Kali-Ma will be 13yrs young in a couple of days. Her age combined with Pet Cams being all the rave lately resulted in this blog. Does she need one? What is the cost? How do they work? Read on to have all these questions answered and more.

DO YOU NEED A PET CAMERA?

Ultimately only you can decide if a pet camera is the right choice. For me the following factors were pivotal in my decision:

• I am a single person that works daily and is gone 10-14hrs a day.
  • I work long days and Kali-Ma is alone much of the weekdays. With a pet camera, I can “talk” to her periodically and see that she is ok.
• Kali-Ma is entering her “senior” years
  • As Kali-Ma ages I naturally have concerns about her health. Pet cameras are an excellent way to monitor pet behavior for any subtle changes.
• I rent an apartment
  • A few weeks ago a maintenance person entered my apartment in error. I didn’t find out until I got home. If I had a pet camera, I would have been able to sound an alarm and tell them to leave.
• The cost of the cameras is very reasonable
  • I found the pet cameras to be extremely cost-effective, especially with regard to the peace of mind I now have.

WHICH PET CAMERA IS THE BEST?

The camera you choose will depend on your personal requirements. I purchased (3) different ones before finding the right fit. I got them all from Amazon which made returns simple and easy.

Tips for pet camera purchase:

• Read the camera descriptions carefully
  • Some cameras only work with 2.4ghz. Verify what internet speed you have before purchasing.
• Cameras can have “monthly charges”
  • There can be fees for recording or subscriptions you have to join. I chose a camera that can hold a memory card.
• Microphone, Picture Clarity, etc.
  • Decide what options are essential for your use. With my camera choice, I can hear and talk with a built-in camera microphone.
  • I chose a camera to have visibility of Kali-Ma, not to take photos. Several comments I read complained about the pictures but one would have to spend high $$ to get a camera with the pixels required to have tv clarity. I also am able to have each photo I clip time stamped. See below:

MY CAMERA CHOICE:

After much research, and trial and error, I decided on the Reolink 3.1 camera. I bought one and took about a week to get comfortable with it. Then a purchased an additional pack of (2). It has all the features I wanted and continues to work well going on (4) weeks now.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I am the most UN-Techy person in the world. The camera was easy to set up and the price was nothing compared to the peace of mind I now have. Kali-Ma took about (3) days to acclimate to my “talking” to her. I speak to her every day at noon and again just before I leave the office. As you can see from the picture she is “listening”.

I dream she never ages and that we live a peaceful, pain-free life together. That is not reality as my aches and pains have already begun once I hit 50! So, if we have to age, at least I can keep an eye on her and know if I’m needed at home. Being able to talk to her is really nice too! My mother, may she rest in peace, would be saying “just look at what you can do now….”. If she would have lived I could of also “shared” the application with her so she could see her grandcat.  Instead, she is watching over her from heaven.