Hi everyone,
Today we are looking at one of the solutions out there to track your cat! We’ve also included a great discount for you further down in the post with international delivery options available.
Over the last few months we’ve been on and off trialling Tabcat which is one of the cat tracking solutions out there. This particular solution uses a patented RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) instead of GPS / Bluetooth to help you track your cat
The way it works is that you attach a locator beacon to your cat’s collar. Additionally it comes with a handheld device to help you locate said beacon and therefore your.
The handheld device will guide owners to identify which way to walk to find your cat. It does so by flashing lights and beeps (on the handheld!) and becomes more and more frequent the closer you get to your cat. It’s range is 122m which addresses the average territory of our fur friends.
Additionally Tabcat can also be used to train your cat to come home! There is an option to press a button on your handheld device to generate a beep on the tag carried by your cat. If you do this just before dinner time it’ll help your cat to associate the beep with something nice and rewarding and thus help train most cats to come home “at the press of a button”.
Depending on your cat this may require some patience! Don’t forget to REWARD your cat if they come home after the beep.
So what are the key features of Tabcat, lets have a look at them!
Key Features:
- Dual directional technology system giving you both audio and visual cues to guide you to your cat
- Pinpoint accuracy – within 2.5cm (1 inch)
- Acts as an extra insurance policy. Enabling you to take control should your cat not come home
- Long range – up to 400 feet (122 metres) clear line of sight – cats don’t stray that far (its territory is typically 500 metres (1500 feet) for males and 230 metres (750 feet) for females) – so Tabcat is ideal for locating your cat’s hiding places: from neighbouring gardens and streets – to underneath a bed
- The smallest and lightest tag of its type to attach to your kitten or cat’s collar – it weighs just 6g and the disc is 31mm in diameter
- Long battery life – the Tabcat kit contains two tags for your cat’s collar – each with a battery life of up to 1 year
- Splash proof protection – in your Tabcat kit we include two splash proof cases to slip over the tab to increase the lifespan and protect them from water damage
- A one off payment – Tabcat is a one-off purchase with no hidden charges nor rental costs. With GPS based solutions you’re reliant on on-going charges – with our patented RFID technology there is no commitment beyond buying the Tabcat tracking device
- Can locate up to 4 cats. 2 x optional extra homing tags can be purchased
Of course we anticipated that some of you may have some questions about this so we’ve compiled some of the most commonly asked questions with Tabcat!
Q&A:
How does Tabcat work?
Tabcat uses pinpoint directional technology to guide you right to your cat’s location – the handset locates the small tag on your cat’s collar and through a combination of lights and bleeps guides you exactly which way to walk clearly indicating as you get closer to it – to within 2.5cm (1”) of where they’re located.
How is Tabcat’s RF-based technology unique?
Tabcat’s patented aerial is specifically designed to get the best possible range from the smallest sized handset and tag.
How is Tabcat better than GPS, Bluetooth and other locating devices?
When a cat goes missing, it’s not usually because he has strayed far, but because he’s trapped or hiding in a tight spot close to home – in a garage or visiting a neighbour for example. Uniquely, Tabcat technology can locate a cat to within 2.5cm of his location making it the most useful device on the market.
GPS based tags are inferior in the following ways:
- Not pinpoint accurate and, depending where you are in the country, does not give the level of accuracy needed to find a cat in a hidden spot
- Too heavy for a cat / kitten’s collar
- Reports the cat’s location at intervals meaning it’s easy for your pet to move between reported positions
- Device needs to be charged nightly
- Expensive – most have on-going monthly charges
- Tends not to be waterproof
- Requires mobile phone GSM coverage to work (in almost every case)
Bluetooth based tags are inferior in the following ways:
- Lower range – phone aerials not designed for locating tags
- No usable directional capabilities
- Primarily suitable for locating static objects around the house where you can listen out for tag beep
ID microchips are inferior at locating because they do not locate! They rely on someone finding a chipped cat and then handing it to a pet rescue centre or vet for scanning for the owner to be identified. Tabcat provides that extra insurance so that if your cat doesn’t come home, you can go out and find him.
Can Tabcat really train my cat to come when called?
By simply pressing a button on your Tabcat handheld device just before mealtimes your cat will learn to associate the small bleep with food. Once trained, just one bleep from Tabcat is often enough to have him running home for dinner. This intriguing behaviour is the widely recognised psychological phenomenon of conditioning, made famous by Russian physiologist Pavlov in 1903.
Where to purchase:
Tabcat, priced £69.99, is available now from www.mytabcat.com but if you use katzen01 during checkout you’ll get £10 of your order until the end of January 2017!
Each Tabcat kit comprises two battery powered splash proof tags in black plus a handheld tracking device. Each CR2032 lithium battery should last up to one year, based on typical use, and is widely available.
Additionally Tabcat offers a money back guarantee and two-year warranty on it’s product
We hope you found this information useful! And do share with us what you think of the solution and your own experience in locating cats.
Not yet subscribed to our Newsletter? Click here!
Thanks,
Marc
More details from Tabcat and what they are saying about their solution:
As the weather brightens and the wind changes, our feline friends are motivated to pad outside to explore. Now owners can relax and let their feline friends sate their natural curiosity with Tabcat the most accurate, effective and lightweight cat-locating device.
As well as a locating device, Tabcat can be used to train cats to come home at the sound of a single bleep, which means you can easily call your cat home at dinnertime or before you go to bed. This is great news for the 51% of owners who have lost sleep worrying about a cat’s whereabouts*.
One in five owners have permanently lost a cat but only 7% have tagged their pet*. Tabcat reduces owners’ anxiety by allowing you to accurately locate your pet’s location to within 2.5cm – even through walls – enabling you keep tabs on your cat in even the most hard to find places.
Tabcat also offers additional reassurance:
- On a trip away from home and someone else is caring for your cat
- When a cat’s routine is going to be disrupted and may wander as a result – for example, a new baby or the introduction of another, new pet to the household
The Tabcat tag attaches to a cat’s collar and a handset then enables you to track your cat with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) pinpoint patented technology, which is more reliable and exacting than Bluetooth and GPS-based devices in guiding you to a cat’s location. With 55,038 cats missing in the UK***, Tabcat is a pet ‘insurance policy’ that involves one, up front payment and cat owners complete peace of mind.
With Tabcat beeps and flashing lights on the handheld device guide which way to walk and become more frequent as you get closer, within 122 metres, which easily addresses the average cat’s territory****. When our beloved feline friends can’t be found due to feeling threatened by the noise of fireworks, getting lost or simply wanting to explore – moggies of all ages can be protected and found at the press of a button.
Each Tabcat kit comprises two battery powered splash proof tags in black plus a handheld tracking device. Each CR2032 lithium battery should last up to one year, based on typical use, and is widely available.
Tabcat, priced £69.99, is available now from www.mytabcat.com.
My two cat friends have quickly got rid of all their collars. Could hey get rid of this collar ?
Tabcat goes onto a collar so it’s not a collar of its own.
The problem with collars is that you do want them to be break away safe collars as otherwise they could harm your cat.
My two cat friends were microchipped at the SPCA as kittens before going to their new home. There is probably scope for further developments there too.
There is indeed. A know a number of people that are looking at working on a microchip that can be tracked. Xx
That would be very welcome for cat owners- sorry , staff !
Haha so true we are staff
This is an insane response! Its impossible to track a cats microchip as it is entirely passive and unpowered! To read a microchip the detector must pass directly over where the chip is. It doesn’t emit a signal of any kind which can be traced at any distance.
The problem with tabcat or Loc8tor pet (as it used to be known) is that the tech is unreliable and very limited by range and other environmental factors like walls and buildings which dramatically reduce the operating manufacturer claimed distances. I have lost 6 collars with 6 Loc8tor tags attached in their silicon cases – the cat goes out with a collar on and returns without it! I’ve driven in my car with the receiver out the window trying to get a lock on and got nothing every time! As far as I’m concerned this is a total waste of money from a company preying on people’s insecurities and fears! Your cat is more streetwise than you, and if it’s a male cat is most likely to be wandering up to a few miles away from your home each day rendering tabcat utterly useless!!
Hi Alex,
Tabcat is indeed passive. But I know of a number of scientists that are working on better more advanced tech which is meant to be using an active chip.
Obviously this is not yet done! Nore do I know when but they’re not the only ones during research into this.
Also we had a group of people test this tracker and two others. This was the first of three posts going live. The others will be comparing reliability of the various trackers etc. So hopefully you’ll find one that suits your personal needs amongst those.
That’s great for city cats, but I’m in countryside thick with branches, vines and underbrush, where cat collars tend to get lost. It does seem like a good invention for people who live in close proximity to lots of other people.
I wonder how long it’ll be until microchips can be gps fracked.
I’m not a fan of microchips. There’s too much evidence that it can cause cancer where the chip is implanted.
O.O I didn’t hear of that before?
Tracked even!!!
I must check this product in details 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
Ciao
Sid
You are welcome 🙂
So, Jamima is an in-door cat! If I’m out for the day it’s just going to show me how she really does spend ALL day IN bed! I swear, she only gets out when I’m home. In relief she desecrates the kitty litter tray, eats, drinks then goes off to bed again!
Yeah for indoor cats this won’t give you much. ;o
This sounds like a great thing. It is so sad when you loose a cat and never know what happened.
Thank you ! And yes this is why we like their product 🙂
Sounds like a good product.
Thank you 🙂
Reblogged this on Rattiesforeverworldpresscom.
Thank you ^^
Great product! Thanks
You are welcome 🙂
This is great! What a great invention!
Thanks ^^
The offer code seems to have expired (despite the page saying it was valid till Jan ’17) anyone know of a valid one?
I’ve just contacted tabcat to check on its validity. Will update you here.
Code is working again now! Let me know if you have any problems