Eight high-tech gadgets for dogs and cats

From robots that play fetch to GPS, these items await pets of the future

Meet the “Meowlingual,” a high-tech pet tool that is well before it’s time – at least in the United States. The computer-based, cat-to-human language translator purportedly converts cat vocalizations into one of around 200 phrases that are displayed on Meowlingual’s LCD.

Manufactured in Japan where it was an immediate a hit among pet people, “Meowlingual,” alas, never made it to America. It seems that the kitty translator’s expensive predecessor for dogs, “Bowlingual” ($120) didn’t sell too well when the English-version hit the U.S. market. “Please be nice to me" and "You can't beat me" apparently weren’t things we wanted to read on a wireless microphone hanging from Doggie’s collar.

Still, designers dream – and build prototypes – for high-tech devices to sell to the pet-owning public. Here’s a look at a few we may see in the near future.