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OT: Actually a useful device for cats would be a collar that tracks GPS location and answers its location when pinged. Then they can be easier found and won't

by ww520 12y ago

OT: Actually a useful device for cats would be a collar that tracks GPS location and answers its location when pinged. Then they can be easier found and won't get lost.

drdaeman 12y ago
I think there are issues. Radios need quite a lot of power, while batteries must be very light and compact to not bother the cat (otherwise a collar would be eventually removed - a cat will surely find a way to do so) I'm really surprised the cat in the article didn't tear off the collar on the first occasion.
icebraining 12y ago
Someone thought of that: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/retrievor-self-charging-gps-tracking-retrieving https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/retrievor-self-charging-g... I wouldn't bet on them actually delivering, but who knows.
georgemcbay 12y ago
Outdoor cats generally don't really get lost, they get flattened by cars or eaten by coyotes depending upon where you live, neither of which a GPS is going to help with. On rare occasions they get snatched up by animal control. For anyone with a cat, I highly recommend getting it microchipped (in case they get out and happen to fall into that last category) and making it indoor-only. The average lifespan of an outdoor cat is ~3-6 years.
- joshschreuder 12y ago
  I'm pleased to hear this advice, we got a cat a year ago and she has been indoor-only since we got her. We do let her out on a harness with us alongside to sniff around outdoors, and she loves it (and is sad to return inside). I feel somewhat vindicated in making her indoor-only.
  - georgemcbay 12y ago
    That's awesome that you bring her out on a harness. I wish my cat would let me do that, but she won't; she's pretty anxious in general (adopted her when she was 2 and she had been in the shelter twice already) and still has a lot of issues (she's very loving/lovable, but very afraid of strangers, especially males). Her anxiousness stops her from wanting to run off though, which is really, really rare for a cat, so I hang out with her on the deck in front of my place a lot so she can be "outside" but in a safe way and she doesn't leave the deck area (prior to her I wouldn't have believed this of any cat, because I grew up with some cats and all of them would attempt to run out if given the chance). IMO indoor cats can have a perfectly fulfilled life if their owners put in some effort (regularly engage them in play that uses their built-in-hunting instincts, mine loves to chase laser pointers and play with a bird feather on a string thing, the one I use is called "Da Bird", but I'm sure other brands exist).
- anotherevan 12y ago
  About a year ago our cats went from free-range to contained. We now have a contained outdoor area for them which I’ve dubbed the “cat terrarium” as it is outside my office window so I get to watch them prowl while I’m working. Photos and design explanation here: http://www.michevan.id.au/content/cat-terrarium/ http://www.michevan.id.au/content/cat-terrarium/ A year later it has worked pretty well. I had to put some more netting along the bottom of the fence when the neighbour moved a garden bed on their side of the fence which opened up a gap they could get through. But apart from that, their escapes have always been via a door left open too long, not via the terrarium. I really need to set up some more toys and stuff for them out there sometime. Any ideas?

by ww520 12y ago

OT: Actually a useful device for cats would be a collar that tracks GPS location and answers its location when pinged. Then they can be easier found and won't get lost.

drdaeman 12y ago

I think there are issues. Radios need quite a lot of power, while batteries must be very light and compact to not bother the cat (otherwise a collar would be eventually removed - a cat will surely find a way to do so) I'm really surprised the cat in the article didn't tear off the collar on the first occasion.

icebraining 12y ago

Someone thought of that: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/retrievor-self-charging-gps-tracking-retrieving https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/retrievor-self-charging-g... I wouldn't bet on them actually delivering, but who knows.

georgemcbay 12y ago

Outdoor cats generally don't really get lost, they get flattened by cars or eaten by coyotes depending upon where you live, neither of which a GPS is going to help with. On rare occasions they get snatched up by animal control. For anyone with a cat, I highly recommend getting it microchipped (in case they get out and happen to fall into that last category) and making it indoor-only. The average lifespan of an outdoor cat is ~3-6 years.

joshschreuder 12y ago
I'm pleased to hear this advice, we got a cat a year ago and she has been indoor-only since we got her. We do let her out on a harness with us alongside to sniff around outdoors, and she loves it (and is sad to return inside). I feel somewhat vindicated in making her indoor-only.
- georgemcbay 12y ago
  That's awesome that you bring her out on a harness. I wish my cat would let me do that, but she won't; she's pretty anxious in general (adopted her when she was 2 and she had been in the shelter twice already) and still has a lot of issues (she's very loving/lovable, but very afraid of strangers, especially males). Her anxiousness stops her from wanting to run off though, which is really, really rare for a cat, so I hang out with her on the deck in front of my place a lot so she can be "outside" but in a safe way and she doesn't leave the deck area (prior to her I wouldn't have believed this of any cat, because I grew up with some cats and all of them would attempt to run out if given the chance). IMO indoor cats can have a perfectly fulfilled life if their owners put in some effort (regularly engage them in play that uses their built-in-hunting instincts, mine loves to chase laser pointers and play with a bird feather on a string thing, the one I use is called "Da Bird", but I'm sure other brands exist).
anotherevan 12y ago
About a year ago our cats went from free-range to contained. We now have a contained outdoor area for them which I’ve dubbed the “cat terrarium” as it is outside my office window so I get to watch them prowl while I’m working. Photos and design explanation here: http://www.michevan.id.au/content/cat-terrarium/ http://www.michevan.id.au/content/cat-terrarium/ A year later it has worked pretty well. I had to put some more netting along the bottom of the fence when the neighbour moved a garden bed on their side of the fence which opened up a gap they could get through. But apart from that, their escapes have always been via a door left open too long, not via the terrarium. I really need to set up some more toys and stuff for them out there sometime. Any ideas?