Radio Frequency Locator | Need Your Help To Find Lost Cat!

After 6 weeks, the battery in the cat's tag may well be dead, and a stronger transmitter would not make any difference. Your best bet might be the low tech solution of posting lost pet posters. Hopefully, someone found her.

Tabcat apparently uses 2.45 GHz, which falls into what is commonly known as the ISM (Industrial Scientific and Medical) band...think Wifi, bluetooth, RFID chips, etc. When you paired the transmitter to the tab, a coded transmission was set. Your friend with the SDR can check this code with their setup.

Coincidentally, most microwave ovens use 2.45 GHz as well. Seeing as how there aren't too many microwave ovens out in the woods, they aren't likely to be interfering with your signal.

A somewhat easier method would be to use a stronger transmitter using the same key as your transmitter. It may be as simple as using a better antenna, or a directional antenna with some gain by its nature.

OR...hack it. Try post #95 on this thread. Thinking on those lines...go further in your internet searches...look for these types of devices and the methods.

Think outside the box if you really want to find your cat...screw the FCC...nobody is going to prosecute you for trying to find your cat by boosting or reverse engineering this toy in a frequency band that is already overburdened. Plus, you won't do anything to anyone if you are that far out in the country.

Maybe a pet detective can help...?

NO, not that guy....

http://www.lostpetdetection.com/

Hi everyone, thank you so much for your comments.

I didn't go much into detail in my OP to avoid vomiting too much information, but basically the situation is this:

We are out in rural Spain, no houses within a 8-10 km radius (except for 3 houses, I know the only 1 couple who lives there permanently as they're helping me find my cat).

I've already tried EVERYTHING you can think of:

the obvious physical search, setting up food stations, trap cages, wildlife cameras, contacted several US & UK based pet detectives (but they charge approx. 2K $ for 2 days of work, including flights and accommodation to Spain, which frankly seems like a mad gable after 6 weeks of disappearance), while pet detectives in Spain aren't a thing (the Spanish have a... singular way with their pets), also tried to contact Italian ones (I'm Italian) but there is no one available. I've talked to everyone within a 20 km radius, put up posters, contacted vets and shelters, etc. I even threw my most basic beliefs out of the window and contacted a cat psychic (I know ...).

We had some sightings (heard meowing, cat paw prints in an area with no cats so likely to be her) 3 weeks ago but then nothing until now.

Now, the only one thing I can hope for is that her RF TabCat tag works with the SDR device.

Which is why I've started looking into RF engineering forums and came to you for your help.

@Rixter, her tag was pretty much new and she had only had it on for about 2 months, the battery is supposed to last up to 1 year (more realistically, let's say 5 months) so we should still be in time.

@Cuba_Pete thanks for your input, I'll check the thread you just mentioned. I'm out in rural Spain and don't think anyone will give a damn about me hacking the device! Also, unlikely I can cause any interference since there are literally no houses around where she disappeared.

I have no idea about 99% of what you just said :) but now that I know it's possible, I'll try to gather all the info, translate everything into Spanish and find someone who can help me on the ground. Prior to writing this thread, I had no idea whether what I was asking even made any sense at all, now I know what to do. Thanks!

I'll keep you posted – and please do leave a comment if you can think of anything else!

I don't know anything about the TabCat so this is just a wild comment.

My best guess is that the TabCat will only receive until it receives the matching key or code. That would seem to be the most battery saving way of operating. If that is true then my comment is not of any value. But, if for some reason the TabCat sends out a "I'm here" signal on a schedule (possibly once a minute) then you wouldn't actually need to match the key code. In your rural setting the three houses should be the only sources of 2.45 GHz signals. A little flying drone with some sort of a ebay or Amazon receiver functioning as a 2.45 GHz detector would work.

I don't know how big and heavy a TabCat base station is but flying it around in a drone is another option. Some of the advanced drones can be programmed to fly grid patterns with very impressive accuracy.

I hope your search ends well. Six weeks is a long time for an innocent house cat to spend out in the wild.

Hi BruceFlorida,

Thanks for your comment! Luckily, Milù is a brave mountain cat, skilled hunter and is very used to be outdoors, so if she's in the woods she's likely to be alive and kicking.

My best guess is that the TabCat will only receive until it receives the matching key or code.

Yes, this is exactly what it's like. I just spoke to them on the phone again, and they explained that they had to implement a very tight security measure because they shared the same code? frequency? with the police department and other similar applications (they're UK based). Unfortunately, we can't do anything with your suggestion :(

Thank you!

Cats are territorial so she's not likely to roam very far.... unless she was chased by some animal, not likely for a fierce cat...If that family is the only one around, she should probably show up there sooner or later, I would just go about my business and wait for these people to contact you...

I doubt this is useful to them right now for finding a cat since it requires more technical expertise but I have a Seek thermal camera I got used for $150 that I use with a free windows program called thermovision that works quite well.

A version that works with a flir one and rasperry pi on a drone was a project someone did, someone did the same with a pi and a seek camera but should work with a pi zero w for a smaller less expensive form factor. The easier way is just use a smartphone on the drone with the seek like this person did.

I am imaging that this is getting too much into project territory and away from the immediate cat finding issue but since thermal cameras were mentioned I figured why not.

This might work, but starting to get expensive...plugs right in to your phone, pretty cool...sure wouldn't want to lose it though....

The cost does add up, but it is probably the cheapest thermal camera drone system you can get.

The seek thermal is tiny, the whole unit is not much bigger than my thumb. Getting off topic but the free thermovision software is great and allows better calibration and fine tuning as well as changing the color pallet. I can also use it with a windows tablet for a larger screen and overlay the visual camera image. I got some inexpensive lenses (sold as laser cutter lenses) to use with it so I can look at electronics close up in more detail to find issues. Now that I think about it I should have probably written that up as a workbench creations project.

https://thermalcapture.com/thermoviewer/

Off topic but I am talking about this software called thermovision by a thermal camera enthusiast named Joe I guess.

The latest version is here but the link didn't have a screen shot. It works with the flir one and the seek and a number of other flir and diy cameras.

The website isn't in English but the software has multiple languages.

Thank you frank20, I am forwarding them your comment since I have no idea on how to use any if this :) They'll know what to do with it. Thank you!

If you were interested in increasing the effective gain of the antenna (increasing the range) but don't have access to a small satellite dish as described by frankd20 (in #9) then you could try a large (12" - 24") stainless steel mixing bowl. Some homes and most restaurants have stainless steel bowls that large. It will not work as well as a satellite dish. It will not be as easy to use as a satellite dish with a feed horn mounting bracket.

Someone else might have the experience to estimate numbers but I would guess that doubling your range might be possible. If you double your range I think that (A = pi * r^2) tells us that if you sweep a circle around you your area will be squared. Squaring your coverage area is significant. It is still a long shot but if you are going to try things anyway then you might consider bumping this one up a position or two on your list of things to try.

P.S. When the day comes that this is behind you then please, good or bad, check back with us, let us know what you tried, how well it worked and how your search finally ended up.

It might be easier and/or cheaper, to acquire a round snow saucer as a signal booster....

Steel,,,26" in diameter, 4" depth, and only $35 on Amazon...

The BBC did a very interesting documentary in which someone did a study on how domestic cats roam around when free to do so by attaching GPS transmitters to them. ALL of the cats studied never traveled beyond about 300m from home, even when gone several days. They are VERY territorial.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-22821639

Given the unlikelihood of predators like coyotes in Spain (as far as I know), it's more likely that your cat has found a willing participant in giving them free meals and they will hang out there for a while. Did you ever hear the children's story, "Six Dinner Sid"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYw9EagX9fY

They do have wolves though...I don't know if they have wolves in that area though...

https://gizmodo.com/visit-spain-see-wolves-1589088689

https://www.quora.com/Do-wolves-chase-cats-too

Definitely not around this area (Catalunya): they have foxes, stone martens, deers, wildcats and wild pigs. In any case, my cat grew up in the Italian Alps and is well aware of these and more (including foxes)!

Hi JRaef,

Thank you for your message. I would very much love to believe that, but the thing is that there are no houses where she disappeared. (see coordinates on google maps: 42.060088, 0.901242)

And the only 4 houses close by you see on the left side by the lake (where the meowing was heard) are 1 x inhabited and run down, 1 x rented out to tourists, 1 x inhabited by a couple who's setting up a feeding station for me every night and 1 x inhabited by an old couple who is looking for the cat for me.

I therefore exclude the possibility she is having a good time at someone else's.

She's like to be in the area though, I just to find a way to find her.

Line of Sight

Ah, a lake. Are there boats ? Cats often smell fish traces on boats and use niches in boats for shelter. You may want to carefully survey piers, docks, floating boats and derelict boats with your TabCat and HackRF equipment to see if she is in the bilge of a boat, possibly below the water level and requiring you to come quite close with your radios at height to trigger the response. 2.45Ghz is line of sight and some water in the path will spoil the signal. Aluminum boats will also severely interfere with your radio finders and may frustrate them completely. You may want to use a dish or a yagi on a pole to gain the elevation required to fire the radio signal down into the divots the boats make in the lake water. Carry the TabCat ad to show any boat owners who may be skeptical about what you are doing without it.

____________

thewildotter

My experience with cats is that they are survivalists.I had a orphaned woods cat and he would come around every day for food and petting,then disappear into the woods.

He would disappear for a couple of months.I saw him once on one of his forays about 5 miles away in a freshly mowed hay field,stalking mice and rabbits.He he looked at me as I passed,recognizing the sound of my car.He was very distinctive,and solid white,and how do I say,well endowed,with a sack the size of a large walnut.

I named him Snowballs.

Another 2 months passed,and I figured he had met his demise,but to my surprise,he materialized out of the woods one day and sat at my feet purring.He had merely been following the call of the wild.

Don't worry too much about your cat,especially females,because they are usually better hunters than the males,especially the Calico's.

And a female will seek out males at the right time,and will raise their young in isolation.When their offspring have been weaned,and she has taught them survival skills,she will return,sometimes with their young following them.

If there are no male cats nearby,she will seek them out at a long distance.

Some in my area have bred with Bob Cats,and there are some hybrids in the woods.

They look like Manx cats,but larger,and have tufted ears.Sometimes a nubby tail,some not.They are definitely wild and shy away from humans.

Remember,cats have gained the reputation for having 9 lives for a reason.

Hi HiTekRedNeck, I see your point, but my female is sterilised and certainly not in heat or on the lookout for males :)

We've been traveling by van/tiny house for a while so she's not in her natural environment and I've had to move on, so I really do want to find her before I have to leave Spain!

Hey setlock77

I scouted all the market options available in Italy before buying what I bought and that seemed to be the best device, I don’t remember seeing anything stronger than that.

My cat is a mountain cat used to the outdoor and grew up in the alps. I’d like to believe she’s ok, and if not I’d like to find out where she is because I need closure anyway.

I’m here specifically to talk about radio frequency and not her destiny, so I’d appreciate if you or anyone else refrained from making any comments that have nothing to do with that :) thank you!

Problem solving is a process that looks at all the angles....try not to focus on the more dire possibilities...I'm sure the cat is fine and will show up soon wondering what all the fuss was about....

Have you considered trail cams? Or a drone? In conjunction with some designated feeding spots that you replenish, you could continuously monitor these locations.

That should reveal if the cat is still in the area, at the very least.

I admire the RF approach, but I think there is too steep a learning curve, considering you admit little expertise, to make this a reasonable tactic.

I would not worry about he fate of your cat.

Cats are born hunters and survivalists.

She has experience in the wild,so it is not entirely alien territory for her.

She is probably having the time of her life,following her instinct. She has probably not missed a meal yet.

Even if you don't find her before you move on,rest assured she will be fine.

Hi Nomad

How old is the cat? if it is say 12 years or older it could have gone off to die, some cats do this , they just go into the woods or to some secluded place and die. This happened to my daughters cat in North Carolina recently it just went out side and never came back.

I hope this is not the case with your cat

Cheers

Peugeot man

we don't use the "D" word on this thread!!

You could try building a 2.4GHz yagi antenna to couple to your remote.

Sure you don't have a lot of power to excite an antenna but with some tubing and a bit of time an antenna can be cobbled together fairly easily.

There are a number of antenna designing programmes and I have built a number of yagi antennas for various frequencies with outstanding results. Check a copy of the ARRL antenna handbook if you know of any amatures in your area, you never know one may see it as a worthy challenge for their little grey cells.

I think you said she grew up in Italy. If so she might consider that home and is making her way back. I think I read about someone from our (USA) East coast who lost their cat in Colorado (2,000 miles away) and when they returned home the cat was there waiting for them. Try contacting someone near where she grew up.

You need to figure out a way to run an electric can opener in the woods.

Any ideas, Del?