WHY HASN’T MY GPS TRACKER UPDATED ITS LOCATION?
You’ve charged your tracker, popped it on Tiddle’s collar and set the location update schedule to every ten minutes before unleashing him into the wilds of your back garden. For the first 20 minutes, everything is fine. You can see from the UBEEQUEE gps tracking app that Tiddles mooched around your garden for ten minutes then decided to hop next door to look for butterflies. Happy that Tiddles isn’t running off with the circus, you get on with your chores – you update the report you were meant to hand in yesterday, answer a few emails, take the bins out. It’s now an hour later and the app is still showing Tiddle’s last position as being where he was an hour ago. The time frame hasn’t updated and the battery level is also unchanged.
The tracker has broken! The app has crashed!
Please don’t panic.
Although this may seem like a technical glitch the reason for this behaviour is actually probably a lot simpler than that – Tiddles hasn’t moved for an hour because he’s asleep under the neighbour’s bush.
You see, our trackers conserve energy when possible to extend battery life. If your tracker is set to a 10 minute location update schedule it will check in with the nearest set of GPS satellites every ten minutes. If that location hasn’t changed, then the tracker doesn’t use up unnecessary power by sending an update to your phone.
When Tiddles decides to wake up, have a stretch and trot back to your garden to see if any fence posts need scratching, then on the next 10 minute scheduled satellite check-in, the location will have changed which will then be relayed to your app, along with a new time stamp and battery level. That’s why there may be a small jump in the battery percentage as you’re receiving 1 hours worth of battery usage rather than 10 minutes.
Of course, if you want to know where Tiddles is without waiting for him to finish his cat-nap then pressing the location button in the app forces the tracker to send you the latest location data regardless of the update schedule. Just be mindful the more often the tracker sends data to your phone, the faster your battery will lose power.
UBEEQUEE’S TOP TIPS FOR KEEPING YOUR CAT HYDRATED
Cats have a naturally low thirst drive because they evolved from desert-dwelling animals who rarely needed to hydrate themselves. As a result, your cat might not always know when they are thirsty or dehydrated.
HOW MUCH SHOULD YOUR CAT DRINK?
Whilst there is no set in stone measurement for how much each individual cat needs to drink, a healthy cat should aim to drink as many millilitres of water per day as the number of kilocalories consumed during that same day (assuming your cat is eating the correct amount).
HOW TO SPOT IF YOUR CAT IS DEHYDRATED:
According to the Journal of Applied Physiology, your cat could be dehydrated if they exhibit any or all of the following symptoms:
- Loss of energy
- Racing heart
- Depression
- Lethargy
- Panting
- Lessened urination
- Dry nose
- Sunken eyes
- Lack of skin elasticity
HOW TO ENSURE YOUR CAT IS HYDRATED:
DITCH THE DRY FOOD
Dry cat kibble contains between 7% and 12% of water, whilst canned cat food contains between 78% and 83% of water. Feeding your cat canned cat food will mean that they don’t need to drink as much water. If your cat won’t eat canned food, trying adding water or even broth on top of their kibble.
ADD ICE CUBES TO YOUR CATS' MEALS
Adding ice cubes to your cats’ meals will add extra moisture and trick your cat into drinking more water. The ice cube will pick up the flavours from the food and encourage your cat to consume more liquid than they realise.
TRY SERVING SMALLER, FREQUENT MEALS
Eating prompts thirst, so, the more meals you feed your cat, the more likely they are to help themselves to some water.
LEAVE WATER BOWLS THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE
Having multiple water bowls around the house and garden will act as a gentle reminder to your cat to drink. Your cat not drinking enough may simply be an indicator that your cat is not able to easily access its water bowls.
REFILL THEIR WATER BOWLS REGULARLY
Cats like fresh, clean water. Some even have a preference for ice-cold water. Ensure that you are regularly cleaning their bowls and refilling with fresh water to ensure your cat keeps coming back for more.