The first thing I noticed about the cat camera is its stylish design – it looks more like an electric diffuser than a piece of technology for your pet. This matte black appliance features a contrasting bamboo lid, and the only branding is its Furbo logo at the base.
The Furbo cat cam has a tall, slimline shape and measures 8.77in x 4.92in x 4.92in in size and you’ll find stickers to help stop it from slipping on a surface (or hopefully being knocked about by an over-friendly cat). I did find the 760g weight makes the camera quite steady, too.
Within the box, there was a wire with a bell attachment and a separate feathery toy to secure on the end of it. While the wire is bendy, it’s quite long and the toy sticks out a bit from the camera. So, while appealing to animals, it does make the device a bit less streamlined. But because this part is detachable, that isn’t an issue.
To set it up, I plugged in the camera, downloaded the Furbo app and followed its very simple instructions. The free app is how you can watch, get the device to make a noise to attract them or fire out treats across the room. The Furbo camera can hold a whopping 100 treats at one time, which can be fired out after a customised game and should keep them going. You’ll also receive notifications if your cat is making meowing sounds. The next step up from this is the Furbo cat nanny subscription, and we were able to access a free 30-day trial on the app. After that, it costs £6.99 a month, which I think is quite reasonable if you would use this service regularly.
My cat is quite timid, and while he was intrigued at first about the toy and bell, he didn’t seem drawn to it all the time. Similarly, the honking sound I could activate from the app didn’t impress him, either. It did, however, make my spaniel Ziggy come running. So, a plus I found about the cat camera is I could use it to monitor my dog, too. There is a separate Furbo dog camera you can buy (£128.33, Furbo.com).
As someone who mostly works from home and likes the idea of keeping an eye on Star when I’m out for the day, I think the main app will give me everything I need. Although, I’d probably get the nanny cam subscription for week-long holidays. But, if you are out of the house a lot, the nanny aspect would probably be more up your street. Especially as it can detect lots of different noises and movements (including if they vomit), take pictures of your cat while they play with the toy, and even provide a 60-second highlight reel of their day. From a security point of view, it picks up on smoke and people in the room as well.
Another brilliant perk of the cat camera is the colour night vision, so you can see what they get up to while you’re asleep. When it came to Star, I found out that he sleeps a lot overnight, rather than causing too much chaos. Both during the day and night, the 360-degree angle offers a view of the entire room, and the 1,080px HD camera has a wide-angle lens that can zoom in four times, too. It’s also worth mentioning that you can chat to your cat with Furbo, and that’s a cute feature if you’re missing your furry friend. Finally, you can take screenshots of your cat via the app, if you spot them in any funny poses or just want to add a photo to your pet album.
In case you’re wondering, unplugging the Furbo disconnects the camera, so it needn’t run all the time or be on when you don’t want to be filmed.
The camera is currently on offer for less than £150, which I think is excellent value for money, given its impressive features.
