Cat Chat Feline Forum

I’m looking for a bit of advice. We live in the country. We have a 6 year old cat, who loves the outdoor life, and uses the house like a hotel.
We added to our family last October, with a rescue kitten called Joe.
He is 6 months old, and will be neutered and chipped within the next couple of weeks. I am incredibly anxious about letting him out, and am considering getting a GPS tracker for him. However, we absolutely need to use a quick release collar, because we have woods opposite the house. We gave up on collars for our adult cat, because we were literally going through one every few days.
Logic tells me that’s enough of a reason not to brother with a GPS tracker for my kitten. However, there’s part of me that says if it’s lost, at least we will be able to find it easily.
I’m really interested in your thoughts, and especially if you’ve successused a tracker on your pet.
I know I am being a paranoid idiot, and I know he will be fine, just like his big sister, and will love the country life, but I have this horrible anxiety in the pit of my stomach.
Thanks in advance.

Hi Jools & if this is your first post, welcome. I can’t offer advice on a tracker as my four are inside cats. However I do rely on gut instincts & your comment about ‘stomach’ and ‘anxiety’ .... would make me reconsider. I’m sure more experienced others will post comments/advice.

Thanks for your prompt reply, Mayday, and yes, this is my first post.
I am determined not to keep him indoors just for my sake. We have a fantastic cat environment here, and Misty, my adult cat, has a brilliant life doing what cats love to do. I remember having exactly the same anxiety when I started letting her out.
I have total respect for people who have their cats as indoor cats; indeed, my daughter has 2 very happy and contented indoor cat. She lives in the city centre, and it’s just not safe for her to let them out. However, I don’t think it would be fair on Joe to keep him indoors. He is dying to get out.
Thanks again for your reply, and your welcoming words. x

I doubt many on here have used them, Jools, but you might find opinions on Amazon helpful https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01HOEAZUY/ ... il_2?psc=1

there are a few other trackers on Amazon to check out too

I don't have much knowledge of trackers but if he wears one and looses it surely you should be able to locate and retrieve it,if I were you and you can afford it I would go with my instinct and get one, peace of mind is worth a lot in my book however you need to achieve it

This topic was covered before here:-
https://www.catchat.org/felineforum/vie ... php?t=5182

Thanks everyone for your replies - really helpful. I read the Amazon reviews and have decided i’m definitely going to get him one, and a good quality safety collar. If he loses it, we should be able to track it down pretty simply.
Oh, they’re a worry, aren’t they? Joe is the 10th cat I’ve been owned by - all of the ones we’ve lost, except one, lived until at least 18. It’s incredible how quickly they become part of he family, how much you love them, and how much you worry about their safety and well-being.

I recently bought a cat tracking collar and it was a disaster, so I want to warn others about the experience I had.
I went with a UK company called Pawtrack. They claim the "best" and smallest GPS tracker. My cat is quite small, so I wanted to avoid a big chunky collar.
It took a month for the collar to arrive. Then it would not connect with the app. After many emails back and forth, it finally connected but was wildly inaccurate and usually failed to track completely. After more emails I was told that it's working fine!
I have spent over £100 on the collar and subscription and now, after returning the collar for a refund...silence. They won't reply to the three email addresses I have for them and the phone number listed is out of service.
Please, please don't take a chance on these guys. Terrible product and customer service. I am over £100 out of pocket and it's now clear they have no intention of returning my money.
We now have a Tractive one and it works fine.
AVOID PAWTRACK!

I had a tracker like that. But for some reason as soon as I put it on he just stopped moving. He didn't like it, that's all. I had to throw it away.