Attention, cat lovers: You can now scope out a cuddly kitty to possibly adopt without stepping foot in a shelter.
The Cat Café in downtown San Diego now offers a virtual way to check out cats before coming to the business. The café has joined forces with PetCube, an app that allows you to video “chat” (or meow), with a cat on your smartphone.
PetCube was developed for animal owners to check on their pets at home while they’re at work. The app allows you to interact with the pet with two-way cameras and even a simluated laser to entertain the cat.
At the Cat Café, staffers have cameras mounted inside showing all the cats, sort of like a “kitty cam,” and would-be adopters can download the app, search public cameras for “CatCafeSD” and check out the cats.
You can see the cats, but not talk to them. The café disabled the sound and the laser function because it was too much of a distraction inside the café, said Cat Café owner Tony Wang.
The Cat Café has had the app feature for about three months. You can download PetCube on both iPhone and Android devices.
