The Tabcat Cat Tracker – My Review

I recently got the chance to test out the Tabcat Cat Tracker. Have you ever struggled to find your cat inside your house or around the garden or in the street, especially when it’s time to take them to the vet (they always “just know”!)? If the answer is yes, then this product may be for you.

The very attractive package I received contained two homing tags, two splash proof covers, and a handheld tracking unit. It was very easy to register a tag, and once it has been attached to your cat’s collar, you are set to track down your kitty wherever it may be hiding! 

Tabcat Cat Tracker package
Very attractive packaging and user guide in multiple languages

The homing tag weighs only 6 grams and is small enough not to bother your cat in its day to day activities.  Its range is up to 122 meters (400 feet), unless there are walls and doors between you and the cat, when it will be significantly less. I easily tracked one of my cats by following the beeps and lights on the handheld tracking unit. These increase in pitch and turn from red via orange to green respectively – green meaning that you have found your cat. There is also a little beeping sound that emits from the actual tag on the cat’s collar, and this can be used to teach your cat to return to you once he/she has been located with the Tabcat tracker.

Even though my cats are indoor only, they go out for walks under my supersion once or twice a day in our very safe pedestrian alley. They usually don’t wear collars, so in order to test the Tabcat Cat Tracker, I put on one of the many colourful cravats they own (see picture of Spider below) and attached the tag to that.

Inside the apartment, the tracker works great. So when you cannot locate your cat because of a trip to the dreaded vets, or after he/she has been scared by fireworks, it’s easy to find your cat’s hiding place. It works through walls, and probably in 2-storey dwellings too, but I was not able to test the latter because our apartment is on only one floor. 

Spider sporting the Tabcat tracker in a funky turquoise cover matching his cravat!

This morning, as I opened the front door, my boy Spider escaped and belted down the stairs into the alley. I used the handheld unit and was able to easily track him, hidden in a nearby alcove, where nobody would have found him because he was obscured by foliage. However, more testing revealed that the tracker will not work through more than one thick wall, and when my ginger queen Ruby was outside and behind two walls, the handheld unit did not pick up her signal until I had only one wall between us.

Here is my verdict and what I think are the pros and cons of the Tabcat Cat Tracker:

PROs

  • Small enough not to bother your cat and weighing on 6 grams.
  • Works through doors and through at least one thick wall.
  • It is possible to train your cat to come back to you thanks to the beeping on the cat’s tag.
  • Recommended for apartments or small 2-storey houses, and to find your cat around your garden and nearby streets.
  • Great to find your indoor cat – especially before vet visits or when he/she has escaped outside!

CONs

  • If it’s a large house or garden bigger than 100 meters square, it may if the cat roams further than that.
  • If the cat loses its collar, the tag will also be lost.
  • Will not work through more than one thick wall.
  • Not recommended if your cat has a huge outdoor territory.

** Click here to find out more about the Tabcat Cat Tracker on their website **

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