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- Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.
Every pet parent wonders exactly what their dog and cat do while they’re away. Pet cameras not only provide a glimpse into our pets’ days when we’re gone, but they also have a variety of practical uses.
For example, live streaming and video recording can help diagnose and work through separation anxiety, letting you see exactly how long your dog can be alone before showing signs of stress.
It can also let you know what your pet gets up to during the day and if you need to provide more enrichment and activities to bust boredom and prevent destructive behavior. Which type of camera you choose will also depend on you and your pet’s specific needs and goals.
To help you find the best camera for your pet, we’ve picked out the best options to fit a variety of household needs—from fancy pet cams with all the bells and whistles to plainer devices that get the job done for less.
Best Interactive Pet Camera for Dogs: Furbo Treat-Tossing Camera
While one of the pricier dog cameras on the market, the Furbo is also one of the most popular, and for good reason. It comes packed with a ton of cool features like a treat tosser, barking notifications, cloud recording, picture and video sharing, and a doggie diary that puts together a highlight reel of your pup’s day. The latest version includes a rotating 360-degree view, color night vision, and auto dog tracking to keep a closer eye on your pup.
But the Furbo’s crowning jewel is its smart alerts feature, which is the most advanced in the pet camera realm. Not only does it alert you if your dog has been moving and barking, but it will also let you know when they’re making noise for more than a minute, which can be extremely helpful when working through separation anxiety, reactivity, or noise sensitivity. It can also tell you when a person enters the room, giving extra peace of mind when you leave your pup with a family member or pet sitter when you’re away. There’s even an emergency alert for added safety that can detect when something is broken or if your smoke or carbon monoxide alarm goes off.
The only catch, however, is that you need a subscription plan to get the smart alerts, along with some of the camera’s other advanced features.
Pros:
- Treat tosser for training and entertainment
- Offers advanced smart alerts
- Lets you capture photos and videos of your dog
- Includes fun extras like a doggie diary
- Works with Amazon Alexa
Cons:
- Expensive
- Advanced features like cloud recording, smart alerts, and the Doggie Diary require a subscription
- Range and restrictions if you have a big house
Best Interactive Pet Camera for Cats: Petcube Play 2 Play Wi-Fi Pet Camera
Catering more to our feline friends, this pet camera has an app-controlled laser toy instead of a treat tosser. Use the pet-safe laser to play a game of chase in real-time with your cat, or set it to autoplay to keep them entertained and exercised while you’re busy or away.
The sleek compact design is great for smaller spaces and apartment living. It also has a support feature that lets you live chat with veterinarians about your pet’s health, behavior, and nutrition—a useful function if your pet is prone to being sick, needs to lose weight, has an injury, or is in their senior years.
While not as advanced as Furbo, Petcube does have smart alerts that can differentiate between barking and meowing, as well as pets and people. You can also find a Petcube camera without all the bells and whistles (and lasers) for a fraction of the cost. But in order to access any feature besides live streaming on a Petcube camera, you will have to purchase a subscription from their two-tier plan.
Pros:
- Compact design for smaller spaces
- Laser toy to entertain and exercise pets while away
- Includes vet support feature
- Offers smart alerts
- Backed by a one-year warranty
- Compatible with Amazon Alexa
Cons:
- Can only access live streaming without subscription plan
- Laser has been known to not show up in bright homes
- Range and restrictions if you have a big house
Best Interactive Without Subscription: WoPet Smart Pet Camera
Another top-rated interactive pet camera, the WoPet offers a standard model with live streaming, two-way audio, and a treat tosser. And the best part? No subscription is required.
Reviewers give this camera top marks for its ability to shoot treats farther than the Furbo, which can be great for exercise and training. The same goes for two-way audio, which lets you talk to your pup as you play. And since the treat container makes up the entirety of its body, the WoPet can hold more food—up to two cups—making it a good choice for crate training and working on intentional separation, which requires lots of repetition.
It is a basic model that doesn’t include smart alerts. But its price point reflects this, coming in lower than both the Furbo and the Petcube Play 2 Play.
Pros:
- Doesn’t require subscription plan
- Treat tosser holds two cups of food—great for training
- Tosses multiple treats for multiple pets, tosses farther
- Picture and video sharing
- Compatible with Alexa
Cons:
- No smart alerts
- Doesn’t include cloud recording/storing
Best Multipurpose Pet Camera: Google Nest Security Camera
Multipurpose pet cameras can help you in your other roles at home by serving other functions like security surveillance and baby monitoring. They also often come in multipacks, making them great if you have multiple pets or just want to give your dog or cat more access to your home while you’re away.
Doubling as a pet camera, this smart home device works with both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. It includes night vision, two-way audio, and intelligent alerts—motion and sound are available without a subscription plan. You can also set up multiple around your home (there’s a two- and three-pack) or create specific activity zones that only cover the areas you want to monitor.
Reviewers note that sharing access with others is easy—making it a great choice if you’re traveling and need other family members, friends, or pet sitters to keep an eye on your pet while you’re away. They also point out that while the live streaming is extremely reliable, this particular indoor model has limited mounting options, since it’s wired.
Pros:
- Comes in multi-camera packs
- Can control the other smart devices in your home
- Easy to share access with others
- Reliable live streaming
Cons:
- Indoor use only
- No pet-specific features
Best Indoor/Outdoor: Arlo Pro 3 Spotlight Camera
This indoor/outdoor wireless camera system works with all major smart systems—Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, and Samsung SmartThings. It also comes in packs of multiple cameras of up to six—a great bet for anyone looking to monitor more than one room at a time. The Arlo Pro also features night vision for evening check-ins, two-way audio, and basic motion alerts.
Since the cameras can be used both inside or outside, they’re a strong choice for pet parents who want to monitor their pets in the yard—ideal for notorious escape artists. They can also be helpful to keep an eye on other outdoor spaces and animals, like barns and livestock. Or they can double as surveillance cameras to watch out for packages and visitors.
Pros:
- Comes in multi-camera packs
- Can use outside for surveillance or to monitor yard
- Compatible with other smart devices in your home
Cons:
- No pet-specific features
Best Budget-Friendly: Wansview Q5 Pet Camera (Verified Review)
The Wansview Q5 isn’t the fanciest pet camera on the market, but as we discovered in our testing, it does check a lot of boxes—especially ones you’ll want if you’re looking for a camera to help you crate train a puppy or work with a dog with separation anxiety.
Our testers’ favorite feature was the real-time motion detection, which allowed them to focus in on a specific area (like a crate). It also alerted them if there was any movement—making it easy to keep the app closed and focused on whatever task was on hand.
The option to tilt, pan, and zoom the camera allowed flexibility in the placement, but the loud sound could be distressing to pups who are reactive or sensitive to noise. This camera also comes with night vision and two-way audio, although we did find there was sometimes a two- to three-second delay between reality and the app.
Pros:
- Camera pan, tilt, and zoom
- Real-time motion detection for pet parents on the go
- Live streaming and two-way audio available without subscription
Cons:
- No sound detection/notifications
- Noise from camera movement can be distressing to pets
- Delay in two-way audio
Best Bulb-Style Pet Camera: Besdersec Panoramic Bulb Wi-Fi Camera
This panoramic camera simply screws into a light socket for a 360-degree, fish-eye view of the entire room. With HD and clear night vision, this camera is a unique choice for pet parents who don’t necessarily need interaction but do want to get a clear view of their pets’ activities.
The bulb can light up when it senses motion if you plan to be out for the evening, and its out-of-the-way setup means there’s no need to worry about your pet knocking around the camera itself (or its cords)—ideal for rambunctious puppies and kitties.
Pros:
- Gives full 360-degree view of room
- Unique setup keeps it out of the way
- Alerts when motion is detected
Cons:
- Entire product has to be replaced when bulb burns out
- No two-way audio or pet-specific alerts
Best for Home Integration: Wyze Cam v3 Pet Camera (Verified Review)
The Wyze 3 keeps an eye on Enzo the test pup. Image courtesy of Jaimee LaTorra
This extremely affordable smart home camera is a strong choice for anyone hoping for full home integration of their pet camera without paying high-tech prices (it’s compatible with Alexa and Google Home).
In addition to standard features such as HD, two-way audio, and sound and motion alerts, the camera can tell the difference between a dog and a person, so you have the added security of knowing when someone—perhaps the dog walker—is inside your house. The latest version also has night vision.
Reviewers have noted that while the live streaming is clear and crisp without delays, the app is a little less intuitive—specifically that playing back recorded videos can be a bit clunky. But once they learned the ins and outs, our testers were satisfied and found the Wyze a compelling budget pick.
Pros:
- Can be used indoors or outdoors
- Two-way audio, sound and motion alerts
- Pan and tilt movement
- Crisp and accurate live streaming
Cons:
- App is reported to be less intuitive (especially when playing recorded video)
How We Chose Our Pet Cameras
The products featured here were selected based on a combination of our own hands-on testing, a comprehensive look at customer reviews across a wide variety of retail platforms. When choosing pet cameras, we weighed quality, popularity, and usefulness against price and set-up complexity. We’re also guided by the experience of living and playing alongside our own much-loved and strongly opinionated pets, who are never stingy with their feedback.