The two that fit
Tractive CAT 6 Mini
The tracker is built into a breakaway safety collar, made for cats from 7 to 18 lb.
Fi Mini
A tiny clip-on tracker for cats and small dogs. Pair it with a breakaway collar.
We may earn a commission if you buy through our links. It never changes our picks. How we make money
Side by side
| Tractive CAT 6 Mini | Fi Mini | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $79 | $99 |
| Plan | $144/yr, or $6/mo on the 5-year plan | $189/yr (6-month and 2-year plans too) |
| Year one | $223 | $288 |
| Weight | 32 g (1.13 oz) with the collar; 25 g tracker | 16 g (0.56 oz), tracker only |
| Collar | Built-in breakaway collar | Clips onto your own collar |
| Battery (claimed) | Up to 7 days with a Power Saving Zone, 4 without | Up to 2 months (Fi's battery page); Fi's launch announcement said 3 weeks |
| Charging | Magnetic, about 2 hours; tracker stays in the collar | USB-C; tracker comes off the collar |
| Finding it up close | LED, sound and Bluetooth Radar | No sound; Fi lists no light |
| Network | Partner networks, LTE-M with 2G fallback | Verizon LTE-M |
| Cat features | Live tracking, Virtual Fences, territory insights, activity, sleep, heart and breathing rate | Location, Safe Zones, escape alerts and Lost Mode; no step, activity or behavior tracking for cats |
Prices as listed by Tractive and Fi, October 4, 2026. Year one is the device plus the one-year plan, before shipping or any activation fee. Battery figures are the brands' claims.
Which one we'd pick
For most cats, the Tractive CAT 6 Mini. It's designed around a cat: the tracker is part of a breakaway collar, so the safety release is built in, and it maps your cat's territory and tracks activity, sleep and vital signs. It's also cheaper to buy and to run. Its weak spot is battery life, so plan on charging it about once a week.
Pick the Fi Mini if battery life matters most or your cat is on the small side. At 16 grams it's the lightest tracker here, and Fi claims weeks between charges. You'll need your own breakaway collar, and Fi doesn't track steps, activity or behavior on cats.
Is it safe to put a tracker on a cat?
It can be, with the right collar. International Cat Care says that if your cat wears a collar, it should have a snap-open buckle that releases under pressure, never an elastic section, and it should be loose enough to fit one or two fingers underneath. Badly fitted collars can catch a front leg or the jaw, or snag on branches. A microchip is still the safest form of ID because it can't come off.
There's a trade-off to accept. When a breakaway collar releases, the tracker comes off with it, and your map will show where the collar is, not your cat. That's still useful: it tells you where to start looking.
Weight matters too. We found no veterinary guideline on how heavy a cat tracker should be, but researchers have seen cats behave differently wearing a heavy 136-gram device than a 36-gram one. Both trackers here weigh about an ounce or less. Let your cat wear the collar indoors for a few days before the first trip outside.
Lost cats behave differently from lost dogs
Cats usually hide rather than roam. In an ASPCA survey, about three quarters of lost cats were recovered. Of those, 59% came home on their own, and only 2% were found at a shelter. Humane World for Animals says most lost cats are found close to home, so search under decks, in garages and sheds, and at dawn and dusk when it's quiet. Call local shelters right away anyway: some hold stray cats for as little as 72 hours.
Microchips make a huge difference for cats. In a study of 53 US shelters, microchipped stray cats went home to their owners 38.5% of the time, compared with 1.8% of all stray cats. The American Association of Feline Practitioners recommends microchipping every cat, indoor or out. More in microchip vs GPS tracker.
Why not use a dog tracker?
Dog trackers are built for dog collars and dog weights. The Fi Series 3+ is dogs only, and the Halo and SpotOn fence collars start at 10 and 15 pounds. Tractive's DOG 6 clips onto a regular collar without a breakaway release. Stick to a cat model.
Questions people ask
Do cat GPS trackers need a subscription?
Yes. Like dog trackers, they use a cellular connection that the plan pays for. Tractive starts at $144 a year ($6 a month on the five-year plan); Fi at $189 a year.
Can I use an AirTag on my cat?
It has the same limits as on a dog: no GPS and no live tracking, and it only shows up when an Apple device passes nearby. See can you track a dog with an AirTag?
Do cat trackers work indoors?
GPS needs a view of the sky, so indoors the trackers rely on your home Wi-Fi to know your cat is home. Tractive calls this a Power Saving Zone, and it's also how the battery lasts longer.
What's the smallest cat these fit?
Tractive lists the CAT 6 Mini for cats from 7 to 18 pounds (its help center says 6.6 pounds and up). Fi doesn't give a minimum; it designed the Mini with cats and smaller dogs in mind.
Sources
- Tractive: cat tracker (viewed Oct 4, 2026)
- Tractive: plans and pricing
- Tractive: battery life
- Tractive Help Center: setting up your CAT 6 Mini
- Fi Help Center: choose the best Fi product for you
- Fi Help Center: Fi Mini for cats
- Fi Help Center: tracker battery life
- International Cat Care: should my cat wear a collar?
- Humane World for Animals: how to find a lost cat
- ASPCA: how many pets are lost, and how many find their way home (2012)
- Lord et al., microchipped stray animals in US shelters, JAVMA 2009
- AAFP: microchip identification of cats
- Arhant et al., review of cat collar safety, J Vet Behav 2022