Products We Don't Recommend

A list of smart pet devices we evaluated and chose not to recommend — with clear reasons for each decision. A good "no" is as valuable as a good "yes."

Published: 5 min read

Whistle Switch

GPS Tracker $69

Amazon Best Sellers Rank #270,865 (effectively no sales volume) and 3.0-star average rating across a small number of reviews. The combination of low sales and poor reviews suggests a product that neither sells nor satisfies. We cannot recommend a GPS tracker with this track record when alternatives like Tractive and Aorkuler have thousands of verified positive reviews.

Better alternative: Tractive GPS LTE ($79) or No-Fee GPS ($33) for budget-conscious buyers

PETKIT P2 Smart Fountain

Water Fountain N/A (discontinued)

This model was discontinued by PETKIT in 2016 and is no longer available on Amazon or through official retail channels. It appeared in some older best-of lists online but cannot be purchased new. We removed it from our database to avoid recommending a product you can't actually buy.

Better alternative: PETKIT Eversweet Solo 2 ($59) — the current-generation replacement with quieter pump and better filtration

DOGNESS Smart Fountain

Water Fountain Unknown

We were unable to verify this product's existence across any Amazon marketplace (US, UK, CA, DE). It appears to have been listed by a third-party reseller at some point but is not currently available from DOGNESS or any authorized retailer. We removed it from our database to avoid dead-end product links.

Better alternative: DOGNESS Mini Smart Feeder ($99) — the brand's actual flagship product, which we do recommend for small spaces

Petcube Bites 2

Pet Camera $249

Amazon BSR #204,272 with a 4.0-star average. While the hardware is capable (treat tossing, 1080p, Alexa built-in), the $249 price is difficult to justify when the Furbo 360 offers equivalent treat-tossing at $179 and the eufy Pet Cam provides 2K resolution with zero subscription fees at $129. The Petcube's value proposition weakens further when you add its optional cloud subscription. We still include it in our Furbo vs Petcube comparison for reference, but we don't recommend it as a standalone pick.

Better alternative: Furbo 360 ($179) for treat tossing or eufy Pet Cam ($129) for no-subscription monitoring

Leo's Loo Too

Self-Cleaning Litter Box $449

Leo's Loo Too is NOT excluded entirely — we include it in our Best list and recommend it as the best value for tech-loving cat owners. However, it narrowly loses to the Litter-Robot 4 as our overall top pick. Its smaller waste drawer (more frequent emptying), occasional app connectivity hiccups, and shorter track record keep it from the #1 spot. We list it here for transparency: it's a close second, not a bad product.

Better alternative: Litter-Robot 4 ($699) for best-in-class odor control, or Amazon Basics Litter Box ($209) for budget-conscious buyers

Our Exclusion Criteria

We evaluate a product for exclusion when it meets one or more of these conditions:

  • 1. Discontinued or unavailable — cannot be purchased new from authorized retailers
  • 2. Poor sales volume — Amazon BSR above 100,000 in its primary category, indicating negligible real-world usage
  • 3. Below-average owner satisfaction — average rating below 3.8 stars with a meaningful number of reviews
  • 4. Uncompetitive value — a clearly better alternative exists at a similar or lower price
  • 5. Pattern of critical failures — verified reviews consistently report the same serious problem (e.g., WiFi disconnection, pump failure, safety concern)

This page is updated quarterly along with the rest of our content. If a product improves or a new alternative emerges, we'll revise our assessment. See our full research methodology.