Tractive Smart Cat GPS Tracker Real-Time Location Wellness Monitoring for Cats 6 5 lbs Territory Location History Up

I have had other trackers like the Bluetooth style ones you may attach to your keys, luggage, etc. that do not require a subscription to work. They work as designed, but they don't work well enough at the times you need it to the most. What they did do was send me on an emotional rollercoaster thinking the worst about my cat's whereabouts because I needed to pinpoint to the second where she was on a map. Instead of waiting and waiting for the tag locator to update, and there is no set interval for it to do that, you think the worst, and you may never know exactly if they don't return. And to me that is the worst part about losing a pet/member of family, is never knowing. Yet the burden of if there was something you could had done about it. I believe that cats are not to spend their lives indoors and they have instinctual urges they can't control to make them want to be free be it an indoor cat that escapes or one you take the risk of letting them outside during the day only. Its my belief to allow this and only hope my cat is savvy enough from life experience along with instincts to know there are predators present that given the opportunity to sustain their survival, may include ending hers . And my pet at almost 3 years old and living in a somewhat forested part of North Seattle with the occasional transient coyote, I take that risk and prepared for possibilities of letting my cat be a cat. So far, so good, but with much heartache at times. I was aware of the Tractive Cat Mini locator during all those times when using the other trackers and figured it probably worked in a similar fashion and probably just had some fancier app to download or something. But the main problem I had with giving the Tractive Cat Mini a chance was the requirement of a subscription for it to work. The upfront cost of the tracker was reasonable, but the yearly or monthly subscription was not. At least for my penny-pinching budget. Just another bill to pay. But I was so wrong. Being fed up with another emotional breakdown which luckily aways turned out for the best, I purchased the Tractive Cat Mini from Amazon while it was on sale for a promotion which made the price for me to be even more reasonable to offset the subscription price. I got it the next day and chose my subscription for a year. By the end of the 1st day of using it, I was kicking myself that I didn't do it sooner and how much heartache I could have avoided because this tracker did what I thought was not possible. It showed very clear detailed maps of where my cat was when I needed to know and to the second without delay. The app was very user friendly with not a bunch of settings to get lost in but straight forward and actually fun to use when friending with other cat owners in your local area. Or worldwide. But most importantly, the reliability of the device and the app combined which I have not had one problem with either after close to one year of using both. I now know what you get for the cost of the subscription and it could be 10x higher than what I paid for what you actually get from it. After 1 year using this device daily, I am extremely happy with this product, which I find to be rare these days. And if battery life is your concern like it was for me, it all depends on your cat. For myself, my cat is 50/50 indoor outdoor cat with a 10-block territory which because of the tracker I now know, the battery lasts 5 days or more and really has to do with the weather. That being said, it depends on if she is in the power saving zone or not. The battery can last even longer than 5 days in some cases and that's with full functionality with no compromising of its capabilities. To make sure it is charged is just a important part of my routine when getting a notification on my phone of battery getting low. And to me the best part of the Tractive app is being able to draw a perimeter over the satellite map of spots you do not want your pet to enter and getting a notification on your phone immediately if they cross into it and also a notification when the exit. My cat is also probably considered petite in body size at 11ish pounds and since the 1st hour of wearing the device on her collar, she was never uncomfortable about its size. It also works great in rural areas and responds comparative in the same way your phone makes or receives calls/texts because of signal strength or network. To end this review, again which I never do, I assure you, nobody coerced me, paid me anything, offered me product to spend the time to write this, but these are my true thoughts and feelings on how this product has improved my life along with my pets life (unknowingly of course) to have the peace of mind of your family members well-being and the ability to intervene at the drop of a hat at the time you need to the most. The whole package of what you get from this product by Tractive is money well spent and I guarantee you will not look back making you a long-time customer as long as you have a dog or cat because all the others can't touch this one by a mile. And any upcoming or 2.0 versions will only be better than already great version of what you can already get. But credit is due when your expectations are exceeded after using a product to make an accurate and educated review like I am doing now so you can learn from my mistakes and to support a company making a great product that actually frees your mind, or better yet, gives you peace of mind of your furry friend which we can all agree is priceless. Thank you Tractive! Read more

I tried to keep my cat indoor-only but like Houdini, he always found a way to go on walkabout. Fitting him with Tractive Cat Mini was a concession toward his happiness and my peace of mind. Location: this has been dead-on accurate and such a huge relief. Recently, I wasn't able to return home before dark and got a notification kitty was 2 blocks away from our house. I drove right to the address shown in the app, activated the flashing light, called him and bingo, less than a minute later he came right to me and I got him home safe. I have also located him at other areas of the neighborhood during the day and when found he always blinks up at me rather bewildered, like "how did you know where I was?" There have been a number of other times I want to know exactly where he is and this tracker shows me. My only "wish for" is that live tracking is available in the 'safe' aka wifi zone. Sometimes I can shut down the program, restart, and have that option, but not always. I know the safe zone is for power saving but sometimes it's more important to me to know precise location on the property and the wifi/radar tracking is occasionally iffy. Battery: tracking my cat 8-10 times a day for a minute or two each time seems to use about 10% or less per day (kitty is only allowed out during the day). As I learn to trust both tracker and kitty, I'm getting more comfortable not charging the tracker every night, and am satisfied with battery performance. I recently downloaded the program update, so look forward to even more improved location and battery life with the update. Comfort: not gonna lie, even the 'mini' takes up quite a bit of furry real estate. But my guy is 20 lbs (ahem, "big-boned") and seems to wear it comfortably. I purchased the 'harness clip' for the Tractive and a dog-sized harness to fit him thinking that would be more comfortable having the tracker weight on his shoulders than having the tracker directly under his chin. Kitty doesn't like the harness on/off routine so for now we'll stick with the collar. The collar itself is very good quality and snaps on and off exactly as it should. It is easy to adjust for size and weight of cat (breakaway point). I took the bell off; just something to get in the way and didn't really produce much sound to warn wildlife. Sound locator: very, very quiet. Hard to hear unless very, very close. The cat will hear it though, and perhaps could be trained that when the song plays it's time to either come home or start looking for parent to give them a lift. Attachments: I found the best option for us is the flexible rubber encasement that fits onto the collar. It's easy to remove the tracker to charge and reinstall it. That said, though handling carefully, after 3 weeks of use it has already torn and I'm currently securing it with rubber bands. I've ordered replacements, but more robust durability of this item would be most welcome to prevent loss. Subscription plans: I like that I can pay month to month, which has been super helpful during the adjustment period to see if Tractive will be a fit for me before committing to a long-term plan. Tractive is a good fit, so at some point I will consider a longer subscription to lower the monthly cost. App: great app, easy to use, and accurate so far. The out-of-safe-zone and re-enter notifications have worked perfectly. It's fun to see the other Tractive kitties in the neighborhood and interesting to keep up with my guy's fitness/sleep stats. But where app really shines is location, location, location. Friends I show this to are amazed and fascinated. A tip if you don't have the upgraded plan that keeps track of history: screen shot your cat's location or history map each day to keep a record of their travels. That can be texted to someone helping locate/pick up kitty. Again, the ability to live track in the safe-zone would be a bonus for more peace of mind. Pretty please. :-D Value: with coupons/sales, I was able to purchase the tracker for under $40. I feel the tracker itself is well-made and a good value. I've been recommending it to friends and they are enthusiastic. All in all, the Tractive Cat Mini has met and even exceeded expectations on just about every front. My cat is happier, gets more exercise and I am 1000% more relaxed during his absences knowing I can locate him any time I need to. I highly recommend this product for worried pet parents. Please keep working on development to decrease tracker size/weight without losing too much battery capacity, add live tracking to safe area, and beef up rubber encasement attachment. Then it will be absolutely perfect! The big guy and I thank you, Tractive. This was just what we needed! Read more