My daughter’s cat, Bisous (that’s French for “kisses”) lurks by the front door morning, noon, and night.
She is desperate to be outside, but it’s not safe for her because we live in a place where coyotes also lurk morning, noon, and night.
We do our absolute best to keep her inside, but she has escaped a couple of times, and her absence caused absolute panic.
Yes, she is microchipped, but that would only help if she ended up at animal control. The chip does us no good when she is on an unauthorized neighborhood walkabout.
She has returned from her adventures unharmed so far, but our previous cat was not so lucky, which is why we worry.
Now we have an option that will give us peace of mind: A GPS tracker made for naughty pets like Bisous.
The tech company with a popular location-tracking app used by anxious parents of teenagers now has a solution to help anxious pet parents like me.
A pivot into pet safety
Life360 (LIF) is stepping into pet tech with a new GPS tracker built for dogs and cats.
The company, best known for its family-safety app and device ecosystem, is launching “PetGPS” — a collar or harness attachment designed specifically for tracking cats and dogs.
The move isn’t random. After acquiring Tile in 2021 (which provides item-finding tech and is beloved by car-key-losing folks everywhere), the company says this launch is a natural extension of its tracking expertise.
“Life360 has always been about keeping families safe and connected. With the release of PetGPS, we’re expanding our impact to cover more families in more ways,” Life360 CEO Lauren Antonoff told TheStreet.
“Now, when you open Life360, you can see every member of the family, even the furry ones, on the same map. This is a key step in our evolution into the Family Super App,” she said.
Why this pet tracker matters
The company says its new products allow pet owners to “Track your favorite escape artist. See their location right on your Life360 map.”
Here’s what stands out:
- Real-time location updates, thanks to a mix of cellular, GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth signals.
- Virtual “safe zones” (geofences) so owners receive alerts if the pet leaves the designated area.
- Built-in community finder: If your pet goes missing, you can send a lost-pet alert within Life360’s network of more than 88 million members.
- Durable design: IP68 rating (water-, dust- and even pet-bite resistant), battery life of up to 14 days normally, and up to six months in a “Bluetooth Reserve Mode.”
In short, if you’ve ever worried about losing your pet like I have, this tracker is built to assuage that fear.
Business strategy meets market reality
From a business perspective, Life360’s launch is smart. The pet-care market is massive — a projected $157 billion and growing, according to the American Pet Products Association — and owners are increasingly spending on “smart” devices for animal safety and wellness.
By leveraging its existing tracking platform, Life360 enters this market without starting from scratch.
By providing both hardware and software services, Life360 also builds a recurring revenue stream.
What pet owners need to know about PetGPS:
If you’re a dog or cat owner:
- Check whether the device supports your region (the tech is supported currently in the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand).
- The device costs $49.99 and activation for the first device is free, as long as you have a Life360 Gold or Platinum subscription ($12.49/$20.83 per month).
- Consider whether community tracking appeals to you (some owners may have privacy/tethering concerns).
The “worst nightmare” for many pet owners is losing their companion — whether the animals bolts out the door, digs under a fence, or jumps over one.
The Life360 PetGPS can’t contain every “Houndini” and doesn’t eliminate every risk, but it can help.
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