9/10
Fi
Fi Mini
$99support.fitracking.com
Subscription required · $189/yrGPS trackerCat & dogApp required
Best Cat GPS Trackers of 2026: 4 Compared by First-Year Cost
4 cat GPS trackers compared on subscription, 1st-year cost, battery (claimed) and network. Our top pick is the Fi Mini, $99. Read the full summary ↓
By Arina Nikoliukina · Reviewed · Updated · Prices checked 10/09/2026All 4 cat GPS trackers
4 of 4 cat GPS trackers
9.5/10
Tractive
CAT Mini
$49tractive.com
Subscription required · $108/yrGPS trackerCatApp required
9.5/10
Tractive
CAT 6 Mini
$79tractive.com
Subscription required · $108/yrGPS trackerCatApp required
9.5/10
$49pawfit.com
Subscription required · $155.88/yrGPS trackerCatApp required
9/10
9.5/10
9.5/10
9.5/10
GPS trackerCatApp requiredSubscription required · $155.88/yr
$49pawfit.com
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All cat GPS trackers compared
4 models · prices and specs checked 10/09/2026 · scroll →
| Model | Price | Subscription | 1st-year cost | Battery (claimed) | Network | App | Warranty | Returns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fi Mini | $99 | Subscription required$189/yr | $297 | 60 days | GPS + LTE-M | Required | 1 yr | 30 days |
| Tractive CAT Mini | $49 | Subscription required$108/yr | $157 | 5 days | LTE/4G | Required | 2 yrs | 30 days |
| Tractive CAT 6 Mini | $79 | Subscription required$108/yr | $187 | 7 days | LTE/4G | Required | 2 yrs | 30 days |
| Pawfit Lite GPS tracker for cats | $49 | Subscription required$155.88/yr | $205 | 3 days | not listed by Pawfit | Required | 1.5 yrs | 30 days |
The short answer
We track 4 cat GPS trackers. Our top pick is Fi Mini, scored 9/10. 0 of 4 with a listed plan status work with no subscription. Prices run $49 to $99, checked 10/09/2026.
The Fi Mini is the cat GPS tracker we'd point you to: 0.56 oz (16 g) for the tracker, the lightest figure of the four, and "up to 2 months" of battery by Fi's count against 3 to 7 days for the others (vendor pages, 10/09/2026). It is also the most expensive to run: about $297 before tax in year one. If cost matters more than charging, Tractive's CAT Mini (about $157) and CAT 6 Mini (about $187) cost less; neither has a store link here.
Fi Mini (our top pick)
For an indoor-outdoor cat whose owner would rather charge every few weeks than twice a week. Fi lists the Mini at $99 (billing article, edited 09/15/2026); it clips onto your own collar or harness with a strap or soft case, and Fi's help center says, "If you have a cat, we recommend our Fi Mini product instead." It runs on Verizon's LTE-M network and is rated IP68. Battery: "up to 2 months" in the help center (09/25/2026), a "3-week battery life" in Fi's launch post (08/25/2025), and "about 2 days" in Lost Mode.
What held it back: the highest first-year cost here, about $297 ($99, a $9 flat fee on orders under $100, the default $189/year plan). No activity data for cats: "Cat movements are too subtle for the Fi Mini's sensors to detect reliably" (help center FAQ), though Fi's membership table lists "Activity and Rest for dogs and cats." No cat weight range from Fi: its Fi Mini for Cats article (edited 10/09/2026) prints none. The 1-year warranty holds only while a membership is active.
Tractive CAT Mini
For the lowest first-year cost of the four. $49 on tractive.com with free shipping (10/09/2026), plus the Basic 1-Year Plan at $108 billed annually: about $157 before tax. This is the previous generation, sold next to the CAT 6 Mini. It clips to a collar up to 0.8 in wide and comes with a safety collar for necks 7.9 to 12.2 in; Tractive lists 1.5 oz including the collar. Battery: "Up to 5 days" with Power Saving Zones and 2 days without (Tractive compare table).
What held it back: the highest listed weight here, a single LED, heart and respiratory monitoring reserved for the CAT 6 Mini in Tractive's own table, and no launch date on Tractive's pages. The size selector says "Only for cats above 7 lbs"; the spec table says "Cats above 6.6 lbs." Closest match we link to: Fi Mini. Brand detail: Tractive review.
Tractive CAT 6 Mini
For a tracker built into a safety-release collar, with nothing clipped on. $79 list, no sale (tractive.com, 10/09/2026), launched 04/08/2026 per Tractive's press release; with the $108 Basic plan, about $187 before tax. Tractive lists 1.1 oz including the collar, IP68, necks 7.5 to 9.0 in, and LTE on AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. Live mode updates every 2 to 3 seconds, otherwise every 2 to 60 minutes.
Battery sources split: "up to 7 days with a Power Saving Zone and up to 4 days without" (Tractive battery FAQ), "Up to 5 days for cat trackers" (App Store description), and "every 4-5 days even when she is only in the house" from an App Store reviewer, likely on this model (08/15/2026). What held it back: days, not weeks; 24-hour location history on Basic (365 days needs Premium at $120/year); and the weight-range muddle, below. Warranty: 2 years (Tractive's warranty policy, edited 06/23/2026). Closest match we link to: Fi Mini.
Pawfit Lite for cats
For the longest stated warranty of the four: "18-month warranty" on pawfit.com (10/09/2026). $49 with free shipping and a quick-release cat collar in the box. Pawfit lists 0.6 oz (17.6 g) and IP68; FIND mode sends a location every 5 seconds. The cheapest month-to-month plan is $12.99/month (about $205 in year one); Basic billed yearly is $95.88 (about $145).
What held it back: "Up to 3 days" of battery with no conditions stated, the shortest claim here; no named carrier; no neck size; and a thin owner record, with 4 of the 44 Trustpilot reviews we read explicitly about the Lite. One of them, 10/04/2026: "one of the plastic holding clips broke." Pawfit says the Lite is for "Pets over 2.7kg" (about 6 lb). Closest match we link to: Fi Mini.
Collar weight vs your cat's weight
No vendor here publishes a tracker-to-body-weight limit, so we don't add one; what they do publish isn't like for like. Fi and Pawfit weigh the tracker alone, and you add your own collar. Tractive weighs tracker plus collar.
| Tracker | Weight as listed | What the figure covers | Cat weight as listed | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fi Mini | 0.56 oz (16 g) | tracker, no strap or case (Fi help center) | not listed by Fi | collar width 0.375–1.25 in (strap), 0.5–1.25 in (soft case) |
| Tractive CAT 6 Mini | 1.1 oz | including integrated collar | 7–18 lb · 6.6–17.6 lb · 3–17.6 lb | necks 7.5–9.0 in |
| Tractive CAT Mini | 1.5 oz | including collar | above 7 lb · above 6.6 lb | necks 7.9–12.2 in, collar up to 0.8 in wide |
| Pawfit Lite for cats | 0.6 oz (17.6 g) | not stated by Pawfit | over about 6 lb (2.7 kg as listed) | neck size not listed by Pawfit |
The CAT 6 Mini shows the problem. On one site, on one day (10/09/2026), Tractive gave the cat's weight three ways: "For cats weighing 7-18 lbs" (size selector), "Cats weighing 6.6-17.6 lbs" (spec table), and "designed for cats between 3 and 17.6 lbs" (FAQ). The metric version of the same page (10/14/2026) reads "3-8 kg" in all three places, which is 6.6-17.6 lb, so the spec table is the figure Tractive's own data supports; the "7-18 lbs" and "3 and 17.6 lbs" readings look like rounding and conversion slips, though Tractive doesn't say so.
Fi's only weight guidance for the Mini is about dogs: "perfect for small dogs under 10 pounds" (launch post, 08/25/2025). For a cat near the bottom of a range, ask your veterinarian first, and weigh the collar you'd pair with the Fi Mini or Pawfit Lite. Small dogs: best GPS trackers for small dogs.
What it really costs
All four need a plan, so the tracker's price is the smaller part of year one. Before sales tax (varies by state), vendor sites on 10/09/2026:
| Tracker | Price | Shipping | Plan, 12 months | First year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tractive CAT Mini | $49 | $0 | $108 (Basic 1-Year) | about $157 |
| Tractive CAT 6 Mini | $79 | $0 | $108 (Basic 1-Year) | about $187 |
| Pawfit Lite for cats | $49 | $0 | $155.88 ($12.99/month) or $95.88 billed yearly | about $205, or $145 |
| Fi Mini | $99 | $9 | $189 (1-year, Fi's default) | about $297 |
Tractive sells no monthly plan in the US (monthly billing is "available only for Basic plans in selected countries"); Basic for two years is $144, and the optional Tractive Care loss and damage cover is $24 a year. Fi also sells 6 months for $99 and 2 years for $339, with "a minimum 6-month commitment period"; the $9 is Fi's flat shipping fee under a $100 subtotal (shipping FAQ, edited 09/09/2026). Fi's store catalog (api.tryfi.com, 10/14/2026) shows lower first-term prices for new buyers, $59 / $99 / $189 for the 6-month, 1-year, and 2-year plans against renewal prices of $99 / $189 / $339, plus a $20 activation fee on prepaid plans, but we could not confirm them at checkout, so our first-year totals use the renewal prices from Fi's billing article (edited 09/15/2026). From year two you pay the plan only. Tractive's tiers: Tractive review.
What owners complain about
GPS accuracy and app connection lead for both big brands; neither sample is model-specific. Tractive: a brand-level sample of 113 reviews (100 App Store from 08/02 to 10/07/2026, 13 Trustpilot seller reviews from all countries) through 10/09/2026. Top complaints: GPS accuracy 21, app connectivity 19, customer support 12. On a cat model: "The new Tractive mini cat collar tracker is much larger than I expected" (App Store, 08/15/2026). Against it: "Battery on cat 6 mini good for 5 to 6 days and fully charged from empty in 2 hours." (Trustpilot, 10/08/2026, verified 10/14/2026)
Fi: the 50 most recent App Store reviews of the shared Fi app (08/18 to 10/07/2026), only 2 about the Mini. App connectivity 13, GPS accuracy 8, subscription and cancellation 5; 21 of 50 object to the app requiring "Always" location permission. Mini owner, 09/13/2026: "Right off the bat the tracking is not as accurate as they make it seem."
Pawfit: Not enough owner reviews read yet (44 read on Trustpilot, brand-level). "the collar is quite loose on her as she is very slim and small" (09/25/2026); "small enough tracker to fit on cats and one that works well" (10/05/2026). App Store ratings on 10/09/2026: Tractive 4.7 over 45,681, Fi 4.65 over 41,277, Pawfit 4.0 over 40. Tractive against Fi on the dog side: Tractive vs Fi.
Which cat GPS tracker to buy
- Our top pick: Fi Mini, $99 plus a $189/year membership, about $297 in year one before tax. Buy it if you want to charge least often (up to 2 months claimed against 3 to 7 days) and want the lightest tracker (0.56 oz), and can accept no activity data for a cat and the highest running cost here.
No other tracker in this comparison has a store link. If the first-year total decides it, the Tractive CAT Mini is the lowest at about $157, covered above.
FAQ
Do GPS collars work on cats?
Yes, within the limits of coverage and battery. All four report location over a cellular network and need a paid plan; claimed battery runs from "Up to 3 days" (Pawfit Lite) to "up to 2 months" (Fi Mini), vendor pages, 10/09/2026. Coverage is not measured: check the carrier map for your address (Verizon for the Fi Mini; AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile for Tractive). More on Tractive's network and battery in our Tractive review.
Is AirTag better than a GPS tracker for cats?
No, not for live tracking. An AirTag needs no subscription, but it has no GPS or cellular connection of its own: it is located through nearby Apple devices. A cellular tracker reports its own position, for $95.88 to $189 a year on the plans above (10/09/2026).
Is there a cat tracker without a monthly fee?
No, not among the GPS trackers we compared. Fi, Tractive, and Pawfit all require a plan for location; the lowest 12-month price on this page is Pawfit's Basic at $95.88 billed yearly, then Tractive's Basic at $108 (vendor pages, 10/09/2026). PitPat's tracker has no subscription, but its US page says "We don't make a special version for cats." Options without a plan: GPS dog trackers without a subscription.
Does a cat microchip have GPS?
No. A microchip has no battery and no GPS; it holds an ID number that a vet or shelter reads with a scanner when your cat is found. It identifies a found cat; it cannot locate a missing one.
How we picked
What we checked: US product, plan, and help pages of Fi, Tractive, and Pawfit; 113 Tractive reviews (100 App Store, 13 Trustpilot), 50 Fi App Store reviews, and 44 Pawfit Trustpilot reviews, all on 10/09/2026; and the CPSC recall API at saferproducts.gov, which listed no recall for any of the three brands on 10/14/2026. No independent battery or accuracy test of these four cat models turned up.
Each tracker gets the same five-point check: vendor specs, first-year cost against the category median ($211), warranty and returns, owner reports, and whether a plan is mandatory (how we research). The tracker we link to comes first; ties go to the lower first-year cost. All four need a paid plan for GPS. Dog trackers: best GPS dog collars.