According to the American Pet Products Association, 65 percent of U.S. households own a pet of some kind. Whether they’re cats, dogs, reptiles or birds, families enjoy having a pet in the home.
Feeding, caring and walking pets are often the first form of responsibility for kids and everyone enjoys the unconditional love, companionship and spunky personalities offered by furry, scaly and feathered friends.
And animal owners are using technology in some surprising ways to show their love and appreciation – from using nanny cams to leaving Animal Planet on the TV to spending more money on pets than on friends. According to a recent study conducted by Cox Homelife, here are examples of how families are using smart tech for pet care.
Make pets comfortable while home alone:
- 58% adjust the thermostat.
- 57% leave out toys.
- 80% leave on lights.
- 40% turn on the TV or radio.
Leave on their favorite TV channel:
Many pet owners leave the television on as background noise and entertainment while pets are home alone. Here are the top stations they tune to:
- Almost 40% of pet owners say their pets love an Animal Planet marathon.
- 21% say news networks are their pet’s TV channel of choice.
- 12% say music networks are preferred.
- 11% say their pets prefer Discovery Channel.
- 5% of pet owners believe their pets like Disney Channel.
Buy smart technology for pets
There are many ways technology can improve peace of mind and quality of life for pets. Here are the top four smart tech dog and cat say they would consider buying:
- Automatic food and water distribution: dog owners 32% and cat owners 46%.
- GPS tracker: dog owners 36% and cat owners 25%.
- Video monitoring system: dog owners 32% and cat owners 26%.
- Smart collars to monitor vitals: dog owners 13% and cat owners 11%.
Spend a lot on pets:
Pet owners spend more money on gifts for their pets than for their friends and work colleagues.
- One in five pet owners spends at least $100 on their pets each month.
Use a pet sitter, then checking on the pet sitter:
- One in three pet owners reported they would be more likely to use a pet sitter if they could monitor their activity though home automation technology.
- 75% of pet owners ask for a pet sitter when leaving pets at home alone for extended periods of time.
- Pet owners said they use home automation technology to check when the pet sitter visited, how long they stayed, watch what they did while they were at the house, make sure the dog is safely in its kennel, and ensure they locked the door behind them when they left.
Dog vs. cat video monitoring
When it comes to smart home technology, pet owners are embracing video monitoring capabilities to check on their pets, sometimes even more than once a day.
- 33% of cat owners use video monitoring technology to check on their pets more than twice a day.
- 29% of dog owners use video monitoring technology to check on their pets more than twice a day.
- 54% of cat owners check on their cat once a day.
- 52% of dog owners check on their dog once a day.
It’s definitely fun to playback and share video monitoring footage with family members, colleagues and friends of the budding pet internet stars. And, it’s evident that pet owners love their pets. Let’s not forget that while video monitoring of pets is a perk of having a home monitoring and automation system, it also provides peace of mind for the entire household. State-of-the-art security and home automation technology can not only protect your home and its contents, but also from potential damage caused by weather events such as the heavy rains and flooding. Most now include cameras with 10-day playback access, flood, smoke and carbon monoxide sensors, emails/text alerts of occurrences at the home and smart door locks. Besides using home automation technology to improve pets’ quality of life, it can improve the entire family’s quality of life.
Written By: Suzanne Schlundt
About Suzanne Schlundt
Suzanne Schlundt is Vice President of Marketing for Cox Communications’ West markets. She has held leadership positions with Disney Consumer Products, Jack-in-the-Box and Mattel, Inc. Schlundt lives with her husband, Dave, and two daughters. She is also a pet parent to two loveable Golden Retrievers, Nikki and Bear, and a fish named, Buddy. She is an active volunteer with local schools and the Girl Scouts.
Submitted By:
Gina Ray, APR
Principal
Ray & Associates Public Relations
