Ever wished you could see all your cat’s secret haunts and activities while he’s out roaming the neighborhood? Well, now you can.
Thanks to a cool German site called “Mr. Lee – Projects for Cats and Pets,” you can find out where all your cat goes and where he likes to hang out, and you can even have him shoot digital pix of all his feline pals, girl/boyfriends, enemies, frenemies, and even his prey. You might not want to see that last one, especially when it comes to snakes, mice, rats, spiders, and so on, but hey… that’s part of an outdoor cat’s life.
The photos have a very interesting perspective, with most taken at about six inches above the ground. The site features a wealth of pictures taken by Mr. Lee himself, as well as other cats. Some of the images are quite artistic – who knew cats were so talented!
Of course as we all know cats also spend a great deal of time napping. During these times all the pictures he takes will be black and boring. The solution? Hit delete.
The Mr. Lee site sells CatCams, CatTracks, and (coming soon) even a wireless Live CatCam that feeds a live signal to your TV or computer via broadband.
Mr. Lee himself is of course the star of the site. This gray-striped and white tomcat was born in South Carolina, but somehow ended up in Germany. He has even been given a trophy for taking the “World’s Biggest Small Photo.” He likes to eat shrimp cocktails out of it.
The Mr. Lee CatCam is a small 2.5-ounce noiseless digital camera that goes on your cat’s collar or harness. It’s enclosed in a plastic outer case that protects the camera from shock as well as dust, dirt, and water - because you never know what your cat’s going to get into next. Drinking water from the toilet or puddles? No problem. Playing in the litterbox or getting into fights? Yeah. You get the idea.
The CatCam, which uses one AAA battery (rechargeable battery recommended), takes a picture automatically at selected intervals. The factory preset is every 10 seconds, but you can change it to take photos however often you like. The CatCam will also take short video images as well.
As of this writing, the CatCam sells for $58 US plus shipping. The price will vary, however, due to currency fluctuations.
If you want to know where your cat is at any given time, or to find out how far he roams, you might want to consider the Mr. Lee CatTrack. This satellite-based GPS tracking device lets you know just where Fluffy is at any given time.
Those who prefer the live wireless video streaming model will have to wait a little longer, as it is in development now, according to the Mr. Lee site. However, the site shows how the live cam will work and provides other information about it. You can also sign up to be notified when it becomes available.
There’s also a 2009 CatCam calendar called “Views Beyond the Cat Flap!” that features pictures taken by cats wearing Mr. Lee CatCams. The sales for the CatCam calendars go to a British charity called Pets as Therapy. This worthy cause provides gentle, trained cats and dogs to hospices, nursing homes, etc., to provide love and comfort to the patients.
