My automatic feeder sees too much
5/10/2026
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Darina Schweizer
My automatic feeder is supposed to keep an eye on my cats. In reality, however, it films much more. A German court has ruled that such devices are not covert surveillance systems. I have my concerns.
The Higher Administrative Court in North Rhine-Westphalia recently ruled that smart pet feeders are not covert surveillance devices. Some models were even taken off the market as a precaution. However, the court stated that the built-in cameras and microphones are clearly recognizable and not intended to secretly monitor people.
Nevertheless, I believe they collect more data than necessary.
The hidden camera
In my kitchen, there is a Petkit YumShare Dual-Hopper. Via a camera, I can watch my cats eat live via an app while I'm away, or watch recordings later. If necessary, I can turn on the built-in speaker to call them or manually dispense food.
When on vacation, this is practical as an additional food source alongside a cat sitter. Simply leaving dry food out doesn't work for me. Neither does setting up an analog feeder where food automatically slides down. My gluttonous cat Jasper would eat himself into a coma, and Joy would go empty-handed. Hence, the digital feeder.
The camera is mounted directly above the bowl. This way, it has both cats' heads in its sights as they tuck into their food. But can I see the camera from the outside? If I'm standing in front of the feeder: definitely not. I have to kneel down to even spot the lens. Assuming I even know there is a camera there at all.
Clearly visible? Hardly. And my feeder is by no means an exception.
Do I want the wide camera angle? Yes and no
Based on the camera's position, I might assume it only films the bowl. That is absolutely not the case. If I stand in front of the feeder, almost my entire legs are visible. From a distance of about three meters, even my whole body. Petkit justifies this by saying it records how often the cat walks by the bowl and shows interest. But do I really need this information? Not really.
Nevertheless, I have to admit that as helicopter cat parents, we still appreciate the wide camera angle while on vacation. We put the feeder in the living room and observe what our furry friends are up to and how they are doing.
However, there are moments when the camera function feels wrong. For example, when our cat sitter is there and we log in via the app. Even though she knows what the device can do, we feel like stalkers. That's why we always turn the camera off when she is there.
We could also set it to blur. However, I don't see the point, as that makes the whole image unrecognizable, not just the background. What do we do instead? We never watch recordings in retrospect where the cat sitter is visible. And we now turn the camera off when we aren't on vacation.
But how do others handle this? And what happens to the data?
The area of application
Petkit is a Chinese company for smart pet products. While there are no publicly known data privacy scandals so far, the company still collects a lot of information: video recordings from the home, usage data, feeding schedules, and information about animals. I cannot find more precise details about the storage location, the cloud, in the privacy policy. The manufacturer merely writes:
The playback content is based on a time-limited cyclic storage, and data outside the time limit is regularly deleted.
And:
When the camera is turned off, no video recordings are made.
I cannot verify this. I have no choice but to trust Petkit. Whether the company pays as much attention to data security as specialized security camera manufacturers is unclear. Every camera, including those in pet feeders, carries the risk of being hacked.
One advantage is that pet feeders – unlike smart glasses, for example – only record in one's own home and not in public spaces. Nevertheless, many visitors may not be aware that they could be captured by a pet feeder with a camera.
More precise labeling and narrower orientation
Legally, pet feeders are not spy devices. In practice, however, some models behave surprisingly similarly. In my view, two things are needed. First, clear labeling of the camera function on the devices. And second, even more importantly: that the camera angle is aimed exclusively at the bowl.
Anyone who just wants to know if their cat is eating doesn't need a camera with a view of the living room.
What do you think about pet feeders with a camera function? Let me know in a comment.
Darina Schweizer
Senior Editor
Darina.Schweizer@digitecgalaxus.chI love everything with four legs or roots – especially my rescue cats Jasper and Joy and my collection of succulents. I’m happiest following the scent of stories about police dogs and cat groomers – or cultivating thoughtful tales in garden flea markets and Japanese gardens.
Opinion
This is a subjective opinion of the editorial team. It doesn't necessarily reflect the position of the company.
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