For pet owners, their furry friend is like one of the family and deserves the best care and attention, whether it be for keeping tabs on their health or keeping them entertained. We’ve put together a list of the coolest gadgets for pets that are guaranteed to prevent any pet-related worries by keeping them contented and in tip top condition.
Petcube $199
The Petcube is a device made especially for those who are crazy about their animals but have to spend time away from their pets regularly. This pet gadget is a lightweight monitor that features a wide-angle 720p camera which streams live HD video of your pet from your home to your smartphone via wi-fi. The app also allows you to talk to your pet, offering them reassurance if they’re anxious about the separation from you or just to tell them off for scratching furniture and hear their response through a built in a microphone. An extra cool feature of the Petcube is that it features a safe built in laser which you can control through the app so you can play with your cat, dog or other pet while you’re out of the house.
Motorola Scout 5000 $200 (available from June)
The Motorola Scout 5000 dog tracking collar by Binatone has all the features you’d expect from a pet tracker- GPS, geo-fencing and Wi-Fi connectivity to send alerts and notifications to your smartphone. However, this clever pet gadget also incorporates a 720p wide angle video camera so you can see what’s going on around your dog, helping to locate him and checking that nothing untoward is happening. In addition the Scout 5000 has bark detection and recording, plus it allows you to talk directly to your dog through the smartphone app and the speaker in the gadget so you can give commands or keep him calm.
FitBark $99.95
The FitBark is a new activity tracker for your dog that comes in a variety of colours and promises to fit any dog size. The rugged design of this cool pet gadget means that its waterproof up to one meter and has a rechargeable battery with a battery life of 14 days. The tracker measures your dogs rest, active and play time so that you can keep tabs on his activity (and spot if anything looks abnormal), plus you are given activity counts in the form of BarkPoints. The gadget is compatible with Bluetooth 4.0 devices running iOS and Android and the accompanying app helps you understand your dogs activity, explain behaviour changes and compare with similar dogs all from a real-time dashboard.
Tailio $179 on pre-order
Tailio is one of the more unusual health gadgets for pets, but one that make us wonder why nothing similar has been created before. Cats are notoriously difficult when it comes to health monitoring but the Tailio makes things easier by turning your cats litter tray into a smart monitor. The Tailio sits under your cats litter box and records the cat’s weight, the weight of their waste and also litter box trends before sending the information and updates to your phone. The app that goes along with this cat gadget also alerts you when your cat may need medical attention and allows you to set up shareable alerts and tasks for things like making sure the litter box is emptied.
FroliCat Dart Automatic Pet Laser $27.95
If your cat or dog goes wild when you shine a torch onto the floor or wall, then they’re sure to love the FroliCat Dart which automatically rotates to shoot pet-safe lights for your furry friend to chase. The Dart has variable speed settings, 16 play combinations and a timer that can turn the gadget off after 10, 15 or minutes. This fun pet gadget is battery operated too so you don’t need to worry about plugging it in or charging it up.
Petnet SmartFeeder $249 (Beta version)
The Petnet pet feeding gadget will allow you to feed your cat, dog or other small animal while you’re out of the house or on holiday, meaning you won’t need to get someone in to animal sit who doesn’t know your pet’s requirements. You can create schedules that include feeding times, dispensing speed and portion sizes tailored to your pet that can be adjusted in real time from your smartphone, tablet or computer. You’ll then receive notifications about food inventory and battery life which will make managing the SmartFeeder easy. The product is currently in Beta testing but the final model should launch this spring.
Dyson Groom $69.99
A gadget that’s more to help you than your pet, the Dyson Groom makes dog brushing easy and allows you to capture loose hair before it ends up on your furniture and carpet. The Dyson Groom attaches to the hose of your vacuum cleaner and allows you to collect hair, allergens and dead skin cells while grooming, helping to give your dog a healthier coat and making the grooming process easier for you.
