Tractive GPS Cat Tracker (2021) with Custom Cat Collar, Follow them Everywhere, 24/7 Location and 365-day History

Fab piece of kit for peace of mind
Only gave 4 for accuracy and battery life. For accuracy sometimes there is the odd random GPS ping that’s miles out, but it’s obvious so gets ignored, also sometimes when ‘live tracking’, there a little bit of delay. But it’s great to see how far your kitty goes (they explore further than you think). On the battery life front, it lasts quite a long time (days) if you don’t do ‘live’ much, but if you’re anything like me and an avid stalker of your cat, live wears the battery out very fast indeed, could use it up in a day easy. But on the flip side, it charges fast so you can get it back on quickly.
It is big, but light. My cat would struggle to even wear a collar, but actually doesn’t mind this at all.

Amazing record of cat travel
I did not use the provided collar because my cat slipped it off so easily. I used a waterproof flea collar which is quite sturdy. I only left 1 finger thick gap between the collar and the neck to avoid having to go and find it as well as the cat. Otis rather weighty for a small cat but great functions to save, share observe the history of travel and area of intense activity. Fascinating but now our cat does comeback to his new home so I am not sure whether I will continue to use it as she is pretty predictable about her territory.

A reliable choice for tracking your pe
I have chosen this tracker after comparing a couple of other brands (which shall remain nameless) based not only on Amazon reviews but primarily on their app reviews on Google Play (I use an Android phone), as this is the primary way of interacting with the device for most. So far, I can’t fault it. I didn’t realise there was a local and global “league” of cats’ activity, which is a nice addition to its primary functionality 🙂

There are bound to be some off the scale readings, presumably when the GPS signal is too weak and the device is trying to triangulate based on mobile network signal – these can be easily spotted, as the history map has ‘heat map’ showing most frequent locations, so if I have one reading 2 miles away I can assume my cat (his name is Purin, see the picture) would need a jetpack to get there. However, it did give me some goosebumps at the beginning. The solution would be to mark triangulated positions with a different colour on the map, so they could be distinguished from precise ones (GPS based) – perhaps an idea for some future update.

The device itself is sturdy, has a nice feature of detachable battery, so you can buy a spare one and swap them if you require. The battery life is quite good: the collar was active for about 2-4 hours a day and after a week there was still 30% charge left. In standard mode, the device takes readings every 5 mins I believe; there is also the “Live” mode, which would drain the battery in a couple of hours, but I only switched it on occasionally for fun – and it seems to switch itself back to interval mode after a couple of minutes, to save battery.

Overall very pleased. I’m taking one star off for:
– the included collar, whose safety buckle was not strong enough for my cat’s claws – he took it off the first day, fortunately in the house, so didn’t have to look for the locator in the bushes; bought another, 3rd party collar then – fortunately, there is an additional clamp included in the box, so you can use any collar you want;
– the light & sound function (designed to find the lost cat or a collar I believe), which doesn’t always work – probably due to some communication problems; the application, however, “remembers” it was requested and switches it on when it is available; this led to Purin running frantically about the house with the beeping/flashing collar around his neck, when I forgot I “requested” the function a couple of minutes before.

Peace of mind
Bought this for my cat due to moving house. Was a little unsure about how he would react to wearing it and the size, but he has been fine. He was used to wearing a collar previously (half the battle) and this device, although looks quite big, is lightweight and doesn’t bother him.
It seems very accurate and the battery luge appears good. I do put it on charge every 24 hours in case he goes walkabouts, but it is usually still on around 50% when charging. Overall I am very impressed. I was only intending on using it for a couple of months after moving, but I may keep it on him permanently.

Best thing we’ve bought in ages.
We have tried a number of different trackers but this is the best by far. We paid up front for trackers and membership so quite a lot all in one go but split over the year is not expensive at all, given the reassurance it gives us. We are able to easily find our cat when needed we’ve used it at night and he was exactly where it said he was and can check he’s okay when he is playing out in the day.
The app is easy to use and updates quickly.
The collar is fairly chunky given our cat isn’t massive but he seems happy enough with it on and has not stopped him bringing us home shrews so hasn’t slowed him down!! We take it off and put it on charge when he gets home and he’s happy to have it quickly put back on again when he goes out again so we’ve had no issues with charge. Really thrilled with it, does exactly what we want it too and even better than we could have anticipated.

Probably worth i
This product gives me peace of mind that my cat hasn’t disappeared off the face of the earth completely. It isn’t pin point accurate, but you can’t expect it to be really. It gives you the general location of your pet which will inform you as to whether you need to worry, or not. One thing it has done for me is reassure me that he doesn’t stray too fan and even though he may not come back for a while, if push came to shove, I’d be able to go to the general area the App tells me to, and I’d be able to find him.
The size of the device is fine, even though my cat is relatively small.
Battery life is good. The app also keeps you up to date as to how much battery is remaining which is useful.
Not convinced as to the overall price including the subscription, but at the same time, the peace of mind it brings is probably worth it.

Good Bit of Ki
Originally the device I received was faulty as I charged it over night, it displayed full battery but it died after 10 minutes and the cat managed to take his collar off! Amazon kindly sent me a replacement.

I was sceptical about the replacement however I’m now more than happy, I leave my cat out whilst I’m at work so it is handy for knowing if he has a 2nd home (He does!) and going out to get him on a night or before I go out if he isn’t wanting to come in. Location is very precise and battery although would probably last 2 days of constant use only needs charging for a couple of hours a day. Would definitely recommend. With regards to which subscription the basic monthly subscription is more than enough for me. Not sure I’d be that bothered about premium.

Fantastic
I brought this as my cat wasn’t coming home, since having the tracker I can locate him easily and bring him home safely. It comes with an alarm and lights so easy to find the tracker if it comes off. Would highly recommend

Excellent purchase
This product is amazing I bought it to track my kitten after it disappeared for two days, I signed up on the site and had an incredible assistance from the team. I highly recommend excellent purchase!

Good for what it is
Small and compact but once charged it takes 5 minutes for the app to register its charged. The GPS is good to a point however love function is not good we put it on live and while the cat was sitting next to us the app had the cat all over the street and when we looked at the history it showed he had traveled 1.5 miles while sitting next to us. If you keep it on regular mode it’s usually good at tracking the cat. Battery life could be better. Accuracy could be better and set up could be easier . The collar it comes with is useless better to put it on your ow

Peace of mind!
Bought this after my little pain disappeared for 23 hours last month! After lengthy research this tracker was the undisputed for what I needed it for. Once I received it I charged it as required then fitted it on the terror. It is quite big but he is a small cat at only 23 months but after a few wiggles and biting at it he accepted it easily but if you don’t use the collar that comes with it which I haven’t then use the blue attachment it seems to be more secure as stated in other reviews and is easy to put on n take off the tracker with it being push pins. The subscription you need to work the tracker is ridiculous but after reading the reviews then going through the options I did as the other lass who reviewed this n got the very basic at 8 a month which so far as done what I needed it to do. The live updates are brilliant and I especially like the safe zone feature so I know immediately when he has gone further than I like. The GPS isn’t brilliant in accuracy my home address for the tracker is off by a fair few houses so am presuming his whereabouts will be off as well but it gives me a rough idea n that to me is peace of mind enough. The battery life isn’t cracking either so far the battery lasts for a few days but the app let’s me know when it needs charging so its not a great issue and at some point I will get a second battery which I have been led to believe is available from Tractive but the app and the tracker itself is so easy to use just a few details and you up and running. To me this has given me peace of mind when he out just a few niggles that could do with some adjustments like the GPS n the sounds n light on the tracker itself as that isn’t very loud or bright so unless it’s dead quiet and pitch black outside the likelihood of seeing or hearing the tracker are minimal but he does have a glow in the dark collar so that helps me spot him. Overall I am very happy so far with my purchase it’s not ridiculous to me for what it does.

Tractive GPS Cat Tracker (take #2)
This is the second Tractive GPS Cat Tracker for our Burmese cat and it is very good (the product and not the cat). The first one was bought as a Christmas present in 2020. Our cat initially didn’t like wearing a collar and at 7 years old “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” probably applies more to cats than humans. I had to write to Tractive after he would try to pull the cat collar off and damaged the silicon rubber bands used to attach to a cat collar. On each occasion, Tractive sent free replacements.

The battery life is not dissimilar to a smart mobile phone and so it may be possible to get close to the manufacturer’s claimed life, but it is more likely that you will want to charge the battery daily. It is certainly a good idea to keep the battery charge level up because there will be times when a “search and rescue” type operation to retrieve the collar will be required. The product has similar functions to a phone e.g. works with GPS, has a unique eSIM and has a phone (pet) contract.

A cat collar will have a breakable mechanism that allows the cat to break free of the collar so that he doesn’t get injured and it seems that our cat likes to get into scrapes with bushes, etc. at night when out hunting. It doesn’t happen very often, but the App provides an indication of where the collar is and retrieving it isn’t a problem. Usually it is behind a potting shed in dense brambles.

Inevitably, after 18 months the cat returned home without the collar, and (this time) the collar with the tracker couldn’t be recovered. I guess it’s not dissimilar to losing a phone on a contract and there is a need to get a replacement with the ongoing contract. Tractive did offer to supply a replacement at a discounted price, but I had already ordered a replacement from Amazon.

The new 2021 model of the Tractive Cat Tracker now includes a leather-look cat collar which we had high hopes for. Unfortunately, our cat weighs over 6kg and barely seems to fit through the cat flap (he is on a diet). The new collar is quite stiff and for whatever reasons, the collar detaches 100% as he (frequently) exits the building. Fortunately, the Tracker includes the original style blue silicone rubber and plastic collar attachment. Using the blue-collar he can exit the building OK.

It is quite an eyeopener as to where a cat goes, especially at night. Typically he will travel about 6km a day and the routes used are predictable. In the country, the routes will pass across neighboring properties and rarely will the roads be used. At one point, he would venture further into a field and then appear to move back very quickly. More than likely this was a problem with the GPS and there have been “over the air” updates from Tractive that seem to resolve and improve the unit.

The product uses a removable rechargeable battery. Why would you want a second one? It’s for the “handover” or “hot swap” of a charged battery. It doesn’t take long for the battery to be recharged, but if your cat goes outside with the collar on and loses the collar, then you can (obviously) can’t track and retrieve it. If you remove the collar whilst the unit is recharging, then the safety clasp will eventually become a bit loose – so you can’t win. On balance, it might be better to have two batteries and “hot swap”. Cats are not known to be cooperative.

Eighteen months on and our cat is both tolerant of wearing a collar and the Tractive Tracker. He is very accepting of both products. A pack of six cat collars is not expensive on Amazon at it may be best to think of them as a consumable item e.g. replace with a new one after a couple of months. The supplied black collar is just too stiff to sit flat against our cat’s neck so that his exit through the cat flap is always a problem but colored Amazon collars seem to work better. the black collar also errs on the side of being safer to easily detach, but also too loose.

Having a contract for the tracker is not really any different than for a mobile phone. For this reason, we started a two-year contract which seems to be a balance between a lower monthly price and too much initial expense. As a phone, there probably aren’t too many cat owners that buy the product and then decide not to keep the subscription going.

There isn’t much to say about improving the product. The combination of the App and the Tracker work well together and the Customer Service is good too. It might be better to raise the price slightly and include a second battery, which would be my only suggestion. Owning a cat is not a cheap hobby, and knowing where your cat goes is interesting and it is reassuring to know when he doesn’t come back on time, exactly where he is.

Good value for money
My main concern around buying a tracker was will it connect and report an accurate live location when I need it to? Thankfully this device has worked flawlessly so far. I live in a rural area and it has no problem finding mobile signal. The accuracy can be skewed by the cat roaming indoors and this can have an affect on the heat map but when he is outside it’s pretty good. The device would be quite big on a smaller cat. My cat wears his loosely and it doesn’t bother him despite never wearing a collar before.

So far, so good!
Overall I’m pretty happy with this!

Tips:
– when turning on live tracking to locate your kitty, give it a minute to triangulate, more often than not the location that initially pops up is incorrect, but once the GPS starts firing on all cylinders it will become pretty accurate!
– you don’t need to fork out a year’s subscription in one go unless you’re going for the top premium package. You can click through options and pay 8.99 a month.

Our experience has been good so far, we’ve not had to use it in anger as of yet as our 1 year old cat is still very nervous to road noise etc so quite happy being skittish in our garden!

I was apprehensive about purchasing this based on some of the other reviews based on accuracy etc, however I’m really impressed. Our cat is just over 4KG, her mum was also a small cat, but the tracker fits on her fine and once shes trotting about she doesn’t even notice it!

She only goes out around once per day currently, and that’s usually for 30 mins max. The tracker is probably lasting 3 days by itself without needing charging (this is when in standby), so once I get a notification for low battery from the app I just plug it in to charge.

After I read that people were having issues with contacting tractive etc to request refunds of the membership (after their trackers were sent back to Amazon) I decided to just go with the 8.99 a month option until a point I’m confident in the tracker. It also means I don’t need to fork out up front for something (although I will do this once I’m happy with the tracker as it’ll work out much cheaper overall).

I’ll update this review in a few months once it’s been used in greater detail!