I love trying new technology as it can drastically improve our lives. For example, I can meet with clients around the world via virtual behavior consultations thanks to the internet and my laptop’s webcam. That doesn’t mean all technology is good, however. ChatGPT produces mixed results when giving cat behavior advice and there is a lot of really expensive, futuristic seeming pet tech for cats that isn’t actually that great.
With the winter holidays approaching, you may begin seeing more ads for sales on various pieces of pet technology. How can you wade through the electronic garbage and find the gems of pet tech for cats? Thankfully for you, I spend a lot of time researching cat products, talking with clients about what they’ve used, and even testing things out myself. Combined with my cat behavior expertise, I’ve got your back when it comes to deciding where to invest your money.
Pet Tech For Cats That Doesn’t Benefit Cats
The first screening test you should do when evaluating pet tech for cats (or any cat product for that matter) is to ask yourself if the product benefits your cats or not. That’s not to say that everything that benefits humans almost exclusively (the Litter Genie directly benefits us and is a great thing to keep by each litter box, as an example) is bad, but a lot of the products available benefit us but may not be preferred by our cats.
Yes, I’m referring to self scooping litter boxes. They really aren’t designed with cats in mind. While they have potential to be great, as they are currently they don’t really benefit cats. Humans with cats who don’t use their litter box may elect for behavioral euthanasia and I see a lot of cats that don’t like robotic litter boxes.
Similarly, anything that claims to manage your cat’s behavior by causing pain or startling them isn’t a great choice. These cause stress and don’t address the underlying issue behind the behavior.
Good Pet Tech That Benefits Humans
There is a lot of pet tech for cats that mostly benefits us but isn’t harmful to your cat. One of my favorite purchases from last Black Friday was an automatic feeder. These allow my cats to get fed on a regular, consistent schedule. You can even get your cats a wet food automatic feeder. Mine have helped me get a more solid night of sleep. It also allows you to spread your cats’ meals into smaller meals so they don’t beg for food and so their meal patterns can be closer to how cats eat in nature.
If you’re looking for the automatic feeder I have, mine is from PetLibro.
Another fun one is a pet camera, especially one that can dispense treats. This allows you to keep an eye on your cat and, if your cat isn’t sensitive to noises, some can allow you to talk to your cat. If your cat becomes stressed by the sound from the camera, then I’d skip the voice functionality. However, it can be a fun way to keep an eye on your cat and give them a little snack while you’re away. I sometimes use these in behavior modification plans! They’re very useful.
Pet Tech That Cats Actually Love
Of course, some pet tech for cats is directly beneficial to the cats. I’d argue that it ultimately benefits you to have a happy cat as it prevents unwanted behaviors so really, you are the real winner here. Most of the good pet tech for cats available is designed to take advantage of cats’ natural behaviors and is designed with their preferences in mind, though some can be deceptive so always look at any item from a cat’s eye view.
Many cats prefer drinking from running water sources and will be more likely to drink from a fountain than a bowl filled with water. Water fountains are great choices for many cats, especially if you get a stainless steel fountain that can be washed in the dishwasher. If you really want to go for a bougie upgrade, you can even get a water fountain with app monitoring so you can keep track of your cat’s drinking habits.
Teach Your Cat To Open Doors (Kind Of)
If you have a home with multiple cats or cats and dogs, you may have tension between cats or have a cat that needs their own space. While there are many ways you can make this happen, a microchip activated cat door allows you to have a lot of control over where and when your cat has access to a particular space. You install them into a door and sync them to your cat’s microchip. You can then program it so it only opens for certain cats.
Similarly, if you have cats that are on a special diet or where one cat tries to hog all of your other cats’ food, you can get a microchip activated food bowl. The concept is similar, but the restriction is limited to access to the food bowl instead of an entire room. I use this for Prozac when not using my automatic feeders because Poutine tends to steal his food.
Speaking of microchips…
Microchips Save Lives
Is your cat microchipped? If not, I’d strongly advise you get them microchipped. Microchips are one of the most important pieces of pet tech for cats as they greatly increase the chances of your cat returning home if they get lost. Your vet can likely microchip your cat. If not, there are usually microchip events (including low cost ones) around town you can bring your cat to.
High Tech Play Time
Pet tech for cats isn’t all boring, frumpy stuff. Sometimes it’s fun! While not all electronic toys for cats are a good idea as they can scare cats, some of them are actually decent options to get your cat playing. Some smaller electronic chase toys or small remote controlled mice can work well as they’re closer to the size of things cats would hunt if they were in the wild. Similarly, all three of my cats have loved this butterfly toy as it has movement similar to an actually bug.
Other electronic cat toys that have seen good results are ones that involve a toy being automatically moved under a sheet of some sort. You can manually recreate this with a Sheer Fun For Cats if you’re looking for an old school toy. Similarly, my own cats (especially Prozac) have love this dangling ball toy that attaches to a counter or cat tree.
Use Caution With Lasers
Where some pet tech for cats goes wrong is relying too much on laser pointers to get your cat moving. While laser pointers may have a place in play, they can be frustrating for cats as they can never actually catch the laser. There is some concern that laser usage may be associated with compulsive behaviors as well.
Generally, lasers should be used to start a play session and then quickly transition your cat to a physical toy. Automatic laser toys can’t do that so they’re something I’d skip.
Is All Tech For Cats Good?
Much like any type of technology, current pet tech for cats isn’t all good or all bad. There are likely to be some great sales out there for Black Friday so keep your eyes peeled for not only the good high tech cat products, but also which ones to be wary of. Not all pet tech for cats is actually worth your money and some may even create behavior problems.
Of course, you don’t have to rely solely on pet tech for cats. There are some great low tech cat products out there. Looking for something specific? Check out my suggested cat products page where I keep a running list of all the cat products I recommend my clients use. And if you want specific suggestions, I’m happy to set up a consultation.
