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The Tractive is one of the most popular and powerful tracking devices for dogs, so we had high expectations for Tractive’s cat-specific tracker. And, yes, we found a lot to love about the Tractive in terms of the wealth of information it provides and the timeliness of its data. The Tractive is clearly the most technically sophisticated cat GPS device we’ve seen, and it’s also one of the most affordable.
But there were some practical issues that led us to conclude that the Tractive GPS tracking collar isn’t for every cat, or for every household. This cat Tractive review will help you decide if it’s the right choice for keeping tabs on your far-ranging feline.
We asked two of our cats who are used to wearing tracking devices on their collars to give the Tractive a try. They had opinions—especially the far-ranging and often elusive Mr. Tippy.
How Does the Tractive for Cats Work?
The Tractive is one of the high-end pet tracking devices that uses a mix of GPS, cell networks, short-range WiFi, and even shorter-range Bluetooth technologies to keep tabs on your pet. It comes with:
- one tracking device
- two flexible protective covers
- one charging cable
- a user guide
The device itself is small, about two inches by one inch, and relatively slim at just over half an inch wide. It weighs 0.9 ounces and is compatible with cats over 6.6 pounds—an upgrade over the original, which weighed 1.2 ounces and was compatible with cats 9 pounds and up. The device is waterproof to hold up to adventurers and faucet-lovers alike.
To track your cat, you’ll download an app on your phone and pair it with your cat’s device. If your cat is at a distance (nearly anywhere in the world), you can use live location tracking to see your furry friend’s current location on a map with a delay of just two to three seconds.
If your cat is nearby, you’ll get a message that your cat is “at home”—meaning within the safe parameters you’ve identified, and you can set up notifications for when your cat leaves their designated safe space.
You can also quietly ping a cat’s device if they’re hiding within the house to help locate them.
The Tractive requires a subscription, which you can buy either when you purchase the device or afterward, once you’ve downloaded the app. Tractive has monthly and yearly Basic plans, plus a slightly more expensive Premium plan. With Premium, you can authorize multiple people to track your cat—useful for families or pet sitters.
You’ll also need to make sure the the Tractive’s battery is charged. Charging must take place roughly every seven days—the Tractive app will remind you to charge it—and a full charge takes about three hours.
Rover Test Kitties Try the Tractive
Editorial Note: We tested the original Tractive for Cats, which was three inches long and weighed 1.2 ounces; the newest model is two inches long and weighs 0.9 ounces.
The Tractive threads easily onto most pet collars, so your cat can continue to wear the collar they’re used to. However, as soon as I unboxed the Tractive, I realized we had a problem: Compared to the little tracking tags the 11-pound Mr. Tippy and 9-pound Toby had been wearing, the Tractive is big and heavy.
I first tried the Tractive on Toby, who normally wears a relatively low-tech RF (radio frequency) tracker. But Toby refused to move while wearing the collar with the Tractive. He meowed until I took it off.
Mr. Tippy, on the other hand, was completely cooperative. He shook his head a few times after I strapped it on, but then trotted down the back steps and headed off for his daily routine. This consists of crossing the street to visit two neighbors’ yards and hiding in their shrubs.
The Tractive offers a lot of useful data
Except that was not what the Tractive showed him doing. According to the Tractive app, Mr. Tippy ran all over the neighborhood and spent time a full block away in an active construction site at a time when heavy machinery, including a concrete mixer, was running. I found this very hard to believe. Mr. Tippy is terrified of loud noise.
The next day, I gave Mr. Tippy his tracker. It showed him going to his usual locations—nowhere near the busy roads or the construction site. Over the next few days, the device continued to show Mr. Tippy’s typical behavior, leaving the mystery of the first use unsolved.
Thereafter, I was impressed with the Tractive’s data collection. It checked and recorded Mr. Tippy’s location with impressive frequency, and the reporting display was outstanding. In addition to showing the cat’s route during the day, a “heat map” showed where he’d stayed for significant periods of time. The longer the time, the larger the “hot spot.”
The powerful data-gathering features of the Tractive really shine when you put it in Live mode so you can track your cat in real time. Mr. Tippy often refuses to come in (our cats have a 5 p.m. curfew) and scurries around the neighborhood at great speed with us in pursuit. Using Live mode, which Tractive says pings the collar every two to three seconds, we were able to track him through two yards and locate him in a hedge.
If your cat goes missing inside the house, or in your yard, the Tractive has a short-range “Find Mode,” which uses Bluetooth. When you are in Find Mode, the app has a visual display that adds colored rings as you get closer to the tracking device.
Great battery life, complicated charging
Despite being put through its paces by Mr. Tippy, the Tractive battery maintained a charge over several days without needing to be recharged. Tractive promises seven days of battery life, but I found it provided a lot more. This was impressive and convenient.
Unfortunately, when the Tractive does need to be charged, it’s an annoying process. You have to take the device off the cat’s collar, then take the protective rubber cover off the tracking device, and use the tracker-specific charging cable to attach it to a USB power block (the power block is not included).
The cable is only 12 inches long (shorter than most USB cables), so when I attached it to the power block in my kitchen wall outlet, the Tractive dangled in mid-air. You can order additional charging cables, which would be helpful if you are traveling.
Though we loved the Tractive, the cat wasn’t so sure
While I was impressed with the Tractive, Mr. Tippy was not. He kept trying to pull off his collar when the Tractive was attached—fortunately, only when he was at home. The collar has a breakaway clasp, and he was successful in getting it off. I didn’t want him to get into the habit of taking off his collar, so I switched him back to the lighter, less bulky GPS tag, which he pretty much ignores.
I think Mr. Tippy’s objection to the Tractive was its weight. The Tractive we tested weighed 1.2 ounces and was recommended (by the manufacturer) for cats over 8.8. pounds. I found that the Tractive with a simple pet collar weighs 1.5 ounces—nearly twice the weight of Mr. Tippy’s usual GPS tag/collar combination (a mere 0.8 ounces).
Mr. Tippy, a slim 11 pounds, didn’t find the device very comfortable. However, weight would not be as much of an issue if you have a large cat—or if you want to clip the Tractive to a harness rather than a collar (good news: Tractive sells a harness attachment for the cat Tractive).
Editorial Note: The newest model of the Tractive for Cats cut an inch off the length and slimmed the weight to 0.9 ounces—a more inclusive device that may be acceptable to smaller kitties.
Cat Tractive Review: The Verdict
If my cats were dogs, there is no question that the Tractive would be my first choice for a GPS tracker. The quality of its data is great, and the battery life is outstanding (an important consideration if your cat gets loose in an urban area and you need a day or two to track them down).
It you have a hefty cat, the Tractive is the cat GPS for you. But I was not convinced that the bulky Tractive is a comfortable device for smaller cats, especially if it is going to be worn on a collar round-the-clock. We didn’t test the Tractive with a harness and the harness attachment, but that might get you and your cat the best of both worlds—or the newest version of the device may offer better mileage for smaller cats.
If you have an especially little cat and can get by with less data, have a look at the Jiobit GPS device—or a non-GPS tracker.
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