Disclosure: I was sent a Petcube for purpose of this review. However, all opinions expressed herein are my own.
Do you ever wonder what your your fur babies are up to when you're not at home? Wouldn't it be cool if you could check in on them or talk to and play with them remotely? Well, Petcube Play allows you to do just that!
Petcube Play is a small, square webcam that allows you to check in on your pets while you're away. You can not only see and hear your pets on recorded and live video feed, but also talk to and play with them too. Petcube Play detects movement, then records video snipets of your pets. The live camera feed allows you to see and hear your pets, as well as talk to them through the two-way speaker in real time! It also has a laser pointer that you control via the Petcube app, enabling you to play with your pets remotely.
To get started, you'll want to decide on the best spot to place your camera. I have three kitties; a torite named Mooshie and two black cats named Presley and Nox. I decided to set up my Petcube Play in the living room because that's where all three of them spend the most of their time. I have a comfy sofa in front of a big window that is their favorite sleep spot. Plus, they love watching what's going on outside all hours of the day.
Once you get the camera situated, you'll need to download the Petcube app and sign up for a free Petcube account to set up and access your camera, which is super easy to do. You can also invite others to access your Petcube camera if you have friends or family members that want to check in on your pets too. They'll just need to download the Petcube app and then you can grant them permission to access the camera.
Now that you're all set up, all that's left to do is sit back and enjoying watching your pets! For the most part, I watched my kitties sleep a lot and stare out the window. Occasionally, I would watch them fight over who was going to get the best spot on the sofa. I loved seeing how surprised they were to hear my voice when I would pop in live over the two-way speaker. They would look all around, tying to see where I was! Mooshie, my tortie, figures out pretty quickly that my voice is coming through the Petcube and tries to get as close to the speaker as possible!
I had fun freaking out my hubby and kiddo a couple times when they heard me pop in live over the two-way speaker! They would play with me too and do funny stuff in front of the camera knowing I watch the camera feed!
Since they did think it was a little creepy that I could watch and listen to them over the speaker whenever I wanted, I agreed to turn the camera off when they are home. Although, I did check in on my kiddo once to make sure he was doing his chores, which he was. Lol!
My favorite feature of the Petcube Play is the laser! It's so fun to play with my kitties remotely. My girls have always loved playing with lasers (seriously, what cat doesn't love lasers) and I love that I can interact with them even when I'm not at home. If I'm having a trying day at work, I'll log in to my Petcube app, turn the laser on and play with the kitties for a few minutes. It immediately puts a smile on my face and turns my day around. I even caught my son on camera once playing with the laser! It was too funny! The new Petcube slogan should be, "Great for pets and teenagers!" Ha-ha!
I have a few trips planned in the next couple months and I'm really looking forward to being able to check in on my kitties while we're away. They always get a little anxious as soon as they see the suitcases come out and I worry that they get lonely without us. Even though we have a great pet sitter, it will be nice to be able to see, talk to and play with them while we're gone.
All in all, I have to say I really do love my Petcube Play. If you have pets, you should consider getting one. It's a great way to interact with and check on your fur babies while you're away, giving you peace of mind that they really are ok! Maybe you'll even get a laugh or two seeing what they're up to when no one is home!
The Petcube Play comes in silver, rose gold and black. It runs $199 but does go on sale sometimes, so you can get a good deal on it if you watch for sales. It's super easy to use and quick to set up. The video quality is really good. Although some of my videos look a little hazy, I think that might just be caused by the lighting in my living room and how I positioned the camera, because the night vision videos are actually super clear. The Petcube app is free to download and you'll get 4 hours of video storage for free. You can purchase more storage space if you want 24/7 coverage. Videos stored in the app can be easily downloaded and saved to your camera. I did have an issue playing a few of my downloaded videos on my computer, but I was able to live chat with support and they were super helpful in helping me troubleshoot the issue. I totally recommend Petcube Play for any pet owner. What are some of your favorite, must have pet gadgets?