Derry Master’s student Emma Malone develops WeeWeeCat a unique way to diagnose health problems in cats

Despite having no previous experience in IT before enrolling on the Master’s programme, Emma Malone gained the expertise to develop a prototype for WeeWeeCat for her dissertation, to help cats like her beloved Charlie who nearly died because of an undetected obstruction in his bladder.

Emma, 33, explained: “I came up with the idea for this project as I have two cats, both of which have experienced urinary health problems.

“It wasn’t until Charlie was very ill that I realised that the fact he was hiding and not using the litter tray indicated significant health issues.

“I decided to focus on that for my dissertation, building a prototype using technology to monitor cat activity in their litter tray.”

Emma, who had previously worked in procurement, has now secured a job with Belfast-based cybersecurity company Cynalytica International.

She added: “I had never done any IT before, so starting the MSc was a massive change in direction for me but it was a great challenge and I loved the whole experience.

“The support and feedback I got from my tutor made me feel confident that I could achieve the qualification.

“It was the cherry on top to find out I was graduating with a distinction.”