Catlantic — the social network for cats

Guides

How to track your cat outside with an app (free, 2026 guide)

If your cat disappears over the fence every morning, an app plus a small GPS collar tag will show you exactly where they went — and Catlantic turns those dots into a route, a territory and a diary.

Updated August 2026

What you need to track a cat outdoors

Two things: a location device your cat can comfortably wear, and an app that stores the history. Phone-only apps can't track a cat — the cat needs to carry the transmitter.

  • A GPS collar tag (Tractive, Weenect, PAJ, Kippy, MiniFinder) for live tracking anywhere.
  • Or a Bluetooth tag such as an AirTag, which works well in dense neighbourhoods.
  • A breakaway collar — safety first, always.

How often should it update?

For outdoor cats, an update every 2–5 minutes is the sweet spot. Faster drains the battery in a day; slower turns a real route into a straight line between two distant points.

Reading the route the next morning

Open the map and pick a time range. A normal cat route looks like a loop with a few dense clusters — those clusters are favourite resting spots, not GPS errors. Catlantic converts the dense areas into a territory outline so you can see the shape of your cat's world.

Free vs paid

Catlantic itself is free and works with the tracker you already own; GPS collar makers charge their own subscription for the SIM card inside the tag. Bluetooth tags have no fee but need people nearby to relay a position.

Set it up in five minutes

  1. Create a free cat profile.
  2. Open Settings and pick your tracker brand.
  3. Sign in with the account you already use for the tracker.
  4. Link the tag to the right cat.
  5. Wait for the first positions, then open the map.