After acquiring its competitor Whistle from Mars Petcare nearly a year ago, Tractive is introducing two new pet trackers today. The Cat 6 Mini features a sleeker design than Tractive’s current smart cat tracker and monitors additional vital signs. The Dog 6 XL, specifically designed for larger breeds, is now lighter and more durable with improved battery life.
Both the $79 Cat 6 Mini and $89 Dog 6 XL trackers are available starting today through the company’s online store and other retailers in multiple colors — beige, black, and purple for the cat’s and beige and black for the dog’s. Each also requires a subscription. The Basic Plan, which includes unlimited live tracking, virtual fences, and escape alerts is $108 per year, or $144 for two years. The Premium Plan, which includes all the features of the Basic Plan plus worldwide coverage, family sharing, 365 days of location history, and the ability to export GPS data is $120 per year, $168 for two years, or $300 for five years.
Innovations in health and location tracking for pets have traditionally focused on dogs, but Tractive is hoping to play catch-up for felines with the Cat 6 Mini. Its design looks more like a collar and less like a box strapped to a cat’s neck, and the tracker now monitors both resting heart rate and respiratory rate to help detect when the animal may be feeling stressed, sick, or uncomfortable. The Tractive mobile app also provides more details on a cat’s territory including changes to their roaming patterns and favorite spots to rest.
The Dog 6 XL tracker is designed for active canines over 55 pounds. In addition to being better at surviving harsher outdoor conditions, Tractive says the new version’s battery life is up to three times longer than the previous model, which could last for up to four weeks between charges. Its health monitoring capabilities are being expanded with a new monitoring system that can detect when scratching behavior changes, potentially alerting owners to allergies, skin irritants, or even added stress.
An upgraded version of the new Dog 6 XL with an ultra-durable case is also expected to launch later this summer.