Mary Allen
The IT industry is conquering a new market: pets and their owners. From the useful to the odd, cat gadgets include smart litter boxes, interactive pet cameras, and a tiny machine designed to translate meows into human speech.
Modern technology can make life more comfortable for cats and their owners. Gone are the days when you had to constantly clean litter boxes. At least that’s what the manufacturers of self-cleaning litter boxes promise. After each use, a cleaning process is activated in which the dirt is sorted out into a special compartment by rotation or a rake. The owner only has to dispose of the leftovers and refill litter or replace the toilet bowl. You pay between 200 and 800 francs for a self-cleaning litter box, not including follow-up costs for litter or less environmentally friendly disposable bowls. Apparently, the technology is not fully developed for many models. In reviews, users complain, among other things, about frequent defects, a lengthy, noisy cleaning process, rakes covered in feces, and unpleasant odors.
The Swiss inventor Robert Schonholzer wants to solve these and other problems with “SaroCat Royal”. The litter box is equipped with fresh and wastewater containers that only need to be filled or emptied once a week. A big advantage: the royal litter box works completely litter-free with a lawn mat, but you can also choose to use normal cat litter or glass granules. “I’ve observed that cats often prefer to do their business on the lawn than in the flower bed, for example, probably because they don’t like getting their paws dirty,” says Schönholzer. Even cats that were previously familiar with litter usually quickly accepted the lawn mat.
Find Trapped Animals
There was already a prototype of “SaroCat Royal” in 2018, of which around 1000 copies were sold. “In the meantime, however, we have improved the technology enormously. Now we’re almost ready to start production,” says Schönhoelzer. The entrepreneur from Sedrun GR wants to collect the necessary start-up capital via crowdfunding soon. Then “SaroCat” should be sold worldwide and cost about 200 to 300 francs per piece. While the high-tech litter boxes are still being meticulously worked out, cat flaps, which read the cat’s microchip and can only allow selected animals in, usually work without any problems.
If the person released does not come home, as usual, a tracking device can be worth its weight in gold. The first GPS trackers were developed for dogs and were far too heavy for cats. There is now, for example, the 50-gram “Tractive GPS Tracker” for cats (around 65 francs). However, GPS tracking only works outdoors, i.e. not if the Büsi was accidentally locked in a garage. The young start-up company petTracer AG from Wikon LU has therefore developed a GPS cat collar that, thanks to a radio wave-based direction finding function, also enables location in closed rooms and buildings. The “petTracer” weighs just 34 grams and costs 198 francs plus a monthly subscription fee.
Cats that are alone at home can be kept in view from a distance with an interactive pet camera and, depending on the model, spoiled with treats or occupied with a laser (e.g. «swisspet Cam & Play», «PetziConnect», «Pawbo Life Wifi Pet Camera», prices between about 200 and 250 francs). In addition, the owner can talk to the cat via the device and also hear the “answers”. What the meowing means could then be translated with the “Meowlingual Cat Translation Device”. Theoretically at least – because the device still only translates into Japanese.
Robot Mouse for the Modern Cat
There are also pure entertainment gadgets for bored house cats and their owners, including – how could it be otherwise – electronically operated mice, automatic laser pointers, and spinning spring bars.
The luxury version of the robot mouse was developed in Illinois USA in 2014. “Mouse” costs around 150 francs and is intended to encourage cats to run around on their own. Alternatively, you can control the mouse via a smartphone. In any case, if this is not taken over by the second cat. Cat game apps such as “Cat Playground” (Android) or “Catch the Mouse” (iPad) awaken the hunting instinct, for example by allowing fish to swim across the smartphone or tablet. In “Paint for Cats” (iPad), the cat creates a small work of art while catching mice. The apps only cost a few francs or nothing at all, but they become expensive when the cat stretches out its claws in the hunt. Screen protectors can reduce the risk.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s a robot mouse or a game app: high-tech toys should at a most supplement, never replace, playing together with the cat. Because if you swing the cat rod yourself or pull a piece of crumpled up newspaper through the apartment by a thread, you not only satisfy the play and hunting instinct of the velvet paw but also deepen the relationship between humans and animals. Non-electronic toys are always better for the environment and cheaper.