The Benefits Of Switching to Smart Devices For Greener Pet Care
If you’re one of the 86.9 million households in the US that share their home with at least one pet, you’ll understand why owning a pet is so popular. Having a pet can have enormous benefits for our physical and mental well-being. They provide constant companionship, encourage us to be more active, and improve our emotional well-being. Pets reduce stress and anxiety, provide a sense of purpose, and even contribute to improved cardiovascular health.
But while we may cherish our furry companions, owning a pet may not be as good for the planet as it is for our health. From the food they eat and the toys they play with to their toileting habits, pets have their very own carbon footprint. But the good news for eco-conscious pet parents is that technology is helping owners mitigate the impact of their pets’ on the planet while also making their lives easier.
Smart Feeding Systems To Minimize Waste
When you’re looking to create pet-friendly spaces in your home, one of the most important areas is where they eat. A designated pet feeding area that is easily accessible and away from busy areas lets your pet eat undisturbed and helps to encourage healthy eating habits. A smart pet feeding system will help to make this space greener by reducing food waste.
Once programmed to meet your pets’ dietary needs, these innovative devices provide precise portions of dry food, helping to avoid overfeeding and reducing food and packaging waste. They also enable owners to automate their pets’ feeding schedules, manage pet feeding remotely, and monitor how much they eat. As an added benefit, smart feeders can often be used with sustainable pet food options, whether organic varieties or locally sourced food.
Green Tech Solutions For Pet-Friendly Household Cleaning
While keeping your home clean is important for everyone’s health and comfort, it’s especially important when you have pets. However, certain household cleaners contain harsh chemicals that could impact both your pets’ health and the environment. Fortunately, some tech solutions are making cleaning your home much more greener and safer without the use of harmful chemicals.
Robotic vacuums, like the iRobot Roomba, have HEPA filters to trap allergens and pet dander to help keep the air in your home clean. Similarly, air purifiers use activated carbon to remove hair, dander, and odors from the air to create a clean and fresh home for pets and humans. Steam cleaners are also a great solution for chemical-free cleaning as they only use water and high-temperature steam to sanitize surfaces.
Sustainable Technologies For Cleaning Up Cat Waste
Did you know that your feline friend can produce more than three tonnes of CO2 during their lifetime? Fortunately, there are tech solutions to help make your cat more eco-friendly, even when they go to the toilet. Self-cleaning litter boxes remove your cat’s waste automatically as soon as they leave the litter box.
Using minimal electricity, the AutoEgg and Litter-Robot use sensors to detect when your cat exits and immediately sifts out the waste into a separate compartment. While it means less of a dirty job for owners, these smart litter boxes also help reduce the amount of litter wasted. They can also be used with biodegradable or flushable litter such as wood, paper, or corn, reducing waste sent to landfills.
Eco-Friendly Pet Entertainment Devices
Smart, greener pet tech solutions even cater to your four-legged friend’s playtime. Many companies are moving towards using recyclable materials to create durable dog toys, like the Zogoflex line of toys, which are made from 100% recycled plastic bottles and once finished with them, they can be returned to the manufacturer to be turned into pellets and recycled.
Innovative devices like automated ball launchers are designed to last longer than regular toys and promote active play while minimizing waste and energy consumption. There are also smart dog toys like the Petcube Play smart camera and Furbo Dog Camera that enable owners to monitor and even interact with their canine companions when not at home with them.
Sharing your home with a four-legged friend doesn’t have to compromise your eco-friendly values. By switching to greener, more innovative alternatives, you can still enjoy all the benefits of owning a pet while at the same time reducing their carbon pawprint.