Pet geek: fancy gadgets for your furry friends

Step aside, human! These nifty gizmos are strictly Animal Paws Only!

From US$54.95

The cold weather approaches, and your furry friends sure love sleeping in the washing fresh from the drier. Maybe if you lure them away with a special heated bed just for them, you won't spend winter feeling like you're wearing fur underpants...

Price TBA

The Cat Mate Electromagnetic Cat Flap includes a collar with an electromagnetic tag, which is keyed to your specific door. When your moggy approaches, the tag will unlock the flap, allowing safe ingress while keeping out strays and possums.

AU$299.00

Dogs never seem to tire of chasing balls, even well after you're weary of the game and want to go read a nice book. The GoDogGo is an automated ball-chucker that will continue playing to the heart's content of any dog, keeping your hands free of dog saliva.

US$19.95

Similarly, cats love laser pointers. That little red dot drives them nuts. With a 15-minute timer (so you can set-and-forget) and an adjustable mirror that allows you to aim the dot across a variety of surfaces, it's worth hours of kitty fun.

AU$1299

You may scoff, but the Pet Treadmill is not such a bad idea; there are a lot of overweight dogs around, and it's great for tiny dogs that can't keep up with a human stride — not to mention wet or miserable days where you know you need to walk your hound.

US$99.50

On the days you do make it out into the great outdoors, the Pooch Power Shovel offers you a hygienic solution to cleaning up your dog's Territory Trail. A vacuum sucks your pup's waste straight into a biodegradable bag, making clean-up a minimum of mess.

Price TBA

On the feline side of things, we have the CatGenie: a litter-free self-cleaning cat box. With the tap of a button, it flushes out the bowl just like a toilet, scrubbing the included granules and then drying the box for your cat's next visit.

AU$79.95

For some reason pets seem to be fascinated by running water. The Drinkwell Pet Fountain feeds this obsession while providing fresh, filtered water for your pet to drink. There is no guarantee, though, that this will stop visits to the kitchen sink.

Price TBA

Anyone can get a photo blown up to poster size. For a stunningly stylish, abstract representation of your pet, DNA 11 takes information gathered from a mouth swab mailed in by you and returns with a visual representation of your furry friend's building blocks.

AU$99.95

So what does your pet get up to when you're not around? Uncle Milton's Pet's Eye View camera attaches to your pet's collar so that you can get snapshots of your pet's day. The memory stores up to 40 photos, and you can set the camera to take shots at one-, five- and 15-minute intervals.

From US$30

If your beloved puppy is just like a little person, then the Pet High Chair might be just what you need so that Lord Fluffington can join the family at the table or keep you company in the office. The high chair just clips neatly onto the side.

AU$29.95

If your dog finds mealtime a bit dreary, the Aikiou Interactive Dog Food Centre will liven things up. Sliding panels and a spinning wheel hide your dog's food, making a game of finding the food. Apparently it's great for canine digestion, too, since they have to eat slowly.

From AU$119.83

Just like a little high chair, only for the car, the Pet Booster Seat raises little doggies to a level where they can enjoy the passing landscape. As an added bonus, it keeps your car upholstery free of fur and drool.

From AU$30

For the coolest dog on the block, a pair of Doggles will greatly increase your pooch's street cred, while protective UV-absorbent lenses will lower the chances of eye disease ... and for dogs who already have eye conditions, Doggles will increase their comfort out of doors.