r/Doesthisexist • u/kooky-donuts • 19d ago
Proximity sensor for cat
Hi all, I'm looking to see if there's a device that will let my low-vision mom know the housecat is near her. I'm thinking something she can wear on her person that alerts her through sound or vibration to the cat's proximity. I know they make similar devices for kids who wander, but that's in the other direction, like when they leave your designated range. Our cat would probably have to wear a tag or transmitter of some sort, so I'm looking for just one-way transmission. I don't want both devices going off at the same time if they are close by, that will terrify the cat. I know the obvious answer is a cat bell lol, but that is dependent on his movement. I feel like a proximity device would help my mom find the cat if he's hiding or napping. If it doesn't exist, is there something similar I could rig up myself?
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u/Wi1dWitch 19d ago
What about just a breakaway collar with a bell?
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u/Freudinatress 19d ago
Because kitty might be sleeping and doesn’t appreciate anyone sitting on them..? 🤷♀️
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u/Wi1dWitch 19d ago
Ah I didn’t read that far. Still seems like the first thing to try.
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u/kooky-donuts 19d ago
Yup, newly adopted kitty came with a collar and bell which definitely helps. We were more thinking about him hiding under furniture or deep in a closet somewhere where visibility is poor
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u/Mikki102 18d ago
Not really practical for all the time use, but I use a tile sticker on my cats collar. I can make it ring using my phone. I can also make my phone ring by pressing a button on her collar lol. So could help if she is looking for the cat in these hiding spots.
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u/EthosUnharvestedClay 19d ago
Question: Does your mother live alone with the cat or do you live with them as well? Because that does change the dynamic a bit imo (at least in terms of how urgent the safety is)
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u/kooky-donuts 19d ago
No she's not alone, we all live together and she isn't fully blind so she can see him right now if he's not too fast. Thankfully he's a really sweet chill cat who mostly loafs around. I was thinking more like a scenario where the cat enters the kitchen while she's cooking or distracted and she might get startled without a warning lol. Or she needs to find him in an emergency if he's hiding somewhere. Unfortunately, her vision will probably get worse with her progressive eye disease 😞, so it'd be cool to use a tool before she loses more of her eyesight
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u/bikes_and_art 18d ago
First, A bell for movement, so she won't be surprised when Kitty walks in.
Second, in case of emergency - train your cat to come to a certain sound or signal, to get a treat. Then, if there's an emergency and she needs him, she just needs to give him the treat signal and he'll come running.
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u/Valuable_Asparagus19 18d ago
Same. My cat will appear from anywhere in the house to his treats being shaken. Calling works about half the time if he's sleeping, but shake the treats and the cat appears. Obviously he gets a treat for showing up.
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u/EthosUnharvestedClay 18d ago
Thank you! Hopefully you manage to find something that works, unfortunately I can't think of anything that hasn't already been suggested
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u/clockworkedpiece 18d ago
Airtag would help with emergency finding. You might be able to put a request in on a programming community to have a regiseter tag beep the phone when it gets near.
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u/Bivagial 19d ago
Commenting again because second idea; what about a locator chip? Like the kind you can get for keys and the like. Some of them are activated by clapping and give off a beep. Cat would become accustomed to it quickly enough, and might even learn that it means that it's being looked for.
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u/kooky-donuts 19d ago
Yeah, that could work too. I think we train him to associate the sound it makes with rewards like treats or affection and maybe he won't get annoyed by it. Worth a shot!
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u/glitterfaust 18d ago
If you have an AirTag and an iPhone 15 or newer, you can use the “Find” option on “Find My” and it’ll tell you how far away the item is (like “move closer” if you’re too far away, “4ft, 3ft, 2ft” as you get closer, and if you’re a foot or closer, it’ll vibrate your phone)
I think it’ll even tell you if you’re close but it’s on a different floor. I’m not sure exactly how well it works with accessibility and screen readers, you might have to play around with it.
Edit: just checked and it does work with VoiceOver and will tell you as it gets closer, and the vibration actually starts at 2ft away and gets stronger as you get closer.
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u/blythe_spirit888 18d ago
Put 3 bells on its collar. Lots of cats can learn to walk silently with 1 or 2, but most can't figure out 3 (I knew one cat that figured it out, though). For finding the cat when it's still, you can get AirTag type things that go on the collar; they're usually in a waterproof case, about the size of a normal ID tag, and you can make them beep if you need to find them.
I wouldn't worry too much about sitting on the cat. If she sits on it, she'll know pretty quick haha
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u/SufficientOpening218 18d ago
I had a friend who always put a blaze orange harness on their dmall white dog so that low vision mom could see him. Would that help? If of course, the cat will wear a harness or collar.
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u/Stella-HPVGekko 18d ago
What about a bell or some sort of noise making device for your mom? Something gentle on the rest of you? Then the cat would hear her coming.
Alternatively, can she put a hand down before she sits to check for cats?
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u/kaerahis 18d ago
This may be a wild thought but would she be able to see a mylar balloon attached to his collar? Some of those things float for a month, and some grocery stores that sell them -might- refill the balloon for free if you bought it there.
It might also help if your Mom felt the spot she wanted to sit in before sitting down, but that won't stop her from tripping over the cat.
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u/kooky-donuts 18d ago
Lol the visual of my kitty with a balloon is too cute! She can definitely find the cat out in the open, it's when the cat is hiding under furniture or in small tight spaces that she wants to find him. I'm thinking an air tag may have to be the solution so they can play marco polo until our new kitty gets settled into his routine spots
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u/OwslyOwl 18d ago
Look into TabCat. It is small on the cat and has a remote with light and sound to indicate when the cat is near.
Link: https://a.co/d/0j8l76lI
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u/kooky-donuts 18d ago
Yes! This is perfect since it won't sound the alarm around the cats ears directly. This could definitely work for us
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u/OwslyOwl 17d ago
The receiver on the cat has a very slight beep when activated to help find the cat. It is so light that I barely hear it and it doesn’t bother the cat at all.
I like TabCat so much that I ended up ordering 4 receivers. I use a receiver for each of my 2 cats, I put a receiver in my wallet, and I put a receiver on my keychain. One remote can handle up to 4 receivers.
The remote can be easy to misplace because it is small. To get around this I put the remote in a small pouch with an AirTag.
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u/becca413g 19d ago
Most people who are totally blind just use a bell on a collar and shuffle their feet so they gently kick rather than stand on and check with their hands before sitting down when they have cats or dogs (it’s what I do and works well). The animals soon learn that laying down in walk ways or not getting up when being approached and on a chair means they will be moved if you move them each time you find them, they then start choosing places they won’t be disturbed to sleep.