Leaving webcam at home to watch cats??

[WolfpackFan]

I hope this isn't too far off-topic, but has anyone ever connected a webcam at their home and then viewed it at WDW? Here is our situation. Our DD28 has two cats (one kind of new) and they are being left behind at our house while we're at WDW in three weeks. A neighbor of ours is going to feed them for us (even though they're not our cats). DD is concerned about leaving them behind (they are basically her children ). I've had the great idea, that perhaps we could connect a webcam to my wife's laptop which is in our kitchen and point it into our den and then we/she could check on the cats while we're at WDW (her to make sure they are okay and me to make sure they haven't demolished our house ). Has anyone else ever done this before? Do you have any recommendations for a good webcam (not too expensive)? Are there any webservices that I can connect to that will let me view the webcam? Any help would be appreciated. Even though I worked as a computer professional for 30+ years, I've never paid the slightest bit of attention to webcams.

 

[anonymousegirl]

I would be concerned that three weeks is a long time to leave cats alone. By alone I mean, with little to no human company. Having someone come in daily to feed them is not the same thing as having someone around for them to interact with. I had two cats (siblings) and we have never left them alone-alone for more than a week. I usually get a cat/house sitter to stay and water the plants, care for the cats, protect the home for opportunistic thieves.

I also would not board them unless the boarding kennel has actual rooms for them vs cages. At the usual places, the cats are let out daily for a small period of time and spend the rest of the 24 hours caged up. I would NEVER subject my darlings to that.

And please do not tell your DD this, but even with all my precautions, I still lost one of my darlings on my last trip. Came home after a month in Africa and found one of them listless and sickly. Off to the vet and two days later we had to put her down (kidney failure). She was 14 years old but had I been home, I would have noticed the symptoms a day or so earlier and maybe we might have been able to pull her through (although vet was doubtful). My Godson says he will never housesit for me again (he feels so guilty although we don't blame him in the slightest)

Sorry this veered so far off your question, but I just wanted to share my 2cents.

 

[LisaS]

We have a "cat cam" set up. We have a Panasonic BL-C10 network camera (so no PC required). It's a lower-end model (wired rather than wireless, pan and tilt but no zoom, live video only, no recording) but works well for our purposes. It can be controlled from a web browser. My DH can also access it with his phone.

You can program up to 8 pre-set positions which is very handy because otherwise panning and tilting is very slow since the image refreshes after each small movement. We were able to mount the camera in a spot where by panning and tilting we are able to see their food bowls in the kitchen, the area where they sit and watch the bird feeders and their favorite napping spots in the family room, though they don't seem to spend as much time there when we're not home because we usually only see one cat in the family room when we're away. We leave a couple of lights on so that we can still look in on them at night.

To give you some idea of the image quality, here is a screen capture from our camera showing two of our cats walking around in the kitchen, wondering why their bowls are empty. The smaller (320x240) image size was selected here. A 640x480 image size is also available.

Another nice feature of this camera is that you can configure it to email you a snapshot if someone enters the room. We use this feature to get an alert when our cat sitter arrives (or if someone who should not be in our house has walked in!). We don't spy on her but like receiving confirmation that she is stopping by every day.

ETA: This camera does not have a microphone so it's video only, no audio.

 

[mr_incredibles]

This is what you needanasonic BL-C131A Network Camera Wireless 802.11 by Panasonic. Get one at amazon.com. Have a happy trip.

 

[WolfpackFan]

I would be concerned that three weeks is a long time to leave cats alone.

You misunderstood me, we will be at WDW in three weeks but will only be there five days (Dec. 21-26).

 

[Surly]

We have a "cat cam" set up. We have a Panasonic BL-C10 network camera (so no PC required). It's a lower-end model (wired rather than wireless, pan and tilt but no zoom, live video only, no recording) but works well for our purposes. It can be controlled from a web browser. My DH can also access it with his phone.

You can program up to 8 pre-set positions which is very handy because otherwise panning and tilting is very slow since the image refreshes after each small movement. We were able to mount the camera in a spot where by panning and tilting we are able to see their food bowls in the kitchen, the area where they sit and watch the bird feeders and their favorite napping spots in the family room, though they don't seem to spend as much time there when we're not home because we usually only see one cat in the family room when we're away. We leave a couple of lights on so that we can still look in on them at night.

To give you some idea of the image quality, here is a screen capture from our camera showing two of our cats walking around in the kitchen, wondering why their bowls are empty. The smaller (320x240) image size was selected here. A 640x480 image size is also available.

Another nice feature of this camera is that you can configure it to email you a snapshot if someone enters the room. We use this feature to get an alert when our cat sitter arrives (or if someone who should not be in our house has walked in!). We don't spy on her but like receiving confirmation that she is stopping by every day.
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A few additional points. Panasonic make a range of web accessible cameras that will work for this application with prices varying depending on the features and the network connection options. The more basic the features and the more restrictive network options the cheaper the camera.
The BL-C10 is several years old and cost under $200.00 but needs a wired connection. The WiFi versions cost a little more.

Depending on where you place it you may need to make a custom mount so that you get the right orientation for the camera. I made one using fexible gas pipe from Home Depot plus some washers and a bolt compatible with the standard tripod mount on the camera.

The Panasonic cameras have a web server built in and the recent ones will auto configure a plug and play router. If you have an old router or firewall at home you may have to configure the port forwarding manually but that is a one-time config. This is required so that you can access the web server on the camera when you are not directly connected you your home network.

If your ISP is prone to changing your IP address you can register with one of several dynamic DNS services like dyndns.org. Again, modern routers will keep that service up to date automatically if the ISP re-addesses your box or you can do it manually or with a client that you run on a PC. That way you can connect to the same name like "kittycam.dyndns.org" and be immune from ISP address changes.

The camera has simple security built in (username and password) and you have several options like turning on the green LED on the front when the camera is accessed. It is configured by connecting to it with a browser.

The web server has a couple of entry points, one that will render the video and the controls for a laptop and another that will render for a mobile device with a smaller static image and camera controls more suitable for a phone keypad. I imagine with the 3G wireless networks the more recent versions of this camera may even do video to the phone.

Really for the money they are good value, the video quality is good and they will give you some peace of mind when away from home.

 

[Anal Annie]

OK, so we have 2 cats (Buzz and Woody) who can and DO "get into things" but what purpose is the webcam if you're 1,200 miles away or whatever? I would just be sitting there yelling at the monitor!! They both like to drive me crazy by sitting on the kitchen table (when there is a tablecloth on) and the evil things will do that just to see me freak out at them. I think it is a game to them to watch me blow my top when they pretend the table is a bed!

We have the self feeders for food & water when we're away but I still prefer someone to come in every day to check on them and scoop the litter...usually a neighbor comes to check on them. While Woody is our playful one and runs around all crazy & stuff Buzz EATS everything (plastic bags, bread ties, string, ribbon, curtains...) so we purchased an indoor fence system to keep them out of the living & dining rooms. (Buzz has eaten 3 sets of sheers! ) We close off the doors to the other rooms and just let them have run of the kitchen, family room, foyer & laundry room (where the litter box is). We also use one of the indoor fence transmitters under our Xmas tree while it's up...THAT is just TOO tempting for them!

 

[Tozzie]

I have four cats and I leave them alone for a week. I think it is more humane than having them caged at the vet and I have never come home to find anything amiss. Will they do things that they aren't allowed to do when I am home, sure but I am sure they do those things when I am at work as well. Like my dogs aren't allowed on the couch and when I walk into the house they aren't on the couch but if I put my hand on the couch it is warm and I know they got up when Ithey heard my key in the door. As to leaving them alone without human contact well, cats are funny and that doesn't bother them too much, I do have one cat that I swear should have been born a human, he yells at me and tells me exactly what he wants, he loves human contact and likes to sleep around my shoulders or on my back a very affectionate cat but even he is fine when I leave them as they play with each other so they aren't truly alone. I wouldn't worry about them as long as they have food and water they will be fine.

 

[anonymousegirl]

You misunderstood me, we will be at WDW in three weeks but will only be there five days (Dec. 21-26).

Thank Goodness!! The webcam will certainly bring a smile to your DD when she can wake up and watch them!

Let us know how everything went when you return!

 

[bradisgoofy]

We have four of the Panasonic cameras, more for security then to watch the cats, (7) and they work great! The fourth one is a sound camera which is in the family room, my DW and I use it when I'm at work. We use yahoo IM and I can see what is going on in the house. They have motion detectors so you can set it up take pictures if it detects movement then email the picture. These are great cameras which most Best Buy carry.

 

[Mike©]

I have a 5 cam security system that I use to keep a eye on the house while we are away. It does give a sence of security to be able to acctually SEE what's going on.

 

[WolfpackFan]

Thanks for all the replies. Actually DD thinks I'm crazy for even suggesting this. But I know I would feel better at least knowing what kind of shape the place will be in when we get back. She has a new kitty that is pure trouble. He gets into everything and anything he can. His name is Pumpkin but I think his name should be Trouble. Unfortunately he is turning her old kitty to the dark side also . We have a good neighbor though that will check on them every day, so that should help a lot. DW and I have already discussed we're going to put up everything we can that they might get into. Since we're not doing a Christmas tree this year that should help also. What we do for our pets (and children).

 

[LisaS]

In addition to putting things away that the kitties might get into, you might consider buying a bottle of bitter apple spray (available at pet stores) to spray all electrical cords that the cats can access. We have a cat that likes to chew electrical cords particularly when he was a kitten but occasionally even now that he is an adult. I also spray the curly cord between the phone and handset of our two wired phones because one of our cats loves to chew those and while he isn't likely to chew through it, he did pull the handset off the base once causing our phone to be off hook for several hours. I actually unplug that particular phone when we go away, just in case but spraying the cord with bitter apple works well as a deterrent. I also spray the little wire that serves as an antenna on my clock radio because that was another favorite chew toy.

We enjoy looking in on the cats while we're gone and seeing that they are OK. Also, one of my cats is diabetic and gets insulin injections so it's critical that my cat sitter gets there every day. The email alert feature of the camera lets me know that she is OK and made it to the house.

 

[spiceycat]

now that is something I definitely need to do...

thanks for the suggestions!