Don’t own a cat? Then this may not be for you but if you do own your very own feline, then this could give you peace of mind and assist in helping you locate your cat, as we all know they like to play hide and seek or wander off. TabCat is a cat tracking device that is worn on your cat’s collar. It can detect the device/cat from up to 122 meters away using the best in class RFID technology. I’ve got two cats so thought I would give this a go.
Over a quarter of UK families in the UK have a cat – they play a big part in family life and losing one can be distressing. Despite popular myth, when cats get lost it is not usually because they have roamed a long distance but because they have hidden close to home and become trapped. This is why Tabcat’s RFID based technology is important. It has a small but very accurate range that works even through thick walls. Most tags used GPS technology which has a huge range but is not accurate and won’t work if obstacles are in the way.
The TabCat is beautifully packaged, with bundles of information inside and out. Within the packaging is two tracking devices, two plastic covers for the devices and the device detector. There are instructions included aswell, which I would recommend you read so you understand how to set up the system and how to use it.
You first need to pair the detector and tracker together. You do this by holding the two devices together, ensuring any other trackers are far away to avoid cross interference, and selecting one of the four buttons on the front on the detector. By selecting button one, you are linking the tracker to that setting on the detector. This allows you to have up to four trackers, which can be selected via the four buttons on the detector. Ensure the two devices stay close to each other and after a few beeps and flashing lights, the two will be paired together.
Now when I first heard about TabCat, I thought it would be an App based piece of software, install it to your phone and link it to something that went on the cat’s collar. How wrong I was. Instead of the GPS/App idea in my mind, instead TabCat have patented a RF-based technology, which they say is far superior than GPS and accurately guides you within 2.5cm of your cat. Yes, the detector is just that, it helps you locate your cat via the visual display of indicator lights and beeping sounds on the detector. Imagine an old school metal detector, the principle is the same, the closer you get to what you’re looking for, the beeps increase in tempo and more lights flash up. With this level of accuracy, it’s even helpful in your own home, to locate the cat under the bed.
I tested it on my cats and have to say it worked really well. It does have an old school approach to it, so I did have to use it a couple of times before fully getting to grips with it but it’s very easy to use and simple to pick up. I was able to locate my cat within my house, down the drive and in a neighbor’s garden.
There are a couple of quibbles I have with this product. The first is that the devices require batteries so you need to ensure these get replenished regularly to avoid it not working when the cat goes missing. However, TabCat do state that the batteries will last upto 2 years with regular use. Secondly its range, 122m is very decent but if the cat is truly lost, there is a high chance it may have gone further than this. Not major issues but food for thought.
The TabCat currently retails at £69.99 and at that price, its defiantly worth it if you are a cat lover! For further info and to purchase, visit the official TabCat website.
Great story except Tabcat doesn’t work. A crap product. Their previous product LoCATor was so robust and worked so well. Why tinker with something that worked? I was stupid enough to assume that the same quality would be inherent in this new design. I bought four of them, with waterproof covers. I activated all of them and tested them after activation. All seemed well, right up until I actually need it to work two weeks late. One of our cats went missing. I searched all night and all the next day confident that the Tabcat would show me where he was. I couldn’t pick his tracker up at all. The handheld receiver would intermittently spurt lights then die. I finally found him. He was only a few houses away dying from injuries after being hit by a car. Thanks Tabcat you’re great. I checked all the other cats trackers and none of them worked. I replaced the batteries and they worked periodically.The nearest I can tell is they malfunction because there isn’t sufficient scaffolding within the case to hold the battery in place and it slips away from the contacts. I’m going to toss them all in the bin and build a cat enclosure only way to make sure the cats can be located.
Andrew from Tabcat Marketing has contacted me to respond to my comments regarding this product. I’m satisfied they have addressed the issues I raised with them.
Hooray for review pages. I was just about to invest in these but this has certainly raised a few doubts in my mind. What a shame because the market is crying out for for a device like this, a device that inspires total confidence and unfortunately this one doesn’t.
Oh well back to the drawing board.
Dave, sorry to hear that and im glad TabCat have address your concerns.
I’m having same kind of issues than David Reed. It has actually come more stressful to use the tabcat, than not having them at all. I have two cats and the new design tabcats for both of them and both having the same problems.. The company has replaced both, the tags and even the receiver a few times now and it was every second day, when the battery slipped in a wrong position inside the tag (while the cats were out). I was so many times frantically looking for the cats, thinking that they were not in the range, while there were on the neighbours yard, a few meters away. Of course I always got them working again by opening them up and fiddling with the battery placement. But you can never trust when it stops functioning again.. So, now they are in the bookshelf, peeping there occasionally on their own. I have given up, as these tags are made for porcelain cats, not active and lively normal cats! And no more stress!
I was so looking forward to this product im a first time cat slave and im terrified of her getting locked in one of the mechanics sheds near me.
I took out the first tab and the back of it flew out releasing the battery and the battery never went back in its place again. Despite it bleeping the minute the back was put on it stopped working.
I managed to get the second one to work and match it with the control. I hid the tab in various parts of the house and it worked beautifully for three goes. Attached it to my kitten and it stopped working. The red light would come on and turn its self off after 45 seconds.
Im gutted havent had a reply from the company.
I have had it for a few days and it works perfectly for me. The garden has lots of hiding spots and my cat is often on roofs of houses. But I get a sense of where he is and how to find him. he was an indoor cat but has wanted to be an indoor outdoor cat for years. And this has solved my problem. The light goes off to safe battery I assume. You can just hold the tag button and it continues to search for another forty five seconds and just repeat. In my opinion this will work best if your area allows you to walk around. If you have terraced houses and your cat is a few houses away you can’t jump into your neighbor house to find him or her. So think about the area you live in before buying.