.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE Pet tech: Geeky gear for your dogs and cats
.AUTHOR Jorge Sosa
.SUMMARY Here’s a gaggle of geeky geegaws for you, the discerning pet owner. They range from the practical to the pointless, and Jorge Sosa abitrarily rated them in terms of usefulness. A score of 5 means said gadget is pure genius. A score of 1 means if you’re seriously thinking about buying said piece of junk, we encourage you to have your head examined.
.OTHER
Pity poor Fido and Fluffy. Given the state of today’s economy, it’s no surprise veterinarians report people are spending less on preventative care for their cats and dogs.
Maybe you’re tightening your belt, too. Or maybe you’re such an animal-lovin’ propellerhead, you can’t resist checking out the latest goofy gadgets for your furry family.
Sigh. I thought so. Well, here’s a gaggle of geeky geegaws for you, the discerning pet owner. They range from the practical to the pointless, and I’ve abitrarily rated them in terms of usefulness. A score of 5 means said gadget is pure genius. A score of 1 means if you’re seriously thinking about buying said piece of junk, I encourage you to have your head examined.
To be fair, it’s not like I’ve individually tested each gadget in the field. I’m applying my curmudgeonly common sense here, but I’ve been wrong before. If I actually got my hands on a doggy MP3 player, I might wonder how I ever got along without one. But, I doubt it.
.TEASER Tap here and read the reviews
.H1 Innobitz JooZoo Diamond MP3 player
How big can the market possibly be for a gold-and-diamond encrusted, heart-shaped, MP3-playing necklace for your dog? I imagine it’s not much bigger than Paris Hilton’s immediate social circle.
If you must know, the JooZoo retails between $1,500 and $2,000. It comes with a remote control and the manufacturer claims it will improve your dog’s health. It reportedly responds to your dog’s behavior and plays appropriate music to both stimulate and relax your pooch. That’s great, but won’t a good belly rub achieve the same effect at much less expense?
.RATING 1
.H1 Visiglo Fashion Collar Bones
Now this is more like it. For less than $25, this dog collar provides all the bling FiFi needs. It’s practical, too. The collar features teeny flashing LED bones. If flashing pawprints are more your style, suit yourself. Either style is available with a matching flashing LED leash, further enhancing FiFi’s visibility when you’re out for an evening stroll.
.RATING 5
.BEGIN_KEEP
.H1 GoDogGo automatic fetch machine
This contraption reminds me of one those pitching machines you see at batting cages. You can program it to automatically launch tennis balls every seven or 15 seconds, at ranges of 15 to 30 feet. Or, you can use the accompanying remote control. It’s designed so Fido can even load the darned thing himself, by dropping the slobbery tennis balls into a bucket.
Why do I give this thing a rating of 3? Because it’s my opinion that the point of fetch is for Fido’s owner to get a workout along with Fido. But I imagine not all dog owners out there are physically able to keep up with their dogs’ enthusiasm, due to perfectly valid health concerns. For these folks, the GoDogGo is probably worth every penny of its $150 retail price.
.RATING 3
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.H1 Litter Robot
The life of a cat owner isn’t all fun and games. Sometimes, it’s downright crappy. Enter the Litter Robot. It’s a motorized, self-cleaning litter box that resembles a prop from a ’70s sci-fi flick. It immediately scores sizable geek points with me, simply because it looks like the kind of futuristic pet gadget one would own in the 21st century.
Here’s how it works. Tigger climbs into the spherical Litter Robot and does his business. Tigger’s body weight triggers the robot’s sensor and seven minutes later, the sphere rotates slowly, sifting the clumping cat litter inside and dumping the waste into a garbage-bag lined drawer. Rather than prospecting for turds, Tigger’s owner just changes the drawer liner and tops off the litter as needed. Yeah, it costs about $300 bucks. But it’s freakin’ awesome.
.RATING 5
.H1 CatGenie self-cleaning litter box
OK, I gave the preceding self-cleaning litter box a 5 rating, and this one gets a 1. What’s with the double standard? Well, although the CatGenie is about $50 cheaper than the Litter Robot, it falls short on numerous counts.
For starters, it looks like a toilet, not like the Death Star. Also, it uses specially formulated granules in lieu of litter, which are liquefied and flushed down the drain. Cold water and sanitizer de-stink and disinfect the kitty toilet bowl, and a hot-air blower dries the granules for the next use. An impressive feat of engineering to be sure, but there’s a lot of moving parts and fluids here. If the CatGenie breaks down, how much fun do you think it’s going to be to service?
.RATING 1
.H1 Editor’s note on self-cleaning litter boxes
[I bought one of these things, the LitterMaid, I think, about ten years ago or so for Sammy, my wonderful little kitty. Sadly, Sammy’s not with us anymore, but before she died, she took on the LitterMaid.
Our first month was most interesting. The first few days, she was startled by the machine. It would growl and move and this frightened her. Then, she decided it was prey. For the next month, she camped out at the edge of the bathroom and simply stared at the machine, 24/7.
Eventually, she decided to try it out. I quickly learned that a self-cleaning litter box without a hood was worthless, because she’d do her business, then immediately fire the litter and the poop out of the box in literally every direction. Five minutes later, the box would go through its cleaning motions, but there wasn’t much left to clean.
So I got the hood and attached it to the top of the box. This resulted in another cycle of Sammy getting to know the box and the expected distrust. She used it for a week and it really seemed like we had a solution. The poo stayed in the box, it scooped, and we were happy.
Then Sammy figured out that if she entered the hooded box and rotated around inside, she could face her derriere towards the opening of litter box cover, do her business, and fire the litter and poo out through the opening of the door. The first day she did that, she emerged from the box with a very self-satisfied look on her face. If you’re a cat owner, you know that look.
Ever the gadget-hound, I then faced the door towards the wall, figuring the detritus might rebound back into the box. Nope. Sammy simply removed the cover. This was a structurally-reinforced plastic cover with locking hooks. No match for a cat. I came home from work to find the cover in the kitchen (on the other side of my apartment), the litter box upside down, and litter and poo on a path out the bathroom, into the bedroom, out the bedroom, into the hall, down the hall, and into the kitchen.
Sammy:1, LitterMaid: 0
I threw it out and we went back to the basic pan. Once again, the cat won. I miss Sammy. – DG]
.H1 CatMouse electronic litter box odor eliminator
The bewilderingly named CatMouse seems to be a promising solution for frugal cat owners who don’t mind cleaning out the litter box, but do mind the smell. You install the CatMouse near the litter box and it electronically oxidizes and purifies the air in the immediate vicinity. Not bad for $40.
Things get a little weird if you choose to purchase the optional therapuetic pheremone packs. Maybe there’s something to this feline aromatherapy notion. Or maybe the makers of the CatMouse need to lay off the catnip.
.RATING 3
.H1 Dolce Vita DuoTemp heating and cooling pet bed
Mother Nature has provided cats and dogs with a marvelous array of temperature control devices. When they get too hot, they pant. When they get too cold, they curl up in a patch of sunlight – or on your feet.
This is not satisfactory for the fine people at Dolce Vita, who’ve designed a cushy pet bed that can heat or cool your pet as needed. The bed costs $200, but panting and sunlight are free. So what’s up with my 4 rating? Well, the Dolce Vita people say low-level heat therapy can soothe arthitis pain in aging pets. Just thinking of doggies and kitties suffering from creaky joints, popping aspirins and slathering themselves in Bengay breaks my heart. Fine. I’ll buy the damn bed.
.RATING 4
.H1 PetsMobility PetsCell animal cell phone
The PetsCell has an admittedly practical purpose. You strap it around your dog’s or cat’s neck and should they wander off, the built-in GPS locator helps you track them down easily. That’s great. But why does this thing need to also work as a cell phone? Do you honestly expect Lassie to dial 911 when Timmy falls down the well?
Apparently the folks at PetsMobility are still trying to figure who’s going to buy the PetsCell, and at what cost. Their Web site lists an expected 2008 product launch, but pricing and availability as of the time of this writing (early 2009) are still TBD.
.RATING 2
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.H1 Zoombak GPS pet locator
The Zoombak strikes me as similar to the PetsCell, minus the overkill. It’s designed for animals weighing 15 pounds and over, which means it’s best suited for dogs and big-boned cats. The collar-mounted GPS unit costs $100 and the monthly service fee starts at $9.99. That’s certainly not too much to ask if it’ll help reunite you with your missing pooch or flabby tabby.
You can even get Zoombak GPS locators to strap to your kid, or stick in your car, in case either one should disappear on you. Now that’s fun for the whole family.
.RATING 5
And there you go. Pet gadgets. Now give your fuzzball a hug.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
Visit [[http://www.innobitz.com/eng/index.asp#|Innobitz]].
Learn more about [[http://www.visiglo.com/Visiglo-lighted-dog-collar.html|Visiglo Fashion Collar Bones]].
Learn more about [[http://www.buygodoggo.com/|GoDogGo automatic fetch machine]].
Learn more about [[http://www.litter-robot.com/|Litter Robot]].
Learn more about [[http://www.catgenie.com/|CatGenie]].
Learn more about [[http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3124049|CatMouse electronic litter box odor eliminator]].
Learn more about [[http://www.amazon.com/Dolce-Vita-DuoTemp-Heating-Cooling/dp/B000TV92NG|Dolce Vita DuoTemp heating and cooling pet bed]].
Learn more about [[http://www.petsmobility.com/products/|PetsMobility PetsCell]].
Learn more about [[http://www.zoombak.com/products/pet/|Zoombak GPS pet locator]].
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO
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