A few years ago the ASPCA undertook a telephone survey of more than 1,000 pet-owning households across the country to get a sense of how many pets have been lost, how many ultimately made it home, and how their guardians found them.
The study involved a random survey of pet guardians to find out if they lost a cat or dog in the past five years – and if they did, did they find that pet – and where did they look? Here’s what they found:
- 15% had lost a cat or a dog in the past five years – a lower number than had been anecdotally reported
- 85% of those lost cats and dogs were recovered
- The percentage of lost cats compared to lost dogs was quite similar – 15% percent for cats and 14% for dogs
- Cat guardians were less likely to find their cat – only 74% of lost cats were recovered, while 93% of lost dogs were recovered
59% of cat guardians found their cat because it returned home on its own; 30 percent found their cat by searching the neighborhood and only 2% of cat guardians found their lost pets at a shelter.
“This research tells us that there is a possibility that a significant percentage of the stray dogs and cats in the shelters around the country do not have someone looking for them,” said Dr. Emily Weiss, vice president of shelter research and development for the ASPCA. It also highlights the importance of ID tags and other forms of identification to ensure the quick return of lost pets.
The IAABC (International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants) shared some interesting statistics on lost cat behaviors and found that 84% of 128 lost outdoor-access cats were found within a five-house radius of their home, and that 92% of 158 cases of displaced, indoor-only cats who’d escaped outside were also found within a five-house radius of their home.
A Better Solution to this Problem
Introducing Tractive – a GPS tracker for cats that lets you follow your furry friend’s every step in real-time on your phone. See where your cat has been and what they’ve been up to. Designed for cats, it’s lightweight and 100% waterproof – Rain, shrubs and trees are no problem for Tractive. It fits securely to your cat’s collar with an easy-to-use collar attachment. * [WIN a Cat Tracker – contest details below]
This device is a bit like a phone. It has a SIM card which lets it connect to the best mobile network, and give you the most accurate location. Its coverage is unlimited which means you can track your pet even if you’re on the other side of the world.
Never lose your cat again with a Tractive GPS. See where your pet is at all times with the app and your Tractive GPS cat (or dog) tracker.
Worldwide Location Tracking
Use your GPS tracker for cats throughout the USA, Canada and 150 other countries. It lets you manage all features via the free Tractive GPS app for iOS and Android or in any browser. Did we mention that it provides up to 7 days battery life.
LIVE Mode
Follow your cat’s every step with location updates every 2-3 seconds. Make sure they’re safe … or remotely join in on their adventures. You can even do location sharing with friends and family.
Virtual Fence
Set safe spaces, like your yard or your neigborhood. Get alerts in case your cat wanders a bit too far. Know the moment your cat leaves one – and when they come back safely.
All-Day Activity Monitoring
It even lets you track active time, rest and calories burned. Set fitness goals to keep your cat healthy and in great shape.
We should mention that it does require a subscription plan which is offered in monthly, 1 year, 2 year and 5 year plans available starting at $4.99 per month.
What about indoor tracking? GPS tracking does work indoors, but structures like thick walls are likely to impact accuracy. To pinpoint location indoors, you can use FIND Mode, which shows how close your phone is to your cat’s tracker.
We’re excited to announce that Tractive kindly offered us 1 Cat Tracker for a lucky Purrington Post reader to WIN!
* Contest Now Closed
This contest ended on February 15th, 2022 and was available to residents worldwide. To enter you simply needed to submit a comment in our “Leave a Reply” section at the bottom of this page saying:
My cats [names of your cats] and we would love to win a Tractive GPS Cat Tracker because [your reason]
The winner was chosen at random from all the correctly submitted entries and contacted by email.
Summary
Tractive GPS Cat Trackers comes with everything you need in one box. You’re good to go the moment you get your device. To learn more check out Tractive GPS Cat Tracker.
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