Pet radio tag locators

[Lakewood90712]

Anyone used one of these ? Loc8tor Pet Cat Tracker - Cat Homing Device | Loc8tor for Pets | World's Best Pet Trackers . Got a critter that hides out when sick or injured ( happened 3 times with this little girl ). Indoor/outdoor pets. Seems to be just the ticket if it actually works as advertized

 

[Sarah in SC]

I love the idea! Never used one but is also like to hear of your or anyone else's experiences.


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[travelover]

Anyone used one of these ? Loc8tor Pet Cat Tracker - Cat Homing Device | Loc8tor for Pets | World's Best Pet Trackers . Got a critter that hides out when sick or injured ( happened 3 times with this little girl ). Indoor/outdoor pets. Seems to be just the ticket if it actually works as advertized

I've used a Garmin GTU10 for several years on my greyhound, though, fortunately it is just a backup and she has never been lost. The concept is great -real time tracking from a smart phone. The Garmin unit has been discontinued.

 

[Major Tom]

There is a beautiful and friendly indoor/outdoor kitty called Ellie who lives on the same street as my SO. About 6 months ago, she went missing and was found a week or so later about a mile away, bedraggled and disoriented, but otherwise OK. As a result of this, a neighbor gifted her parents a couple of the exact same brand of pet tracker as mentioned by the OP - for Ellie and her sibling Clark. I don't have many details on their use, but their Dad did tell me that they have been working well for him, and make it a lot easier to bring his kitties in at night.

This is Ellie before her adventure and subsequent fitting with a L0c8tor (I know, I know, it's a cheap excuse to post a cat picture) -

 

[clifp]

There is a local company Gibithat is the process of making such product. Despite being accepted by walmart.com they've been having difficulty getting it to market.



According the Gibi founder pretty much all of the current products on the market have problems. GPS has troubles indoors and so if your animal is injured will often crawl into a hidden place out of view of the GPS satellites.

I used an early technology device for my wandering cat, and it unfortunately never worked at the cat disappear one day and never came back. At first glance it appears to be similar to the Loc8tor product using RF directional signal. Frankly the only time I was able to locate my cat using it was when he was home and asleep..

 

[pb4uski]

This is an interesting idea. Our cat is very independent and spends much of the day outdoors. He generally comes when DW calls him but lately has been being more coy about coming in. He'll get right next to her and then stroll away as she tries to pick him up. He did the same thing to DD the other day.... he's outside looking in through the glass door... DD opens the door to let him in and he walks away.

I wish the product had a kitty-cam built in because we often wonder what he does all day.

 

[Lakewood90712]

I ordered one today on amazon. The cat will be happy being outside again , even if the product is a flop. Will report back with results.

This is an interesting idea. Our cat is very independent and spends much of the day outdoors. He generally comes when DW calls him but lately has been being more coy about coming in. He'll get right next to her and then stroll away as she tries to pick him up. He did the same thing to DD the other day.... he's outside looking in through the glass door... DD opens the door to let him in and he walks away.

I wish the product had a kitty-cam built in because we often wonder what he does all day.

Kitty Cam ? someone makes those too , with a dvr chip. Reminds me of a raunchy spoof you tube video someone did wondering what her cat did a night.

 

[Lakewood90712]

Out of the box now. The tags are about the size of a quarter , and 5/8 in thick, under 2 oz.

The tracking unit has red/yellow / green led's on a scale to show signal strength to target.

When you press the track button, the tag makes a beep/whistle sound, scares the heck out of the cat. Maybe she will get used to it.

I'm going to actually read the instructions to see if the tag can be silenced. If not, will pry one open to silence it. Stay tuned.

 

[clifp]

I am guessing the noise serve two functions, first to give you an idea where the cat is and also to spook the cat into revealing herself.

If she is hiding somewhere, cause she is hurt the noise will probably get her to move.

 

[Senator]

Regardless if you get the locator or not, get the animal chipped.

I had a cat hanging around for about a year and a half. I had been meaning to get rid of it, but it really wasn't causing any troubles to me. The elderly lady across the street caught it, as it was friendly. Low and behold, it had a chip. The family had lost the cat over a year before, and it was returned.

You can buy chips on eBay, put them in yourself, and then register the chip. Total cost, ~$25. Or have a vet do it. I did my own dogs, it was easy.

 

[Lakewood90712]

Finally a sunny day, decided to let her out , had been inside for 2 mo. She immediately checked the yard out and went to a favorite sunning location. Then came in by herself for some food .

She is our youngest pet ( 7 years ) has mid stage kidney disease. Vet wants her to have pills twice a day , IV fluids daily, and vitamin stuff. Just can't do that , and the cat doesn't like it at all. Went back to normal food , no IV fluids , and an occasional appetite stimulant pill. She just wants to be left alone and be a cat. She will let us know when the illness is too much to take. For now, it's back to her yard with our other critters.

She has an ID chip. When she went missing in November, called it in to the id service , and found we had never registered her chip. reminder , call and register the chip after implanting.

 

[Samething]

A timely topic for me. My cat got out of the house Thursday night through a door that opened overnight. I was freaking out. He is a indoor only kitty. I noticed he was gone about 3:30am and started searching the neighborhood. Was kind of afraid one of my neighbors would come out firing at that hour. Went to work 2 hours late told the boss I had to leave early. Animal control was closed for the holiday so I went back home made some posters posted on craigslist and left the door open just in case. Saturday went to our local animal control (I was amazed at how many cats they pick up, it's a very sad place) and SPCA gave them his chip id #. I was making dinner Saturday night and who do I hear meowing at the front door. My buddy came home. Hungry and smelling like the great outdoors.
I was looking at pet GPS's. I'd be curious how well it works for you.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Lakewood, I'm sorry to hear of your kitty's illness. We've had one with that, and I chose not to do the daily IV treatment. I would take the cat every few weeks to the vet to have it done, but other than that, just kept him to a good diet and lots of attention. Though I'm fairly handy with vet type stuff, the fluids treatment was beyond my ability, at least with a non-compliant patient.



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[Lakewood90712]

Thank you to everyone for your ideas and kind words. The locator seems to be about the same tech and range as remote entry for a car. Maybe 300-400 feet at best. the mfg says 600 feet, I'm skeptical.

I think the sound made by the tag is likely the best way to find the pet if injured or hiding. Seems like a good unit, but gps would be so much better.

I checked out gps tracking , but everything gps I have looked at is too big for a cat , other than very large breeds like a Maine coon ( neighbor had a Maine coon cat , that cat was well over 20 # ).

 

[Lakewood90712]

Update The cat is pretty much staying around on her own, haven't had to use the locator.

About 3 mo after Dx. of kidney disease. she seems stable , but not at all like a 7 yo cat should be. The vet advised to expect a life expectancy of up to 2 years at best.

A real reminder,all living things, people or animals, we don't own time, only get to barrow it.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Thanks for the update, Lakewood, and enjoy the time you have with your kitty. It always goes by too fast, no matter what.


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