Technology in Everyday Pet Items

Technology is all around us. From where you are right now, how many items that use technology in some way do you see? Your watch, phone, voice-activated TV remote, credit card with the security chip. It seems like there has been an attempt to make nearly every facet of our lives easier and safer through technology. And this, of course, does not stop when it comes to pets.

More pet product companies are looking to make pet ownership better through technology, mirroring the increase in technology across all industries. This increase in supply in technology comes from customer demand, which includes pet parents.

According to Grand View Research, the pet wearable market in 2014 was at $837.6 million. In a report last year, the organization predicted that number will reach $2.36 billion by 2022. This demand for technology in the pet industry will grow as younger generations become the top spenders. For instance, according to the American Pet Products Association’s 2017-2018 Pet Ownership Survey, Generation Y cat owners are more likely to have an automated/timed dispenser food bowl than older cat owners.

Founded in 2007, SureFlap is finding a way to further incorporate technology into the pet industry with its pet doors and feeders, all of which strive to make pet ownership more rewarding and to enhance pets’ day-to-day well-being.

SureFlap has developed a line of three smart pet doors that read a pet’s existing veterinary identification microchip, opening only for them. Its standard door is selective-entry only, meaning it will keep out unwanted intruder animals but will let any pet leave the home. The Microchip Pet Door, designed for small dogs and large cats, has a curfew mode which allows the owner to set a lock and unlock time. The DualScan Microchip Cat Door, which reads a pet’s microchip both as its exits and enters the house, is ideal for multi-pet households where owners wish to choose which pets can have outdoor access.

In 2014, using the microchip technology from its smart pet door line, SureFlap started developing its SureFeed sealed pet food bowls. The Microchip Pet Feeder, for multi-pet households, opens only for the corresponding pet’s microchip. The Sealed Pet Bowl, for single pet households, retains food’s freshness with its motion sensor, only opening when the pet approaches and closing when the pet leaves.

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