cats and moving

Question
Hi,
I have 2 cats. I have had them for several years and last
weekend, my husband and I moved to a new home. The cats
slowly sniffed around and then got used to the place very
quickly and love it. The only problem is, we have a door to our
balcony that is about 12 feet off the ground and also, our front
door goes right out into the yard and the street. It is a peaceful
neighborhood with lots of neat things for a cat, bushes and
trees. My one cat has tried several times in the past week to get
out and has succeeded twice. Last night being the worst. He
darted out while my husband answered the door and was
distracted for a moment. He must've been gone for at least an
hour. He is declawed and can't defend himself now does he
know where he is. After I stopped crying, I got his hard food in
his container and went out shaking it and then standing still. He
finally came out after about 45 minutes of this torture and ran to
the front door panting and hyperventilating. HOW can I stop him
from doing this. He tries to get out the to the balcony as well as
the front door. We love our new home but this is one thing we
do NOT want to worry about. please help us.

Answer
Hello again!  Thanks for your kind words in the feedback you left me.

I wanted to address the question you left.  There are, indeed, pet tracking devices.  A small transmitter is affixed to a collar.  Then, depending on the product you go with, tracking your cat can be done a couple of ways.  

One product is along the same idea as a metal detector.  When you're getting close to your lost cat, it beeps.  It increases in volume as you get closer to your pet.  These types of tracking systems cost in the vicinity of $200.  If you're interested, here's one of them:

http://www.thecatlocator.com/locator/intro.html

Other products can get you quicker results, and you can find an almost exact location using the internet or a cell phone.  They are generally more expensive than the radio devices, and most of them charge an annual or monthly fee for the service.  These also depend on cellular service in your area to function.

http://www.globalpetfinder.com/

Both are types of tracking devices are described here:  http://www.environmental-studies.de/products/pet-tracking/Pet-Finder/pet-finder....

As for the microchip, implantation runs about $30 in my area, and then there are annual fees of $15-$30 for the service.

Hope this helps in your decision!

Best wishes,
Jessica