resistance: IP67 | Collar: N/A | Connection: Bluetooth 5.0 | Vary: 33 toes | Subscription Required: No
Closing Verdict
Our favourite cat tracker is the Tractive GPS Tracker for Cats, which gives continually updating areas and plenty of options in a bundle sufficiently small on your cat’s collar. However in the event you stay in a metropolis, we advocate the Dice GPS Tracker as an alternative, because it boasts options that assist monitor your cat’s location even when a GPS satellite tv for pc cannot be accessed, akin to when the sign is blocked by massive buildings.
What to Look For in a Cat GPS Tracker
Tracker Measurement
Small, light-weight trackers constituted of comfy, clean supplies, akin to plastic, are greatest for cats’ collars. A lithe monitoring machine is much less more likely to impede in your cat’s motion and won’t weigh them down.
Ideally, your cat ought to really feel like they’re sporting nothing in any respect. Make sure to test the burden on the cat tracker you plan to buy, in addition to the measurements, notably if in case you have a really small cat or kitten.
“Historically, trackers have been massive for cats however the know-how appears to be on the verge of manufacturing smaller ones,” DeVoss mentioned, “which will probably be simpler for the cat to get used to sporting.”
App Options
Cat-tracking gadgets sometimes include a corresponding smartphone app, most of which let you view your cat’s location on a map in real-time. Some apps are extra user-friendly than others; furthermore, some apps embrace extra useful options, akin to the power to make a ringing sound on the machine, and even supply real-time help from veterinarians. Make sure to double-check that your cat-tracking machine works seamlessly along with your kind of cellphone (e.g. iPhone, Android, and so forth.).
Vary
Some cat-tracking gadgets characteristic considerably extra vary than others. For instance, many have a variety of some hundred toes, which is nice for realizing the place your cat is inside the space of your private home, yard, and close by premises. Others supply limitless vary, which lets you see precisely the place your cat is irrespective of how far they journey from dwelling.
Battery Life
Batteries and energy are available in many types relying on the cat-tracking machine you select. Some supply a chargeable battery, just like a cellphone’s battery, that may have to be plugged in and recharged now and again (this generally is a few days or a number of weeks, relying on the cat tracker you select).
The opposite energy choice is an effective old school battery; sometimes, cat monitoring gadgets with batteries depend on small, flat, round batteries, in order to not weigh your cat down and so the battery can match inside the small monitoring machine. Batteries usually supply longer-lasting energy time, and there’s no must recharge.
Subscriptions
Most cat-tracking gadgets require subscriptions to make use of the placement companies you’re in search of. Usually, the subscription is paid on a month-to-month foundation, although annual subscriptions are additionally an choice with some cat-tracking gadgets. Relying on the variety of options the cat tracker gives, the subscription value can differ considerably, so you should definitely double-check prior to buying to completely decide what fits your price range.
FAQ
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GPS, which stands for World Positioning System, is a standardized, correct technique of figuring out location by means of specialised satellites.
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On a excessive stage, GPS works through communication with satellites. Particularly, satellites that orbit the earth twice per day, sending alerts to GPS-enabled gadgets through receivers to speak exact areas at any given time.
Why Belief The Spruce Pets?
Sophie Wirt is a contract author for The Spruce Pets and a cat mother of two. For this text, Sophie fastidiously thought of an array of cat-tracking machine fashions and evaluated every for consolation, worth, and ease of use concerning the corresponding app. For added perception, she additionally consulted Molly DeVoss, an authorized feline coaching and conduct specialist, licensed cat conduct marketing consultant, and founding father of the nonprofit CatBehaviorSolutions.org.