Tech
Smart gadgets for dogs & cats
The pet market is booming. Dog and cat lovers in particular are generous when it comes to making life a little nicer, healthier, cleverer – in short, smarter – for their favorite furry friend.
There are hardly any limits to the imagination. From the smart cat flap, which really only allows your own velvet paw to enter, to the feeding bowl with a camera, to the automatic litter box, which immediately disposes of the leftovers of the four-legged friends and lets fresh litter trickle into quiet little places.
But which ones? pet gadgets make the life of the animal roommates and of course that of the owners really smarter? We looked at various pet gadgets and found some beastly good products.
GPS tracker for dogs and cats
Where does the free-lancer actually go when he casually jumps out of the window? This is the question most cat owners ask themselves. Last but not least, it happens that the animals come home with injuries, let the neighbors feed them or spend their free time on a busy road.
With a GPS tracker it is possible to see exactly on the smartphone where the cat and tomcat have been lounging. With the Tractive trackers we can even see how long the animal stayed at the tracked location.
But dog owners also like to play it safe and give their darling a smack GPS sensor. Because not only inveterate hunting dogs are overcome by the thirst for adventure every now and then, and the call back from mistress or master falls on deaf ears. If the dog is out of sight, the app always knows where it is sniffing around and its owner can quickly take it back to safe custody.
And the trackers can do a lot more than that. With clever ones analyses rate it Sleep of our four-legged friends, keep them Health in view and know them activity of the quadruped. If you don’t focus on the price, you get a comprehensive and really sophisticated overall package with Tractive. For those who can do without the additional features and only want tracking, you can also consider dog collars that offer a special device for the Apple AirTag.
Here are our tested GPS trackers:
Feeding the predators: conveniently via the app
Has the cat received its food yet? Who knows exactly – well-intentioned portions of food from different family members quickly trickle into the bowl. Miezi enjoys it, and the BMI quickly leaves the healthy mediocrity. But it is not only in such cases that smart automatic feeders can be really practical in everyday life.
For example, in a household with several cats, it is often difficult to provide or monitor the optimal amount of food for each velvet paw. If there is also an intolerance that requires a special feed or the addition of medication, things get really complicated.
For such cases, there are intelligent automatic feeders that recognize who is eating. For example the Sure Feed feeding station offers access control controlled by a microchip, which only opens the feeding bowl when the registered cat approaches.
Of course, the same system can also be used for dogs – this ensures that in a larger pack nobody is too greedy and suffers from being overweight, while other members are neglected.
In fact, the test dog was also shown to improve the eating routine by timing the feeding. While the food was otherwise often not even touched and only noticed after hours in the bowl, the food is now expected with an amazing sense of time and the portion is eaten immediately.
In addition, it is really easy and uncomplicated to ensure that the dog gets the optimal amount of food. This is useful to support a diet or to get to the bottom of possible causes of underweight.
Here is our tested feeding station:
Smart source of fresh water
Many cat owners rely on drinking fountain, to optimally supply your velvet paw with liquid moisture. Because cats can be easily encouraged to drink through the circulation – this of course contributes to improved health.
But our dogs shouldn’t want for anything either, and we smartly suggest that they exchange the stale puddle for fresh well water. The advantage of high-quality drinking fountains is that the water stays fresh longer and optimally cleaned becomes. In the circulating water, germs and bacteria find it difficult to spread and, in the worst case, even transmit diseases. In addition, the water filtered and freed from unhealthy residues and dirt.
Everyone has to answer the question of whether a drinking fountain really gains added value through the integration of an app. If you want to turn off the cat fountain when you are out and about or want to share the fill level with friends and families, you can do this with a smart drinking fountain. It will not harm the pet. One push notification maintaining when water is scarce can again be very useful.
Here is our tested drinking fountain:
Well-being via app
If the pet is happy, the owner is happy too. Especially if clingy dogs are to be left alone at home, this can lead to great stress for everyone involved. But even unavoidable situations, such as the noise from New Year’s Eve fireworks or a visit to the veterinarian can lead to our darlings’ fur standing on end.
With special stimulation and positive conditioning Relaxopet avoid this stress. through the sounds and the sound waves should the animals calm. This applies not only to dogs, but also to cats, birds and even horses. Whether it works probably varies from animal to animal – but it’s worth trying.
Here is our tested gadget:
Just as unhealthy for the animal mind as stress is boredom. This can also pose a danger to the furniture, because if the dog has nothing to do, it will look for something. This can be, for example, the reorganization of the sofa cushions or a chic perforation of the chair legs. In the worst case, a permanent under-exertion can also cause damage to the health of the animal.
But of course there is also a remedy from the App Store. For example the smart one Dog Bone Wickedbone. This connects to the smartphone via Bluetooth and involves the four-legged friend in a happy game. The bone rolls across the ground in unpredictable maneuvers as the dog attempts to catch it.
There is an interactive mode – alternatively, the holder can control the smart bone with the smartphone, almost as if he were actually playing along. If that’s not smart enough for you, you can keep your cat busy with a tablet. Quickly load an entertaining game from the App Store and off you go. The selection is bigger than you would think. For example, the velvet paws with the App Games for Cats Chase mice or butterflies on the screen.
Everything ok at home?
surveillance cameras are probably the classic among smart pet gadgets. The motto here is: Trust is good, control is better. With a small one camerathe ins Integrated WiFi can be done without any problems.
If you are concerned that Fiffi will no longer snooze quietly in her basket but is stressed out and is barking at the neighbors, you can check the situation at home from any place and at any time.
Even with cheap cameras like that Pet Cam Liteare practical functions, such as a motion detection or a motion sensor included. The camera can also be used as a security camera during the holidays.
Here is our tested surveillance camera:
Smart pet apps
In addition to a wealth of gadgets, the app stores are also well stocked with smart pet content. From games to communities, shops and of course applications for training four-legged friends, there is hardly anything that does not exist.
If you can’t make it to dog school or are looking for a reliable walker, you’ll find what you’re looking for here. “Patzo” or also “dog lover“ see themselves as a platform that brings dog owners together with people who cannot or do not want to keep a dog themselves, but are looking for a companion for a walk.
One can certainly argue about the sense or nonsense of smart pet gadgets. But as long as they don’t harm people or animals, they are at least a nice gimmick in everyday life. In addition, some products in the test proved to be really useful companions in life with pets.
Here are our tested apps:
