Do you have a pet cam (or want one)...?

[misterwhiskers]

Hi, just curious. For those who have pet cams, did checking into the live feed provide any surprises into your cats behavior while you are out? For instance, did you expect to see your cat playing and they only slept? Did you see your cat awaiting your return? Were they restless or sleep most of the time?

And (if you want) what brand do you like? And why? Does motion detection work well or go off too much or too little? Does it give you peace of mind?

 

[lonelocust]

I have talked about setting one up. I'm home most of the time, but if I get a non work-from-home job I'll probably get around to it. I'll probably just use a few cheap web cams attached to raspberry pis instead of a dedicated device intended for the purpose. The spouse and I have also joked that we'd have to put a remote control car with one to be able to drive around and play with the cats, but I doubt I'd actually get around to doing that.

 

[handsome kitty]

I'd love to get a cat sized Go Pro for Eclipse so I can see what he's looking at when he sits on the fences or walls.

 

[sophie1]

Cheap and quick solution.  Laptop required.  Doesn't record but only allows you to inspect while at your desk, and only one fixed area.  Also only works if you have skype at work.

Find a safe place to set up a laptop with attached camera.  Laptop should be plugged in.  Alternatively, a desktop works if it's in a good spot and has a webcam.  Change the power settings to dim the display but not power down or shut off the hard drive when idle, while on a/c power.

Sign up for a new Skype account (call it "home"), different from your usual account.  Set it to respond automatically to video calls, but disallow any contacts except your regular account.

Make sure the laptop is running skype and logged into the "home" account before you leave for work.

At work, run skype, log into your usual account, and video call "home".  Put the skype video window up in the corner, and voila, you can sneak peeks at your cats!  If you have audio turned on you can even talk to them this way.

I did this after I first got my cats then had to leave them home alone (which they hate, poor things) while I went to work.  I found that that they lounge on the sofa or look out windows in the AM, then go to sleep in the afternoon.  I took advantage of this schedule to leave cat videos running when I left for work, with timed shutoff at noon, or set up a "treasure hunt" with treats before leaving the house.