Welcome to my latest update on the fantastic Tab Cat Tracker a.k.a. the Tabcat V2. This review tells you how it works, what it can do (with a video), and why you will appreciate a tracking locator that works inside and outside for cats, with unequaled positional accuracy. [Updated 2023].
The Tabcat locator means you can find your cat faster.
Dash Kitten received a complimentary original Loc8tor Tabcat Tracker cat locator for review and is a committed Tabcat affiliate. The opinions here are my own and I am responsible for the content of this post.
The popular Loc8tor pet tracker has undergone a redesign with new developments that include increased range and updated styling. The latest version of the tracker was released in late 2022 and boasts a more compact design. Despite the changes, the new Tabcat still offers all the features of the earlier model, but with improved performance.
Here’s my review of the Tabcat tracker.
Locating Lost and Missing Cats
Let’s start with why a tracker might matter to you and then look briefly at the different types technology and tracker you can look at. Yes, there are different types of technology as I found when I began my research! Not all of the Tabcat reviews explore this area but, I think you will be interested.
Cats need to be identifiable, and locatable, inside and outside, as much as possible. Indoor cats can disappear for what seems like forever and a tracker plus microchipping can play a critical part in locating your cat outside, especially if they are frightened into running further away from home.
Check my video of the Tabcat Tracker in use for an example of how successful cat recovery works. The range has increased from 400 to 600 feet!
Demonstration Video of the Tabcat Tracker
Technology to Track Missing Cats
Before you spend money on a tracker, you need to know two things, (because the knowledge let’s you make the right decisions).
How the trackers work, and what technology do they use. There are 3 types of technologies currently used to help find or identify cats, dogs, and other large pets. Technology constantly develops but this remains an accurate summary. Cat GPS tracking is more expensive as it relies of sophisicated technology including satellites – there is usually a monthly fee).
- Microchip implants and trackers (RFID) like Tabcat
- Radio Frequency 2.4GHZ (Zigbee)
- Global Positioning System (GPS) & GSM (best for dogs as the tracker is larger/heavier)
What is the Tabcat Cat Locator?
The RFID Tabcat location system is sophisticated technology on a very friendly and human scale. It is a lightweight tracker for a cat that you can use with ease. Both the circular model (still available) and the new streamlined model are portable and light.
This is most definitely not an interactive cat toy, it is a serious piece of safety equipment every pet parent will be interested in for cats who love their gardens, or who go missing within your home. Tabcat is not a substitute for a microchip so, please, ensure your cat is microchipped. The number of stories of pets reunited with owners grows daily. Chips reunite cats and owners.
- Tabcat simple to set up, and super easy to use. Tabcat has no monthly GPS tracker subscription.
Each tag is linked to the handset in a simple one-step procedure and there is room for up to four tags (4 cats,dogs or 4 items) on one handset.
The basic Tabcat set contains:-
- A slimline Handset. The handset is about the size of a credit card – slender and lightweight. We keep ours by the back door.
- Two Tags
- Showerproof Covers for the tags. (older model)
- An illustrated User Guide that is easy to use, with an online pdf on Tabcat Cat Locator website (see sources below).
- The Tabcat also has a 2-year Manufacturer’s Guarantee
Note:- Spare tags, and a Tabcat replacement case or two are available for a modest extra cost.
How to Set Up The Tabcat Tracker
Set up is easy but I really appreciated the Tabcat instructions to give me a clear idea of what I was doing:
“To register the tag to button 1, hold button 1 down for three seconds until you hear a high-pitched beep. When this beep is heard release the button but keep the tag and the handset together until you hear a long high pitched beep.” – Tabcat
Tabcat is the revolutionary cat tracking device that lets you keep on top of the whereabouts of your pet. Attaching easily to your cat’s collar, the device is lightweight but robust enough to stay on whatever they get up to.
Tabcat Website
- Extra questions? I am only an email away.
How the Tabcat Cat Locator Can Help You
Here’s a story of how a Tabcat could have saved the Dash Kitten family a lot of concern. This is our own experience with our much-loved senior cat Peanut, a couple of years ago:-
- Peanut, (18) went out into the garden and took a wrong turn. Thankfully the weather was warm BUT when we realised she had gone, we were frantic with worry. Disorientated, Peanut was discovered behind the garage safe and well! BUT With a Tabcat locator, we would have discovered Peanut in less than a minute!
I also want to include a fellow cat lover’s missing cat experience from July 2021:
- Runaway cat Sawyer disappeared (without a tracker) for 24 long days. Yes, Sawyer now has a tracker. If he runs away again he will not cause his parents as much worry!
A similar scenario might play out in a multi-level house, or an apartment with several rooms and plenty of hiding places. This lightweight radio frequency tracker is worth its weight in pure top-grade catnip for your own peace of mind.
TabCat Question
Isn’t the homing tag big for a cat?
This was our first thought when fitting the tags to Silver, Jack (ginger) and Natasha (tuxedo) who appear in the video. Each has a tag on their collar, and none of them shows any sign of irritation, or even acknowledging the tag is there. It’s business as usual for them because there is no heavy weight around their necks.
This quote from MyTabCat gives you an idea of how much a cat tracking device should weigh:-
“A study** carried out in New Zealand and published in 2015, looked at the impact of collar-mounted track devices on domestic cats. They recorded cats wearing GPS tracking devices weighing between 30g and 130g and looked to understand the devices impact behaviour and movement. They concluded that GPS collars on cats; “should be no more than 2% of body mass”. For an average cat weighing 4kg, this equates to 8g.“ – Tabcat **
How Does the Tabcat Finder work?
The handset is an RF Tracker. This means ‘Radio Frequency’ (2.4ghz).
It is very accurate and sends a direct signal between you and the tag when you operate the handset which is the size and shape of a credit card. This close transmission signal keeps battery use low, so the tag battery lasts a lot longer.
The increased accuracy of radiofrequency tracking to within 2.5cms/1 inch means you will locate a cat trapped in a cupboard or small space quickly.
By contrast, GPS devices need charging more often as the device triangulates with at least three satellites 12,000 miles, or 19,000 km away.
What Range Does The Tabcat Cat Locator Have?
The July 2022 tracker signal now reaches reaches about 182 mts/600 feet, and, unlike many GPS units, it can scan through a house or a wall.
We have been able to successfully locate our two cats Silver and Natasha by standing still, switching on the tracker handset, and then turning in a slow circle until we contact their tag signal. This works inside and outside our home. The tracker reaches across neighbouring gardens, through trees and bush. It will not reach through a hill – this is too solid, which seems reasonable to us!
Are we happy with our Tabcat Cat Locator?
Yes, absolutely! The technology is human-friendly and easy to use, yet it is amazingly sophisticated. We are so happy we have the Tabcat. We could not be more impressed, and reassured. We will be updating our Tabcat as soon as we can.
The Tabcat is everything you need, for an economical, low maintenance price. The Tabcat packaging is also amongst the best we have come across, robust and secure. The box will keep your tags super safe until they reach your home.
Most importantly for us as cat owners, Tabcat allows our garden-loving cats to be located with ease and speed. On a dark night, standing in the garden we can’t see much, but with the Tabcat tracker, the cats become easier to locate. We no longer have to scrabble through flower beds to find a missing fur family member who does not want to come indoors!
Tabcat is one of our most popular cat product reviews ever so check out the video. I am happy to answer questions from the comments, or by email.
Bonus Cat Tracking Movie
I am including our bonus report on the Tabcat in action. I actually needed to use it to find a missing collar, although thankfully Natasha is fine.
A collar went missing, no big deal you say, except it was outdoors girl Natasha. She was wearing a collar from our friends the Cool Cat Collar Company with a Tabcat tag attached!
So, of course, I had to go into the garden and find it! It turned out to be a useful learning experience, and I thought we would share what I learned while searching for the Tabcat tag.
On the trail with the Tabcat Tracker!
I knew from our original assessment of the Tabcat, that it is great to help find a missing feline, but could we find the smaller tag on its own? Our garden backs onto the tree-filled bush and stream.
This was not the easiest of places to find a collar and tag, as you can see in the video of Natasha’s playground!
Tips For When You Are Locating a Tag
My experience hunting for Natasha’s tag, and finding it, has allowed me to note tips you might find helpful. While these refer to my cat, they can also be applied to any inanimate item you have attached a Tag too.
- The key is to start calmly and quietly. Take a breath. Scan around you carefully, until you get a signal.
- Be patient, be quiet, and listen to your handset.
- When you start getting a signal, walk in that direction. Stop and correct if your signal begins to fade.
- When you reach a full set of lights on the handset, stop and look carefully around. The object of your search is nearby.
- It took a few attempts to locate the cat tag on its own. Why? Because it was not attached to a larger object, Natasha!
- With patient searching, the tag and collar were found.
There is a difference between doing a well-staged ‘demo’ as we did this genuine ‘in the field’ example.
You are not looking for camera angles to make sure readers get a clear message, you are searching in real time for a real object. This is why we took the decision to do a second ‘update’ post on our Tabcat.
We hope you enjoy Natasha’s video, we had a lot of fun making it.
The Cost of the Best Tracker for Pets?
- Basic and Expanded Handset with tags and waterproof cases with both USA and British ordering options. This is our affiliate link for Loc8tor Amazon.
We hope you have enjoyed our Tabcat review, and find the whole concept as exciting as we do. This is the best cat tracker ever and a worthwhile investment for every cat parent. You can click through the officially branded images as part of our affiliate scheme with Tabcat.
Sources quoted:-
- **Weighed down by science: do collar-mounted devices affect domestic cat behaviour and movement? Cayley E. Coughlin and Yolanda van Heezik Department of Zoology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand. Published in Wildlife Research 20/03/15.
- NOTE: New Zealand is including facial recognition technology to locate and reunite missing pets.
- TABCAT USER GUIDE
Marjorie Dawson
Marjorie is a motorbike riding blogger and award winning cat photographer who believes that everyone can create impressive cat photographs and fun movies with the camera they carry.
She is a Professional Member of the Cat Writers Association, Kuykendall Image Award winner and published photographer at the Guardian newspaper.
I did but this was a few years ago. At the moment the Tabcat is being updated for launch in July and, like you, I probably will be buying the new upgraded version myself. There are better and worse but I like the Tabcat.
Our kitten is scheduled to be microchipped when she is spayed, but I think a Tabcat locator is a better way to keep track of her because we’ll be able to find her instead of hoping that someone else finds her and scans her chip!
I know a friend nearly lost her cat because he got out in a house fire they had. Chips are very important.
Definitely do the chip as well if you haven’t already. These are not either\or choices. You need both an identifier and some type of locator.
Definitely! A microchip is totally vital and all of our cats have chips too.
I enjoyed your video retrieval with Natasha. Whew! I’m glad you were able to locate the tracker fairly quickly considering the location. I’m glad you had an overall good experience using the Tabcat tracker.
Thanks, Kamira, it really brought home how helpful having a tracker can be!
This tracker looks great! I love that it is so light weight and small. This would be really helpful to people who have larger houses, allow their cats outdoors, or cats with special needs. Your video was very helpful in understanding how the tracker works.
This is a great review and the Tabcat tracker looks great on Toulouse. I can appreciate that it’s lightweight too. I never want to make my cats feel uncomfortable or weighed down. This is a great practical gift idea for the upcoming holidays! Thanks for sharing your update and insight on this great product.
I was not convinced when I got them for review but after trialling them and including them in family life I can say they work. Sort distances only but for this they are great.
What a fabulous product! I love that it’s waterproof and lightweight. I know I spent many nights looking for lost kitties. This would be very helpful. I think it would even help dogs on large properties. I tend to lose my pup in sagebrush if I turn my back for a minute. Thankfully I only have a couple acres so he can’t get too distracted. It would also be helpful if you were on an off leash hike with your pup. It would be great too now for all the natural disasters in my area. Currently there are lots of wildfires here. I see posts everyday for missing dogs and cats. I think this would be very helpful. Thanks for testing and reviewing the Tabcat Cat Tracker. This was very useful information!
First of all, both your videos are amazing! I really enjoyed watching them. What a great product, I would love something like this for my dogs. It looks easy to use and can save a cat parent a log of heartache. Excellent review. Twitted & Pinned.
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
The first thing I thought of when reading about this locator was how useful it would be for a kitty owner trying to find their cats while evacuating their home due to a fire.
When I was in the veterinary hospital we had a client with seven cats, and a fire broke out behind her home at 2am in the morning (welcome to southern California), the police woke her up and helped her get her cats into their carriers to leave. But unfortunately in the commotion, they could not find one of her cats. They forced her to leave without him, and the fireman went back in to try to find the kitty.
Thankfully they did – but it would have been so much easier if they had a GPS tracker to just know what part of the house he was in to look. So I can definitely see this being useful, even if you aren’t taking your cats outside of your home.
This looks like a great option for cat parents! I agree with you about the size of GPS trackers for cats. We have some for the dogs and I would love to get one for our adventure cat, but she’s super petite and they are WAY too big for her. Hopefully, I can find a smaller one eventually, but until that point, this looks like a great alternative.
What a cool product! As an owner of small dogs, I love how small it is. A lot of the trackers made for dogs are so big, and my dogs are little! I only wish it had a larger range. My dogs are so high energy, if they wanted to bolt they could be over 400 ft away in no time. I could totally see how this would be awesome for helping to find a cat hiding somewhere in the house or garden, though!
I think we may need to consider one of these for our new kitten. It will give me a lot of peace of mind to be able to figure out where she is at any time.
I love the pet tracking products and I am happy to see how they evolve and new ones show up on the market all the time.
What we used with our dog was bigger and more elaborate but we wanted something that functions well in rural terrain. The little tag is definitely easier for the pet.
I would love a small GPS for cats, or on my dreams a tackable microchop eh?
Growing up, I lived in a big old house with three stories and a basement and all kinds of nooks and crannies where the cats loved to hide. Every once in a while, Buttercup would disappear for an extra long time, which was always a little unnerving. While we typically would find her on the top shelf of the linen closet or snoozing in a laundry basket, there were a few times when she found a way into the wall of the attic and this would have been a great gadget for finding her before the panic set in. Great review of a really cool product!
I know a lot of people in our neighborhood who could use this! There are quite a few indoor/outdoor cats around here despite having coyotes, trains, a truck route and birds of prey about.
We are not in favor of kitties being outdoors unsupervised…that said…this collar can be a great help for feline guardians should they find their cat gone missing. Unfortunately, as indoor cats, we have never worn collars and are unwilling to allow them to be placed on us. Your review is thorough and well done
This is amazing! Our hearts break every time we hear about a cat lost in our neighborhood, where our cats are indoor cats. But, sometimes they get out and you see their posters on telephone poles. This product could help find those lost cats and I’ll do all I can to share this. Thanks! Love Dolly
Interesting product … I assumed it worked on GPS. I like the idea, though my cat doesn’t wear a collar and doesn’t go outside (yet – she is getting more and more curious). My first step is to get a microchip but if she does start bolting outside, I’ll need a more clear identifier like this.
That’s a great safety device if a cat sneaks out of the house. I had to laugh at it saying showerproof cover. I know what they mean, but just visualized a kitty in the shower. Glad it’s easy to set up.
That is a great idea for outdoor cats.
As you know we’re against letting cats out, especially in the city. Someone poisoned some of the cats in one of our colonies recently. This would be good during a move IF the at in question would wear a collar. I won’t have it.
This sounds like a great product. I’ve seen a lot of these tracker types, but so many have monthly or yearly fees associated with them, so it’s nice that this one doesn’t! I guess the trade off is that it might not reach as far, but I’m sure it is still beneficial.
Interesting item, however I don’t believe in letting cats roam free outside. It’s simple not safe for them.
I think we will have to agree to disagree on that one then Nicole 🙂
I have a lot of friends who have cats and am a cat lover, too. This looks like something that every cat parent should consider purchasing. It would be beneficial to give the pet parent peace of mind and keep cats safe. Well done!
The TabCat sounds pretty great! I think we could really use this for Rosie. She doesn’t go outside, but she sadly is losing her hearing. Sometimes I call her for dinner and she doesn’t hear me and I go searching around the house for her. I worry that I might not be able to find her in an emergency – this would certainly help.
I believe that some people use the Tabcat to call their cats home when they have been out in the garden!
I saw this video clip before and think this is a great product. Imagine how helpful this would be in an emergency where people need to evacuate and get out of the house (ie:fire drill) Now you never have to worry “where is fluffy!”
This seems like a great device, cats can be so hard to find, even when they are just in the next room! I know of a cat who was accidentally locked in the garage while the owner was away. The pet sitter couldn’t find the cat. He never meowed or scratched, but thankfully, the owner returned home the next day. The cat was fine, but it was scary for all involved.
This sounds really cool for anyone who lets their cats outdoors–personally I keep mine in the house, and it’s a small house. I wonder if they have this for dogs–while ours are also house dogs, my Dachshund likes to slip out the door if we ever give him a chance. Price seems very reasonable for what you are getting.
What a great product! Thanks for the review!
This is a great safety device. Cats often don’t have enough identification or any tracking so this is kind of a game changer. Thanks for sharing.
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
This sounds like a great product. We are actually just starting to let our girl outside because she screams at the backdoor when we are out playing with the dog. She is about 8 years old and we never liked the idea of letting her outside — but with something like this our fears of her getting away are put aside! Great review…..and thank you for sharing so much information!
Very cool product! I can think of an instance when it would have been super handy to have this! When we moved into our house about a year and a half ago, we put all of the cats down in the basement as we were moving furniture and boxes in and out. That was the safest place for them, as no one would accidentally let them outside, and it was a big open room with nothing for them to get into. Or so I thought. Sampson managed to somehow climb the cement brick wall and hide up on top of the AC duct work. When I went down to check on them, I couldn’t find him anywhere. I called him, tried to lure him with treats, nothing worked. I thought he had magically gotten out or had squirmed inside the duct work or something. I was pretty frantic. Finally after about 30 minutes of looking for him, my mom spotted two eyes up near the ceiling atop the duct work. What a relief. The TabCat could have saved me a lot of heartache! Thanks for the great review, guys. Your video was awesome too!
If my cats went outside I would definitely get one of these. I’m hoping to move to the suburbs within the next year, and maybe I’ll be able to take them out on a leash. I’ll be investing in one then for sure.
What a fantastic product! Both my cats are indoor cats, but you never know when they can slip outside, especially if you have workers in your house that are not used to keeping doors closed! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Bear spends 99.99% of his time indoors so I haven’t given him a collar. It seems that the general consensus in the cat blogging community is that even indoor cats should have collars just in case. So when I got the chance to try out the TabCat, I finally had the kick in the behind to buy Bear a collar. You are right … the collar disk is lightweight. I’m truly impressed so far! Even better? Bear doesn’t seem to mind the collar much after I took the bell it came with off 🙂
Momma Kat, we think Bear should have The Lola Collar by Sweet Pickles Designs!
Pawsum posty. We’re still tryin’ to figger out how to get them on our harnesses. We really need a collar. Big hugs
Luv ya’
Dezi and Raena
You should be able to unbuckle part of the harness and slip the tag, in its rainproof coat, onto the bit you unbuckle. The cover is quite flexible.
Oh my mouses! If I’m not careful, the peeps’ll be puttin’ one of these trackin’ devices on me. I believe Peep #1 threatened to do somethin’ like that last year, right after the incident with that spider and… Um… I’m gonna have to be on my best behaviour, for sure. MOUSES!
Purrs,
Seville
PS. I tried to share this post on FB but the link was showin’ up as just a general link to your blog and not this post. That’s not normal, is it? purrs
Great review!
Looks like a great product 🙂
Purrs xx
Athena and Marie
Condolences are not just an expression of sympathy, they are not just words – they are expression of true feelings. Thank you for sharing my pain.
With Much Love
Barb (Nellie’s Mommy)
That does look interesting but we have never gotten used to wearing collars. Great review and lots to think about!
I love this! Everything is so easy, small and compact! From the review alone I’d say this was ticking all the boxes when it comes to the best pet tracker! Great Review, and thanks for bringing this to our attention.
Purrs, Erin
This product is cool !
Paw-up for it
=^x^=
That looks like a great product, the gps collars for dogs are huge. Price is good too. Plus no subscription costs.
Exactly Edie, well said. No further outlay except for a battery now and again. A win-win!
We have one of these that we’re trying out as well. We think it’s a cool idea.
We agree that the GPS trackers are just too heavy for us kitties!
Very cool!
Have a super Sunday…
Noodle and crew
This would also be good for me on trips – my human always worries when she leaves me in my hotel room that something might happen and I’ll get out while she’s gone. This way, if anything did happen, I would be easy to find!
This sounds great! Going to check it out for sure. Thanks for sharing. Happy Easter all 🙂
Luvs
Marty, Mom and the Gang