To add a pet cam, bring its picture into your streaming setup as a source, then place and size it in the scene. In OBS, a webcam connected to the computer can be added as a Video Capture Source; a camera elsewhere needs a compatible second-device, online-feed or network-camera route.
The right method depends on where the pet is, what the camera can output and whether your computer can access that picture. Check the preview, camera permissions, framing and stream privacy before going live. A camera that works in its own phone app does not necessarily work as an OBS source.
Choose a camera setup for your pet
Start with distance. If your pet usually rests near the streaming computer, a USB webcam may be the simplest route. You connect it to the computer and add it to an OBS scene. The limitation is physical: the cable must reach the pet’s spot without becoming a trip hazard or pulling the camera out of position. You also need an available USB connection and a camera your computer recognises.
If the pet is in another room, a spare phone, tablet or laptop may be more practical. A second-camera service can use that device’s camera and send its picture to your streaming setup, but it relies on browser access, camera permission and an internet connection. You will need to test the full path, not just confirm that the device can take a photo.
A pet camera may offer an app or a feed accessible through a browser. That can help if the computer running OBS can view the image and your streaming setup can capture it. Some cameras keep their video inside a phone app and do not provide a computer-visible feed. Do not assume that an app view can be placed directly in a scene.
A network camera is another possibility when its manufacturer explicitly documents RTSP support and the camera is reachable from the computer on the network. This is model-dependent; many consumer pet cameras do not expose an RTSP stream. Check the camera’s current documentation before choosing this route.
| Setup | Best fit | Check before relying on it |
|---|---|---|
| USB webcam in OBS | Pet is close to the streaming computer | Cable reach, USB connection and recognition by the computer |
| Phone, tablet or laptop as a second camera | A spare device can sit near the pet | Camera permission, browser support and internet access |
| App or browser feed | The camera has a view the computer can access | Whether that view can actually be captured in your streaming software |
| Network camera over RTSP | The camera documents RTSP and is on a reachable network | Exact model instructions and stream address |
| YouTube’s direct webcam workflow | You want a webcam-led broadcast without composing an OBS scene | Whether a single camera view is enough for the programme |
If your channel runs for long periods, treat the pet cam as one element in a wider scene rather than the whole broadcast. You may want a title, schedule or other visual beside it, and a way to hide the source when the pet is out of view. For planning the rest of a continuous programme, the practical checklist for YouTube live streams is a useful companion.
Add a connected webcam in OBS
Open OBS and select the scene where you want the pet view to appear. If you add the camera to the wrong scene, it may be working correctly but not appear when you switch to the scene used for the broadcast. A separate scene can be useful for testing before you alter the one viewers already see.
In the Sources area, add a Video Capture Source and choose the connected webcam. OBS’s webcam instructions describe adding a Video Capture Source and positioning and resizing it in the scene. Give the source a clear name, such as “Pet cam”, so that it is easy to identify later if the scene has several layers.
Once the device is selected, look at the preview. If the picture is blank, check that the cable is connected, that the computer recognises the camera and that another application is not already using it. Close video-call software or a camera preview if necessary, then reselect the device. Check operating-system camera permissions as well as any prompt from OBS.
A visible source can still show the wrong thing. Confirm that the lens points towards the pet’s usual resting place, and that the animal is in frame at its normal distance from the camera. If the camera is on a desk, a stable stand or improvised support can keep the view from shifting; do not leave it balanced where a pet can knock it over or chew a cable.
For a wired webcam, the distance from the computer is the key trade-off. A longer cable may make a placement possible, but avoid routing it where people or animals can catch it. If the pet’s location is far away, compare a second device or compatible network camera instead of stretching a cable across a room and hoping it remains safe and stable.
Bring in a second device or online feed
A phone, tablet or laptop can act as a second camera if you use a tool that supports that workflow. Streamlabs’ Collab Cam guide explains a route in which you create a source, open its link on the second device, grant camera permission, select a camera and join the session. Its stated requirements include a camera, internet access and a browser on the second device. Check the current service terms and availability before setting up around a particular feature.
Keep the second device near the pet, on a stable support and connected to power if it will be used for a long session. Open the joining link on that device and respond to its camera permission prompt. Select the front or rear camera deliberately: a front-facing camera may be easier to position while you check the view, while a rear camera may suit a fixed mount. Confirm the preview back in OBS before treating the setup as ready.
There can be a delay between the pet’s movement and the picture in your scene. Check whether that is acceptable for your use: a quiet view of a sleeping cat may not need close synchronisation, but a live conversation or commentary may make a delay more noticeable. Listen for unintended audio from the second device, too. If it sends microphone sound into the scene, mute that source or route audio deliberately to avoid echo with the computer microphone.
Some pet cameras provide a video view through an app, and some offer a browser-accessible feed. An emulator may allow an app to be shown on a computer, while an online feed may be added as a browser source. Neither approach is universal. The camera must make a usable view available to the computer, and the software you use must be able to capture it. Test this before planning a broadcast around it, and do not treat an emulator or browser source as a built-in OBS feature.
YouTube’s own direct webcam workflow is a different path from building a multi-source OBS scene. It can suit a simple webcam-led broadcast, but it is not the same as adding a pet view over other scene elements. YouTube explains camera, microphone and privacy selection in its webcam live-streaming instructions. If you need scene composition, use OBS or another supported production workflow and check the final output there.
Use an RTSP camera when supported
RTSP can be useful when a network camera explicitly provides an RTSP stream and the computer running OBS can reach the camera on the network. Both conditions matter. A camera being connected to Wi-Fi does not mean that it offers RTSP, and an RTSP-capable camera may still be unreachable because of network configuration.
Check the manufacturer’s documentation for the exact model and firmware. It should confirm whether RTSP is available and provide the correct stream address or instructions for obtaining it. Do not copy a generic URL from a different camera model and assume it will work. A vendor’s OBS plugin manual for PTZ cameras shows an RTSP input example and notes the network and support requirements; it is an example, not a compatibility guide for every pet camera.
In OBS, the method of adding a network feed depends on the source and available software. Follow the camera maker’s and capture-tool documentation rather than guessing at a source type or address. If the image fails to appear, confirm the camera and computer are on a network path that permits access, verify the exact address and check any required authentication. A successful picture in the camera’s own app does not establish that an RTSP feed is available.
Treat stream addresses and credentials as private. Some addresses include a username or password; do not show them in a public screenshot, stream overlay or tutorial. If you share a scene setup for help, obscure those details first. Keep the camera’s administrative access protected and follow the manufacturer’s security guidance, particularly if the feed is reachable beyond your home network.
A separate camera network can also complicate reachability. If the computer is on one Wi-Fi network and the camera on another, or a router isolates connected devices, the feed may not be accessible even though both show internet connectivity. Ask whoever manages the network or check the router documentation before changing settings. Avoid opening the camera to the wider internet simply to make a local scene work.
Position and resize the pet view
Once the picture reaches OBS, place it where it adds context without covering the main content. Select the source in the preview and adjust its position and size. Keep important information such as a channel label, captions or a schedule readable. A small corner view can be enough to show the pet without taking over a lesson, music visual or news loop.
Check the camera framing at the pet’s usual location, not only while holding the device in your hand. Leave some space around the animal so a small movement does not take it out of shot. If the view includes a bed or enclosure, make sure the boundaries are visible enough for viewers to understand what they are seeing. Avoid an angle that makes the animal look uncomfortably close or that points into a bright window and turns the subject into a silhouette.
Cropping can remove empty space, but it cannot fix a camera aimed at the wrong place. Adjust the physical camera first, then use scene sizing and crop controls to refine the composition. Watch the preview for a little while: focus and exposure can change when the pet moves or a room light switches on. If the image becomes too dark or washed out, change the camera position or lighting before relying on a software adjustment.
Think about how the scene behaves when the pet is not present. You can hide the source with its visibility control and show it only when appropriate. A hotkey can make that easier during a broadcast, but test it before going live and choose a key combination you are unlikely to press by accident. If you use scheduled scenes, make sure the pet source is hidden in the scenes where it should not appear.
For longer-running channels, a brief monitoring routine helps catch a camera that has been nudged or lost permission. The guide to monitoring dropped frames and disconnects covers the broader broadcast checks; a pet source also needs a direct visual check in the scene preview. A stream can remain live while one source is black, frozen or pointed at an empty room.
Check visibility, audio and privacy before going live
Do a short preflight in the actual scene you intend to broadcast. Confirm the pet view is visible when intended, hidden when not, and framed at the size you chose. Check the lens is unobstructed, the pet can enter the frame and camera permissions have not been revoked. If you changed a source or switched scenes, verify the preview again rather than relying on the way it looked during setup.
Check audio routing separately from the picture. A webcam or mobile device may offer a microphone even if you only want its video. If that microphone is active alongside another microphone, you can get room echo, duplicate sounds or audio from a space you did not intend to broadcast. Mute what you do not need and listen to a recording or private test output if available.
Privacy needs the same attention as framing. A camera pointed at a pet may also show family members, visitors, a home address on packaging, a computer screen or a window view. Reposition it or mask the area in the scene before broadcasting. Tell people who share the room what the camera will show, and do not leave a camera pointed at a private space when the pet is not there.
For YouTube, confirm the stream’s privacy setting before starting. The platform’s direct webcam workflow asks you to choose privacy and select the camera and microphone; OBS-based streams still need the appropriate YouTube broadcast settings. Review the current official instructions and account options rather than assuming a past setting carries over to a new live event. Private or unlisted settings change who can view a stream, but they do not make captured material harmless to share.
Also check that the scene change does not expose an unexpected desktop or application window. If you are capturing a browser feed or an app view, close unrelated tabs, notifications and personal messages. Run a local preview or test scene and inspect the actual output area, not just the camera’s own app. If you run a continuous channel, keep a written reminder to recheck camera permissions, framing and privacy after computer or router updates.
When the pet view is only one part of a longer broadcast, choose the overall operating setup with the same care as the camera path. If you already use a prepared video loop, the guide to streaming videos continuously to YouTube Live explains a related continuous-programme workflow. StreamNeo can remove the specific burden of keeping your own computer switched on for an uploaded-video YouTube broadcast, but a pet camera still needs a compatible path into the scene and its own framing and privacy checks.
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FAQ
Can I add any pet camera to OBS?
No. OBS needs an image source it can access, and camera compatibility varies. A connected webcam is a direct route; an app-only camera may not expose a usable computer feed, while a network camera needs documented RTSP support for that route.
Can I use my phone as a pet cam?
Yes, if you use a supported second-camera workflow and the phone has camera permission, browser access and an internet connection as required by that tool. Set it somewhere stable, check the picture in OBS, and make sure its microphone is not adding unwanted audio.
Do all Wi-Fi pet cameras support RTSP?
No. Wi-Fi connectivity alone does not mean a camera provides an RTSP stream. Check the manufacturer’s current documentation for the exact model and do not assume a generic stream address will work.
Is YouTube’s webcam option the same as adding a pet source in OBS?
No. YouTube’s direct webcam workflow is for a webcam-led broadcast and includes camera, microphone and privacy choices. OBS lets you compose sources in a scene, including a pet view alongside other elements, before sending the programme to YouTube.