This post is sponsored by PetCube.
I am all kinds of stupid excited to share this post and product with you guys today! You may be aware that I’m a cat fanatic and more than a little obsessed with my two black furred kitties! (And, despite how that cat may look on the outer packaging, I am SUPER excited about this product! Seriously… who peed in that cat’s chicken-flavoured Cheerios??)
I introduce to you… the Petcube Play! What is it you ask? Only the greatest invention known to pet lovers everywhere! The Petcube Play is essentially a webcam with a built-in laser pointer with audio capabilities. The device itself syncs to your local wifi network and has the ability to save and stream videos.
The unit itself is very light – you can easily hold it in the palm of your hand. It also has a tripod swivel in the bottom of the unit so you can twirl it onto a tripod and not have to worry about your pet knocking the camera over.
To test out the product, I opted to put the Petcube Play on the dresser that faces our bed. It made the most sense to put it there because our two cats (Nemo and Kolme) spend the bulk of their day sleeping on the bed if we aren’t home. Since I don’t have a mini tripod, I ended up using a makeup palette to elevate the back half of the camera so that the camera would point lower (not pictured).
With the camera in place, I took to installing the device. The Petcube Play relies on your local internet network in order to work. I first installed the app on my Android device (also works for iOS!) and ran through the wizard to help me install the Petcube Play and sync it to my device. It’ll ask you to log in to your local network so that it can stream the video properly.
With a few quick and easy steps, I had the Petcube Play up and running in no time! The shot above is my phone on the bed, the picture inside my phone is the Petcube play app which is currently streaming me smiling at the camera while pointing my DSLR at my phone and shooting the pictures. So very meta.
But on to the playing! With the Petcube Play installed on my phone, we took to playing with the laser pointer while we were in the room with Nemo. The laser pointer is activated when you turn it on and you use your finger to slide the pointer across the image displayed on your phone. How amazing is that?? You’ll find there’s a bit of a lag between where your finger points and where the laser ends up – so your cat will end up dancing around the room, floor or bed like a madman, but really… it’s just adorable to watch!
Also cool? This camera has nightvision. Not kidding! I was laying in bed in the pitch black one night watching YouTube and Netflix (as you do), and my husband (David) turned on the Petcube Play from the other room and could see everything perfectly. Not hugely necessary, but really, REALLY handy!
So of course, with this handy device in place, what do I want to do at work? Check my pets all day long! Although the running cat lady joke may be that I want to spend all day playing and watching my cats, the thing that I love about the Petcube Play is that it makes going on vacation so much more peaceful. Sure, we always get a petsitter or some friends to come in and feed our cats, but I’m always wanting to SEE Nemo and Kolme. If someone doesn’t tell me they’re safe and sound every day while I’m on vacation I tend to think the worst (which is a horrific feeling when you’re away from home. It’s brought me to tears before while on vacation thinking about it).
If you want to see the Petcube Play in action, take a look at the video above! You can see Nemo and Kolme lounging on our bed on *their* blanket, having a short tussle, Nemo playing with the laser pointer… and then, the best part, you can see when Nemo hears David’s voice through the Petcube Play. Nemo stops what he’s doing, looks up at the cube, turns his head to the left where our bedroom door is and waits. It’s a bit heartbreaking, and I think I’d use it sparingly on vacation so I didn’t give my cats false hope that I was nearby ready to cuddle soon, but still… it’s lovely to be able to interact and let them hear your voice while you’re away.
The Petcube Play will store four hours of video on their cloud but that will get deleted once the time expires. You can purchase 10 days of history for $10 a month (there’s also a 30 day option as well) so you never miss a moment. I have our camera set to activate and record on movement which means I get a few clips every now and then whenever one of them stretches or moves around on the bed. I love this because it means I get a snapshot in time without just watching the little bugger sleep for the nine hours we’re not home (seriously jealous).
And there he is – Nemo looking at the Petcube Play because he’s just heard David’s voice. I love that the audio isn’t distorted – Nemo can definitely hear David. This is a much better reaction than we’ve ever had via Skype or Whatsapp video to which they’d never reacted to before!
My Thoughts
Do I even need to praise the Petcube Play more? I love this thing so, so much. It lets me see and interact with Nemo and Kolme while I’m not at home. And while that’s not vital for my daily work life, this gives me so much peace of mind for when we leave for vacation. We’re going to Indonesia and Australia in September and I am so relieved to have the Petcube Play on standby to let me see my kitty cat babies while we’re gone. This will be the longest time we’ve away from them and while it’s sad, I’m ecstatic to know I can tune in to see the Nemo & Kolme channel when I need to reassure myself that they’re safe and sound at home.
The Petcube Play retails for $199 USD (as of this post going up, it’s on sale for $179 USD) and comes in matte silver (pictured in this post), carbon black and, for us beauty lovers who are obsessed with the shade, ROSE GOLD!
