Hello,
I came across this item plugged in perched on top of a radiator pointing at the bedroom I’m staying in. To me, it looks suspiciously like some sort of pet monitoring camera? If it is, I thought indoor surveillance equipment was very much against the rules of THS. Please see picture attached.
Thanks. That’s such a relief. It looked suspiciously like some pet surveillance cameras I’d seen online so was quite concerned.
I’m not sure how the pets would play with this though. 
It’s just sitting perched on top of the radiator and not even accessible to them. Very odd.
Me reading more and more about indoor cameras in the forum recently has clearly got me a little neurotic and paranoid lately!
Without checking online, I wouldn’t have known either. It looks like a device that I’ve used in work settings, to do video meetings. Good you asked. The rest of us will know now, too.
I really appreciate you saying that, Maggie. I was starting to feel like a bit of a muppet. It horrified me when I first laid eyes on it as it looked awfully like a surveillance monitoring device. With it being pointed right at the bedroom I’m staying in, it added a whole other layer of paranoia.
Totally get it. It’s hard to not be paranoid nowadays, in the age of surveillance.
I’d cover it anyway.
Good advice. Thank you. I did unplug it when I first came across it as it freaked me right out! 
What exactly does it do as a toy @Chatsetchiens? I’d want to try it out
It’s a laser toy. If you turn on the red switch on its head it will project a red dot around the room for cats to chase (assuming that it has working batteries).
Thanks for this. I notice from the video the manufacturer is a company named Bentopal. I could not see this written anywhere on the device and just assumed the worst. It’s a great relief to know that it is in fact just a toy.
There are however a good number of pet camera monitoring devices out there which look remarkably similar to the one I saw which is why I was suspicious. This is just one example.
I am definitely very relieved so thanks again.
Ah! I have a much smaller and cheaper version that does the same
Are cameras not aloud? My sit has 2 that I’ve seen. one she told me about and said she watches for their food intake because one could have appetite issues. The other I just found on the floor in another part of the room. I told her the one was ok but I felt a little reluctant about it especially if it has audio recording which I didn’t ask and she didn’t say
Hi @Superg and a very warm welcome to the Community Forum 
I have attached the policy on camera and recording devices
For reference, you can also add your TrustedHousesitters profile on to your Forum profile on here by following the attached link, should you wish. This will then enable others to offer you helpful advice and feedback. 
Thanks. I emailed support. also the house was pretty dirty but I already cleaned and I realized this is not even the apartment pictured on the site. Hopefully they can help me
@Superg my answer about the food intake would be that’s part of what I will monitor, based on your instructions. After all, you are the pet carer at that point.
Please be firm about no cameras, to educate the owner and create a secure environment for sitters coming after you.
I told her I wasn’t comfortable with them and unplugged them. She gave me some pushback about not being able to see if one of the cats is not eating but I told her that she could call support and gave her the link above about the policy and told her that if she’d like to make other arrangements that’s fine. She tried to get me to plug them back on when I leave but I told her no. She said some sitters have agreed in the past. Probably like I did reluctantly but I didn’t realize they could also do audio. She said it was turned off but how do I trust her when she already didn’t disclose a camera? Anyways, they will be off while I’m here and she now knows the policy. Also I contacted support.
I would have thought that was a camera as well. Laser light play for any pets are a huge no no. They cause many behavioural problems, are addictive and can cause anxiety. Im very pleased it is not a camera .
Me too! I was really wound up when I first saw it given that it was pointing directly at the bedroom I was staying in.
I see what you mean that they could be quite over-stimulating for cats I imagine. I don’t know much about these kinds of toys but thank goodness for the forum putting my mind at rest.
Wish I’d posted in here earlier actually as I spent a whole evening feeling severely wound up by it and then it turned out to be some kitty toy. 
I think just knowing that cameras can now be part of the standard indoor landscape of some homes now, and some HOs haven’t always declared them, left me feeling a bit paranoid to be honest and I just assumed the worst!
