This Live Webcam Lets Viewers Watch and Feed Stray Cats
A live webcam has been captivating viewers in China by letting them watch and feed stray cats.
The website Meow.Camera has live webcams installed in little feeding boxes placed across streets in China for stray cats.
According to a report by BoingBoing which reported on Meow.Camera, the feeding boxes are run by “Hello Street Cat.” Each feeding box has three cameras so viewers can watch the cats from the front, top, and back.
BoingBoing reports that when a cat approaches the feeding box, the camera system scans the animal’s features and creates a digital profile, tracking the cat’s movements and behavior over time.
The houses also reportedly have food dispensers that can automatically release kibble or treats every time a user donates through the Hello Street Cat app. The food dispensers allow these street cats to be regularly fed and cared for by viewers.
After the cat is monitored for a while and its behavior recorded by the Hello Street Cat camera scanning system, the cat will be either neutered or placed into adoption. The program’s creators report that they have spayed or neutered 25,125 cats as of February 2024.
According to Chinese publication Dao Insights, Hello Street Cat’s innovative approach to stray cat care is based on the TNR method (Trap-Neuter-Return).
This method involves trapping stray cats, neutering or spaying them, and then returning them to their original location.
Hello Street Cat hopes to reduce the number of stray cats in China. It also encourages the adoption of some of the stray cats seen on camera.
PetaPixel previously reported on a live underwater doorbell camera which lets users open the door for fish.
The camera system which is based in Utrecht, the Netherlands has gained popularity across the world — including in the United States and New Zealand. Viewers have been avidly monitoring the livestream in case any fish need to pass through a boat lock in a Dutch canal.
The doorbell project began in 2020 when Dutch authorities noticed fish gathered outside a boat lock which is an entrance to Utrecht’s canal system. The lock is closed in spring when the fish are attempting to travel upstream so they can spawn.
Image credits: Header Photograph via Meow.Camera and Center Images via StreetCatWiki
