Apple has largely left pets out of its smart home strategy, but third-party devices are filling that gap. A writer for AppleInsider walked through the pet tech they rely on daily: an automatic litter box, a smart feeder, security cameras, and door sensors. None of these integrate with Apple Home, which remains a frustration for anyone wanting a unified setup.

The Litter Robot 5 costs $799 and replaces daily litter scooping with weekly liner changes. It weighs each cat, tracks bathroom frequency, and identifies users by weight. The author's four cats took to it immediately. Meanwhile, the Petlibro Granary Smart Camera Feeder holds about 22 pounds of food and streams footage through its own app, priced around $107 on Amazon.

Indoor cameras paired with Apple HomeKit Secure Video offer encrypted monitoring without third-party snooping risks. Door and window sensors on outdoor gates have also proven handy for keeping pets safely enclosed. The bigger takeaway: smart pet gear exists and works, but Apple Home still has no native way to bring any of it together.