SEATTLE & PASCHING, Austria--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tractive, the most trusted GPS device in the world for providing round-the-clock, real-time location tracking for pets, today announced the arrival of its new LTE GPS pet tracker developed specifically for cats. This new device dedicated to felines is launched today in North America, as the United States currently ranks as the leading country in cat ownership.
The Tractive cat tracker provides the industry-leading features of existing Tractive devices – including GPS live tracking with no distance limits, heat mapping and location history for greater insights into where a cat roams and how long it spends in each location, activity and fitness monitoring to help pet parents stay on top of their cat’s health, and impressive battery life that lasts up to seven days. The cat-specific tracker, however, is designed with common behaviors and trouble spots in mind. For example, rather than clipping to the cat’s collar in a way that can get hung up or unclipped if the cat finds him or herself in a sticky situation like getting caught in a fence or by a tree branch, the Tractive GPS Cat LTE Tracker is attached by threading the collar through the device for a more secure fit.
To ensure that the new cat tracker appropriately meets the needs of felines, Tractive recently hired animal behaviorist Dr. Laura Lidauer to oversee development and management of the product line. Dr. Lidauer holds a PhD from the renowned Vienna University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU). She is also a cat parent.
“For the cat tracker, we started with extensive research among cat parents to get key answers,” said Dr. Lidauer. “What did cats need? What did their humans need? The answers shaped our development process. It led to a fresh tracker design and a new collar attachment that, together, would provide a comfortable, secure fit on a cat’s neck.”
The Tractive Cat Tracker Difference
With millions of cats spending at least a portion of their time outdoors, approximately 34% of pet owners lose their cat at least once, and about six million animals enter shelters each year in the U.S. alone. Tractive aims to keep pets safe and connected with their families while also giving cat parents new insights into the secret life of their favorite felines.
The new Tractive GPS Cat LTE Tracker was built for adventure. It is both scratch and waterproof, and shock resistant, and it was designed for both safety and comfort. The device is curved to fit each cat’s collar with attachments for extra protection which enable it to stay in place and out of the animal’s way.
Once a cat is on the move, he or she can be tracked every step of the way in “Live” mode, which provides data in next-to real time, refreshing every two-to-three seconds. Its heat map and location history features enable cat parents to finally know what their cat gets up to when away from home and where they like to go. Location history can show the last 365 days of wandering so that even if the collar gets lost or removed, pet parents have a clear indication of where their feline friend might be hanging out. Virtual fence settings let users know if their cat wanders a bit too far, and with a built-in SIM card, the device has unlimited range across the U.S. and Canada, working across all major providers so that no cat will be “lost” regardless of where it travels.
Focus on Felines
In addition, the Tractive collar provides sophisticated activity tracking. This helps cat parents keep an eye on their furry friend’s health. By knowing how much active and rest time a cat gets, it is easy to spot changes that could signal a health condition. Users can also compare their cat’s activity levels with those of cats around the world.
“Our GPS Dog Trackers have been successfully worn by cats for the past few years, but as we all know, cats and dogs are distinctly different creatures,” said Andrew Bleiman, Tractive’s EVP of the U.S. and Canada. “We saw an opportunity to develop a unique, differentiated experience for cat parents where there was both clear need and demand.”
In fact, approximately 15% of Tractive GPS Dog LTE Tracker customers are actually cat parents who want the assurance of knowing where their cat is in order to keep them out of harm’s way. Prior to its launch in North America, the company released an earlier version of the cat tracker in Europe.
“We got our tracker about three weeks ago, and it has been life changing!” said Lauren Jane H. in a recent review. “Whereas we would often worry and wonder about where a cat was getting to, especially because he is super friendly and has a tendency to follow people, now we know exactly where he is at any moment. I love the Leaderboard feature and that we get to see how active he is. It’s also awesome to have a virtual fence that alerts us when he leaves this neighborhood. For any cat owners with adventurous cats, this tracker is an incredible way to get peace of mind.”
Tractive has long been known to produce the world’s most popular GPS pet trackers, with nearly 40,000 four-star or above ratings across the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Trustpilot. Its new Tractive GPS Cat LTE Tracker is now available for $49.99, with a monthly subscription price of $6.49 for monitoring. Get yours today at Amazon or the Tractive site.
About Tractive
Tractive was founded in 2012 in Austria by a group of paw-ssionate entrepreneurs looking to make lost pets a thing of the past. They specialize in the development of pet tech, wearables and apps. In addition to their GPS trackers and the Tractive GPS app, the company uses its extensive pet data and expertise to come up with ways to delight its users and make the world a better place for cats and dogs. Tractive’s North American headquarters are based in Seattle.
