No one wants to be a crazy cat lady. But if you love your cat, you're probably feeding it into an early grave. And it's about damn time that something got that box of kibble out of your hands and took control of the situation.
The Catspad could be here to help.
Debuting at CES 2017 to time in with a Kickstarter launch, this smart cat feeder automates the way your pet is fed. Rather than dumping a full tin of Sardine Fancy into your cat's bowl at once, the Catspad portions out food at set meal times, giving you feedback on the way your cat eats while you're away.
Here's how this machine will replace you, dear pet owner:
- Water reservoir pumps fresh, filtered, running water
- Dry food storage portions out meals, set by weight
- Schedule regular feeding times or control the size of portions release on demand
- App gives feedback on food and water consumption
At first glance, it's essentially doing the job of a visiting neighbour. Certainly without cats to demo the device on the show floor, the Catspad has a tough job competing against the other connected pet gadgets on show at CES (the adorable dog game here is strong).
But what sets the Catspad apart is the way it can detect, feed and track individual cats.
An RFID sensor in the device can be used to pair with your cat's vet-implanted microchip (or a fob that hangs from your cats collar). From here, the Catspad can work out when your cat is at the feeder and, if you have multiple cats, detect which cat is eating and provide feedback to the app accordingly.
The Catspad is available through Kickstarter for $199 (no international prices were available, but that works out to roughly £163 or AU$275). It will be available for wide release in June 2017 for $250 (£204 or AU$345).