Keep your furry friends safe and sound with the help of GPS trackers.
With many of us returning to office life and more people than ever using the services of dog walkers and day care, it comes as no surprise that there has been a surge in interest in these devices that reveal the exact whereabouts of your cat or dog.
Your pet getting lost may be your worst nightmare, so this new technology is on hand to keep tabs on their location. It’s not all doom and gloom though, maybe you’re just curious to see where your kitty wanders off to during a nightly excursion, or you want to check the route a dog walker is taking. There’s an array of helpful trackers, some with fitness and health monitoring services too.
Paola Cuevas, a vet and animal behaviourist with Hepper, explains: “GPSâ¯trackers are a great way to protect and get to know your pets better. Petâ¯GPSâ¯trackers can be very beneficial, especially for outdoor or indoor/outdoor cats and naughty dogs that routinely run off and get lost. The trackers allow owners to know their pet’s location in real time. They will also help prevent indoor cats from getting lost if they accidentally make it outside.”
Cuevas continues, “These trackers allow owners to learn about their cat’s daily habits and get to know what areas they visit and when they move around. Being familiar with your cat’s daily habits enables you to quickly detect if something is going on, for example, if your cat that usually moves around the neighbourhood is stationary somewhere, it could be sick, injured or trapped and needing help.”
Jean-Philippe Doumeng, CEO and Co-Founder of Napo Pet Insurance reveals why these GPS trackers are an added level of protection to the must-have microchip: “A missing pet is a harrowing experience. Unlike a microchip, a GPS tracker can locate your pet in real-time, so should the worst happen –and your pet goes missing - you can reunite with them much more quickly than if you were to wait for the animal to be picked up, handed in and scanned for its microchip.
“GPS trackers are also valuable outside of crisis situations for monitoring your pet’s activity on a day-to-day basis. If your pet needs to lose a little weight for example, a GPS tracker can make sure it reaches its daily exercise goals and helps you keep track of progress. It’s worth noting that GPS trackers should work in conjunction with microchipping, and not instead of, so that your pet can always be easily identified if it’s picked up before you track it down.”
However, there are some downsides to consider when it comes to feline friends, according to Cat Protection’s Head Of Clinical Services Alison Richard: “Although tracking collars may have benefits when trying to trace a lost or injured cat, they’re often quite bulky so the benefit to an individual cat must be weighed up against the risk. Attaching the device may hamper or aggravate the cat.” If your pet is sensitive to this, opt for one of the options like the Tile that is more compact in size.
Here are some of the best GPS trackers around, if you’re curious about seeing what your pets get up to and to add an extra layer of security.
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Tractive
One of the biggest and best names for pet GPS trackers is Tractive. Their devices regularly come out on top in comparison reviews, and also function in the same way as a Fitbit does for humans for monitoring your dog’s activity levels.
With Tractive, should the worst happen and your pet does go missing, you can switch it into Live mode, with location updates provided every two to three seconds. It has seven days of battery life, so no panicking about it running out within hours.
If you have an adventurous pet, it is also entirely waterproof too, so even if they go splashing about, you can still keep tabs. A subscription service is required, starting from £4 per month.
If you’re competitive, you can compare your pet’s activity levels against others. You can also use it to monitor their sleep patterns, and make sure they’re getting enough sleep.
Buy now £31.49, Amazon
Apple Air Tag
Many people have been singing the praises of Apple’s AirTags for keeping track of lost luggage after the airport chaos, but others have cottoned on to the fact they make great pet trackers too.
While it doesn’t offer the fitness and sleep tracking aspect of some of the other makes, if you’re an iPhone user and want to keep everything Apple then this would work well. Using the ‘Find My’ function on your phone or computer, you can keep track of the location of your furry friend.
One downside is for the AirTag to work to notify you, there needs to be other iOS users nearby, as the tag sends out a Bluetooth signal that other devices will pick up and ping to you, so if you’re taking your dog on remote walks to the middle of nowhere it might not be the best option.
At the moment, Apple doesn’t sell collars or accessories for pet use, however independent sellers and makers are creating collars and tag holders for you to use an AirTag in this way.
Buy now £29.00, Amazon
Pawfit
Pawfit describes itself as “smarter petcare”, and combines GPS with light and sound tracking. As well as using mobile networks and GPS, Pawfit uses algorithms and light and sound information from the last few metres. This can be particularly helpful in a dark forest or at night time, or in areas with reduced WiFi or cellular signals.
An added nifty feature is the data that you enter about your pet as text is converted into audio, so if they wander out of range or service, whoever finds them can press the power button and the device will read out their contact information and ID.
Pawfit also monitors your pet’s steps, distance covered, calories burned, and active and rest hours. This can all personalised for your pet’s breed, age and weight, all helping to keep your four-legged pal as fit as can be. It is also waterproof and sturdily made for even the most adventurous creature.
Buy now £50.99, Amazon
Kippy Evo
If you want to travel with your dog, then the Kippy Evo could be a solid bet, with coverage in Europe and South Africa as well as the UK. It comes with an incorporated SIM card that must be activated, and a subscription starting from £3.33 a month that is needed for it to operate.
Like Tractive, it offers a live tracking function, using GPS, Bluetooth and WiFi. It also has a 10-day battery life and is easily rechargable, and the latest version is even lighter, weighing in at just 38 grams. It is waterproof for up to 30 minutes and at depths of up to 1.5m too. The brand also sells a whole range of accessories, collars and a harness to hold the device, making it a one-stop shop.
Buy now £44.99, Amazon
Petbiz
Petbiz boasts a 30-day battery life, and sends you alerts when the power drops below 30 per cent. Recharging is fast, juicing up in just two hours. The tracker uses NB-IoT tech, which the brand claims gives 20-30 per cent more coverage across the country compared to standard 3G trackers.
The Petbiz tracker is also an activity monitor, and covers distance travelled and calories burned using its algorithm. It gives you an update of your pet’s activity for the day, and gives a one month free subscription trial. It also doesn’t need a sim card.
If you’re on the fence, this could be the one to try.
Buy now £89.00, Amazon
Tile Mate
One of the original “find my keys” devices also has a use for wandering pets. You can buy collar attachments to add the Tile to a collar or harness to keep it secure.
For an additional price, you can upgrade to Tile Premium which gives a 30-day location history, so you can see where your pets have been and can help to learn your pet’s route. You can also share the Tile with an unlimited number of friends and family who also have the app, allowing you to cover more ground.
Some genius dog owners have even taught their dog to recall and return when the tile rings if they reach a boundary. It’s small and unobtrusive, and one of the lightest on the list.
Buy now £19.99, Amazon
