My wife and I have two Bengals at home, both equipped with Tractive GPS trackers. We got them since our beloved and dearly-missed Emil left and did not come home. Now that we can keep an eye on our other cats, Yuki and Nala, we’ve stopped worrying when we let them roam free and explore the surrounding village. However, our hearts skipped a beat once again – on July 24, 2020 to be exact – and I’d like to tell you the story behind it. And, of course, why this date will be forever imprinted on our memories.

Tabby cat with Tractive GPS Tracker on its harness is sleeping on the wooden porch outside

How it all started

The sun had already set. Yuki was home, but Nala was still out. The first sign of the scare to come. Ever since Emil had gone missing, I had become very sensitive about when our cats came home. We immediately checked the Tractive GPS app, but noticed we had forgotten to charge Nala’s tracker. It only had 9% left. Since the battery lasts so long, we tend to leave their trackers on all day, but sometimes forget to take them off to charge.

My wife, nine months pregnant (and always right), remarked that our Bengal was probably just out chasing mice and that I should give it some more time. I agreed, but grew restless after a while. So I went outside and looked for Nala, retracing her steps using Location History to save on battery.

Still, no Nala in sight.

Something was off

Now, my very pregnant wife started to get nervous as well, and joined the search party. We even asked our neighbors to please check their garages in case our little furball had accidentally got herself locked in there. Again, nothing. Which was weird, because she had to be closeby, based on her last reported location. Here goes nothing, we thought. We went into LIVE Mode and crossed our fingers that the battery would last long enough. The app showed us a location – but we didn’t see any movement for minutes.

Something was clearly off.

We ran towards the location Tractive GPS had pinpointed, and came to an empty house that was still under construction. There was nobody around, but one of the windows had been left open. At that point, we had already given up hope and thought that we were never going to be able to find her. So, out of desperation, I shouted out her name.

And she responded!

Nala started screaming as soon as she heard our voices. Her miserable “meow” echoed in the empty rooms and shook us to the core.

Cat locked in – now what?

The doors were closed and it was already getting dark out. Now what? My wife and I knocked on the doors of the entire neighborhood, trying to see if we could find out who would be moving in to the new house. After what felt like eternity, accompanied by Nala’s constant wailing, we finally had a win.

As it turns out, the parents of the future home-owners lived close by and opened the doors for us. Nala did not come out immediately, because she was panicked and scared. However, our little furball managed to pull it together and we finally took her home. After a little comfort food and some cuddling, her world had been restored to normal.

At last, my wife and I were able to breathe and relax, knowing that our cats were both safe at home with us. So relaxed, in fact, that my wife went into labor and – after a long cat search party and exhausting hours in the delivery room – she gave birth to our beautiful baby boy, Tom, on July 26, 2020.

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Thank you, Tractive

We are both so very thankful that this day – after a few hiccups – had such a happy ending. The fact that Tractive GPS even worked inside that empty house completely saved us and really turned this thing around. I love Tractive for keeping our cats safe.

Tom, Anja and Michel

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Want more pet stories? Read about a dog that found a fun home on a farm, and meet an awesome Canadian rescue organization that uses Tractive GPS to keep their dogs safe.