Best pet camera: see what your furry friend gets up to when you're away

The best pet cameras to help keep an eye on your cats, dogs and other animals, from treat-tossers to two-way intercoms

best pet camera
(Image credit: Furbo)

The best pet cameras are designed with nervous – or naughty – pets in mind and are perfect for those nosey pet owners (ourselves included) who want to keep an eye on what their furry friends are up to when no one's home. 

As if that wasn't enough, two-way audio – which you'll find in most of the models below – makes it possible to communicate directly with your pet, from any location. Below, you'll find our top-rated models, with comprehensive reviews designed to ensure you choose the right model to suit your requirements.

Looking for more buying advice? Jump to our top tips for buying the best pet camera. Still not convinced by pet tech? Our guide answers the question: do you really need smart pet tech? 

What is the best pet camera?

Why you can trust Real Homes Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

The best pet camera is the Furbo, which makes it easy to keep an eye on what your pet's getting up to from your smartphone. Two-way communication and a handy treat dispenser also make it easy to interact with your pet, whenever necessary. Read our full product breakdown, below. 

The best pet cameras 2022

best pet camera: Furbo

1. Furbo

Best pet camera overall

Specifications

Best for: Bark alerts
Two-way audio?: Yes
Motion detector?: Yes
Pet: Dogs
Treat dispenser?: Yes

Reasons to buy

+
Sends push notifications when your dog barks 
+
Allows direct communication with your pet
+
Throws treats at your command 

Reasons to avoid

-
Design may not be to everyone's taste
-
Not the cheapest

Our top pick, the Furbo pet cam is as stylish as it is functional. Here's everything you need to know about it:

Furbo looks fantastic before you even get to switch it on, with its tall hourglass shape and premium-looking white and wood palette. Whatever your interior style, this model is sure to fit in.

Perfect for busy pet parents, this model sends real-time alerts to your smartphone if it picks up on barking, meaning you needn’t check in every five minutes to make sure nothing’s going down at home, or spend the day worrying that you’re missing something serious.

Designed with two-way communication, it's possible to communicate with your furry friend, wherever you are. Perfect if you're the owner of a nervy pet that's soothed by the sound of your voice.

Perhaps the most gimmicky feature on offer, here, it's possible to remotely dispense your pet's favorite treats, in a tasty game of catch, if they're feeling friendly.

best pet camera: Petcube Bites

2. Petcube Bites

Best pet camera for quality design

Specifications

Best for: Quality build
Two-way audio?: Yes
Motion detector?: Yes
Pet: All

Reasons to buy

+
 Automatically records when activity is detected 
+
 Schedule times to dispense treats 

Next on our list is the Petcube Bites pet cam, which boasts plenty of impressive features for the pickiest of pet parents. Here's everything you need to know about it:

Even social media maestros might not have the time to play handler to their popular pets 24/7 (that Sheba doesn’t pay for itself, y’know) but as Petcube Bites is the only pet camera we know of that can beam video straight to Facebook Live, you can rest assured it’s taking care of business, while you’re taking care of business.

Ensuring you don’t always have to be on your guard, it takes short bursts of video whenever movement or sound is detected, and reviewers said the video quality was excellent.

Like Furbo, this model also comes with a handy treat dispenser, and one that lets you both schedule treat times and throw treats variable distances.

best pet camera: Petkit Mate pet camera

3. Petkit Mate

Best pet camera with remote play

Specifications

Best for: Full view
Two-way audio?: Yes
Motion detector?: No
Pet: All

Reasons to buy

+
 Unbeatable wide-angle view 
+
 Share pictures and video using the app 

Reasons to avoid

-
No motion detection

Next up on our list is the Petkit Mate, which is quite similar in appearance to our top-rated product. Find out more about it, below:

With a tall, home speaker-like design and elegant wooden casing, the Petkit Mate may be one of the best options to go for if you’re in search of a low-key option that’ll blend with the decor.

Like Furbo, it’s a looker, but quite unlike Furbo, it has the added bonus of a rotating base. This means that you get an unbeatable 340-degree vista of the room, so if your pet’s in there, you’re sure to see them. This feature also makes up for a lack of a motion detector.

Petkit Mate also allows you to play with your pets remotely and share snaps of their antics with friends and family.

best pet camera: CleverDog Camera

4. CleverDog Camera

Best budget-friendly pet camera

Specifications

Best for: Budgets
Two-way audio?: Yes
Motion detector?: Yes
Pet: All

Reasons to buy

+
 Excellent value 
+
 Sends a picture when movement or sound is detected 

Perfect for those on a budget, the CleverDog Camera is another of our favorite devices, designed to help you keep an eye on your prized pets. Here's everything you need to know about it:

Cat owners needn’t skip this one just because of its admittedly adorable name, because it’s good for all four-legged friends, and all budgets to boot. At well under £50, it’s far and away from the best budget pet camera on our list and doesn’t seem to skimp on anything much to make that saving.

Sure, it isn’t quite as pretty as Furbo or Petmate, but it does everything you’d want it to, including two-way audio, a decent-quality camera, and sending you a snap whenever it detects movement or noise.

Overall, if it doesn’t bother you too much that the CleverDog Camera looks like… well, a camera, then it’s well worth considering. 

best pet camera: EYENIMAL Cat Videocam

5. EYENIMAL Cat Videocam

Best collar-mounted pet camera

Specifications

Best for: Wearable
Two-way audio?: No
Motion detector?: No
Pet: Cats

Reasons to buy

+
 Attaches comfortably to your pet’s collar 
+
 Night mode and audio recording functions 

Looking for the best collar-mounted pet cam? We've got you covered with the Eyenimal Cat Videocam. Here are our favorite features:

The only downside to a fixed position pet cam is the fact that it can only show you what you're cats up to when they're in one, specific location. if you want to keep an eye on your furry friend, at all times of day, a collar-mounted option could be the way forward.

There's no need to worry about your cat taking a dip, or venturing out at night, either, as this model has a splash-proof build, night mode, and audio recording.

The only downfall is that there’s no option for live streaming, so you can’t tap in to watch in real-time which neighbor’s bin puss is currently rummaging through, but it’s a fun little tool for watching back your cat’s adventures after they’ve been out and about. 

best pet camera: Pawbo Life pet camera

6. Pawbo Life

Best pet camera for cat owners

Specifications

Best for: Play
Two-way audio?: Yes
Motion detector?: Yes
Pet: All

Reasons to buy

+
 Lots of users can check in at once 
+
 Automated laser game 

Reasons to avoid

-
Seems slightly more geared towards cat owners

For co-parents of fur babies, or housemates with a beloved shared pet, the sociable Pawbo Life is sure to come in handy. Here's everything you need to know about it:

With a handy two-way speaker, up to eight users can chat to your pet at once. And, sure, while hearing 'roll over' and 'sit' at the same time might get confusing, it’s still sure to set those tails wagging.

Many of the Pawbo’s features seem aimed more towards cats, including optional ringtones such as birds chirping and other cats meowing that might settle – or stimulate – a pet who's home alone.

If your pet is getting a little portly, thanks to too much time spent at home, alone, a laser game that gets them exercising during the day, could be just what you're looking for.

Alternatively, you could also treat your furry friend to a treat, using a handy treat-dispenser.

How to choose the best pet camera

When it comes to buying the best pet camera to suit your needs, there are a few factors worth considering, to ensure you get the most for your money. These include:

Two-way audio

If you're out all day and your pet's nervous disposition requires regular soothing, we'd recommend looking into a pet camera that comes complete with two-way audio. That way you can talk (or even sing) your pet into tranquility, should you need to.

Bark alerts 

If you're using a pet camera because you're concerned about your pet's welfare (and perhaps your neighbor's sanity), setting up a pet camera that alerts you when your dog barks will be worthwhile.

Design 

We are interior obsessives after all. Chances are that yours will need to be on display in order for you to successfully spy on your pet. You'll find basic, black, or white designs below, as well as some stylish wood-effect finishes.

Treat dispensers

Want to reward good behavior with a tasty treat? Opt for a model with a built-in treat dispenser that issues the goods on your command.  

Hebe Hatton

Hebe joined the Real Homes team in early 2018 as Staff Writer before moving to the Livingetc team in 2021 where she took on a role as Digital Editor. She loves boho and 70's style and is a big fan of Instagram as a source of interiors inspiration. When she isn't writing about interiors, she is renovating her own spaces – be it wallpapering a hallway, painting kitchen cupboards or converting a van.

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