Home Alone Pets:
Although most animal lovers would love to spend most of their time with their ‘Best Friends’- their pets, but with work schedules and daily chores, it is just not possible.
With this list of fun gadgets and toys, you can take good care of your pets and make sure they are healthy, safe well fed, and above all, are having fun even without you playing ‘fetch’ with them.
1. FitBark
FitBark: is an activity tracker for your dog to wear around the collar. It will send the dog’s vital information to their servers so you can view it on your smartphone in real time.
FitBark will chart your dog’s progress and may even inform you when your dog is feeling sick due to lack of activity. Your dogs will have daily health goals and you can be sure they are eating at correct times.
2. Halo Mini
The Halo Mini is an illuminated pet collar for pets of all sizes, and it’s great for late night walks. Its rechargeable batteries can run its LEDs for up to 75 hours on flash mode in a single 2-hour charge.
Their kickstarter project ended not too long ago so you’ll have to wait for it to be released to consumers. It is available in red, green and blue, and is weatherproof but not meant to be worn while swimming.
3. Dart Automatic Pet Laser Toy
Cat owners are definitely aware of the cat’s natural nemesis, the laser dot. The Dart is a fun way to give your furry little kittens a reason to catch some exercise. It comes with a 360-degree rotating and pivoting laser head. Place it on a high surface with plenty of room to aim the dot at, and let it rip.
There are 16 speed settings and combinations with automatic turn-off time, that can be set for 10, 15 or 20 minutes.
4. Petcube
Travel a lot? Leaving your pet home alone? Then, the Petcube can be a great companion for your pet. It’s a cube that you can place at the right height and it also has a built-in microphone with speakers. So you can now see and speak to your pets through the app on your smartphone or tablet.
Want more? There’s also a laser pointer that allows you to play with your pet while watching them through the camera. You may even allow your family or friends to use your Petcube. If you have the time, you can even search to access and play with other Petcubes.
5. Power Pet Automatic Pet Door
Have a cat/dog who loves the outdoors? With a traditional pet door you run the risk of other wildlife and strays entering your home. The Power Pet door, on the other hand, reacts to the sensor attached to your pet’s collar to trigger the door to open.
The Power Pet door also can detect when your pet wants to enter (with its directional sensing system) and when it is just idly passing by. Once your pet is back home, the pet door is securely locked to prevent any trespassers.
6. GoDogGo Fetch Machine
Tired of throwing balls for your hyperactive dog to fetch? Then you can get this awesome fetch machine. It runs on battery power for 25 hours, so you even can carry it while travelling. All your pup has to do is return the ball into the basket for it to shoot out again. GoDogGo also has a safety sensor that stops any shooting if the dog is near the ball-outlet. Safety first.
It has three distance settings and two different interval settings. With the use of the remote control, the dog just has to do all the fetching without having to return the ball. Truly a fun-filled device to keep up with your ‘best friend.’
7. Pintofeed
Pintofeed is an automatic food dispenser which is controlled by its app on your iOS, Android or Windows 8 smartphone. The device connects to your homes Wi-Fi so you can dispense food for your pet from wherever you are. With the app’s various features you can create various feeding schedules.
The dispensing mechanism allows different food sizes. It can also send you notifications about the time and quantity of your pet’s feed. More than one family member can control it – a good feature for owners with a few different pets at home.
8. Whistle
Whistle is another activity-monitor for your dog’s collar with which you can track its walks, play and rest. Using it over a period of time allows you to analyze the trends and can even get alerts if there is any change in behaviour, which may indicate that your pet is sick. It is Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi-enabled to sync data to your smartphone (currently on iOS 6 or newer, and with Android on the way)..
Data collected can also be sent to your vet. It’s fully shockproof and waterproof in case your pet decides to go for a swim.
9. Go-Go Dog Pals
The Go-Go Dog Pals is a toy that both the owner and pet would enjoy. It’s a remote-controlled device for pets who love a good chase. The outer shell of this device is very sturdy and durable to take on dog bites and ‘accidents’.
It has a top speed of 22 mph, can move on short grass or turfs, but has a less-than-desirable battery life. Batteries will only run for 15 minutes, although for some pets, that is more than enough for a full cardio session.
10. Tagg Pet Tracker
The Tagg pet tracker is an accurate GPS system for your pet that only works in the United States, including Hawaii and certain parts of Alaska (see coverage map). The collar works with a docking station that also acts as a charger for the battery in the collar. The docking station also acts as a virtual fence with the feature to notify you when your pet is out of this fence.
It can send you an email, a text and let you track your pet’s activities via the smartphone app. The collar is also waterproof and the batteries require recharging only once or twice a month. It’s an advanced system for serious pet owners and requires a monthly subscription for the service.
