In the days after his beloved tabby cat disappeared, entrepreneur Sebastian Langton kept returning to the same question: How could this have been avoided?
More than a year later, the Sydneysider's answer is "Pod" - a cork-sized GPS tracker that owners can attach to their pet's collar.
It tracks their location in real time, relaying the information to a smartphone app. Owners can pre-program a perimeter around their home and set the app to alert them if their furry friend is on the run.
The idea has struck a chord with animal lovers online, where a crowdfunding campaign on the Indiegogo website has blown past the funding target of $US50,000 ($A54,000).
With the campaign ending on Tuesday, it's raised more than $A160,000.
It comes too late for Langton's green-eyed tabby, Rango, who never made it home.
Rango was killed by a car and found by a stranger on a nearby street. Langton was informed via a note nailed to a tree.
"I never got to say goodbye properly. I was never there for him at the end, and that's a hard thing."
Rango could, of course, have escaped and been killed instantly, tracker or no tracker.
"The difference is that I would have been able to hold him, take him to the vet," Langton says.
"I would have had options."
Animals will always escape, meaning the trackers mightn't necessarily save lives.
"But now you'll know when they've escaped. You'll have the best possible chance to stop them getting in harm's way."
Pet-tracking devices are available already but Langton says the Pod has a much longer range.
Unlike similar devices that rely on short-range bluetooth, the Pod is fitted with a SIM card, meaning an owner could feasibly track their pet to another state or country.
It's also smaller and lighter than what's available, Langton says, and fully waterproof.
A prototype has passed testing and the app for Apple and Android phones is in the final stages of development.
Retailer Petbarn has agreed to an exclusive supply agreement, with an initial order of several thousand units.
They'll begin appearing in stores around the country before Christmas for $199.
It'll cost $30 annually after the first year to renew the SIM card.
"It's cool," Langton says. "It's a nice way to keep Rango's memory alive."
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