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 Post subject: GPS for indoor cat?
PostPosted: Mon May 28, 2018 2:22 am 
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Bengal Cat

Joined: Fri Jan 17, 2014 5:44 am
Posts: 31
We recently had our indoor Bengal cat sneak out when I let the dog out and was missing. We were lucky enough to find her, but it gave us quite a scare. We are looking into a gps tracker for her (she is already microchipped). What are your thoughts on this for an indoor cat who has not worn a collar before? Thank you!


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 Post subject: Re: GPS for indoor cat?
PostPosted: Mon May 28, 2018 3:47 pm 
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Asian Leopard Cat

Joined: Thu May 23, 2013 2:21 pm
Posts: 9217
Trackers for pets have come a long way. There are multiple types. Many use bluetooth and are quite small. All attach to a collar. With the bluetooth trackers, you must be within a certain number of feet -- range is usually at least 100 feet -- and there can be no major obstructions between you and the tracker. If your cat is shut in a crawl space, you probably won't be able to read the tracker.

GPS trackers are more expensive, however, they can track your pet anywhere in the world. They are not small and require the batteries to be recharged every few days. It seems almost pointless to put something like that on an indoor cat. When I need to have my door open for any reason, I make sure my bengal is nowhere near the door -- OR I put him in our bedroom and shut him in. We just had two days worth of work done in installing a new a/c and furnace and the workers were in and out all day. I arrived home to find the front door wide open and no idea where my kitty was. Thankfully, he was sleeping upstairs -- so no harm done. But my hubby got a talking to for not making sure Raiden wasn't shut in a safe place. When we come home from grocery shopping, the first thing I do is close him up in our bedroom until we've brought all the bags inside. I have a real escape artist -- so I have to be super diligent.

It is really up to you whether you want to invest the money in a GPS tracker. A bluetooth tracker would probably work just fine as long as you catch her going out the door and know she is just several feet away. If she sneaks out and goes missing, that's another thing. I know how panicking it can be to lose a cat. Thankfully, she is microchipped but that only works if someone takes her to be scanned to check for a chip.

If your cat really wants to enjoy the outside, there are portable enclosures you can purchase and even permanent enclosures you can build. Enclosures can be small, large, expensive, cheap. But it gives your kitty the chance to experience the outdoors, which she obviously wants.


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 Post subject: Re: GPS for indoor cat?
PostPosted: Tue May 29, 2018 6:27 pm 
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Bengal Cat

Joined: Fri Jan 17, 2014 5:44 am
Posts: 31
Thanks so much for your reply! I appreciate your thoughts and the idea of putting the cat in a room while unloading groceries etc.


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 Post subject: Re: GPS for indoor cat?
PostPosted: Tue May 29, 2018 7:18 pm 
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Asian Leopard Cat

Joined: Thu May 23, 2013 2:21 pm
Posts: 9217
We went through that today, although when we got home, Raiden was already laying on our bed, so I just closed the door. He is fine until we have everything in and the doors closed. It may be a hassle at times. We don't always do that. He will usually be at the back door when we are bringing the bird feeders in for the night. And there are times he is right the back door (it has glass, so I can see him) when I want to come in. He understands the word "back" and he will retreat so I can open it. This is not to say he has never gotten out. He has slipped through my legs many times, but he has no sense to take off running. He stops. Or he will continue walking around the outside of the house. Eventually, he will stop and smell a shrub and I grab him. Since we go for daily walks and he was an outdoor cat for six years with his previous owner, he knows his way home. That maybe something for you -- walking your cat, however, once they get outside, they always seem to want outside, although Raiden is great about settling down once we return. Just know that when an indoor cat gets outside, they are usually scared to death and have no idea where they are. They don't usually wander too far from home, but some of them may like open garages, crawl spaces, etc.


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