The best tech Christmas gifts for cats are the ones that solve a daily problem or give an indoor cat something to hunt. Five made this list, each at the price its maker or a big pet store listed on September 29, 2026: the SmartyKat Hot Pursuit toy ($26.99), the Catit Flower Fountain ($32.99 at PetSmart), the Petcube Bites 2 Lite treat-tossing camera ($149.99 list, on sale for $79.99 that day), Whisker’s Feeder-Robot ($299) and Whisker’s Litter-Robot 4 ($699).
The toy and the fountain are for the cat. The other three mostly help the person who lives with the cat: a camera for checking in, breakfast that shows up on time, and no more scooping. A fountain also means refilling once or twice a week instead of daily, per Wirecutter. Each pick below covers what independent testers found, what it costs, and the catch.
The five picks
| Budget | Gift | Price (Sept. 29, 2026) | Best for | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under $30 | SmartyKat Hot Pursuit | $26.99 (SmartyKat) | Bored indoor cats | Takes 3 AA batteries, about an hour of run time |
| Under $35 | Catit Flower Fountain | $32.99 (PetSmart) | Cats that drink from the faucet | Regular cleaning, plus filters (about $18 for five, per Reviewed) |
| Under $150 | Petcube Bites 2 Lite | $149.99 list, $79.99 sale (Petcube) | Owners who are out all day | Video history and alerts cost extra |
| Under $300 | Whisker Feeder-Robot | From $299 (Whisker) | The 5 a.m. meow, and trips away | One bowl, one cat; dry or semi-moist food only; plastic bowl |
| Splurge | Whisker Litter-Robot 4 | From $699 (Whisker) | Anyone who hates scooping | Kittens under 3 pounds need “semi-automatic” mode |
Prices move, especially in November. Check the store the week you buy.
Under $30: SmartyKat Hot Pursuit
This is the toy for the indoor cat that is bored of everything. A wand zips around under a rustling fabric cover and changes direction without warning, so the cat stalks and pounces as if on hidden prey. SmartyKat’s page describes a feathered wand, while Chewy’s listing for the newer version describes a faux-fur wand and tail, so the tip may differ depending on which stock you get. Two speed settings let you match the pace to your cat.
SmartyKat sells it for $26.99. Chewy’s listing says it takes three AA batteries and gets about 1 hour of battery life, so check whether batteries are in the box and switch it off between play sessions.
Why this and not a laser toy? A laser dot can never be caught. A 2021 study in the journal Animals surveyed cat owners and analyzed 618 responses; the more often owners used laser toys, the more likely they were to report repetitive behaviors in their cats, such as chasing lights or shadows. The authors call the results correlational, so the study does not prove lasers cause the problem. Over half of the owners knew the usual advice to let the cat catch something at the end of laser play, but only 35.6% of all respondents said they followed it. A toy the cat can pin down finishes the hunt.
One honest note: nobody lab-tests cat toys the way labs test headphones. TechnoMEOW, a site that reviews cat gadgets and says it tested over 200 electronic and motion-activated cat toys, includes the Hot Pursuit in its top 20. The rest of the case is the design: the cat gets to win.
Under $35: Catit Flower Fountain
This is the gift for the cat that jumps on the counter to drink from the faucet. The Catit Flower Fountain holds 3 liters (100 fluid ounces) and has three flow settings: a gentle flow, a bubbling top, or calm streams from the flower. Water runs through Catit’s Triple Action filter, and a small window shows when it needs a refill. PetSmart listed it at $32.99 on September 29, 2026.
Two independent reviewers like it, and both describe running water as encouraging pets to drink. In a 2018 guide that Engadget republished, Wirecutter tested nine fountains and found the Catit “is easier to maintain and use than any other electric fountain we looked at.” Wirecutter also ran every part except the pump through the dishwasher and found no visible damage, even though the package did not say it was dishwasher-safe. A Reviewed writer who has owned one for three years lists “Requires regular maintenance” as the con, and adds that filters need replacing about once a month, at about $18 for a five-pack. It also takes a bit of assembly out of the box.
Will it make your cat drink more? Maybe not, despite what those reviews say. In a study of 16 lab cats (14 finished) published in 2018 in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, the type of bowl made no real difference to how much the cats drank overall. Three cats each drank significantly more from one bowl type than from another, and they did not agree: one favored circulating water over still, one free-falling over circulating, and one still over circulating. So buy it for a cat that already goes looking for running water. If a cat is not drinking enough, that is a question for a vet, not a fountain.
Under $150: Petcube Bites 2 Lite
This one is for the owner who wonders what the cat does all day. It streams 1080p video with night vision and a 160-degree view, has two-way audio, and tosses a treat when you tap your phone. Petcube listed it at $149.99, on sale for $79.99, on September 29, 2026.
Reviewed’s smart pet camera guide includes it as the cheaper version of Petcube’s Bites 2, with “many of the trimmings” of the pricier model. Its listed downsides are the large size and that it is easy to knock over. Petcube includes a wall-mounting kit in the box, which solves that. Reviewed also notes it has one microphone and connects over 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, which matters if the home router is set to 5GHz only.
The catch is the subscription. Petcube calls its Care plan “an optional subscription service that provides extra security to your pet and home with video history and smart alerts.” Petcube also offers the camera free with Care at $9.99 a month, a bundle that lists 3-day video history and Smart Alerts. Many other pet cameras work the same way. TechnoMEOW’s review of the Furbo 360 cat camera says “many of its most useful features (like activity alerts and cloud recording) are locked behind a subscription.”
Two more things before you buy. Treats need to fit: Petcube says to use “crunchy treats with dimensions of 1 inch or less, uniform in size and shape (ideally spherical).” And Reviewed is candid that “there’s no guarantee your cat will enjoy chasing lasers or that your dog will oblige with a treat-tossing camera.”
Under $300: Whisker Feeder-Robot
A timed feeder puts breakfast on a schedule, which is the whole point for anyone woken at 5 a.m. by a hungry cat. Whisker’s Feeder-Robot holds up to 32 cups of dry food and serves measured meals 1 to 8 times a day, set from the Whisker app or on the unit. It lists from $299, and a backup battery for power outages is a $40 add-on. It takes dry or semi-moist food but not wet food, and kibble has to be 5/8 inch or smaller. It has one bowl, and Popular Science lists it as feeding one pet, so a two-cat home needs two.
TechnoMEOW’s reviewer, who also uses a Litter-Robot, calls it “the most advanced smart cat feeder in 2026” and singles out its anti-jam design. Popular Science’s buying guide names it the best automatic cat feeder overall, with one knock: the bowl is not stainless steel. That matters because, as Popular Science explains, “Cats can develop feline acne from the bacteria that can linger in a plastic bowl.” Whisker sells a $20 stainless steel bowl for it (and a $30 glass one); the stainless bowl is the fix Popular Science suggests, and worth adding to the gift.
Buy direct from Whisker · Check price on Amazon
Splurge: Whisker Litter-Robot 4
This is the gift that ends scooping. After each visit, the Litter-Robot 4 sifts the waste out of the clean litter and drops it into a sealed drawer with a carbon filter, so the chore becomes emptying a drawer. Whisker’s product page rates it for cats from 3 to 25 pounds (its FAQ says there is no upper weight limit), handles up to four cats, and takes up 22 by 27 inches of floor. Whisker lists it from $699. It needs a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi signal (5GHz isn’t supported), and the free app shows a 7-day look at your cats’ visits, with more insights behind a Whisker+ membership.
Tom’s Guide’s reviewer had cats using it for more than a year and said it was “still holding up nicely,” with a warning: “sometimes it makes a high-pitched squeaking sound when it’s cleaning, so maintenance is key.” In that test, dated April 2025, the reviewer’s cats used it 30 times in one week. In fairness, Tom’s Guide named the open-top Neakasa M1 its best overall, because the cats used that one most, and called the Litter-Robot 4 the smartest.
It is no longer Whisker’s newest model. The Litter-Robot 5 ($799) adds WasteID, which tells urine from feces, and handles up to five cats from 3 to 30 pounds. Above it sits the Litter-Robot 5 Pro at $899, and below it the smaller Litter-Robot EVO at $599, built for one or two cats from 3 to 19 pounds. Whisker’s lineup page says the Litter-Robot 4 “is time-proven and comes at a lower price point,” and it is the one a tester had lived with for over a year as of April 2025.
Kittens: Whisker says its scale can’t detect kittens under 3 pounds, so for them it recommends “semi-automatic” mode: leave it off, wait about 7 minutes after the kitten uses it, then switch it on so it runs one cleaning cycle by itself, and switch it off again. Keep supervising until the kitten reaches 3 pounds.
If it’s a surprise, buy direct. Whisker lists a 90-day in-home trial as a benefit of buying direct from Litter-Robot (you pay return shipping on a 24-pound machine), while a unit bought elsewhere, Amazon included, follows that store’s return policy. A new box can take time: Whisker says most cats use it “within several days to a week.” Its advice is to put it where the old box was, keep the old box nearby for a short time, leave the Litter-Robot switched off until the cat has used it, and mix a cup of used litter into the new one so it smells familiar.
Buy direct from Whisker · Check price on Amazon
Which one should you buy?
- For a cat you don’t live with: the Hot Pursuit. The fountain is cheap too, but it means monthly filter swaps, so check the owner wants one.
- For someone who travels or works long days: the Feeder-Robot, or the Petcube if they want to watch and toss treats.
- For the cat household that has everything: the Litter-Robot 4, bought direct so the trial applies.
- For a new kitten: skip the Litter-Robot until the kitten weighs 3 pounds, or plan on “semi-automatic” mode.
If the gift is for the humans, the tech gifts guide covers them, and the robot vacuum guide is for the fur on the floor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good Christmas gift for a cat?
For under $35, a hidden-prey toy like the SmartyKat Hot Pursuit ($26.99) or a Catit Flower Fountain ($32.99 at PetSmart). The toy lets the cat stalk and pounce, and the fountain suits cats that already like running water.
Are laser toys bad for cats?
One survey found a link, not proof of harm. A 2021 survey study in Animals linked more frequent laser play with more owner reports of repetitive behaviors like chasing lights and shadows, while noting the link is correlational. If your cat loves the laser, end each session with a toy it can catch.
Do cats really drink more from a water fountain?
Not on average in a controlled study of lab cats: average daily water intake from still, circulating and free-falling bowls was not significantly different, though three cats drank significantly more from one bowl type than another.
Is the Litter-Robot 4 safe for kittens?
Whisker says kittens that weigh at least 3 pounds can use the Litter-Robot 4 in automatic mode; lighter kittens should use it in semi-automatic mode: keep the unit off, switch it on after the kitten uses it so it runs one cycle, then switch it off again.
Do pet cameras need a subscription?
The Petcube Bites 2 Lite streams video, talks both ways and tosses treats on its own; Petcube Care is the optional add-on for video history and smart alerts.
Sources (22)
- smartykat.com Hot Pursuit product page
- chewy.com SmartyKat Hot Pursuit listing
- technomeow.com 20 best electronic and motion activated cat toys
- pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Animals: Laser light pointers for use in companion cat play
- engadget.com The best water fountain for cats and dogs (Wirecutter)
- reviewed.com Catit water fountain review
- catit.com Flower Fountain product page
- petsmart.com Catit Flower Fountain, 3L
- pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery: Quantified water intake in laboratory cats
- reviewed.com The best smart pet cameras
- petcube.com Bites 2 Lite product page
- technomeow.com Best cat cameras
- litter-robot.com Whisker: Feeder-Robot product page
- popsci.com Popular Science: The best automatic cat feeders
- technomeow.com Best automatic feeders for cats
- tomsguide.com I asked cats to test these robotic litter boxes
- litter-robot.com Whisker: Litter-Robot 4 product page
- litter-robot.com Whisker: Litter-Robot 4 FAQ
- litter-robot.com Whisker: Litter-Robot lineup page
- litter-robot.com Whisker: Litter-Robot EVO product page
- litter-robot.com Whisker: Litter-Robot 5 product page
- litter-robot.com Whisker: Litter-Robot 5 Pro product page
🦋 Discussion on Bluesky
Discuss on Bluesky