Tech for Pet-owners

Technology has been very good to mankind. It has made almost everything we have to do – cook, clean, wash, communicate, work, play – so much easier, faster, and better. Now, there is technology that affords us greater convenience in yet another area of our lives – pet ownership and care.

Insideexplores gizmos and gadgets that can help pet owners watch, track, protect, feed, and clean up after their precious little ones.

Got My Eye on You

Security cameras have long been used to protect both our homes and our loved ones. Now, they can be used to monitor the pets we love as well. Dogs, especially, might require a measure of close watching. Being highly social creatures, they enjoy attention and being around people. Left on their own for hours on end, dogs can get lonely or get into mischief. Setting up a system to monitor their behavior can help you understand his needs when you are away from him and give you ideas on how to occupy him when you are not around. Monitoring your canine also helps you know if he has enough sleep. Dogs need about 17 hours of sleep a day and a lack of quality sleep can make your pet aggressive and irritable.

Even cat owners appreciate the ability to monitor their feline friends if for nothing more than personal peace of mind. Pet owners have also been known to watch their pet’s shenanigans remotely at lunch time just to de-stress.

For all your monitoring needs, you may want to turn to the D-Link Cloud Wireless IP Camera (S$115) from Courts. It offers a complete system with built-in CPU and web server that transmits quality video. Once the camera is plugged in and set up, simply log on to mydlink.com, select your device, and start viewing what the camera is seeing. The camera comes with a few nifty features such as night vision of up to 15 feet in complete darkness, motion detection which will alert you via e-mail when it senses movement, and remote viewing which allows you to view from your iPhone, iPad or Android devices.

You Tick Me Off

Dogs are particularly prone to ticks; and dogs that live in warm climates are even more susceptible. But any pet with fur, from cats to hamsters and rabbits, can be infected with ticks as well. These parasites latch onto their hosts to feed on their blood. Apart from causing extreme irritation, tick bites also transmit diseases such as Lyme Disease which can affect humans, too. The bacterial infection causes depression, swelling of the lymph nodes, fever, joint pains, and even renal failure.

Getting rid of ticks is a chore. The better option is to prevent them with the TickLess Pet. This small pendant that can be worn on your pet’s collar to keep these bugs at bay. There are no toxins, chemicals or odours. The device works by emitting a series of ultrasound impulses that are harmless and imperceptible to people and pets but designed to repel ticks and fleas. Battery operated, TickLess Pet works once you pull the tab to connect the lithium battery which has enough power to last a year. To check that it is working, press the button and if the light flashes, your pet is safe.

Don’t Eat Your Heart Out

Overeating in pets in a major cause of concern. It can lead to obesity and a host of health issues from increased risk of arthritis and diabetes to heart problems and even early death. Cats and hamsters have a tendency to binge but dogs are not immune either.

For pets with the propensity to overeat or who needs to be fed more than once a day, the Eyenimal Pet Feeder is the ideal food server. The automatic dry food dispenser is perfect for cats, small dogs, and small pets. It is programmable to release food at regular intervals with the amount you decide so you know your pet will not be over-fed or miss a feed. You can even record a personal message so every meal can be signaled by the sound of your voice. The feeder can store up to 2.2 kilograms of food a time.

Evenimal also has an Intelligent Pet Bowl to help you control how much your pet eats so he will not become obese and suffer health problems. The pet bowl comes with electronic scales allowing you to adjust the quantity needed. Your days of estimating with a measuring cup are over.

Just Fur You

If you want a pet, particularly a cat or a dog, be prepared for some amount of shedding. While it is an urban myth that animal fur causes or aggravates asthma and allergies, it is true that animal fur can collect dust mites, pollen, mold and other allergens that can affect humans. So, it bodes well for pet owners to be scrupulous when it comes to keeping their homes fur-free.

With the DC61 Dyson Handheld Vacuum Cleaner from Harvey Norman (S$319), you have a vacuum cleaner designed specially to clean up after home pets. It boasts three times more suction power than regular hand-held vacuum cleaners and a motorised brush bar designed to pick up pet hair and ground-in dirt by driving its stiff nylon bristles into carpet pile to dislodge hair and ground-in dirt. To empty the bin, simply press a button to release the dirt.

Maintaining a pet is a big responsibility. It is great to know that like the many responsibilities in life, we can always count on technology to give us a hand in caring for our animal friends and making it easy and safe to have pets around us.

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