How I Find My Cat Using a Tractive GPS Tracker
Finding Magic – A Game My Dad Didn't Expect to Play
"Where's Magic?"
It became a game neither of us expected to enjoy.
My dad came to stay with me for a few days before I headed off to Scotland. He's always been a dog person, so living with an adventure cat was something completely new to him.
Every day he would ask me questions like:
"What's Magic saying?"
"What does he want?"
"How do you know if something is wrong?"
All perfectly reasonable questions when you've never lived with a cat.
Meet Magic
Magic is my almost three years old black cat.
I've been training him since he was seven months old, teaching him how to safely enjoy supervised outdoor adventures around our quiet village.
We have woodland surrounding the house and a large park across the road, so there's plenty for him to explore.
Over the years he's learned what to avoid:
busy roads
strangers
cats looking for a fight
Magic has never been interested in fighting.
His best friend was our neighbour's cat, Sid. Sadly, after Sid's owner passed away, he was rehomed and Magic suddenly lost his favourite playmate.
These days...
He's mostly a very enthusiastic mouse hunter!
Let's Find Magic
One afternoon I looked at my dad and said, "Fancy playing a game?"
He looked puzzled.
"What game?"
"Let's find Magic."
Using the Tractive app on my phone, I could see Magic had wandered a little further than usual.
Nothing alarming.
Just far enough for a little reminder that his territory has boundaries.
So we headed out.
So we headed out.
As we got close, we couldn't actually see him because the trees were in the way.
So I did something that makes most people smile.
I meowed.
A few seconds later...
Magic answered.
My dad burst out laughing.
"He actually answered you!"
Of course he did.
How Magic and I Communicate
People often think I'm joking when I say I talk to my cat. I do.
But not always with words.
When kittens are born they can't even open their eyes.
They communicate with their mum through tiny little mews, helping them find warmth, comfort and milk.
Even though Magic is fully grown, we still communicate in much the same way. Sometimes that means meowing back and forth until we find each other.
I'm fairly sure my neighbours think I'm talking to the trees...
In reality, I'm having a conversation with my cat.
Staying Safe
As soon as Magic hears a car or sees someone unfamiliar, he'll usually disappear into the woodland.
He'll quietly follow the sound of my voice until he knows it's safe to come back out.
That trust has taken years to build.
It's one of the reasons I love photographing cats so much.
Everything happens at their pace.
Why I Use Tractive
The Tractive GPS tracker has become part of our adventures.
It lets me see:
where Magic has been
his favourite hotspots
how far he's travelled that day
Like every outdoor cat owner, we've had the occasional moment where the tracker has fallen off.
Thankfully, I've always managed to find it within minutes using the Bluetooth radar and direction arrow.
The built-in light is especially helpful if it happens after dark.
The sound feature is intentionally very quiet, making it comfortable for cats—but it can be difficult for us humans to hear amongst leaves and trees.
No tracker is perfect.
But for us, it's become a brilliant piece of kit that gives me peace of mind whenever Magic heads off on one of his adventures.
One Thing I'd Love To See
If I could ask Tractive for one feature in the future...
It would be a distress alert.
Imagine if the tracker could recognise unusual vocalisations or prolonged distress and send an alert to your phone.
For cats who accidentally become trapped in garages or sheds, that could make all the difference.
Maybe one day!
If You're Thinking About A GPS Tracker...
If your cat enjoys safe outdoor adventures and you'd like extra peace of mind, I'd happily recommend Tractive based on my own experience using it with Magic.
If you'd like to try one yourself, you can use my referral link below to receive 40% off your purchase.
