This article first appeared in Digital Edge, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on March 29, 2021 - April 4, 2021

Pets are generally quite low maintenance. Most are content with food, water, toys and affection. Despite this, many people treat their furry friends as offspring and are willing to fork out huge amounts of cash on them for a variety of reasons, from tracking their every move to automating the cleaning of their litter. Here is a list of some of the niftier gadgets available in the market today for your furry friends.

The concept is simple: the feeder dispenses food at predetermined times throughout the day. Depending on the type of feeder and how intelligent (or expensive) it is, some have the capability to record meal-time call messages to get pets to come to the device for their meals. Not only does it eliminate the need to manually feed your pets, it is also good if you’re trying to keep them on a strict diet. These intelligent feeders start from RM180.

If you’re the kind of person who often misses your pets while at work, a pet camera might help. Pet cameras have become inexpensive over the years and you can get one for as low as RM50 on e-commerce sites. All you need to do is install the camera at home, synchronise it with your phone, and watch your pets wherever you are. Certain camera models also allow pet owners to remotely interact and play with their pets.

It can be quite worrisome if you are not able to find your pet when you get home or when they are allowed off-leash in the park. Pet trackers could be a solution. Interestingly, these were designed to track children, but they can be used on pets as well. Some trackers can be synchronised with your phone while others require a separate SIM card to be installed in the device. A quick check online shows that pet trackers can be purchased for as low as RM60.

This is every pet owner’s dream. While it may be a bit on the expensive side, a self-cleaning litter box will not just make it easier for pet owners, but also dispose of the litter efficiently. The intelligent box has the ability to detect when a pet enters and exits the box before it proceeds to clean the box. So, pet owners can go off on holiday worry-free, knowing that their pets will have a nice, clean litter box ready before each use. This gadget is priced from RM1,200.

It is said that most dogs and cats prefer slurping cool running water rather than water in a bowl. Not only does it seem cleaner and fresher, running water encourages pets to drink more water too, which is good for their health. Smart water fountains create the perfect water source for pets by not only keeping the water cool and clean but also allowing owners to monitor their pet’s water intake. This also helps to keep bugs and mosquitoes from using still water as a breeding ground. This gadget is available from RM65.

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