Every cat owner knows how agile and premature a cat can be. After all, there are huge, multi-million-member groups on social media dedicated to making cats laugh at how tough they are. But because of these same behaviors, it can be incredibly difficult to know when your cat is having a health problem.
Cats are notorious for masking severe pain and other symptoms. Until you notice the symptoms, a cat can hide their illness for a long time. Felcoa Connect is a smart water bowl that tells you when, how often, and how often your cat drinks can help catch an early sign of a cat’s illness (increased fluid intake).
So does it work? Kind of good.
Easy to set up but tedious
The setup process is not difficult, but it is annoying in the worst possible way. A separate hub is required for the Felcoa Connect water bowl. On the plus side, it’s shaped like a cat’s head, and LED indicators are built into the ear. It’s so beautiful. On the downside, it requires a dedicated Ethernet connection and outlet.
At a time when many smart devices are hubbleless, the need is somewhat off-putting – especially when my router has only one Ethernet port. I’m being forced to choose between controlling my Hue lights or Felqua Connect throughout the house.
After I set up the hub, it instructed me to insert four C batteries under the water bowl. The use of batteries isn’t a big deal – it allows for more freedom to place a bowl of water without the need to plug in, and we all know how much cats like cords – but the type of battery is weird. C. Batteries are not common, or they are not easy to find The Felcoa Connect boasts six months of battery life per set of batteries, but I’m willing to trade a shorter battery life for an easily found (and less expensive) type of battery.
Cat-tested, cat-approved
After my cat set up the Felcoa Connect next to a normal water container, it took her a few days before testing. He gave it a bit of a side-eye at first, but he started using it – and soon forgot about his old water bowl. Felakua Connect uses a large reservoir that drains out water as needed. It keeps the bowl on top and keeps track of when it is refilled and how much water it distributes in the bowl, telling you how much your cat has been drinking.
It can even distinguish between different cats, or so it claims. The reviews seem to support it, but since I only have one cat, I haven’t been able to fully test it. It can read your cat’s microchip to know when they are drinking and provide a separate report for each animal. Unfortunately, if your cat is not microchipped, some features lack a certain omph.
For example, Felcoa Connect tracks when my cat eats a drink – but only because it reports that a certain amount of water has been removed from the bowl. It does not link to its activity. It basically works the same way so I can see when he goes to his bowl, but it lacks personalization.
The app reminds me that I don’t have any registered pets in my house, but it doesn’t give me the option to designate me as a single-cat house. Without a microchip, the application is only half-function. Could it be a conspiracy for more pet owners to microchip their animals?
My cat likes the new water bowl and uses it extensively. Instead, I get a notice every time he sips (usually in the middle of the night) and I can track if he is drinking more than usual. There is another side effect, though: when the Felcoa Connect distributes more water into the bowl, it releases bubbles into the reservoir.
In cat language, that bubble means play time. I woke up to find my cat attacking the pond and making bubbles on the kitchen floor and splashing water.
You can control some aspects of Felcoa Connect from the Sure Petcare app, such as the brightness of the hub light. It gives you a simple view of any connected device as well as the power of their connection. The main feature is the timeline – it shows you when the bowl is refilled, when your cat drinks and much more.
It’s an innovative, though niche, idea – but is it worth it? I’m not sure. Only Fe 115 for Felaqua Connect (a device that is nothing more than a fancy water bowl without a hub) is not a cheap purchase, especially when you combine it with 84. Sure Petcare Hub. If you have other products from Sure Petcare, such as their attached feeders, investing in Felcoa Connect might be worthwhile, but I don’t think it’s worth the hassle or hassle for most pet owners.
If your cat has special health considerations, it is important to monitor their fluid intake – but only if your cat is healthy. Felcoa Connect May be a bit overkill.
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