From ball launchers to activity trackers: the new breed of pet tech

We review some of the popular gadgets helping to keep dogs and cats healthy and occupied

Technology for pets is increasingly popular, with gadgets entering the market that promise to keep our dogs and cats in trim, healthy and occupied, and we pet owners in sync with their needs.

The increasing humanisation of pets means more and more of us are treating them as fluffy family members. Spending on cats and dogs has increased hand in hand with this trend. Total spending on pets in the UK reached a record high of 6.9bn in 2019, an increase of about 3.5bn since 2009, according to the Office for National Statistics.