If you’re planning on taking a trip either with or without your pet, you’ll be pleased to learn that there are a number of tech products on the market to ensure your four-legged friend is well taken care of:
- Pet-sitting apps and websites
- Automatic feeders and litter box cleaners
- Apps to keep an eye on your pet from afar
How to Take Advantage of Technology During Your Travels
It’s 2018 and technology is an enormous part of life, particularly when you’re vacation planning. You have apps to book your plane tickets, to find out which restaurants are near your hotel, and to find out the forecast in your destination so you know what to pack. In addition, Siri, Cortana, or Google Assistant can tell you step-by-step driving or metro directions so you don’t get lost, and your digital wallet will keep your boarding passes unwrinkled and literally at your fingertips. There’s no doubt about it; every traveler can take advantage of today’s latest technology. Lest you believe that apps and other forms of technology are only relevant to humans, think again: There are varieties of tech products for your pet, too, and you can put them to work for you when it’s time to take a vacation.
Pet Care Services
When it’s time for the humans in your family to go on vacation, your biggest hassles should be trying to figure out how you’re going to get from the airport to the hotel and attempting to whittle down your list of shoes to pack. If you have a pet, however, you know that making arrangements for Buster or Fluffy can take more time than booking your own accommodations. This doesn’t have to be the case, however! A great app and site for finding a pet sitter is
Rover. (Don’t let the name fool you; this platform is perfect for finding a sitter for your cat as well as for your dog.) Type in the dates you’ll be gone, and the program will find a sitter in or near your zip code. This platform allows you to find a sitter who will watch your furry friend at their home or a sitter who will visit or stay at your home while you’re gone. Are you going to be taking your pet on vacation with you? In that case, you’ll need to find a hotel that will welcome your four-footed family member. In addition, you might need to locate restaurants, parks, and other places of interest that will allow you to bring your dog along.
BringFido will tell you exactly where your pet will be able to go in the city you’re visiting. (While the site and app are geared toward dogs, hotels that accept dogs will also generally accept cats, but you should call the hotel to find out for sure.)
Automatic Feeders and Litter Box Cleaners
If you need to go away for just a day or two, your cat, assuming he or she has no special needs or health concerns, will probably be fine left home alone. Of course, you will need to be sure that your kitty has access to plenty of fresh food and water, and you’ll also want to keep the litter box clean. Here are some tech products that can care for your feline friend while you’re out and about. While low-tech pet feeders (like the
Petmate Pet Cafe Feeder) are an inexpensive and simple way to keep your pet fed in your absence, one issue is that they allow food to sit around getting stale if the cat doesn’t eat it. Also, for kitties who tend to overindulge when given the opportunity, this isn’t the healthiest way to feed your cat. Instead, consider a programmable pet feeder such as the
PetSafe Eatwell 5 Meal Automatic Feeder. You can pre-fill each section with the amount of food you want your pet to have, then it will turn at the right times, covering any uneaten food and serving up a fresh portion of kibble to your cat or small dog at mealtime. When you go on vacation (or if you simply hate cleaning out the kitty litter box), having a self-cleaning cat box is a great way to keep your cat’s bathroom fresh and hygienic. The
Litter-Robot is a highly rated product with a self-cleaning function, so your cat's litter box stays clean no matter where you are.
Apps to Keep an Eye on Your Pet From Afar
When you’re away from home, you might feel a bit anxious about your fur baby. What is he doing? Is she just crying and looking for you? Most of the time, cats and dogs settle down quickly when their owners leave for the day, particularly if a trusted sitter is stopping in to refresh food and give dogs a potty break. If you’re not convinced, consider a home surveillance camera designed especially for your four-footed pal. Dog Monitor is an app that can be run on any
Apple or
Android device to allow you to keep an eye on what your pet is doing. You can even interact with your pet using your voice; for example, if you see that your dog is chewing on a shoe or your cat is gleefully scratching the sofa, you can reprimand them and, if they decide not to ignore you, stop the bad behavior. While Dog Monitor can be used for both dogs and cats,
Candid Catmera is an Apple app that is geared toward feline friends. Get your kitty’s attention with a sound or visual effect that is designed to attract a cat to see what they’re up to. You can even take a photo from the device you’re carrying and post it on social media. Cat selfie, anyone? Keeping track of your cat or dog while you’re traveling has never been easier, thanks to these tech products that are designed especially for furry family members when their humans are away from home.
