Category: Pets

Categories
Pets

Pawly shows that the cats will play when the owner’s away

The Premise. Pets are like children for most cat or dog owners. Leaving them to go to work can be heartbreaking and some pets don’t do well on their own all day. Some opt to keep the radio on all day just so their pets don’t feel alone.

The Product. Pawly is an interactive toy for pets to play with. It connects to the owner’s iPhone or Android and allows them to have fun with their pet remotely. With the app, they can control the movement of Pawly, shoot out treats and even take photos or videos. Pawly itself has four all-terrain wheels and is about the size of a laptop. It’s covered by an orange rubber shield to ensure its durability through rough play.

The Pitch. This campaign video tugs at the heartstrings of pet owners watching, showing cat and dog owners leaving their home in the morning. Never fear! They get to play with them from their office desks. If you want to see a rundown of features as well as the bone that tracks the fundraising status, check out the rest of the campaign. Pawly is looking to raise $80,000 on indiegogo.

The Perks. Watch out backers, your pet can be treat-blasted at with this Canadian product for $399 USD if you’re early enough or $449 USD if you’re on the slower side. Reward tiers climb up to $10,000.

The Potential. Remote pet care is nothing new. We’ve seen a ton of products on Backerjack that handle this very same thing like PetPal and Kittyo. Neither of them move like Pawly, but have more practical functions like feeding the pet while you’re away. In addition, Kittyo comes with a laser for cats to chase around. Also, both have speakers so that they can talk to their pet as well as videotape them. Pawly’s mobility is cool, however it has limited function compared to these other two products. In addition, the price is somewhat obscene for a glorified pet watcher. For those who are really concerned about their pets’ burgeoning loneliness, a paid sitter might be a cheaper option.

Categories
Pets

Schnuzzle dog toy appeals to your schnauzer’s shnoz

SchnuzzleRoast chicken, beef, barbecue, and even honey bacon are foods that many dogs enjoy. So Schnuzzle has taken these savory scents and combined them with colorful and interestingly shaped dog toys. Since the parts are interchangeable, new toys can be created for the family’s best friend, and the scent disks can also be swapped and replaced so that toys seem to offer a new experience each time dogs enjoy them. Presently, only the roast chicken scent is available, but the others are in the making as backers support this campaign. For $30 AUD backers get one complete product with some interchangeable chew parts and an expected delivery of April 2015.

Categories
Pets

The Poo Puck reduces offensive stench when cleaning up after Fido

The Poo PuckWell, the video says it’s “fun to use.” What an interesting notion that picking up dog waste could be an even remotely fun experience. Nevertheless, The Poo Puck is supposed to achieve just such an objective.  How, you want to know? So glad that question was bravely asked. The three-piece system is designed in such a way that the product can be placed on top of the poo and the user can, no, not kick it, but step on it. Poo then adheres to a disposable honeycomb type mechanism so that distance gets placed between one’s shoe and the poo. Backers can get theirs for $15 (comes with 5 refills) and an expected delivery of October 2014. The sooner the better, right?

Categories
Connected Objects Pets

Iota teams up with more of its kind to track anything

The Premise. Tagging something so that it won’t be lost can be done any number of ways, from something as simple to a tag with contact information to microchips and affixed GPS trackers. Now it’s time to know more than simply where something is; it’s time to know where it’s headed and what condition it’s in.

The Product. Iota is a small GPS tracker only slightly larger than a quarter that packs a lot of data processing power underneath its tiny hood. With the ability to be attached to any material, Iota can report the location of a pet, child, bicycle, or key ring. An alarm can be triggered through the Iota app in case it’s hiding in plain sight, and a variety of sensors can push notifications if something’s wrong. With an accelerometer and a temperature sensor, Iota can report if a dog needs to get out of the sun or can be put on a door frame to alert owners to someone entering their home. The Home Base attachment can be set up in a home and offers GPS tracking in four miles in every direction, and can also communicate with other Home Bases in the coverage area to cover even more ground.

The Pitch. Iota’s simple design aesthetic carries over into its pitch video, which chooses to demonstrate the different features of the device as opposed to being flashy or needlessly over-produced. The campaign itself covers the features of each of the unique profiles and how to set up an Iota more thoroughly to demonstrate how simple it is to keep track of the things that matter. Iotera, the maker of Iota, is looking to raise a whopping $250,000 to create molds, get the proper certifications, and go into production.

The Perks. An Iota with Home Base and accessories to attach it to any number of things can be picked up for $99 with a shipping date of January 2015. A second Iota tag is added to the package at the $169 level, and a third at $249. The tags and Home Bases continue to multiply as the reward tiers get more and more expensive.

The Potential. If Iota simply tracked, it would be easy to say that there are a number of other options that would do its job just as well, but because the device is flexible enough to be a pet monitor, a home security system, and more, Iota is an exciting prospect that deserves support, and once it hits the market, some lucky things may never go missing again.

Categories
Pets

Paw Box keeps your paws off your cat’s waste

Paw BoxCleaning out a cat’s litter is one of the downsides of owning a cat. Scooping out the sand almost always leads to interaction with the one part of your cat you don’t want to touch. Paw Box offers a solution to this problem. The rake lives underneath the litter. When it’s time to clean, simply lift it up from one side of the box to the other. At the far end, it traps all the ickiness making it easy to dispose of. One Paw Box will cost backers $35 with estimated delivery in September 2014. This Turkish product hopes to raise $5,000 on Indiegogo.

Categories
Pets

Avo offers a betta’ home for your beta fish

The Premise. Fish tanks can be a soothing, interesting addition to the home. The only problem is that they require maintenance and tanks needs to be cleaned. Suddenly the fish becomes bothersome and may seem like a lot of trouble. 

The Product. Avo is a self-cleaning fish tank for beta fish. With plants on the bottom, it uses a natural filtration system to keep the tank clean. All fish poop and uneaten food is converted into nitrate which feeds the plants. Avo is its own mini eco-system. It has a stylish design with its own lighting as well that controls the heat of the water. Since beta fish are tropical, it’s essential that the water is warm enough to support their survival. The plants at the bottom of the tank come in pods that are easy to rearrange for different looks. In addition, the filter itself is self-cleaning so there’s really no maintenance for the tank at all.

The Pitch. Avo’s Kickstarter campaign, unfortunately, lacks a video. The rest of the campaign does a good job of explaining the tank’s various features, however. There are lots of photos showing the different places the tank can be displayed. It’s small enough to fit on desks and bookshelves.

The Perks. Early birds have two options for this British product. For £150 and £200, backers can receive the tank and start-up kit for estimated delivery in March 2015. At a regular cost, Avo goes for £200. Reward tiers go up to £2,000 but none include an actual fish! (Probably better for the fish in terms of shipping.)

The Potential. Avo is cool product and idea, but not the first of its kind as the campaign suggests. AquaSprouts is a self-contained eco-system for fish as well. However, its plants sit on top of the tank with water being pumped up and down. With AquaSprouts, it’s possible to grow herbs, however, the tank doesn’t have the same type of temperature control that Avo does. Avo also gets higher points for design, featuring the traditional round fish bowl with a twist. All in all, Avo is a great product for lazy fish-owners who enjoy the wonders of ecology.

Categories
Connected Objects Pets

iCat blends the security of a watchdog with the stubby charm of a Roomba

icatThe house tends to feel sadly incomplete without the presence of a family pet. Sometimes for companionship, other times for home security, a pet can be a great friend and a great responsibility. The curious iCat is a little robotic pet that emulates pet ownership without the messy cleanups, odors, and costly food purchases. With touch sensors and a camera, iCat will be content to roam the house, or can function as a long-distance home monitor on kids or against intruders. While the little robotic pal is cute, most people will probably want more traditional home security methods/pet options. iCat is headed to homes everywhere January 2015 for $59.

Categories
Fitness Pets

Rodents get revenge with One Fast Cat, a hamster wheel for felines

One Fast CatCats are ferocious creatures, but many are forced to remain indoors. One Fast Cat is an exercise wheel exclusively for your cat. Why should hamsters have all the fun? This large black wheel features tread and easy assembly. Perhaps in the future, the energy of the wheel could be harnessed to power the house. While an interesting concept for cat lovers, one may save a few extra pennies by simply letting the cat outdoors. One Fast Cat is going for an early price of $175 or $199 at a regular price with estimated delivery in September 2014. This feline exercise wheel hopes to raise $10,000 in a month-long campaign on Kickstarter.

Categories
Pets

FIDO is a patch of turf for your dog to do its business indoors

The Premise. Dog owners know that part of having a pooch entails taking them for several walks daily so that they can do their business. Those up north have trouble with this when the snow and ice settle in for almost half of the year. For dogs that are unwilling to brave the cold, most opt to use smelly, gross pee pads in their house for their pets to go on. 

The Product. FIDO stands for the Fully Integrated Dog Omni-Trainer. It is basically a pee pad on steroids. This product features a large grassy square of turf that dogs can “go” on. Underneath the grass there are several other layers designed to guide all the “ick” onto a pee pad below. It comes with drawers that hold the replacement pee pads, the current pad as well as scent strips to cut down on nasty odor. An added treat dispenser helps to reward and train dogs with the FIDO even includes the option for a prerecorded message from the owner. Can smartphone notification be far behind?

The Pitch. The campaign video shows the sibling creators of FIDO taking about how their elderly parents who live in the cold inspired their product. It also shows dogs actually using the product with ease. The rest of the campaign goes into their long prototyping process and details each attachment of FIDO separately. This product hopes to raise $30,000 in a 45-day Kickstarter campaign.

The Perks. FIDO itself will cost backers a donation of $50 with delivery expected in November 2014. Lower reward tiers offer a medication for dogs with hip and joint issues. Reward levels go all the way up to $1,000.

The Potential. FIDO seems like well-considered approach to get your dog to pee inside. The campaign doesn’t say much about number two, but for number one, FIDO is the way to go. Regular old pee pads are kind of disgusting and smelly. Other products in this arena that also feature turf, like the aptly named Tinkle Turf, are extremely messy and collect the urine in a large, sloshy tray making it difficult to clean up. All in all, FIDO gives dogs and owners alike the chance to remain indoors when the snow and ice are too much to bear, or pee on.

Categories
Pets

BlanCat offers comfort for kitties in knead, will likely be ignored by them

BlanCatCat owners know that adorable thing that cats do when they climb aboard your lap, they pad you. This is super cute, but sometimes when claws get involved it can hurt. The BlanCat is a blanket (get it?) that has air pockets that cats will want to pad instead of you. It is supposed to mimic a mommy cat’s belly, the original pad destination. This fleece blanket comes in blue or cream and costs backers $18 for an early price or $25 regularly with an estimated delivery date of September 2014. BlanCat hopes to scratch up $10,600 in its 35-day Kickstarter campaign.