Tractive Cat 6 Mini Review: A Smart Collar That Tracks Your Cat's Heart Rate

As the pet tech industry grows, more owners are turning to wearable devices that track their pets' health, much like smartwatches and fitness trackers do for humans. A Wired reviewer spent a month testing the new Tractive Cat 6 Mini collar on her cat Basil, comparing it with earlier trackers she'd used, including the Fi Mini and the original Tractive Smart Cat Tracker.

Unlike those earlier models, which attached to an existing collar, the Cat 6 Mini is the collar itself and must be removed entirely to charge on its proprietary magnetic dock, a process that takes about three hours. The tracker weighs 1.1 ounces, fits cats weighing 6.6 to 17.6 pounds, and is designed for neck sizes between 7.5 and 9 inches.

New health features

The standout addition is heart and respiratory rate monitoring. During testing, Basil's resting heart rate was often lower than that of similar cats — on one day measuring just 92 beats per minute against a normal range of 105 to 168. The app suggested possible explanations, such as good fitness or cold temperatures. His respiratory rate, averaging 20 breaths per minute, fell within the normal 15-to-30 range and matched the reviewer's own manual checks.

The collar also tracks activity, sleep, and estimated calories burned using a built-in three-axis accelerometer, and generates a weekly AI-powered summary comparing the cat to others of similar age and breed.

Drawbacks

Battery life was the biggest complaint: Tractive claims up to seven days for indoor cats, but the collar needed charging by day four in testing. The clasp was difficult to adjust, a particular challenge given the reviewer's reduced grip strength. Location tracking also had limitations — the default virtual safe zone was too small and had to be manually expanded, and the app occasionally sent false alerts that Basil had left home when he hadn't.

The device requires a subscription, starting at $10 per month for a one-year plan or $5 per month on a five-year contract. Overall, the reviewer rated the Cat 6 Mini 7 out of 10, praising its health insights while criticizing battery life and design accessibility.