Pet cameras fill an important niche role: They’re designed to focus on the activity and sounds of house pets to help owners who want to keep watch while they are away at work, on vacation, and so on.
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Those smart tricks can help owners watch for health issues or behavioral problems, talk to pets to ease stress or even toss treats. Today’s latest AI features make pet cam alerts even more valuable, regardless if you have time to check in. We tested out the latest camera options to find our favorites.
What is the best pet camera?
After testing, our favorite model for 2024 was the Furbo 360-Degree Cam with Subscription, a cam that does it all with a bevy of smart alerts about specific actions your pet may be taking. Just be aware it requires a subscription fee to access all information.
We’ve got several other pet cameras at varying price ranges, depending on what you’re looking for, plus all the advice you need on how to use these cameras properly.
Best pet cameras
Pros
- Excellent and varied smart alerts,
- Treat tossing,
- Panning camera,
- Color night vision,
- Two-way audio
Cons
- The required subscription may be too much for some pet owners
Furbo offers several pet cameras, but we’re recommending this version which requires a subscription for around $70 a year. While we’re not always fans of cameras that need subscriptions, this subscription offers important benefits like smart alerts for barking, cloud recording of motion-detected events and daily pet summaries. You also get security-related benefits like fire alarm detection and person recognition, so it can take the place of an indoor security camera too.
The cam itself is no slouch, with 360-degree panning and intelligent tracking features plus an HD resolution with 4x zoom and night vision. It also has two-way audio and a small treat-tosser to pop out a treat on command. While its AI isn’t perfect, it can make a wide variety of intelligent guesses about exactly what your pet is doing (it even has a vomit alert) and send you many different alerts, which you can customize in the app to filter out the noise. That alone makes it our first recommendation.
Furbo offers models for dogs and cats, but there’s not much difference except for an added cat lure on top. There’s also a mini version of the cam available.
Pros
- Pan/tilt with tracking
- Affordable
- Helpful smart alerts
- Compact
Cons
- Only 1080p resolution
- Smart alerts require subscription
360-degree viewing is particularly helpful when pets are moving and playing (and chewing) around in a large area. Petcube’s pan/tilt model canautomatically track pets and is one of the most budget-friendly models available. You give up extras like treat tossing but retain two-way audio, night vision and a digital zoom. Plus, it’s easier to mount a pan/tilt cam on a shelf or wall and still have it capture everything a pet is doing.
Petcube’s smart alerts have also come a long way, with the ability to identify separate pets and get customized notifications. That requires a Petcube Care subscription starting at $4 per month, but it adds a lot of useful capabilities. The app can send you alerts if a pet has been barking for a long time, for example, or if they jump up on something unexpected.
If you like the idea of a 360-degree cam for your pet, consider the Eufy S350 indoor camera as well, which offers excellent 4K/2K resolution with pan/tilt tracking, fairly accurate pet detection, two-way audio and high-quality zooming to see exactly what Speckle has in his mouth this time.
Pros
- Mounting option for rambunctious pets,
- Sound and motion alerts,
- Treat dispenser,
- 8x digital zoom
Cons
- Limited field of view
Petcube’s Bites 2 Lite doesn’t pan, but the HD cam is more affordable than many alternatives and has similar benefits like two-way audio and 30-foot night vision. It also includes a treat dispenser, but its design also means you can mount it directly to a lower wall, which some pet owners may prefer if you have an overactive dog.
For free you get basic motion alerts, but the Petcube Care subscription starting at $4 a month adds a ton of vital features including live viewing through the app, video storage or downloads, and smart alerts to recognize pets, humans or barking/meowing. That makes the monthly fee more or less a requirement for this cam.
If you really for a cam that can take a look around but like Petcube’s affordable prices, an alternative option would be the Petcube 360 cam: It can’t throw any treats, but it comes with most other Petcub benefits in a pan/tilt package.
Pros
- Doubles as a general security cam
- Accurate animal detection with the right settings
- Free 6 hours of cloud storage
- 2K resolution
- Excellent Gemini for Home summaries for pet owners
- Also works well as a general security camera
Cons
- Wired only
- Gemini features will cost $20 per month
We’ve talked about Google’s Nest Cam before as a versatile, wireless camera that can function indoors or outside. But the built-in — and free — AI detection also makes it an excellent pet cam. Google’s object recognition is top-notch and alerts can be adjusted to recognize animals. The latest Gen-3 version of this camera is more compact than ever and offers 2K resolution — although there is no battery version available.
Position the Nest Cam to watch over key spots like a sofa, food bowl, perching window or pet bed. You can get reliable updates about when your pet enters or leaves. The six free hours of cloud storage also give you time to view and catch up on clips when you’re busy, although without any additional subscriptions. If you want to upgrade to all the Gemini for Home features with the high-tier subscription ($20 per month), the camera becomes even better for pets, with daily summaries of the activity it saw and smarter alerts.
Pet cams compared
| Best pet cams | Furbo 360-Degree Cam with Subscription | Petcube 360 Cam | Petcube Bites 2 Lite | Google Nest Cam Gen 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $65 | $47 | $100 | $100 |
| Resolution | 1080p/HD | 1080p/HD | 1080p/HD | 2K |
| Field of view | 360-degree pan | 360-degree pan | 110 degrees | 152 degrees |
| Motion detection | Yes with AI pet alerts | Yes with AI pet recognition | Yes with animal recognition | Yes with animal recognition |
| Audio | Two-way audio | Two-way audio | Two-way audio | Two-way audio |
| Voice assistant | N/A | Amazon Alexa | Amazon Alexa | Amazon Alexa, Google Home/Gemini for Home |
| Review score | N/A | N/A | N/A | 8/10 |
Important factors when buying a pet cam
Resolution
A higher resolution gives you more information about what your pet is up to. A 1080p resolution is usually sufficient for indoor cams, although we do like picks like Eufy’s, which bumps that up to 2K — the better for spotting furry details.
Field of view
A wide field of view or a panning cam is a big plus. Panning pairs well with object detection and tracking to follow your pet automatically.
Wireless or wired
Pet cams don’t need to be wireless, and their indoor locations usually make finding a nearby outlet easy. However, wireless cams are a bit safer around pets without electrical cords to worry about, and make placement more flexible.
Object detection
It’s important to find a cam that can detect animals and screen out other distractions. Not every cam provides the abundant AI alerts that Furbo does, but it should at least let you know when a pet appears or log pet interactions automatically.
Audio
Two-way audio allows owners to console pets — or tell them to stop eating shoes. Pets don’t always recognize what’s happening, but it’s an important feature for most pet owners.
Treat options
As long as the vet doesn’t have a problem and your pet doesn’t have weight issues, tossing treats can be an important pet cam feature. We suggest staying open-minded about how well treat tossing will work with your pet as it can stir up a lot of emotions, including the ones that lead to damaged cams (or pets trained to make a fuss). But this feature is readily available if you want it.
Video saving and sharing
If you’re primarily interested in live views of your pet throughout the day, you don’t need video storage. But if you want to capture and share cute videos, look for cameras and subscriptions that have these options.
How we test pet cams
We have a full guide about how we test the various features of security cameras, including audio quality night vision and how well motion detection works. However, for pet cams we extend the tests to a few more activities. For those cams that can detect pet actions, we see if they can identify specific activities accurately. We check how far they can lob treats and if the treat mechanism is reliable and sturdy. We also take a close look at panning and tracking features for cams that can scan a room.
These tests also involve our pets here at CNET! And while pets can be a little unpredictable around new pet cams (we always recommend making sure your pet will be happy with one before buying), we work to get them to play with the features and see how easy cams are to knock over, how well they detect barking or meowing, and other important basics.
Where to install a pet cam
Pet cams are a bit different than other security cameras when it comes to installation. Instead of finding a high perch, it’s often better to look for a location closer to the ground, focusing on the spots where your pet spends time. With a panning camera, a corner table position can catch motion throughout a room. The floor is also an option. Keep in mind, pets may want to “play” with a device if they know it has treats somewhere inside.
Pet cam FAQs
Are pet cams safe for pets?
Usually, yes. But every pet is different, and some run into trouble with smart pet tech. We’ve seen instances of pets attacking or chewing on automated food dispensers, for instance. Smart pet cams, on the other hand, can cause anxiety in some pets. They may not recognize the voice coming through the speaker, or they may see a moving camera as a threat while their owner is away.
Because of this uncertainty, we suggest setting up a few scenarios with your pet. Try leaving a smartphone (on speaker settings) or smart display near your pet, then walk out your home and make a video call so that you can talk to and view your pet through the device. See if this agitates your pet or causes problems.
Likewise, consider how your pet responds to a toaster, timed air purifier or (if you have one) robot vacuum. That’s a good indication of how happy they’ll be with a pet cam. When in doubt, ask a trusted vet for advice.
Why would I connect a vet to my pet cam?
Some pet cams do offer subscriptions to 24/7 vet communication services, vet consultations or similar offerings. Overall, we don’t think any of these vet services are necessary. You’re far better off downloading a concerning video to your phone and showing it to your own vet who knows your pet and can give in-person advice (or local emergency vet services, if necessary).
An online vet consultation is unlikely to make much of a difference, and we’re concerned it could increase owner paranoia rather than helping out.
Can a pet cam save recordings for me?
It can with the right plan or storage option. Saving videos is an important part of a pet cam, whether you want to post a cute clip on Instagram, prove the dog really did eat your homework or send your vet a video of a pet acting strangely. We’ll discuss more options below in our recommendations, but pet cams usually allow you to save footage through cloud video storage — which can require a subscription — or with local storage via a microSD card or similar.
Do pet cameras need to connect to Wi-Fi?
Yes. Today’s pet cams need to be connected to your Wi-Fi for remote viewing and control through their apps. Always put the cam in an area where you have a strong signal with your current Wi-Fi router.
Is tossing treats from a device healthy for pets?
On the positive side, tossing treats can help pets feel better if they suffer from separation anxiety and may even be used in distance training efforts. However, some pets will happily dig into a cam looking for the source of the treats, which can quickly lead to damage. Also, if your pet is on a diet plan or in danger of gaining too much weight, having their treats at your fingertips isn’t a good idea for either of you.
Where do I put a pet cam in my home?
Most pet cams are designed to be placed on the floor or on low shelves. Some can be mounted to lower positions on the wall. Placement is about interactivity and treat launching: The closer to your pet, the higher the risk that pets may damage the cam, but proximity is also important for interactivity. Give cams a good view of areas where pets can play — or get into trouble, like the living room.
Are pet cams secure?
Pet cam security isn’t always equal to the security practices of larger home security brands (which can occasionally run into problems of their own). To keep your personal data private, we suggest sticking with companies that encrypt their data and using strong passwords on all your pet cam accounts.
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