Friday Feature: Gadgets and Technology Made Just for Pets
People aren’t the only ones benefiting from advancing technology in wearables, smart homes and apps. Our pets back at home are also reaping the benefits of smart gadgets made specifically for them.
Here in the U.S., we sure do love our pets. According to the American Pet Products Association (APPA), 65 percent of all households in our country own a pet — that comes out to about 79.7 million homes!
And we don’t skimp when it comes to caring for our pets. In 2015 alone, Americans spent about 60 billion (that’s billion with a “B”!) dollars on our pets, and that number is expected to rise to almost 63 billion dollars in 2016. These costs cover food, medicine, vet care and other services, which can include all the fun new pet gadgets on the market.
From filtered water fountains to Wi-Fi pet-monitoring systems, and activity trackers to health and fitness smartphone apps, there’s something for almost every pet owner’s need out there (largely restricted to cats and dogs).
Remote-controlled training systems? Purifying water fountains? Check and check! Wearables, apps, home gadgets — sounds a lot like the type of technology that the pet owners ourselves are taking advantage of these days, no?
It should be no surprise that millennials are the most likely to try out new pet gadgets for their furry loved ones at home. According to Pet Age, 69 percent of millennials say that they’re more likely to use technology to keep track of their pets. And with millennials now owning more pets than baby boomers, we can expect to see a growing demand for these fun pet gadgets in the marketplace.
If you want to see some really fun (and sometimes ridiculous) new pet gadgets, check out this page on Gadget Review.