Tractive cat trackers

[Kittyquestion12]

Does anyone recommend these? Girl cat will be going out soon - she is definitely an adventurer (and a hunter!), and I’m already very nervous about where she’ll go.
she isn’t yet wearing a collar! So maybe that’s a good first step.

Do you cats wear the tracker 24/7 (except when charging), or do you put on before they go out? Assume this only works if the cat flap isn’t open 24/7.
Can you find them via the tracking system if the collar comes off? Our plan is to lock the cat flap at night so she can come in but not go back out.

I wouldn’t put a collar on a cat. It’s a choking and hanging risk. They can also get a leg caught through and end up with awful injuries. How old is she? Neutered?

We used Tractive for our boy before he went under house arrest for sustained thuggery.

It works very well, he was very far ranging so it was good to know his favourite hangouts and where he would get stuck.

Only put it on when he went out but it didn't bother him at all.

However he quickly learned how to get the collar off in under 5 minutes. We found it a few times but then he started losing them in inaccessible areas. We did get to know our neighbours though traipsing about after him.

This is my worry but aren’t the safety release ones safe? She’s 1 and neutered - and a bit mad!

They often release but don’t always. We let ours out first thing but before breakfast. They generally come home after a bit of a mooch.

Of 5 cats, the boy is the only one we have ever wanted to track and he's an Arabian Mau, not a typical moggie.

All the neutered girls have gone for a wander and quickly learned they need to be home for dinner. Very occasionally when young they would stay out overnight but quickly regret it and be back for breakfast.

The boy was doing 7-10km a day. None of the others have gone beyond next doors garden.

If you get yours responding reliably to her name in return for a treat, you should be OK, apart from a bit of dicking about in the early days when she thinks she is having more fun outside.

Finlay has lost tracker and collar more than once - we managed to retrieve it on one occasion but others were replaced FOC by Tractive
My only issue is even on low power setting they do need frequent charging - which is only possible if they return home and stay in long enough
Finn can go missing for 2-3 days and by day 3 runs out of battery - I don’t stress hugely any more as he also has an air tag!
DD manages better as her cat is kept in at night so recharges him then

We really enjoy following his travels

We have a Tractive, a Weenect and a cheap Android tracker that only works with Bluetooth. The cats only wear their collars during cat flap opening hours. We charge them overnight and they've learned to line up by the back door to have them put on again before we let them out in the morning.

Weenect is cheaper overall than Tractive, they let you pay the subs monthly and I like the buzzer/light/sound option to help find it. The collar they supply isn't quick-release though and the tracker is slightly bulkier than Tractive.

Tractive comes with a good-quality quick-release collar and is slightly smaller and lighter than the Weenect. The light flashes automatically when you go into live tracking mode, although it's not as bright as the Weenect one.

The Android cheapy only works when the cat's in Bluetooth range. It's the smallest and lightest of the three though, doesn't need charging and there's no subscription charge.

Tractive user here too. We have a super wanderer whose most recent escapade ended up with his tracker which he had got off carted off in the engine of somebody’s car. We were on holiday at the time and got an alert that Milo was at a Centra shop 10 miles away from home 😳 so yeah it has a good range. Our fantastic neighbours who were looking after Milo and the less adventurous Derek hopped in their car and retrieved it from a very bemused van driver.

Milo doesn’t seem to mind the collar or the tracker. I find the radar useful for tracking him down at home time and the alert when he enters (eventually) the virtual fence useful as I know he’s nearby.

We keep Milo in at night so take the tracker off and charge it. That’s probably the worst feature the battery can run down quite quickly if your live tracking.

I can vouch for the leg and awful injuries bit, our rescue had that happen before we got him, and years later it has still not healed properly.

Unfortunately leg injuries caused by collars can result in amputation.

I’ve just bought Tractive for my 10yr old wanderer. Game changer. The only thing that annoys me is that they won’t sell you 2 on one subscription so that you can have one charged and ready to swap. Discovered the disappearing bastard was breaking into another cat flap and stealing food.

@AnnaMagnani any chance of a pic they are absolutely stunning cats

My son and DiL's cat has a tractive collar. When they first had him he used to go out collarless but after walking 5 miles from home and being found days later by pure luck, they got the tractive. He doesn't mind wearing it at all but occasionally it's come off when he's got it caught in a bush. He walks miles in a day so it's useful to know where he is. They charge it overnight as they now keep him in at night.

Thanks all - I’ve ordered one to try.
i am worried about a collar but equally aren’t safety release safe.

We’ve been letting her out for semi supervised time in the garden but she’s an explorer and she was gone for 45 mins yest and didn’t come back to call. Shes not very food orientated and is much more interested in being out! I’m glad she’s having fun, but I worry about her getting too far and then getting lost or stuck - I’m sure she probably won’t get lost but could get stuck. It’s so nerve wracking!!

Safety release collars aren’t as dangerous but they’re not entirely safe. I wouldn’t risk it.