Cats have an undeniable love for freshly-run water. Whether it’s investigating leftover cups on the dinner table or peeking into the toilet, they’ll go to great lengths for that crisp, flowing taste. But what if there were a smarter, cleaner way to satisfy their cravings?
The Smart Water Bowl Solution With a Zigbee-controlled irrigation controller and a motion sensor, you can set up a clever system to provide fresh water right when your cat wants it. Here’s how it works:
Placement: The motion sensor is positioned near the food bowl. When the cat approaches, the bowl is re-filled.
Controlled Water Flow: The irrigation controller activates, filling a water bowl with fresh water. The water flow is slowed to a gentle trickle using a drip irrigator. The cats love this – sometimes you'll see them lick the drops as they're falling down.
Safety Measures:
The water stops automatically after 30 seconds, avoiding waste or overflow.
In addition, a software timer enforces a minimum two-hour interval between activations.
For the sensor to really focus on the area near the bowl, and not fire on every random movement in the vicinity, you need to restrict the range of detection. Luckily, I was using a cheap PIR sensor, which can be easily blocked by a piece of plastic or duct tape. I found an unused food container, and applied two-sided tape to place the sensor inside:
Then I cut out a piece of the cover to create a peephole:
This box can be easily placed so it watches the food bowl and nothing else.
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