Tech toys for modern pets

As the world becomes increasingly high tech, the market for pet gizmos continues to grow – from automated toys to collar cameras – here are some of the latest offerings.

Playtime all the time
The trend for many technological toys and household gadgets is increased interactivity and pet toys are no exception. Cats, for instance, are known to enjoy chasing laser pointers, but owners have only so many hours in the day in which to make the red dot dance. Enter the FroliCat Bolt, which can help to entertain your cat when you’re not available. The Bolt, which looks a bit like a bowling pin, uses a laser to draw patterns on the wall or floor for kitty to chase.

Your pup isn’t left out of the fun either. With Fetchtastic, your dog can enjoy an almost never-ending game of fetch. The automated fetch machine will launch a new ball every seven seconds for your dog to chase. To make the game truly never-ending, you can even train Fido to drop the ball back into the machine so it can be fired again and again.

The iPet Companion meanwhile takes a unique approach to interactive pet technology. While the remote-controlled kitty toy is available for in-home use, this tech-driven toy has also been put to use in a number of animal shelters so that people at home can use a browser to play with the cats remotely.

I spy pet cam
Perhaps more fun for owner than pet, the Dogtek Eyenimal is a small digital video camera designed to be worn on a dog or cat collar. The camera can record up to two-and-a-half hours of video from your pet’s point of view, so you can see what the furball gets up to when you’re not around.

Lap of luxury
If you really want to spoil your four-legged friend, the pet bed warmer from PetSafe can be integrated into your pet’s favorite bed or blanket to provide some toasty warm comfort. Or for the floppy-eared gourmand, there’s the Sunbeam Gourmet Pet Treat Maker, which allows you to bake homemade dog biscuits in minutes. The device even comes with suggestions on dog-friendly frosting, so you can really put the icing on the cake.

And that’s really only just the beginning. If you’re looking for more high-tech ideas for pets, the Toronto Star also has a list. Of course, these gizmos are a lot of fun for both animals and humans alike, but they can never take the place of real one-on-one playtime between you and your pet.