Tractive GPS Cat Tracker Review [2024 Upd.] Is it Any Good?

Last Updated on October, 2024

I lost my cat, Lily, a few months ago for a few days, and I didn’t want to go through that trauma again. I most certainly don’t want ANYONE to go through that.

That’s why I was looking for a reliable GPS cat tracker. This is the background when I came across the Tractive cat tracker.

If you’re a proud cat dad or a cat mum hoping to buy the Tractive GPS tracker, you’re in the right place. Reading this Tractive GPS Cat Tracker Review will help you decide on buying it and how to properly use it once you do.

Let’s get right into it!

Why are Tracking Cats Generally Difficult?

Before TRACKING a cat, we should address the foundation issue; taming.

Taming cats is rocket science compared to taming all sorts of pets, even fish. This is because they don’t respond THAT well to commands.

My Persian cat, Lily, only stares at me at times when I ask her to come. 

Is this a matter of intelligence? Are cats really more intelligent than dogs?

The most probable reason is since dogs tend to obey the pack’s leader, their brains are hardwired to do that. Cats, on the other hand, are wild.

Why is it Challenging to Track Cats?

This is mainly because it’s hard to domesticate them completely, and their walking paths change every moment. Have you ever tried to stop a cat from walking?

They always find a way. Because of that, unlike dogs, or any other pet, it’s pretty challenging to track where a cat goes.

That’s probably the core inspiration for Tractive to produce this tracker.

So, what’s the Tractive like?

The Company Behind the Tractive GPS Cat Tracker

I immediately got hooked on the website’s design; it was as if the company wanted to SHOW that they were not like Amazon. It was like a site where baby items are sold.

This company specializes in pet GPS trackers for both dogs and cats. The company is Austrian, and the story of the CEO was the first green light.

His name is Michael Hurnaus, an Austrian developer. He worked at Microsoft and became a technical project manager until he finally founded Tractive.

Have a look at this interview yourself here. Of course, I see a successful businessman, but I cannot help but see an affectionate cat dad.

Maybe that’s why the product is selling all over the world.

So, what’s this Tractive GPS cat tracker, anyway?

Checkout tractive dog tracker review if you also own a dog.

About the Tractive GPS Tracker for Cats

So, what are the unique features of the Tractive GPS pet tracker for cats?

Unique Features of the Tractive GPS Tracker

Let’s look at each feature one by one.

The Cat-Friendly Design

Can Be Bought With or Without the Collar 

Incompatibility of the GPS trackers with the typical cat collars is a common problem. After all, some cat owners tend to develop a sentimental relationship with their cats’ collars.

It’s understandable; I can relate to it 100%. However, I don’t think it should come at a cost; it’s a cost where your cat can get lost.

That’s probably why the Tractive cat tracker design team decided to attach the tracker to their collar. That’s the option I chose, and I think it’s the perfect picture fit.

Live Mode

How frustrated do you feel when you realize the location of your Taxi is not updated? It’s only more frustrating when the location doesn’t update on pet trackers.

The problem behind this is the disconnection from faster networks. When the signal system is isolated , the updating speed of a live mode will drastically drop.

But the fantastic Tractive cat trackers let you get into the LIVE mode that updates every 2-3 seconds. Believe me, this much of an updating speed is phenomenal, and Tractive achieved it.

Sheer Range

I just mentioned how isolated networking is never ideal for any tracking product. Tractive GPS cat tracker has resolved the matter by integrating its operation on a global scale. So, this has made the Tractive GPS pet tracker functional globally.

Simply put, you can know your cat’s location as long as they are on earth.

Most Cat GPS trackers have limitations due to cellular signal issues and the lack of location data. The Tractive GPS tracker doesn’t have any of those problems.

Location’s History 

Sleeping Pattern Tracker

7 Days Of Battery Life On Average Use

The battery life of my last GPS cat tracker was barely three days. So, after Lily was lost for up to five days, I was panicking properly. Usually, this is how cats are lost. 

I decided not to let battery life take my sunshine away from me.

Companies that produce GPS tracking devices without at least three days of battery life clearly haven’t owned cats before.

But the Tractive GPS tracking device is superior. 

The Tractive cat tracker’s average battery life lasts seven days; that’s more than enough to locate a lost cat.

The Virtual Fence

To even increase the value of this feature, there’s no limit to the number of virtual fences you can have. Because hey, I know how cats can be chaotic.

Designated App for iOS and Android

If you already didn’t guess it, all of this happens inside a free app. 

The Tractive GPS app is both a smartphone app and a PC one. So, whether you are on the phone or on your laptop, you can keep getting all the services depending on your convenience.

The interface is entirely branded and highly user-friendly. All the options are on the home screen, and even a 10-year-old or an 80-year-old could use it without hassle. I’m sure Michael, the CEO, personally interfered with optimizing the app.

That’s the Tractive design supremacy for you.

Light Weight 

Most GPS cat trackers are heavier and are questionably cheap. The use of low-quality electronic items and production materials is the reason behind this.

The tractive cat tracker prioritizes quality and convenience. That’s why the device is barely 35g. So, if my Little Lily can wear the tracker like a bespoke suit, I’m pretty sure a typical cat can wear it comfortably.

Resistance Capacity

One of the most significant downsides of an average cat tracker is that the device is not waterproof. We don’t even want the tracker to be shock resistant. I know most of us would be fine even if it were water resistant.

But, it shouldn’t be that way. Why is that so?

Waterproof devices keep the water away 100%. Water resistance devices, on the other hand, can’t do it 100%. 

That’s why water resistant devices stop working after a while when exposed to water. The same theory applies to shockproof and shock resistant devices.

Location Sharing Ability 

I’m the kind of guy to worry a little bit. And by little, I mean tremendously. So, the Tractive cat tracker doesn’t stop at the live tracking mode; you can share the location data of your cat with your family and friends. All the cat owners I know are like that.

The truth is that superior software engineering makes the device’s location history unique. If not for that, live tracking to keep tabs on the location data of a cat is borderline impossible.

6 Monthly Subscription Plans to Choose From 

I’m pretty sure you knew about the subscription plans beforehand. But if you didn’t, there’s a good reason why it requires a subscription.

The pinnacle of the iceberg of the reason is the unlimited location history you get. This pet tracker works in such a smooth and untangled way. It’s by the sheer supremacy of the tech behind it.

I’ll tell you about the plans under the ‘price’ section; let’s keep going.

Pros and Cons of the GPS tracker

This Tractive GPS cat tracker review is heavier on the pros side for one reason.

Because it’s the truth.

So, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of the Tractive GPS cat tracker.

Pros

• No Mobile Fees in the Subscription Plans

I pay a lot for my Netflix subscription. But I also pay considerably for the tremendous amount of Wi-Fi data. So, I was worried whether I’d have to undergo the same problem with this GPS cat tracker. 

Fortunately, I don’t have to pay much for the mobile data. Tractive takes care of that with its super cost-effective subscription plans for the unlimited GPS data it collects.

• Money Back Guarantee for 30 Days

I had a gut feeling that I would love the cat tracker with all my heart. The company knows that it’s the situation 99% of the time. However, I was curious about what they do with that 1%.

• Adventure-Proof Strong Design

I always loved how the GPS devices in action movies do not break, no matter what. Although high-tech isn’t necessary for a pet tracker, Tractive GPS devices are resilient by design. 

It’s designed with love for all adventurous outdoor cats.

So, you don’t have to worry about a damaged GPS tracker after a week or two.

• Sheer Comfort to the Cat

Cat tracking features should NOT come at the cost of your cat’s health or comfort. Since the GPS tracker goes in your cat’s collar, pet parents should be extra careful about the trackers they buy.

I bought their cat collar and tracker, and let me tell you how comfortable my Lily looks. It’s almost as if she doesn’t feel there’s a tracker around her neck. The slight curvature of the device sure helps tremendously.

It’s both the design superiority and the lightness of weight.

• Cat’s Movement Won’t Lose the Tracker

A cat tracker could be lost easily unless they are correctly attached to the cat. This is regardless of whether it was comfortable or not. The Tractive cat tracker has no space between your cat’s neck and the tracker and is well attached.

So, the outdoor cats can happily move around without losing the tracker.

• The Tracker Won’t Bring Any Potential Harm

There’s another independent benefit of well-worn GPS trackers. The risk of your cat getting caught or entangled is perfectly neutralized by design since there’s no space between the collar and the cat’s neck.

• Solid Proof for Problems About Cat’s Whereabouts

Do your neighbors always complain about how your cat troubles their peaceful life? But surprisingly enough, do you have a gut feeling that they weren’t remotely close to your neighbors?

• Be Alerted Even When You’re Not Home 

I’m so glued to my laptop that I have no idea when my cat leaves the room. So, there used to be a time when I had zero ideas about how far my cat went, especially when I wasn’t home.

Tractive’s live tracking mode and virtual fence combined are the solutions.

You can define a specific boundary, and the tractive app will notify you the moment the pet leaves the boundary. All you need is your cell phone with you.

• Analyze Behavioral Problems at Early Stages

Keeping an eye on your cat’s movements to see if it exhibits normal behavior is impractical. But, specific veterinary advice would be to prioritize activity monitoring.

Activity monitoring is made extremely easy with the Tractive cat tracker. You can literally see how slow or fast your cat is moving with live tracking. But that’s not it.

The Tractive cat tracking widget lets you monitor the cat’s sleeping pattern as well. All aspects of accurate activity monitoring are the easiest way to spot behavioral problems at early stages.

• Easier to Find the Cat Inside Home

I think the Tractive marketing team forgot to notice this little hack, even if they saw the cat safe power button. 

The product doesn’t say you can find the cat’s exact location INSIDE the house, but you can. You don’t need regular GPS for that.

All you need to do is activate the FIND mode and activate the collar’s sound. As the little alarm rings, it’s just time to locate the sound.

• Longest Durability

It’s been a couple of months since I started using this phenomenal GPS machine, and it looks like I bought it yesterday.

Everything, including the tracker’s battery life and everything else, is the same as the day one. That’s a telltale sign of prolonged durability, especially with the sheer strength of design.

• Convenience of Not Having to Recharge Daily

It annoys me how often I have to charge my phone, and it’s not like I can do anything about it. But the Tractive cat tracker’s battery lasts seven days on AVERAGE. 

Why do I say it’s the average? Because there’s a power-saving mode.

This mode can extend your battery life by up to 40%. The tracker reports fewer positions when your cat is still, and you can set up a Power Saving Zone in which the tracker will also report fewer positions.

• Hassle-Free Access to the System

Tractive GPS is cloud-based and app-based. So, as long as there is cell service and you have your phone, that’s pretty much all you need. This sort of hassle-free access is what should be there.

After all, it’s to track a cat, not an invisible spaceship. 

• No Extra Charges as You Travel the World

I wondered how Tractive provides worldwide coverage. It’s actually by using their own sim card. The sim connects to the best nearest network coverage, and that’s how it stays online.

So, I wanted to know how much extra I’d have to pay.

• Premium Customer Service

I personally got the best customer service. But I wanted to know if they have been otherwise to anyone. While trying to find the downsides of their customer service, I came across more than one free replacement incident.

So, it’s safe to say that Tractive customer care is diamond tier by default.

• Affordable Subscription Service 

Cloud services come at a price, and that’s how the world works. What truly matters is whether those plans are worth it. 

At Tractive, they are totally worth it.

There are two service plans; basic and premium plan. 

You can cancel these at any time. I got the premium subscription since I wanted family sharing and GPS data export. 

Although there is a considerable gap between the premium plan and the basic one, what’s impressive is that both of them start at the same price.

I don’t recommend the basic subscription if you’re planning the long haul. 

Cons

• Waterproof Setting Isn’t Standardized

I’m a flashlight enthusiast. Almost all the flashlights I own have a waterproof standard, such as IPX4 or IPX8. 

This standardization helps you know HOW exactly the flashlight is safe from water. But that’s just me wanting perfection. 

Setting Up and Using the Tractive Gps Tracker

I know; you are expecting an AKEA-level assembly, but all you need to do is make the cat wear the tracker and install the app. You’ll be connected after inserting your Tractive credentials, and the rest is self-explanatory.

Here’s what the interface looks like.

Customer Reviews

This is merely the tip of the iceberg of pure customer satisfaction from both Amazon and trustpilot.

Where Can You Buy One of These GPS Trackers?

Although you can buy from Amazon as well, it’s better to go with their website. I bought mine right here.

In case they don’t ship to your country, then it’s alright to go with Amazon.

The Current Price of the Gps Tracker 

The tracker itself is 49,99 €, and here’s an untangled look at their 6 subscription plans.

Is the Tractive Cat Tracker Worth it?

After extensive research and analysis of the Tractive cat tracker, we all can see the product is completely worth it. 

Although there is a gap, the premium plan lets you make the best use of the product. If you still feel like whether it was worth it or not, take another round of the pros. I’m sure you’ll see its true worth.

Final Thoughts

A lost cat is heartbreaking, and I do not wish anyone to lose their beloved cat. We are cat parents; we’re incredibly soft for our kittens. That’s precisely why they deserve to have a GPS tracker. 

Tractive’s affordable pet tracker is the one and only pet tracking solution you’ll ever need. Start tracking your feline friend today, and keep an eye on them 24/7 worldwide.

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