As some of us return to the office, we don’t think about how our pets have become used to us being home 24/7. This dramatic change in behavior can be stressful on pets, but it doesn’t have to be, thanks to pet cameras.
Pet cameras not only help you know what your pets are up to when you are away, but many of them have technology to communicate with your pet, allowing your pup to see you, even when you aren’t physically home. Pet cameras can even help encourage good behavior while you are away and help you keep up on their training.
What To Look For in a Pet Camera
The best pet cameras will have 1080p video resolution and at least a 160-degree wide-angle lens to keep your pet in view. Motion and audio detection can be used to send push notifications to your phone when your pet is acting erratically or making a lot of noise, like when they bark uncontrollably at the robot vacuum. When this happens, pet cameras with two-way voice — in some instances, video — allow your pet to hear your voice, or hear and see you. From here, you can potentially calm your pet down, give it instructions, or simply tell them they’re the bestest pet ever. Some even have a treat dispenser to give good boys and girls a little something extra for good behavior.
Just because you’re heading back into the office doesn’t mean you have to leave your loved little furballs behind. Below you’ll find our recommendations for the best pet cameras to keep your pets in mind, and in sight.
1. Furbo Dog Camera
BEST FOR DOGS
When you want to continue to train your pup while you’re away, calm a nervous pet, or just keep tabs, the Furbo Dog Camera can be a great asset for pet owners. As you watch a live feed of your pet, you can reward it for good behavior while you are away by dispensing treats (not all size treats fit though). If you have an anxious little animal in the home, you can receive alerts on your smartphone when your dog is barking and then use the two-way voice to talk to your animal through the camera to promote positive reinforcement or calm the little one down. It really is a great pet camera for dog owners.
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2. Petcube Play 2
BEST FOR CATS
Really, this is great for both dogs and cats, but the addition of a laser pointer toy helps keep frisky little felines entertained while you are away. Like the Furbo, you can chat with your pet through two-way voice and watch their behavior thanks to a 1080p lens with a 160-degree wide-angle view. Plus, Play 2 has built-in Amazon Alexa, so you can turn on some music or control other smart home devices before you walk out the door.
3. Petcube Bites 2
ALSO GREAT
The Petcube Bites 2 is every bit as impressive as the Furbo Dog Camera and costs the same, but has a slightly lower rating on Amazon, albeit 4.2 stars from just under 300 ratings, which is still fantastic. You can watch your dog via 1080p video with a 160-degree wide-angle lens and even make recordings. It also has two-way voice to talk to your animal while you are away, as well as a treat dispenser. But this treat dispenser actually flings the treat to help entertain your pet with a little fetch while you aren’t home.
4. Wyze Cam v2
BEST BUDGET
Technically this isn’t a pet camera, but with its incredibly easy to use interface, sharp video quality and affordable price, you can actually cover your entire home with Wyze cameras for the price one Furbo or Petcube Bites. It offers free cloud storage for recorded video, and you can grant access to the feed to others without sharing your password, which is great for people who share a pet. Sure, it doesn’t have a treat dispenser or two-way voice, but if you’d like to know what your pet is up to while you’re out, this is the affordable way to do it.
5. WOpet Smart Pet Camera
WORTH CONSIDERATION
Sporting a 1080p camera and night vision that can see even in the darkest of homes, you’ll capture great footage of your pet while you are away. You can use the treat dispenser to pamper and reward your pet while you are gone, or the two-way voice to talk directly to your pet. It has all the makings of a solid pet camera and it’s a little bit cheaper than others with treat dispensers.
6. PetChatz Pet Treat Camera
BEST FOR VIDEO CHATS
The advantage of spending the extra cash on the PetChatz Pet Camera is the added interaction. Beyond offering two-way voice, you can actually video chat with your pet. That’s right, it’s like a little FaceTime camera so you can see your pet and it can see you. You can dispense treats to your pet with you on camera so it looks like it is coming from you, and even treat your pet to a little aromatherapy. This camera doesn’t have any cords or corners to chew on and can be mounted to the wall.
7. Petcube Pet Monitoring Camera
NIGHT VISION
When you work at night, but want to keep an eye on your pet, the Petcube boasts night vision that can see up to 30-feet in the night. If your pet is acting erratically or barking a ton when you are away, you can set up push notifications to be sent to your phone, so you can peer in and see what is happening. There’s also a “chat with a vet” feature that connects you with a vet quickly if something appears to be wrong with your animal. It might not have some of the fancy features that others offer, but it’s a solid pet camera and an affordable one at that.
8. YI Dome Camera
360 COVERAGE
As great as most pet cameras are, not many provide full coverage of an entire room. That’s what you get with the YI Dome camera. You can use the smartphone app to set your favorite positions so you can angle the camera quickly to the popular spots where your animal tends to hang out. And if your pet is acting up, you can use the two-way voice capabilities to communicate with your pet while you are away. It’s an affordable way to watch the little furball while you’re gone.
9. TOOGE Pet Camera
AFFORDABLE OPTION
Sure, this camera isn’t 1080p, but with full tilt, panning and zooming functions, you can cover most, if not all of a selected area with this one camera. It can even see at night, for those who work late. And it has adjustable motion and audio sensors (you can control the sensitivity) that will send notifications to your phone when your pet is moving around or barking. It’s not the best pet camera available, but it’s a solid choice, and an affordable one to boot.
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