Home Assistant Podcast

Kaden‘s Cat-Tracking Smart Home with Home Assistant and Frigate

Mar 17, 2026
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ANECDOTE

Cat-First Smart Home Began With A Single Camera

  • Caden built a cat-first smart home after adopting a cat and needed remote monitoring while traveling.
  • He mounted three Reolink cameras, used Frigate for cat detection, and sent live snapshots to his wife when the cat was spotted.
ADVICE

Use Local Frigate Zones For Reliable Pet Detection

  • Use Frigate for reliable local pet detection rather than cloud-only camera alerts.
  • Caden trains Frigate zones per floor and ties detections to notifications, feeders, fountain and Litter-Robot sensors in Home Assistant.
ANECDOTE

LLMs Generated Visual Cat Dashboard Assets

  • Caden used LLMs to generate dashboard assets and dynamic PNGs showing cat states like thirsty or hungry.
  • He wired sensors (feeding, drinking, litter weight) into a custom card with clickable controls and state images.
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