A fascinating initiative in China is captivating online viewers and offering a novel approach to stray cat care. The website Meow.Camera is hosting live webcams that are strategically placed within feeding boxes for stray cats across Chinese streets, providing a real-time window into the lives of these felines.
Street cat enjoying kibble on a live webcam feed from Meow.Camera, part of the street cat live project.
These aren’t just any feeding stations; they are part of a sophisticated system run by “Hello Street Cat.” Each box is equipped with not one, but three cameras, offering viewers comprehensive angles – front, top, and back – to observe the cats as they approach and interact with the feeders.
Ms. Eeper, a street cat, captured on camera at a Hello Street Cat feeding box, showcasing the street cat live webcam system.
According to reports, the technology goes beyond simple observation. When a cat enters a feeding box, the camera system utilizes advanced scanning to identify and create a digital profile for each animal. This allows for the tracking of individual cats, monitoring their behavior, and movements over time, providing valuable data for animal welfare efforts.
Street cat 'The Gluttonous Beast' inside a Hello Street Cat feeding box, monitored by a street cat live webcam, with other cats nearby.
Adding an interactive element, the feeding boxes are connected to food dispensers. Viewers can contribute to the care of these street cats by donating through the Hello Street Cat app. These donations trigger the automatic release of kibble or treats, enabling a community-driven approach to regularly feeding and supporting the stray cat population.
The ultimate goal of the Hello Street Cat project extends beyond just feeding. By continuously monitoring the cats through the live webcam system, the organization identifies cats that require further assistance. Following a period of observation and data collection, the cats are then either neutered or spayed, or prepared for adoption into loving homes. Impressively, Hello Street Cat reports having spayed or neutered over 25,000 cats by February 2024, demonstrating the significant impact of their program.
This innovative approach aligns with the widely recognized TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) method, as highlighted by reports in Chinese media. By trapping, neutering, and returning stray cats to their territories, Hello Street Cat aims to manage and reduce the overall stray cat population in China humanely. Furthermore, the adoption program offers a pathway for some of these monitored street cats to find permanent homes.
This “Street Cat Live” webcam project shares a spirit of innovative online observation with other recent initiatives, such as the underwater doorbell camera that gained popularity for allowing users to “open the door for fish” in the Netherlands. Both projects demonstrate the power of live streaming technology to connect people with the natural world and foster engagement in animal welfare, whether for aquatic life or urban street cats.
Image credits: Header Photograph via Meow.Camera and Center Images via StreetCatWiki
