Smart Cat Collars: Which Is Best for Health and GPS Tracking?

Wearable health-monitoring devices, like smart rings, smartwatches, and fitness trackers, help people stay on top of key wellness markers. By providing data on steps, heart rate, sleep, and more, these gadgets allow people to better understand their health, along with the opportunity to improve it with lifestyle shifts.

But why should humans have all the fun? Enter: smart collars for your cat. In addition to featuring live and historical GPS location tracking that will help any helicopter cat parent rest easy, the Fi Mini and Tractive Smart Cat Tracker monitor your furry friend's movement and sleep. The collars also have alerts for health pattern changes, like if your pet is moving less or sleeping more than average, which can function as early warning signs of potential health issues.

Photograph: Molly Higgins

For months, I tested these trackers on my cat Basil, analyzing each device's location accuracy, sleep- and activity-tracking capabilities, and metrics summaries. I also considered practical factors, like ease of use, product size, and battery life.

If you have a cat that also goes outdoors, these health and GPS trackers are much more reliable and holistic than something like an AirTag, because they ping off the same towers as your cell, providing a more accurate location. They'll also notify you if your cat gets out of the premarked “safe zone.” Although Basil is an indoor-only cat, the location features would be super helpful if he did get out: I'd be alerted on my phone right away, and I'd be able to follow his location on the map to find him more easily. (But because he didn't, in fact, escape during my test run with these trackers, I wasn't able to check these features firsthand.)

Ultimately, each smart tracker had its own strong suits. The best model for you and your cat depends on your priorities.

In This Guide

Best Location Accuracy and App Capability

Tractive Smart Cat Tracker

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$50 $24 (52% off)

Amazon

Best Battery Life, Charging, and Size

Fi Mini

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$209

Fi (Cat) (12-month)

Best Location Accuracy and App Capability

If tracking location and health metrics for your cat are your top priorities, Tractive (also called the Tractive Cat Mini) is the better option for you. Its historical heat maps display the areas your cat frequents, which is especially helpful for people with indoor-outdoor cats who roam large swaths of land.