Add a Tile locator to your cat's collar

Several readers emailed to ask for information about the device my five-month-old Calico cat named Vanta sported in her collar in the video in last Monday's post extolling my flat spork.

Your wish is my demand.

It's a Bluetooth locator made by Tile which fits perfectly into a plastic adapter.

Why not just use an AirTag like everybody else, joe?

I knew you'd ask: I mean, I asked!

The reason I've so far not opted in to AirTags is because Apple requires that you first set up Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) on your phone.

I'm afraid that if I do that it'll make my TechnoDolt©® life more difficult by forcing me to take an extra step to use my phone.

The main reason I won't do it, however, is this: if you set up 2FA, you have two weeks to try it out, after which you cannot remove it.

That scares me.

Like Jeff Bezos, I know a one-way door when I see one.

But I digress.

Here are the components to build one a nifty collar like mine if you want to be like me & Vanta:

• Tile Sticker (I paid $29.99 a month ago; it's now $19.99)

• Tile collar adapter  (2 for $8.99)

• Personalized breakaway collar ($7.99)

You download the Tile app for your phone and it's easy-peasy (trust me of all peeps on this) to set it up.

The Tile Sticker is said to have a 250-foot range.

As long as Vanta's breakaway collar stays on, I'll have a fighting chance of locating her.

If not, I just have to hope whoever finds her is savvy enough to palpate the back of her neck/upper back to see if there's a embedded chip (which she has).

Up top, a video I made demonstrating the components discussed above.

Below,

a demonstration of the Tile Sticker collar in action.

As promised, I went outside and measured the Tile's range.

Alas, it came up WAY short of what's advertised (250 feet): the maximum distance from the Tile to activate it with the "Find my Tile" app was around 50 (fifty) feet.

Even then, I had to listen really hard in a relatively quiet place to even hear the faint beeps at that distance.

If Vanta bolts through a briefly opened door, I'd better hope she doesn't wander too far from home during her explorations.