Slinky Malinki won’t be stealing sausages, slippers, biscuits or balloons with the latest gadget to strap to a kitten’s neck.
Tracking devices can be used for a number of things, such as keeping tabs on your luggage or even finding your car, but one use mightn’t be expected: working out where your animals are.
If it’s a dog, they’re probably in the kitchen or on your bed, but outdoor cats can be anywhere else. Outside, they’re possibly sleeping on someone else’s furniture, beating the heat by using a parked car as shade, or spending time with a neighbour.
Those options might be small comfort, but it’s an area technology might be able to help, thanks in part to tracking technology, and it’s an area Tile is about to try its hand at specifically.
While you could probably grab a Tile Sticker or Tile Mate and attach it to a collar, there’s now a dedicated “Tile for Cats” tracker which essentially takes the Tile Sticker and mounts it to a collar for cats.
With a range of around 76 metres and a non-removable battery that runs for around three years, Tile’s cat-friendly option is basically a silicone collar and tracking sticker, working with the Tile app to keep tabs on your furry friend. It’s one of the options on the way to do just that, though it’s not the only one.
For instance, Apple doesn’t make an AirTag specific to feline or canine necks, but there are accessories that can be connected for that purpose, such as one from Australia’s Frank Green, which has also made payment-connected reusable coffee cups in the past, as well.
Locally, Tile hasn’t made any official announcements about the availability of Tile for Cats — the kitten tracker — but that could happen in the next few weeks.
Meanwhile, if you are thinking of tracking your animals by way of a Bluetooth tracker, make sure your cat or dog isn’t the type that’s like to chew their tag off their collar. Bluetooth trackers have silicon and batteries, and while they might end up destroying the former with gnawing, eating the latter isn’t advised.
