We've teamed up with Panasonic to create a home monitoring kit for pets. Here, Petplan customer Shona Hayes shares how the monitoring kit helps her to keep an eye on her cats - and much more.
'This gadget gives us peace of mind'
Shona Hayes owns two Maine Coons, Mika and Simba, and has been using the Panasonic Smart Home Monitoring Kit since May this year. 'The monitoring kit was surprisingly simple to set up - although my husband did most of it!' she laughs. 'We also downloaded the free Panasonic app to each of our smartphones. It's easy to use and allows us to check in on Mika and Simba no matter where we are.
'The camera quality is good, and I can clearly see what the cats are up to via my phone's screen.
It helps that the camera is easy to move around, so if we do have to nip out we have the flexibility of leaving our moggies in a different area of the house if we need to. I've also used the Smart Plug feature to turn on a fan when I've been out on warmer days - it worked brilliantly!
'The monitoring kit was especially helpful when we went away recently. My mum stayed over to look after Mika and Simba, and I could check to see if everything was OK. Thank goodness I did, as Simba has a prescribed pet food from the vet, and Mum couldn't remember exactly the right amount to give him. Being able to use the Smart Home Monitoring Kit's speaker to talk to her straight away came in handy, and meant that both she and I felt reassured.
'While the monitoring kit has been great for keeping an eye on our cats, it has other ways to keep us all safe that we didn't even consider until we started using it,' Shona says. 'I have a rare neurological condition called functional neurological symptom disorder, which means I'm occasionally prone to weakness and blackouts. We've bought an extra camera for the kit and are actually planning to get one for each room of the house. That way, if I don't answer the phone, my husband will be able to check up on me and come to my aid if I need it. It's quite a small gadget, but in a lot of ways it's given us great peace of mind.'