Maybe it’s Taylor Swift, maybe it’s the ancient Egyptians, or maybe it’s just the fact that they’re so damn cute — somehow, our obsession with cats has left the realm of irony and has now rooted itself firmly in our collective reality. Because now, someone’s made a mobile phone for cats.
Dubbed by The New Yorker as “the only acceptable form of catcalling,” these feline friendly devices were developed by French company Weenect and aren’t exactly cellphones — rather, they’re GPS trackers that cats can don as collars. But they come fully equipped with a microphone and a speaker so that you can soothe Whiskers with the sound of your voice (or maybe, Whiskers can soothe you with his purrs).
The 25g tracker, which takes your love of your cat to a whole new level, allows you to keep constant tabs on just how far from its favorite sunny spot on the couch it’s moved since you left for work, oh, five hours ago (hint: your cat probably didn’t move at all). The device works by way of a SIM card that can send signals to your own mobile device. All you have to do is check the paired app to ensure that no harm has befallen your little angel.
While Weenect first made a name for itself by manufacturing GPS trackers for children, pets can clearly benefit from the same treatment — and while your kids can’t wear a collar, your cat certainly can. “No more long minutes spent calling your cat to return home,” the website proclaims. “With the Weenect Cats GPS tracker for cats, locating your pet is fast and simple.” So apparently, you either live in a mansion or your cat tends to take long, leisurely meanders through the French countryside.
And if your cat does become lost, fret not! “To find your lost cat,” Weenect instructs, “You can either ring their GPS collar or use one of the three types of location tracking options provided: Map, Compass and Augmented Reality (the Augmented Reality feature allows you to see your cat’s location using your phone’s camera).” You can even set parameters for your feline friend — “Configure an unlimited number of zones (e.g. home, friends, neighbours) and receive notifications whenever your pet enters or leaves a predefined perimeter!” Weenect asserts. And while you can’t exactly do anything to stop your cat from, you know, being a cat and moving around, at least you’ll be able to berate it when you get back home.
If you’re interested in the GPS collar for cats, be prepared to shell out £60 ($93) plus an additional £20 ($31) or £35 ($54) for the SIM card that will either last you six or 12 months, respectively. But at the end of the day, you just can’t put a price on talking to your cat.
