WOOF 🐶🙀

A collection of Python scripts for detecting cats using a webcam, with varying levels of complexity and features.

Overview

This project provides implementations of a cat detection system that:

• Uses your webcam to detect cats
• Plays a sound when a cat is detected
• Saves photos of detected cats
• Provides visual feedback with bounding boxes around detected cats

Scripts

The project includes the following implementations:

Basic Implementation

• basic_cat_detector.py - Simple implementation using Haar Cascade classifier

Advanced Implementations

• safe_cat_detector.py - Implementation with additional safety features
• advanced_cat_detector.py - Most sophisticated implementation using YOLOv3-tiny for better detection

Utility Scripts

• download_model.py - Downloads required model files
• download_yolo.py - Downloads YOLOv3-tiny model files
• build_windows.py - Script for building Windows executable

Installation

1. Clone this repository
2. Create a virtual environment:

   python -m venv venv
   

3. Activate the virtual environment:
   • Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
   • macOS/Linux: source venv/bin/activate
4. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

5. Download required models:

   python scripts/utils/download_model.py
   

   For advanced detection:

   python scripts/utils/download_yolo.py
   

Usage

Using the Main Script

The easiest way to run any version of the cat detector is to use the main.py script:

python main.py --version [VERSION]

Where [VERSION] can be one of:

• basic - Basic implementation
• safe - Safe implementation
• advanced - Advanced implementation (default)

Example:

python main.py --version basic

Or simply run the advanced version (default):

python main.py

Running Scripts Directly

You can also run any script directly:

Basic Detection

python scripts/basic_cat_detector.py

Safe Detection

python scripts/advanced/safe_cat_detector.py

Advanced Detection

python scripts/advanced/advanced_cat_detector.py

Windows Executable

You can run the batch file:

run_cat_detector.bat

Or build your own executable:

python scripts/utils/build_windows.py

Project Structure

cat-detector/
├── scripts/
│   ├── advanced/
│   │   ├── safe_cat_detector.py
│   │   └── advanced_cat_detector.py
│   ├── utils/
│   │   ├── download_model.py
│   │   ├── download_yolo.py
│   │   └── build_windows.py
│   └── basic_cat_detector.py
├── resources/
│   ├── haarcascade_frontalcatface.xml
│   ├── pug-woof-2-103762.mp3
│   └── models/
│       ├── coco.names
│       ├── yolov3-tiny.cfg
│       ├── yolov3-tiny.weights
│       ├── yolov3.cfg
│       └── yolov3.weights
├── detected_cats/
├── main.py
├── requirements.txt
├── run_cat_detector.bat
└── README.md

Requirements

• Python 3.6+
• OpenCV
• NumPy

See requirements.txt for complete list.

License

MIT

Acknowledgements

• OpenCV for computer vision capabilities
• YOLOv3-tiny model for advanced detection
• Haar Cascade classifiers for basic detection