Our Final Verdict
We give WaggleCam Pro a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars.
Features: 5/5
Ease of Use: 4.7/5
Value: 4.8/5
With so many pet camera options available these days, you may be wondering what the best one is to keep tabs on your tabby while you’re away. Since most pet feeder cams are marketed for dog owners, it can be tough to know which will work just as well for cats.
Recently, I had a chance to try Waggle’s new WaggleCam Pro to keep an eye on my cat, Makoa, while I was on vacation. This camera has loads of features to keep all pet owners happy, including treat tossing abilities, multiple subscription options, and motion detection. But it also has a few extra features that are highly useful for cat owners, including a 360-degree camera view and powerful suction cups to keep it in place.
This pet cam proved mighty useful for me and Makoa. Keep reading to find out what it might offer you and your cat and to see my full WaggleCam Pro review.
About Waggle
Waggle first entered the pet scene with their revolutionary 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 phones. Today, Waggle has a number of pet product offerings, including smart feeders and cameras.
The WaggleCam Pro is an updated version of the company’s original WaggleCam 2.0. The newer camera features a sleeker, more compact design and a number of new features cat owners, especially, will find useful.
Where is the WaggleCam Pro Made?
Waggle is a global IoT solutions company with offices in multiple countries, including India and the US. Most of their products are made in China.
Which Type of Cat Is the WaggleCam Pro Best Suited For?
This pet camera is a great choice for owners looking to keep a closer eye on their kitty while they’re away. Whether you’re on vacation or just at work, this camera will help give you peace of mind that your cat is happy and safe while you’re away.
Since it has a treat-throwing option, it is an especially good choice for cats who will come running when they smell food. The strong suction cups help keep this camera in place so inquisitive cats don’t knock it down. And its 360-degree rotating camera makes it easy to keep tabs on your cat no matter where they are in the room.
The subscription option includes extras like AI human detection and noise alerts, great features if you’re worried about home safety while you’re away.
WaggleCam Pro Overview
Here is an overview of the WaggleCam Pro, including camera features, setup information, subscription options, and product specifications.
Camera Features
This camera comes with all the great features you would expect from a modern pet cam.
The camera provides a clear picture so you can spot your cat easily, even if they’re curled up asleep on the couch. The night vision technology keeps this clear video going even in the dark.
The WaggleCam Pro has a moderately sized treat reservoir and a capable treat tosser that can send those treats flying to give your kitty something to do while you’re away. The inset top can’t be pried off by curious kitties and features two plastic tabs for a secure fit.
The camera base has three strong suction cups that keep the cam in place on any smooth surface. At the same time, this camera is easy to reposition as needed, so you can find the best spot in your house to keep an eye on your cat.
The base also features a full 360-degree swivel, allowing you to manually move the camera to check the entire room. In auto-mode, the camera will automatically follow your cat as they move around, ensuring you never miss a thing.
Setup
Setting up this camera is super simple. Start by downloading the app on your iPhone or Android.
Once the app is downloaded and you’ve created an account, you can easily add the camera and any other Waggle tech you have by scanning the QR code on the product. The wifi connection process is super simple and I was able to have my camera up and working within five minutes of plugging it in.
The app is intuitive to navigate and, for the most part, works well. However, I found it does take some time to open and more than once caused my phone to freeze up.
Subscription Options
There are two subscription options you can choose for this camera.
The first is the free version, which allows you to access the live camera whenever you want. You can also activate live tracking to make the camera automatically rotate to follow your pet and access playbacks for the past 24 hours.
Both options also include a two-way microphone, manual treat tossing, and scheduled treat tossing.
The paid subscription costs $9.99 per month or about $60 if you pay for the year upfront.
This option includes many extra features you don’t get with the free version, including:
- Real-time alerts and notifications
- Noise detection
- Motion detection
- Human detection
- Pet detection
- Barking (and yowling) alerts
Specifications
| Height: | 9.5 inches |
| Width: | 5 inches |
| Weight: | 2.06 pounds |
| Treat capacity: | ¾ cup |
| Treat size requirements: | Diameter of 0.28 inches to 0.6 inches |
| Launch distance: | About 4.5 feet |
| Color: | White and black |
In Summary
Pros
- Easy to set up
- Clear video day and night
- 360-degree view
- Auto-track movement
- Multiple additional features with subscription
Cons
- App can be slow to load
- Treat capacity isn’t huge
- Works only with larger cat food
Key Features
360-Degree View
The WaggleCam Pro features a highly useful 360-degree rotating base to allow you to see the entire room. This is a wonderful feature for cat owners to ensure they can track their kitties movements, whether that kitty is cat napping on the counter or running zoomies around the couch. And with the auto-track mode enabled, the camera follows your cat for you so you never miss a moment.
Cat Proof
Keeping a treat camera out of a dog’s reach is as easy as putting it on a counter, but it’s a bit trickier with cats. Luckily, the WaggleCam Pro comes with multiple features to ensure this treat cam is cat-proof.
It starts with the strong suction cups on the base that keep the camera firmly attached to any smooth surface to prevent it from getting tipped over. The intelligently designed lid, which sits below the lip of the body and clicks into place, prevents even curious kitties from getting into the treat reservoir.
Optional Subscription Features
Whether you want a simple camera that allows you to check in with your cat as needed or a full-scale pet nanny that will report activities straight to your phone, Waggle has you covered. Their free version allows full access to the camera anytime, while the paid subscription comes with loads of extras such as push notification alerts anytime there is movement, noise, or a human is detected.
Is the WaggleCam Pro a Good Value?
Pet cameras are available in a variety of price ranges, starting at around $40 and topping out around $250. Most treat tossing cameras are in the higher price range.
The WaggleCam Pro is currently listed for about $130. The subscription costs $60 a year, which is about on par with other leading pet cameras.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which phones is the Waggle app compatible with?
The Waggle app works with both Android and iOS systems.
Does the WaggleCam Pro require a wifi connection?
Yes, this camera does require wifi and is compatible with both 2.4 and 5Ghz connections.
Can I put cat food in my WaggleCam?
Larger dried cat food will work with this camera. But small kibbles under ¼ inch wide or food that crumbles easily should not be used.
Our Experience With the WaggleCam Pro
My pets are lucky that I get to spend most days working at home. But this summer also saw me and my husband leaving the house quite a bit for vacations. We wanted a way to keep an eye on our cat and two dogs while we were away and decided to give the WaggleCam Pro a try.
It was important for us to find a cam that would work well for a cat since Makoa is definitely the pet in our house that needs to be watched most closely. The fact that the WaggleCam Pro has strong suction cups to keep it stable, but can also be easily moved around as needed, was a big selling point for us. As was the 360-degree swivel camera.
It took no time at all to get this camera set up. It connected to our wifi very quickly without any issues, which isn’t always the case with these high-tech pet products. I opted to try the subscription option since we had a vacation coming up.
We tested it for a few days before leaving for our trip. Checking the camera quickly became a daily routine for our family while we were gone.
One major advantage of this camera over other pet cams is the 360-degree rotation. This became a must for Makoa since he spent most of the time sitting right next to the camera on the window sill. The manual rotation option let us check in on him, our dogs sleeping on the couch, and even our parrot in her cage next to the camera.
The treat toss function was definitely the feature our pets liked the most. I used freeze-dried cat kibble in it since it was large enough to meet the specifications and highly enticing.
The camera lets out a long melodic song before it launches the treats, which gives all the pets plenty of time to get into position.
I found many of the subscription-only options highly useful as well. The human detector made it easy to keep tabs on our pet sitter and ensure they were coming over often enough. And the pet detector always gave us a heads up when the animals were getting restless or required a treat.
It was also nice to be able to go back and review footage from times when we weren’t able to check the camera, such as overnight.
I am a big fan of the design of this camera as well as the many features. The only complaint I have about the physical makeup is the use of a rubber pull tab on the top of the treat compartment.
While this is unlikely to be an issue for most cat owners, those of us with pica cats know that rubber is always a dangerous material. My cat loves to chew on rubber and swallow pieces of it whole. Before I set this camera out, I made sure to cut this tab off.
I also wish the treat reservoir was a little bigger. I was able to get enough treats in it to last our three pets through a long weekend, but any longer than that and the pet sitter would have needed to refill it.
Most of the issues that I found, however, had to do with the app.
This app was easy to set up and very intuitive. But it also takes a while to load each time it opens. It has also, on many occasions, caused my phone to freeze, sometimes for minutes at a time.
After dealing with this multiple times I finally started force quiting the app after each use. This seems to help avoid phone performance issues.
I imagine these issues will be fixed with future software updates, so they definitely aren’t a deal breaker for me.
Overall, I have been very pleased with this pet camera. I plan to switch to the free version during months when we will be home most days. But the subscription option is certainly worth it for those times when we are out of town and our pets are home with the pet sitter.
Conclusion
If you’ve been looking for a pet camera to help keep an eye on your kitty, I highly recommend taking a look at the WaggleCam Pro.
This highly capable camera has a strong suction base and a tight-fitting lid to ensure even curious kitties can’t knock it over or get into the treats. And the 360-degree rotating camera, motion detection, and many smart features make it easier than ever to keep an eye on your cat whether you’re at work or halfway across the world.
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