Fi Mini for Cats Review: Track Your Pets and Monitor Their Activity

Long battery life. USB-C charging. Compact size. Multiple easy collar attachments included.

TIRED

Location works best if near your phone. Alerts lag when outside of safe zones. Mistakenly alerted that my cat escaped three times during testing. App needs to be open on phone to work properly.

As a helicopter pet parent, for many years I attached an Apple AirTag to my cat Basil's collar for extra peace of mind. But with location inaccuracy, no real-time tracking, and dependence on Bluetooth range, this wasn’t an ideal solution. Many pet-tech companies are now developing devices that use cellular coverage to enable real-time location tracking, as well as integrating health-monitoring features into the trackers.

These new smart health collars are sort of like smart rings for people, which let wearers track important metrics like activity, health, and sleep. On the Fi Mini, the connected phone app lets you view daily stats without needing a wearable screen, unlike a smartwatch or fitness tracker.

I tested the Fi Mini smart collar for cats for a month ahead of the launch of my forthcoming guide to smart collars for pets. Although my cat stays indoors, I tested the GPS capabilities and the health metrics that an over-invested pet parent like me wants, including sleep and activity tracking to monitor trends over time.

For the Helicopter Pet Parent

I tested the Mini designed specifically for cats, which is even smaller, lighter, and more compact than the Mini for dogs. When you purchase, you're actually buying your selected membership plan for GPS tracking and alerting, as well as sleep and activity data, while the device itself comes free.

At the time of writing, a monthly plan is $19 per month. But if you prepay for a longer period, you'll save, with 6-month plans billed at $99 twice a year, one-year plans billed at $189 annually, or two-year plans billed at $339 biennially. Each Fi tracker has a 30-day trial and a one-year warranty.

The device itself looks like a small, lightweight black plastic brick, about 1.5 x 1.0 x 0.5 inches. It comes with a strap loop and two types of soft cases. The device uses USB-C for charging, and it took a little over two hours to fully charge. The device claims it can last up to six weeks on a single charge, but I found myself charging it about every two to two and a half weeks. You can add an optional Fi Base in your home to help with location accuracy and extend battery life.

To set up, you'll need to download the connected app, enter Wi-Fi information, and set up your pet's profile. Once you can start tracking, you'll need to map out a safe zone. However, the minimum safe zone might be larger than a standard apartment, which is a limitation for urban dwellers.

Within the app, there's a Health tab where you can store vet records and insurance information. The Activity and Sleep tabs provide historical comparisons, helping you track whether your pet is becoming more lethargic—an early warning sign of health problems. While the GPS has some limitations and occasional lags, the Fi Mini offers a more robust solution than standard Bluetooth trackers.