According to a recent study by the American Time Use Survey, Americans spend about 6—8 hours at work every day. The Humane Society says that 47 percent of homes own at least one dog, and 46 percent of homes have at least one cat. It’s safe to say that we own quite a few pets in this country, and spend far too long away from them at work.
If you’re stuck at work and, well, not actually doing work, you may think about turning your attention to the iPet companion website. This group is dedicated to connecting more pets with people through the internet, by way of remote-controlled toys and a live webcam. You can select one of 12 humane societies in the country, and play with kittens waiting to be adopted. This strategy is designed to get more kittens adopted, since people can see them being playful, energetic and cute.
But what if you don’t want to play with those pets? What if, instead, you’d like to turn your attention to your bored pet at home, lounging lazily on a couch in the sunshine while it waits for you to come home? Our pick for that is the Petcube, fully funded on Kickstarter back in the fall of 2013.
This device serves several purposes—first of all, it’s a live webcam you can use to keep an eye on your pet throughout the day. This is ideal for those shady pets who wait until you’re backing out of the driveway before they decide to puke in your bed and tear up the carpet (or, more likely, pets who bark all day and annoy the neighbors). There’s a two-way microphone, which means you can hear your pet, and you can speak to it from the Petcube. So potentially, if it starts barking, you can yell at it to stop from miles away. The third and most entertaining feature is the laser pointer you control from the app. It’s a lightweight, simple, and hilarious way to play with your pet while you’re at the office (on your lunch break, of course).