View Full Version : Cat sat nav!! (GPS tracker)
chriswt
31-07-2008, 01:14 PM
Next year my partner and I might be moving to a house that we currently rent out to a tenant in Essex.
Its a small cottage on the grounds of an old stately home (now converted into flats) and so there is a large amount of land for our cats to roam around in and beyond that are farmers feilds and a golf course.
Heres a link to Google maps:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=cm14+5rh&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=title
In case the cats go wondering off or get confused when we move has anyone seen this gadget before. I'd happily pay whatever it costs to make sure my cats are safe:
http://www.pawtrax.co.uk/find/collars.htm
ellenlouise
31-07-2008, 01:28 PM
wow!!!!!! very expensive though but you would pay
chriswt
31-07-2008, 01:37 PM
Its "only" £125 per cat and after you take into account all the cost of trying to find your lost cat not to mention the heart ache and worry I reckon its a bargain. :shock:
Last time we lost our cat we had posters up with £500 reward offered!!!
ellenlouise
31-07-2008, 01:47 PM
yeah I know its worth it, but it if am honest that is alot of money to me I would pay it no question of that but I would have to go without alot! I am a student/nanny start uni in sept! OH is a student/electrical engineer to be. 375 pounds is alot of money but it would be money well spent!
I would pay it. As you said, the worry and heartache of a lost pet is worth it, and fees can be incurred from lost pets otherwise. Whilst i would say £125 per pet is a lot, in perspective I actually think it's a good deal. Luckily my cats are indoors! (despite that, they can still go missing for a good hour!)
My wee cat at home who is outdoors and lives with my parents, went missing twice. First times she showed up after two days, a bit skinnier. The second time after 5 days of searched we were very very worried. We put up lots of pet missing signs and actually said "she may have been locked in your sheds and garages, so please open all outside doors!" A day later she appeared, skinny as a rake, shaking on her legs, and collapsed in a heap in front of her food bowl. So she must have been trapped inside someones shed, with absolutely no water or food. We had to take her to the vet to get checked over which cost a fair bit, so the £125 that would have found her in day 2 would have saved us some! Just to put it in perspective... And of course, the complete worry when she was gone, and when she showed up were just heart wrenching.
I'd say a good purchase Chris!
chriswt
31-07-2008, 01:54 PM
You're right it is a lot of money but hopefully this technology will come down in price soon.
In 2005 I spent £900 on a portable car sat nav system for work and now you can buy them of under £100.
Hopefully we'll all oneday have tracker systems on our pets (and may be even young children!!) so that if we ever need to find them in a hurry we can.
ellenlouise
31-07-2008, 01:57 PM
That is what I was thinking. Its funny that money just doesn't come into it when its your cats does it! If I lost one even though they are indoor cats I would be devastated. Its my worst nightmare one might escape.
Yo
Hopefully we'll all oneday have tracker systems on our pets (and may be even young children!!) so that if we ever need to find them in a hurry we can.
You can get these! I'm not sure how great the technology is, but I saw them for sale in John Lewis. It's something you attach to the kids mobile phone and you can track where they are...
Ellenlouise, I guess I didn't think about it like that with indoor cats. I too have worried what would happen if they escaped. I'm in a block of flats but first floor and my door is right at the top of the stairs. If they got out the front door just as someone was coming in the main outside door :S I don't know if they'd make a run for it or stand stock-still. I'm just very very careful coming in and out the front door every time... :roll:
ETA: Sorry Chris, I just re-read that and realised my tone could have come across as "well duh, you CAN get these already" when I really meant it in an exciteable way, like "oh my god, yes, you can get these! isnt that great?!" Sorry if it seemed harsh, darned internet and it's lack of innotation!
chriswt
31-07-2008, 02:07 PM
You can get these! I'm not sure how great the technology is, but I saw them for sale in John Lewis. It's something you attach to the kids mobile phone and you can track where they are...
Ellenlouise, I guess I didn't think about it like that with indoor cats. I too have worried what would happen if they escaped. I'm in a block of flats but first floor and my door is right at the top of the stairs. If they got out the front door just as someone was coming in the main outside door :S I don't know if they'd make a run for it or stand stock-still. I'm just very very careful coming in and out the front door every time... :roll:
I don't know how you do it!! I have enough trouble getting Chip and Stan at night (we lock them in at night since Ollie was killed).
In fact it was Ollie their brother who was the one that used to unblock and then unlock the cat flap :shock: for them when we used to lock all 3 of them in during the winter.
I'm cat proofing the garden this weekend although I wont be able to cat proof the communal grounds at our new house, hence the gps gadget!!
ellenlouise
31-07-2008, 02:12 PM
Mine don't want to go out. At the moment they are all sat in here with me I have all three windows wide open and they are not interested.
I am like Meep though very careful a window is never left open if I am not here and every window in the house has a not on it saying house cats live here please keep the windows shut and on my doors and on my toilet systems lol. I am crazy I think guests must come round and think OMG she is a nutter lol.
It's a brilliant idea! Yes, it's pricey but as everyone says, a small price to pay in reality when you factor in all potential costs for a lost pet and the associated heartache.
As for kids?? Hmmmm not sure if I'd embed a satnav chip in my boys. The risk of abduction is so small that I would rather they learnt responsibly how to react to 'stranger danger' instead of relying on technology.
chriswt
31-07-2008, 02:29 PM
It's a brilliant idea! Yes, it's pricey but as everyone says, a small price to pay in reality when you factor in all potential costs for a lost pet and the associated heartache.
As for kids?? Hmmmm not sure if I'd embed a satnav chip in my boys. The risk of abduction is so small that I would rather they learnt responsibly how to react to 'stranger danger' instead of relying on technology.
Yes the kid thing might be a step too far although giving the young kids a wrist band to wear when you're on holiday on the beach or at an adventure playground/park/type thingy might catch on!!!....then again I guess you should always have an eye on them anway.
Mine don't want to go out. At the moment they are all sat in here with me I have all three windows wide open and they are not interested.
I am like Meep though very careful a window is never left open if I am not here and every window in the house has a not on it saying house cats live here please keep the windows shut and on my doors and on my toilet systems lol. I am crazy I think guests must come round and think OMG she is a nutter lol.
Our windows have quite a good design where they lock so far out, but I've known cats to be able to squeeze into a tight spot so I'm always wary not to leave them too far ajar unless I'm in the room.
As for the front door, I generally need to slightly peek the door open, strick my foot through and shuffle in so my legs barricade the way. They must hear us coming and are always waiting at the other side, sometimes as I approach the door it starts to shake! and once I stood outside it saying goodbye to a friend, with it ever so slightly ajar and me holding onto it, and all I saw was this little paw peep through the crack, hold on, and start pulling! (pretty hard I must say too!) We've gotten into the habit now of doing that, but guests do think it's a bit strange when they show up and I open the door quickly and pull them in and slam it shut before the cats notice!
dandysmom
31-07-2008, 04:47 PM
Go for it, Chris. The peace of mind alone would be worth it to me if my girl was an outside cat......
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