Top 5 Picks in Pet Care Technology

New technological breakthroughs happen all the time, and the rollout of new technology and gadgets is never far behind! From AI to trackers, we’re going to explore the very best in new pet care technology and also take a look at what pet owners across the UK are still waiting for.

The Best Pet Care Technology

With the number of pet owners rising, it's out with the old and in with the new! Below we take a look as some of our favourite pet care technologies available now, from health trakers to colour changing cat litter.

Automatic Pet Feeders & Water Fountains

One of the wonderful things about pets is that they have their internal clock, built up from years of routines that eventually lead to your pet knowing when dinner time is before you’ve even looked at the clock.

This is where automatic pet feeders can become a lifesaver. Whether you choose a compartmented feeder that lets you portion a set amount of meals or a pet food dispensing feeder that fills your pet’s bowl at a set time, you can enjoy your Sunday lie-in without your hungry pet's impatient stomps or grumbles.

Brands like Cat Mate also offer cat feeders with multiple bowls so you can time the meals for multiple pets or when your pet can access their wet and dry food. Some of the benefits of automatic pet feeders are:

• Strict mealtime routine – your pet gets the exact right amount of food at the time you want.

• Fresh food— no more stale biscuits in a bowl or wet food left to get contaminated. Some wet food feeders even have cooling capabilities to ensure the food doesn't spoil.

• Digital timers— depending on the brand, you can choose your pet’s mealtimes or set smaller portions to be dispensed every few hours for pets who prefer to graze.

• Perfect portions— never worry about measuring your pet’s food, just set the feeder to release the perfect portion size whenever you need.

• Forget overfeeding— not even the greediest guts can manipulate a second dinner from a robot.

Plus, if you have a multi-pet household, you can also choose a microchip automatic feeder that only opens when it registers a chosen pet’s microchip, stopping greedy pets from stealing another's food

In addition to automatic feeders, you can also find a range of water fountains, like this Catit® Flower Drinking Fountain for Cats. It continuously filters water and pumps it up through an adorable flower-shaped spout so your pet can drink fresh, clean water straight from a running source (which some cats prefer!).

These water fountains require regular cleaning and maintenance to ensure they’re working perfectly. Depending on how many animals are using them, you will also need to replace the water fountain filter every 2-4 weeks, but it’s a small price to pay for ensuring hydration!

Some water fountains, like those produced by Petlibro, also have innovative tracking capabilities that allow you to monitor your pet’s drinking habits when connected to their app. This is perfect for owners who want to keep track of their pet’s water intake, especially as increased thirst and urination can be a symptom of health problems that are best caught early.

Pet Health Trackers / Pet Fitness Trackers

Smart technology systems have become common place now, whether that's from having smart speakers that control your TV and blinds, or by wearing a smart watch that gives you detailed information about your body and health in Realtime.

But what about our pets?

Brands like Tractive have developed smart trackers for dogs and cats that work the same way a human’s smartwatch does. The tracker itself is attached to the collar where it its unique GPS/LTE technology provides you with GPS information on your pet’s location as well as insights into your pet’s health, including:

• Live tracking and location history

• Heart & Respiratory Rate

• Bark Monitoring

• Health alerts (such as changes to your pet’s sleep, eating, or drinking habits)

Not only can these cat or dog health trackers provide you with insight into the inner workings of your pet and their health and location, but they can also track symptoms as they arise, making it easy for you to provide your vet with detailed information on your pet’s symptoms to aid the diagnostic process.

A wide variety of pet health and fitness trackers are available now, and even Fitbit has gotten involved with its FitBark GPS and activity monitors. These clever little tools are among the smallest on the market and provide live GPS tracking, health and activity monitoring, and even location history so you can know where your pet is, even if they’re not with you!

The key things to consider when looking for the best dog health Tracker or cat health tracker:

• Waterproofing— If your pet loves water, try to find a health or fitness tracker that is waterproof (not water resistant) to ensure it lasts!

• Tracking Capabilities— How much do you want to know about your pet? Are daily steps enough, or do you want a tracker with intel on calories, sleep patterns, heart rate, and more?

• Size— You need to consider the size of your pet and how cumbersome the tracker attachment would be attached to their collar.

• Battery— Are you interested in information while your pet exercises, or do you want complete daily records of its activity? How much time do you want to spend charging your pet’s fitness tracker?

• Apps— You'll likely need to download an app to access information from the tracker, and some may even require a subscription fee. Basic and premium options are available.

• Additional Features— Some pet health trackers offer extras like vaccination schedules and advice on tracking your pet’s food intake.

Regardless of which health tracker you choose for your pet, make sure you’re choosing one that gives you the information you want, so you can start understanding your pet’s health better.

Pet Surveillance Cameras / Robot Pet Sitters

As much as we’d love to have our pets with us everywhere we go, it’s unfortunately not realistic for all pet owners, especially those who need to leave their pets at home during work hours.

Now, with advancements in home security and surveillance, with brands like Furbo taking the market by storm, more pet owners can check in on their pets throughout the day with their interactive pet cameras.

These cameras work similarly to your standard nanny-cam and can be set up wherever you want in your home so that you can check your phone and your pet simultaneously! Plus, these cameras also offer interactive features like:

• Two-way microphones— so you can speak to and hear your pet from wherever you are.

• Treat dispersers— so you can reward your pet for good behaviour or try to calm anxious pets.

• Bark/meow alerted— This will inform you about your pet’s behaviour and whether it is barking or meowing in distress or just at a toy it can’t reach.

There are various options available for indoor pet cameras, with Furbo offering different options for dogs and cats, as well as mini versions at a cheaper price.

Or, if you’re looking for something a little more companionable, there are also robot pet sitters like the ORo, a smart pet care companion that comes alive when you’re gone to take care of your pet for you, with features like:

• Automatic feeding

• Recording capabilities so you can relive your furry friends' activity while you're gone and never miss a moment!

• Play capabilities, like throwing a ball for your dog, so they can remain engaged and active, even when you’re not there.

• Security assurance, with alerts for any unusual activity with your pet or home

• Health data tracking allows you to inform your vet about anything amiss, even if you weren’t home to witness it.

• Training capabilities, so you can continue your pet’s training and keep them distracted during your absence.

When it comes to pet cameras, the possibilities really are endless, but it’s no wonder why hundreds of pet owners worldwide can spend time away from their pets without rest assured they’re safe, happy, and content.

The Rocki Companion For Pets even has wheels, so if your pet isn’t in view of the camera, you can go and find them with the help of your little robot friend!

QR Pet Tags

Pet ID tags with QR Codes are technically not a new advancement since the first QR pet tag was produced by Pethub in 2010. However, more owners are joining the QR club now, with brands like Crumb giving them away for free! But what makes them so special?

Rather than having a standard pet ID tag with your pet’s name and phone number, QR code pet tags offer cat and dog owners a new way to identify their pet should they get lost or run away, by having nothing but a QR code on the front.

This not only means not having your public information, like mobile phone numbers or addresses, on the tag (which can be easily read or photographed by strangers), but it also allows you to provide more identifying information about your pet.

While you will likely have to create an account with whichever pet tag brand you choose, these services provide:

• Instant location alert texts when someone scans your pet’s tag, letting you know where they are

• An online pet profile is shown when someone scans the tag. It provides information like your pet’s breed, age, medications, and allergies.

• Vet and shelter notifications to let local vets and shelters know if your pet is missing and provide identifying information so they can identify your pet if they’re found by someone else.

• Community notifications let other service users know to watch for your missing pet if they’re missing, and some even create missing pet posters for you.

The free versions of smart pet tags tend to include the physical tag itself (which is scratchproof and waterproof, compatible with any smartphone, and doesn’t require batteries) and the online pet profile.

The premium services allow you to access the other features mentioned above and tend to cost less than £10 a month. They offer affordable peace of mind that you’ve done everything you can to help reunite with your pet.

Automatic Litter Trays

Anyone who has ever cleaned a cat litter tray will tell you it’s the worst part of owning a cat. How does something so small produce such a stink?

Luckily, there is a solution! Self-cleaning cat litter trays are growing in popularity, and there’s no wonder.

Brands like Litter Robot offer self-cleaning litter trays that work by recognising when your cat has been to the toilet, activating the cylindrical mechanism inside the drum that turns like a washing machine, gently sifting the clean litter back into the drum, and catching solid waste to deposit into the drawer at the bottom. No more poop-scooping—just pull the bottom tray out when it’s full and throw the bag right in the bin.

These automatic litter trays ensure your cat has clean litter for every trip. They’re also suitable for multi-cat households, reduce litter tracking in the home, and maximise odour neutralisation.

Plus, some automatic cat litter trays are built with innovative technology and a scale inside, letting you connect the litter tray to your phone to track your pet’s bathroom habits and weight while they do what comes naturally.

Another innovation in cat litter technology is health monitoring cat litter. Brands like PrettyLitter and Fresh Step offer colour-changing cat litter that detects abnormal alkalinity, acidity, and the presence of blood in your cat’s urine. The litter works by changing colour depending on the pH of your cat's urine, giving you an early warning if things aren’t quite right, such as:

• Orange for low pH— could signal bladder stones or acidosis

• Yellow/Green for neutral pH— signals the perfect pee.

• Dark green/blue for high pH— could signal UTIs or lower urinary tract disease.

• Pink/red— signals blood in your cat’s urine, so book a vet consultation as soon as possible.

These insights into your cat's health are a game-changing way to monitor your cat’s health since most cats hide symptoms of illness, preferring to hide. This litter lets you know early when something is wrong, so you can get your cat the help they need.

What Technology Do Pet Owners Want?

Now we’ve covered the best on the market, and it’s time to look towards the future.

Earlier this year, we ran our 2025 Top to Tail Report: Celebrating 20 Years of Caring for Pets, and the UK public had a lot to say.

Take a look at what owners want regarding the pet care technology they want to see in the future:

We hope this glimpse into the present and future of pet care gives you some idea of just what technological advancements are taking place across the pet industry. Whether it’s getting a clearer picture of your pet’s health, or ensuring you never have to scoop poop again, technology truly is changing the game when it comes to caring for our pets.

What advancements would you like to see in pet care going forward? Or if you’re not a fan of tech, why not check out our complete range of pet care essentials, from supplements to veterinary foods, toys and treats to top-of-the-range accessories. You can find everything you need for your pet and more at Pet Drugs Online.

This post is an opinion and should only be used as a guide. You should thoroughly discuss any change to your pet’s care or lifestyle with your vet before starting any program or treatment.