Tracking collars for cats?

[3catwoman3]

Our 4 cats are all indoor kitties. I tell them they are trading their freedom for their longevity, and that it is a very good deal.

They like to hide, and any time I can't find one of them for more than about 30 seconds, I panic, based on a terrible experience years ago when one of the sweetest cats ever got out without our knowing it and was killed by a car. Also, our 13 yr old female is totally deaf, so cannot hear me when I call her. Being able to "beep" her is handy if I am looking for her.

We have been using the TILE devices, which are OK, but often do not last as long as advertised.

Any recommendations on reliable tracker collars/devices that don' t cost a bloody fortune?

[fleur-de-lisa]

1. I was looking for these on Amazon yesterday.

https://www.amazon.com/GBD-Bluetooth-Wireless-Anti-lost-SmartPhone%EF%BC%BBRandom/dp/B01HZ7GD92/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1509669232&sr=8-3&keywords=GPS+tracker+for+pets

These seem to be the most reasonable. Most others I found were $50 or $60 each.

[brewens]

2. I freaked a couple months ago. I hadn't seen my little female sweety for awhile.

Looked around to see where she may be hanging out at, called her, nothing. There are only four rooms she could be in really but I checked everywhere else too. Usually I at least get a squawk when I call. Nope. Nowhere to be found. Then I end up outside thinking she got out but should be around close. She won't bolt far if she gets out. No sign of her.

I had forgotten getting a stock pot out of this one cupboard and she is a climber. She loves to get up and in about anything and I hadn't noticed and shut her in there. I'm sitting near the kitchen freaking out and eventually hear this little scritch, her having decided she wanted out of there. The little stinker butt had been sitting in there quietly enjoying her new hideout the whole time I was calling for her!

[murielm99]

3. They have the ability to disappear into

another dimension. Tracking devices may not work in other dimensions. J/K

[eppur_se_muova]

4. I'd be interested to hear too.

My adopted ferals have a way of vanishing inside the house for hours at a time. I know most of their favorite spots, but sometimes they're not in any of them.

[Chellee]

5. I don't have any recommendations, sorry.

But I understand the panic.

Once, one of mine disappeared, and I was freaking out. No one had opened any doors in the time frame, so I knew he wasn't outside and there's just not that many places to hide in our house. I looked everywhere. Or so I thought. The cloth cover on the bottom of the couch, unbeknownst to me, had a tear in it. He had crawled into the interior of the couch and was using that cloth as a little hammock. Of course by that time, I was practically in tears and laying on the floor in the living room looking under all the furniture.

So on the one hand, I admire his ingenuity, it looked comfy. But on the other hand.... the butthead.

[haele]

9. I remember when we moved the first time with the sisters, who had come to us as semi-feral kittens.

They were terrified by the move from one neighborhood to the other (they had been born next door to an indoor/outdoor momma, and we snagged them as soon as they were sufficiently weaned and starting to wander to be indoor girls), and even though we had carefully moved them and the other cats into a room we had set up with the "pre-move" storage boxes of non-essentials and extra clothes before we moved the furniture and boxes of essential in, they immediately disappeared as soon as we let them out the first full night over.

We eventually found them inside the box-spring where they had ripped a hole in at the old house. Until they got hungry enough to join the other two who I swear were coming in the bedroom to laugh at them, they did not coming out for a good week except for the litter box in the closet and to sneak water from the en-suite toilet.
Little lumps moving all under the box springs; we were initially worried we'd get them trapped sleeping on the bed, but they finally settled either under the foot or under the head and they would growl whenever anyone poked a head or hand near them.

Haele

[irisblue]

6. Cats.....cats

Are ...cats.

[japple]

7. At least one of my cats can walk thru walls, so a tracking collar wouldn't

help much. Good luck with your search for a solution.

[iscooterliberally]

8. I don't recommend collars for cats.

If your cat gets out, a collar can snag on a tree branch or just about anything and trap your cat. If they happen to be trying to get away from a large dog the result can be horrible. I have seen a few break-away collars in pet stores, but then that defeats the purpose of the tracking device. I empathize with your panic about a missing critter. I just went through it last night when my siamese decided to hide somewhere when I was doing my nightly head count before bed. I do recommend getting them micro-chipped, but those are inert and you can't track your cat that way. Microchips are great if your lost cat ends up at a shelter or a vets office. The idea is that they scan your cat and get your phone number (apologies if you already know all this). I have 7 cats in my house and 2 large dogs. I also trap the local strays and get them fixed, etc. I was considering a tracking device for a couple of mine that really love to hang out in the backyard, but there are so many stray dogs running the streets in my neighborhood that I don't want to put collars on them. Maybe someday someone will invent a track able microchip for pets. That is something I could go for if I had the money. Good luck with your kitties!