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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Anyone use a GPS tracker on their cat?

16 replies

PuntCuffin · 04/03/2018 14:53

My rescue cat is a very beautiful, long haired blue individual. Looks like a Nebelung, behaves like one too! Previous history suggests he is likely to be a wanderer once he starts going out, so I want to get him used to wearing a collar, preferably with GPS. But, they all seem to have crap reviews. Does anyone else use one, and is it any good?

Anyone use a GPS tracker on their cat?
OP posts:
thecatneuterer · 04/03/2018 15:14

I don't think any have been developed that are small enough for cats yet.

Allergictoironing · 04/03/2018 16:28

Don't know really about trackers, but had to stop by to say WOW what a gorgeous cat!

Weedsnseeds1 · 04/03/2018 17:42

He's very handsome.
I'd worry about the collar to be honest, but I'd love to know where mine goes and what he gets up to.

MsHomeSlice · 04/03/2018 17:44

I wonder what idiotcat gets up too, and everytime i see that ad with the red backpacks and Martin Freeman I think about tagging him.

can't you get GPS microchips?? Or have I been watching too many Bond movies??

woodlanddreamer · 04/03/2018 17:57

We had a Tractive which was really designed for a dog, and was a bit big on a cat collar. It was more of a gimmick although I did find ours once when he wasn't coming when I was calling him. He was sitting quietly in a bush looking at me. They tend not to be very accurate but give you an idea of where they are & have been. If it had been smaller I would have carried on using it. It was about £5/month on top of the initial cost (was a gift)

BillywilliamV · 04/03/2018 17:59

If I had, our cat might not have spent three days locked in a snow covered carSad

pilates · 04/03/2018 18:34

Oh Billy, is he/she ok?

wtffgs · 04/03/2018 18:39

Same question to Billy

OP your cat is lovely. I have quite a glam rescue too and I worry about her too!

Tbf, I worried about all my cats outside regardless of their looks Grin

Original poster
PuntCuffin · 04/03/2018 19:35

Thanks for all the comments on his beauty!
At 4am this morning when he started playing football round our bedroom, I was feeling slightly less enamoured with him Blush

It is more his history of having been wandering before that makes me want to know where he is going rather than his good looks. But, he was only neutered about 6 weeks ago, so his wandering days may have been curtailed already.

OP posts:
EachandEveryone · 04/03/2018 21:11

Can youcat proof your garden?

viccat · 04/03/2018 22:18

Another vote for cat-proofing the garden if you can. All the benefits of going out with none of the risks. Plenty of DIY options that don't cost much, or you can get a company in to do it.

Original poster
PuntCuffin · 05/03/2018 07:46

Cat proofing the garden isn't a realistic option. It is about 1/4 acre, part hedged rather than fenced and has a stream running through the middle.

He seems quite happy indoors at the moment, even a month in, so it isn't urgent.

OP posts:
ShiftyMcGifty · 05/03/2018 07:54

We bought and used successfully loc8tor cat trackers about 8-9 years ago. The only problem was back then they were a bit bulky when the cats ran past a branch, they’d get caught and whole collar would easily snap off. So often we’d be searching for collars in the garden :-). They have since been renamed to my tabs and they’re a lot smaller now.

Most of the time, we found the cats were just crouching in the garden and hiding from us. But it was reassuring to know they hadn’t wandered off far. Stopped using it when we moved near a busy road and had to cat proof the entire garden.

ClareB83 · 05/03/2018 07:57

We have a Kippy vita for our cat. It's not 100% accurate but gives you a pretty good idea where he is and where he's been. It's a bit chunky but he doesn't seem bothered by it. I like that it notifies you when it needs recharging via the app in your phone. You can have it set to update every so many minutes/hours but you can also turn on live tracking remotely.

He managed to pull off his collar one day and the location was accurate enough to locate the tracker quite easily.

It's been useful to see what his territory is and combined with his 'do not feed' collar seems to be having the desired effect of stopping the neighbours feeding him.

ShiftyMcGifty · 05/03/2018 07:58

OP, it isn’t the prettiest thing, but you can get cat proof enclosure for a part of your garden, so you don’t have to fence off the entire thing from Purrfectfence you could set up a cat run with a pet door that leads into an enclosed area so your cat can come/go outside as it pleases.

LucheroTena · 05/03/2018 21:29

I bought them but they cost a fortune, and of course the cats kept losing them in people’s gardens. Was a bit embarrassing having to knock on doors asking to search peoples bushes. The day someone makes a gps chip they will be v rich

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