Tech Wrangler: Spoil your furry friend with pet tech gadgets 2024

Keep an eye on your pet while you’re away from home with the Petcube Bites 2 Lite camera. Connect the Petcube Bites 2 Lite camera to your Wi-Fi network and install the app on your smartphone or tablet, then place this high-resolution wide-angle camera on a table or wall and go about your daily tasks.

Open the app to meet and talk to your pet wherever you are, including at the grocery store or on the go, and take photos or short video clips to share with friends on social media. If you want to give treats while you’re out and about, a small treat launcher is included so you can give your beloved pet a few treats too. Other features include two-way talk, night vision (up to 30 feet), and support for Alexa-enabled smart speakers (use your voice to give treats when you’re not home).

And with a $10 monthly subscription, you can save footage for up to three days and send smart alerts, so if your dog is barking (again) at the mailman, for example. You can know it. And Forbes’ team of vetted testers named it one of the best pet cameras you can add to your home right now.

The PetSafe Volt Automatic Laser Cat Toy stimulates their natural instincts to chase, chase, and pounce, and is a fun way to keep your cat active and engaged with a random laser display. This toy has two play options: place it on a flat surface or hang it from something like a doorknob. One turns on for 15 minutes and the other turns on every 2 hours at 15 minute intervals (for example, when you go out). on the day). If you want to create your own patterns, there’s also a manual mode, including an adjustable mirror to direct the laser to different surfaces.

The company says it’s a certified Class 1 laser and safe for cats. Requires 3 AAA batteries, but not included.

Think of Litter-Robot 4 as the Ferrari of toilets. But it’s well worth paying the high price. After your cat has finished their business and left, an advanced recirculating closed sifting system automatically separates the waste from the clean litter and places the clumps in a fully sealed odor control drawer. You can use any cat litter that clumps easily, so you don’t have to worry about trying a new brand if your cat is a little picky about what kind of litter he uses.

The dome-shaped, Wi-Fi-enabled Litter-Robot is designed for cats weighing 5 pounds or more. A companion app, AutoPets Connect, can send notifications when the bin is full (which can take weeks before it needs cleaning), track usage history, and provide insights into your cat’s health and more . Not only was it named the best self-cleaning cat litter box by the Forbes judges, but if you’re not sure, you can read our full Litter-Robot 4 review to learn more.

If you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a high-tech toilet, the PetSafe ScoopFree Crystal Pro self-cleaning toilet uses a disposable tray pre-filled with crystal sand. This allows it to quickly absorb urine and dehydrate solid waste, creating less odor than other toilets. Garbage that hardens regularly. But don’t be fooled by the design. This is still a high-tech trash can.

An automatic rake sweeps solid waste into the waste trap 20 minutes after your cat uses the litter box, so your cat doesn’t have to see or touch the litter box. If the cat re-enters the box before the cleaning cycle begins, a detection sensor automatically resets the rake timer. Every few weeks, remove the litter tray, cover it, and throw it in the trash. Health counter tracks how many times your favorite cat uses the box.

The Halo Collar 4 GPS Dog Collar is a high-tech collar designed to monitor your dog’s location. It allows you to create a virtual fence wherever you are by wearing a collar and walking around it or using an app. When your dog approaches the boundary, a customizable notification (such as a sound or slight vibration) tells your dog to turn.

If your dog breaks through your fence, you’ll receive an instant notification in the Halo app, and you can track your pet’s location via the GPS chip in its collar. (Data storage, including virtual fencing, GPS location services, and activity tracking, requires the accompanying $10/month pack membership plan.) Previous Halo models requiring dogs over 20 pounds Unlike the Halo 4, the wearer must be at least 10 pounds.

Don’t want a subscription at all? A low-cost way to track your pet is to attach an Apple AirTag to your pet’s collar. As long as you own an iPhone and have the Find My app set up, AirTags can help you find lost items like car keys, backpacks, wallets, and more. You can also attach it to your beloved pet’s collar. Apple says the product is not designed for pets or children, but that hasn’t stopped many people from using it to track their pets outdoors.

Apple’s AirTags broadcast Bluetooth signals to help you find lost items. If your tracker is within range of your iPhone, it will appear in the Find My app if it’s nearby. You can also tap to play a sound when you find a tracker. You can also ask Siri to find your lost item, and AirTag will make a sound if it’s nearby. If your AirTag is out of Bluetooth range, the Find My network can leverage over 1 billion Apple devices around the world to track you.

If you want to see local wildlife, check out Bird Buddy, a weatherproof bird feeder with a built-in camera that lets you take up-close photos of visitors as they fly by. It has built-in AI that can recognize bird types based on both images and sounds, so you can know what types of birds are visiting your garden. A companion app saves real-time logs and automatically organizes seeds into collections.

Battery-powered devices last up to 30 days. At that point, you’ll need to pull out the removable module and bring it into your home to charge with the USB-C cable (included). Alternatively, the version with solar roof costs $299.

With most pets now sporting a high-tech sheen, it’s no surprise that aquariums are also adding high-tech elements to keep our aquatic friends happy and healthy. The Koller Products Aquarium 6.5 Gallon Aquarium is an aquarium that syncs with a companion app to track your aquarium’s water temperature and receive push notifications if the water gets too warm or too cold.

The Koller Smart Tank also features customizable LED lighting when paired with a companion app that allows you to change colors on the fly and schedule the lights to turn on and off.

Stand out while walking your dog at night: that’s the premise behind the Nite Ize Rechargeable LED Dog Leash. Available in two colors, lime and blue, these 5-foot leashes incorporate two ultra-bright LEDs that send light through integrated fiber optics, making them perfect for walks at dusk. This bright light lasts up to 6.5 hours between charges. To charge the lead, simply insert the micro USB cable (not included, note it’s not USB-C) and plug the lead into your computer, AC outlet, or power strip.

This eye-catching, water-resistant leash features a soft grip, durable cable, and can be used in constant-on or flash mode. It comes with a durable D-ring so you can securely attach it to your dog’s collar or harness. It also has a soft-grip handle, so you can comfortably hold the lead for miles.

Instead of rushing home, the PetSafe Smart Dog Door is a connected pet door that lets you set individual schedules and curfews for each pet through the My PetSafe app. Smart doorways provide your cat or dog with unique entrances and exits, and the app provides notifications based on door entry and exit. The door can also be combined with a microchip to provide keyless entry for your pet. Good news: If you choose this, animals without a microchip won’t be able to enter, keeping out unwanted visitors like squirrels and rats.

Available in medium or large size, it runs on batteries or a power adapter (sold separately), and requires a high-speed Wi-Fi connection to work. If a storm is approaching, use the app to remotely activate the flap locks to keep your dog or cat safely indoors.