The Top Cat Shop

We all know that our pet cats are safest when kept indoors.

However, should your cat ever get outside accidentally then a tracking collar can be an excellent investment in the safety of your pet.

The challenge for pet tracking collars is finding one that is both affordable as well as small and light enough to be worn by domestic cats.

Fortunately, there are two very good cat tracking products currently on the market.

The first product is called the LoCATor Pet Tracking System has recently come on the market. This transmitter / receiver combination was created by Com-Spec, a company that has been specializing in radio communication devices for over 30 years.

The LoCATor tracking system is made up of a small radio transmitter that is built into a cat collar and a radio receiver that can pick up the beaconing cat collar for 1 - 2 blocks in the city and over 1 mile in open country.

One of the most appealing features of the device is that it operates on a free radio frequency channel so that there are no monthly fees. Many tracking collars today -- such as those used by some dog tracking collar manufacturers -- use GPS technology which require monthly service fees.

In addition to having monthly service fees, GPS service is not available in all areas and they can have some reliability issues in buildings -- areas that your pet cat may frequent.

A miniature transmitter is attached to your pet's collar which emits a pulsed radio frequency signal. This signal is picked up by a directional antenna attached to a very sensitive handheld receiver.

As the antenna is pointed toward's the transmitter on your pet's collar, the signal becomes louder in the receiver. This allows you to "home-in" or DF (direction find) the transmitted signal and find your pet. The is the same system used by biologists to track wild animals.

This system can be used anywhere in the world as it does not rely on satellite technology (GPS) which requires a direct view to the satellites or any cellular or PCS infrastructure which must be in place and requires monthly fees.

The range is 1 - 2 blocks in the city and over 1 mile in open country. It may be used to locate your cat, dog, horse, or any other pet.

It can also be used to locate a lost child in the park, at the beach, shopping mall, or amusement park as well as a wandering Alzheimer's patient. The uses are only limited by your imagination.

Three receivers are available which allows reception of 1, 10, or 50 miniature transmitters all operating simultaneously in a single household or neighborhood without interference with each other. Each transmitter can be programmed by you to any one of 50 channels.

Click on the cat collar transmitter below to learn more about the Cat LoCATor from Com-Spec.

 

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Another very popular radio frequency cat tracking collar is called the Loc8tor. The parent company that manufactures this device is in the UK and has developed a variety of locator products for keeping track of lost keys, kids, and pets, etc.

The Loc8tor comes in several models such as the Loc8tor Lite, Loc8tor Pet, and Loc8tor Plus.

The biggest difference between the Plus model and the Lite and Pet models is that the Plus model has a more full featured handheld receiver that gives better directional information. The Lite and Pet models use an LED readout for relaying directional information.

The Loc8tor Plus also has a nice homing alert feature that tells you if the item being tracked -- like your pet -- has gone outside of a preset area.

The tracking range of the Loc8tor is not as far as the LoCATor from Com-Spec. The Loc8tor's range is about 600 feet under ideal conditions which would mean a direct line of site. Under normal circumstances where there are walls, shrubs, trees and other obstacles the tracking range would be substantially reduced -- perhaps only to 100 feet or so depending upon the environment. This is normally tolerable for pet cats who don't tend to wander away too far.

The Com-Spec LoCATor's range is much farther. The manufacturer says it is closer to 1 mile under ideal conditions and 1 to 2 blocks in the city.

The trade off for the increased range, though is the price. The Com-Spec device costs about $250 for the receiver and $50 per tracking collar.

The Loc8tor costs about $80 - $170, depending upon the model and number of homing tags.

You can sometimes get a good deal on eBay, as long as you choose a reputable seller.

Click on the pictures below to see some Loc8tor prices on eBay.