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Does your pet need GPS or just a tag?
Updated
If your pet never leaves the house, a Bluetooth tag is enough to find it under the bed. If it roams, runs or bolts, you need a GPS tracker with a cell plan. Then check the weight: the tracker should be a small share of your pet's body weight.
GPS or tag checker
Tell us about your pet. We say whether a Bluetooth tag is enough or you need GPS, and how heavy each pick is for your pet.
Tracker weights come from the makers or the listings, tracker alone. Collars and holders add more. The 1 percent line is our estimate from the makers' own minimum pet weights, not a vet rule. Ask your vet about a small or older pet.
Where the 1 percent line comes from
We did not find a vet rule for how heavy a pet tracker can be. So we used the makers' own limits. Tractive sets a minimum pet weight for each tracker. At that minimum, the tracker alone works out to:
| Tracker | Weight | Maker's minimum pet | Share of body weight at that minimum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tractive CAT Mini | 25 g | 6.6 lb (3 kg) | 0.8% (1.4% with its 42 g collar) |
| Tractive DOG 6 | 39 g | 8.8 lb (4 kg) | 1.0% |
| Tractive DOG 6 XL | 70 g | 44 lb (20 kg) | 0.4% |
None goes past about 1 percent. We use that as a rough line. It is our estimate, not veterinary advice. A tracker a bit over it is not automatically unsafe, and one under it can still rub or catch if the collar fits badly. Ask your vet about a small, young or older pet.
A worked example
An 8 pound cat that goes outside. The CAT Mini is 0.7% of her weight, or 1.2% with its collar. An AirTag would be 0.3%, but it is not GPS, so it will not follow her across the neighborhood unless iPhones happen to pass by. For a 5 pound cat, no GPS pick here fits. Tractive's minimum is 6.6 pounds.
- Tractive DOG 60.4 %
- Fi Series 3+0.5 %
- Halo Collar 51.3 %
- Apple AirTag0.1 %
For a 20 pound dog, the Halo Collar 5 at 4.2 ounces comes to 1.3%, over our line. That is the price of a fence collar with a bigger battery and a strap. The DOG 6 is 0.4%. All seven picks are on the roundup page.
A tracker is not a microchip
The AVMA says a microchip gives permanent ID that cannot fall off like a collar can, and that microchipped pets should still wear a collar with current ID tags. A chip has no battery and no GPS. It only helps once someone scans your pet, and only if the registry has your current phone number. Keep all three: a registered chip, an ID tag, and the tracker. See microchip vs GPS tracker.