I would like to say I own two dogs and two cats but in reality, I own two dogs and I am the butler to two cats.  One of the cats is 14 years old and all she does all day is wait to be fed and if left alone with her - and the other cat’s - food, she would gorge herself until she were fit to burst. This was made worse a few months ago when she had to have a couple of teeth removed and now all she can eat is smelly wet food - which she adores - but the other cat, who is a hunter gatherer, isn’t so keen and would much rather go out for a takeaway, usually a rabbit that he leaves its back end of on the kitchen floor. 

The Sure Petcare SureFeed RRP £119.99 or with the hub £169.98

This is a microchipped pet feeder that allows selective feeding for pets using their own microchip.  These are perfect for my fat cat and the hunter. No longer can fatty mine sweep all the food continuously through the day. The microchipped feeder has integrated scales which allows me to accurately portion food for each meal and monitor how much, how often and when my pet last fed. It’s a brilliant design to stop her eating the other’s food with the microchip-selective entry, only opening for the registered cat. It’s like having a doorman on her food bowl. The pet feeder is connected to the Sure Petcare app via a hub which is connected to the internet and provides me with the information.

Sure Petcare Hub RRP £49.99

This is the hub that connects to the internet and monitors when a product - feeder or cat flap - is used and allows you to control it from the app on your phone. This is not only a cute hub with ears that light up, it means that you can see both products’ usage in one place, noticing changes of your pets’ comings and goings as well as their feeding patterns.

For households with more than just two rival cats, it’s handy to note that the hub can connect to up to 10 products. Whereas the hub can be purchased without a feeder, the SureFeed (or Cat Flap Connect) will not operate without the hub, so this is the essential piece of kit, which connects the Sure Petcare app to the product and allows you to view their graphs and behaviours on the app. The Sure Petcare app can be downloaded free from the Apple App Store and Google Play. 

Sure Petcare Animo Activity and behaviour monitor RRP £59.99

The Animo runs on a separate app – the Sure Petcare Animo app - as this is a completely different system, specifically for dogs.

The Sure Petcare – Animo is a behaviour and activity monitor - like a FitBit - for your dog. It is collar mounted, waterproof, dog proof and does feel suitably hardy and robust. It is very clever as it will monitor activity and calories used but it also looks into sleep quality. It can be difficult to keep track of changes in your dog’s behaviour so even small changes can give you a critical insight into your dog’s health and wellbeing. This monitor will start to collect your dog’s behaviour patterns from the moment that it is attached to the collar. However, there is a 14-day learning period, where Animo will establish what is ‘normal’ for your pet, so that any change in certain behaviours can be easily identified in the reports.

SureFlap Microchip Cat Flap Connect  RRP £109.99 or with the hub £149.99

These microchip-controlled pet doors stop intruder animals entering your home by only opening to your pet’s unique identification microchip. This may not be necessary in rural locations but in busier towns with a multitude of cats it is certainly reassuring to know your cat isn’t being followed home by the big bully Tom, or having its meals stolen by a greedy neighbour while you’re out and unaware! Similarly, spreading word of the benefits of microchip-activated doors lessens the chances of your own cats venturing into others’ territory and getting up to mischief, it’s yet another reminder of the benefit – or rather necessity - of microchipping our pets. Great to see responsible pet products on the market.

Pros

Well made

Clever design

Great insight into your pet’s behaviour

Controls their diet

Hub runs up to 10 units

Cons

Not cheap but what is with pets? They are brilliant and a game changer. Well worth the money. Encourages responsible pet ownership.