Our final verdict
We give the WaggleCam Pro a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars.
Features: 5/5
Ease of use: 4.7/5
value: 4.8/5
There are so many pet cameras to choose from these days that you might be wondering which one is the best for keeping an eye on your cat while you’re away. Most pet feeder cameras are marketed to dog owners, so it can be difficult to know which ones will work equally well for cats.
I recently had the chance to try out Waggle’s new WaggleCam Pro to keep an eye on my cat Makoa while I was on vacation. This camera is packed with features that will please any pet owner, including treat-throwing functionality, multiple subscription options, and motion detection. It also has some extra features that will be super handy for cat owners, including a 360-degree camera view and a strong suction cup to hold the camera in place.
This pet camera has been extremely helpful to me and my cat. Keep reading to find out what this camera can do for you and your cat, as well as my full review of the WaggleCam Pro.
About Waggle
Waggle Waggle’s first foray into the pet industry was with its groundbreaking RV and vehicle temperature monitor. This innovative product has helped pet owners around the world keep their pets safe by sending real-time temperature alerts straight to their phone. Today, Waggle offers many other pet products, including smart feeders and cameras.
The WaggleCam Pro is an update to the company’s original WaggleCam 2.0. The new camera features a sleeker, more compact design and a host of useful new features that will be especially useful for cat owners.
Where is WaggleCam Pro manufactured?
Waggle is a global IoT solutions company with offices across multiple countries, including India and the U.S. Most of the company’s products are made in China.
What types of cats is WaggleCam Pro best suited for?
This pet camera is perfect if you want to keep a close eye on your cat while you’re away – whether you’re on vacation or at work, this camera will give you peace of mind knowing that your cat is happy and safe while you’re away.
The option to toss treats makes it an especially good choice for cats who come running when they smell food, the strong suction cups keep the camera in place so a curious cat won’t knock it over, and the 360-degree rotating camera makes it easy to keep an eye on your cat no matter where you are in the room.
Subscription options include extra features like AI-powered human detection and noise alerts, perfect if you’re worried about the safety of your home while you’re away.
WaggleCam Pro Overview
Here’s an overview of WaggleCam Pro, including camera features, setup information, subscription options, and product specifications.
Camera Features
This camera has all the great features you would expect from a modern pet camera.
The camera provides clear images so you can easily find your cat even if it’s curled up asleep on the couch, and the night vision technology captures clear video even in the dark.
The WaggleCam Pro comes with a good-sized treat container and a great treat tosser that will send treats flying to give your kitty something to do while you’re away. The snap-on top keeps it from being pryed open by a curious kitty, and has two plastic tabs that keep it securely in place.
The camera’s base has three strong suction cups that allow you to attach it to any smooth surface, and it can be easily repositioned as needed, so you can find the perfect spot in your home to keep an eye on your cat.
The base also features 360-degree rotation so you can manually move the camera to check the whole room, and in auto mode the camera will automatically track your cat’s movements so you won’t miss anything.
setting
Setting up this camera is very easy, first download the app onto your iPhone or Android.
Once you download the app and create an account, adding cameras and other Waggle technology is as easy as scanning a product’s QR code. The Wi-Fi connection process was super easy, and I had my camera up and running within five minutes of connecting.
The app is intuitive and works well for the most part, although it did take a little while to open and froze my phone a few times.
Subscription Options
There are two subscription options available for this camera.
The first is the free version, which gives you access to the live camera at any time, and if you enable live tracking, the camera will automatically rotate to track your pet and you’ll have access to playback of the past 24 hours.
Both options include a two-way microphone, manual treat tossing, and scheduled treat tossing.
A paid subscription costs $9.99 per month, or about $60 if you pay for a year up front.
This option includes many additional features that are not available in the free version, such as:
- Real-time alerts and notifications
- Noise Detection
- Motion Detection
- Human Detection
- Pet Detection
- Bark (and Meow) Alerts
specification
| height: | 9.5 inches |
| width: | 5 inches |
| Weight: | 2.06 pounds |
| Processing power: | ¾ cup |
| Treatment size requirements: | 0.28″ to 0.6″ diameter |
| Launch distance: | Approximately 4.5 feet |
| color: | Black and White |
In summary
Strong Points
- Easy to set up
- Clear video, day or night
- 360° View
- Automatic tracking movement
- Multiple additional features with subscription
Cons
- Apps can be slow to load
- Processing power is not that great
- Only works for larger cat foods
Main features
360° View
WaggleCam Pro comes equipped with a 360-degree rotating base that can see across the room, which is a great feature for cat owners to track their cat’s movements, whether they’re napping on the counter or running around the couch. You can also enable auto-tracking mode, so the camera will follow your cat, so you won’t miss a moment.
Cat Prevention
Keeping a treat camera out of reach of dogs is as easy as placing it on a counter, but with cats it’s a little more difficult. Luckily, the WaggleCam Pro comes with multiple features that ensure this treat camera is cat-proof.
Firstly, it has a strong suction cup on the base which keeps the camera attached securely to any smooth surface and prevents it from tipping over, and the intelligently designed lid which snaps under the rim of the body protects the treat drawer from even the most curious cats.
Optional Subscription Features
Whether you want a simple camera that lets you check in on your cat when needed, or a full-fledged pet nanny that reports activity directly to your phone, Waggle has you covered. The free version gives you full access to the camera at any time, but paid subscriptions come with lots of extra features, including the ability to send push notification alerts when motion, noise, or humans are detected.
Is WaggleCam Pro a good buy?
Pet cameras come in a wide range of prices, from around $40 to as much as $250, with most treat-throwing cameras at the higher price point.
The current list price for the WaggleCam Pro is around $130, with a subscription fee of $60 per year, roughly in line with other major pet cameras.
FAQ
What phones is the Waggle app compatible with?
The Waggle app works on both Android and iOS systems.
Does WaggleCam Pro require a Wi-Fi connection?
Yes, this camera requires Wi-Fi and supports both 2.4GHz and 5GHz connections.
Can I put cat food in the WaggleCam?
This camera will work with larger dry cat food, but avoid small pieces less than 1/4 inch wide or crumbles.
Experience with WaggleCam Pro
I’m lucky that I work from home most of the time, so my pets are fine, but this summer my husband and I spent a lot of time away on vacation. We were looking for a way to keep an eye on our cat and two dogs while we were away, so we decided to give WaggleCam Pro a try.
Mako is the pet that needs the most attention in our home, so finding a camera that’s suitable for cats was important to us. The fact that the WaggleCam Pro has a strong suction cup to keep it stable, yet can be easily moved when needed, was a big selling point for us, as is the camera’s 360 degree rotation.
Setting up this camera took no time at all and it connected to my Wi-Fi right away with no issues, which isn’t always the case with these high-tech pet products. Since the holidays were coming up, I decided to give the subscription option a try.
I tested it for a few days before leaving on a trip, during which checking the camera became a daily routine for our family.
One advantage this camera has over other pet cameras is that it can rotate 360 degrees. This was a must-have feature for Makoa, as he spends most of his time right next to the camera on the window sill. The manual rotation option allowed me to see Makoa, the dog asleep on the couch, and even the parrot in its cage next to the camera.
The treat toss feature is definitely the one our pets liked the most. We used freeze-dried cat food because it was big enough to meet our specifications and very attractive.
The camera plays a long, melodious song before firing off the treats, giving pets enough time to get into position.
I also found the subscription-only option very useful: the human detection feature made it easy to keep track of pet sitters and ensure they came often enough, and the pet detection feature always alerted me if my animal got restless or needed a treat.
I also liked the fact that I could go back and check footage from times when I couldn’t check the camera, such as at night.
I’m a big fan of the design and many of the features on this camera. My only complaint about the physical construction is that the snack compartment has a rubber pull tab on the top.
This wouldn’t be an issue for most cat owners, but those of us who have cats with pica know that rubber is always a dangerous material. My cat loves to chew on rubber and swallow the pieces whole. I made sure to cut this tab off before setting up this camera.
I also wish the treat container was a little bigger – I was able to fit enough treats in it to last three pets for a long weekend, but anything more than that would require me to ask the pet sitter to refill it.
But most of the issues I found were app-related.
The app is easy to set up and very intuitive, but it takes a long time to load every time I open it, and it often freezes my phone, sometimes for several minutes.
After dealing with this issue multiple times, I finally got around to force quitting the app after use, which seems to avoid the performance issues on the phone.
I expect these issues will be fixed in future software updates, so they definitely won’t be an issue for me.
Overall, I’m very happy with this pet camera, and I plan on switching to the free version for the month I’ll be home most days, but the subscription option is certainly worth it for those times we go out of town and our pets are home with a pet sitter.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a pet camera to help you keep an eye on your cat, we recommend you consider this one. Waggle Cam Pro.
This high-performance camera has a strong suction base and a snug-fitting lid so even curious cats can’t knock it over or get a treat, and the 360-degree rotating camera, motion detection, and lots of smart features make it easier than ever to keep an eye on your cat, whether you’re at work or halfway around the world.
