Is your cat waking you up every morning to ask for food? Are you worried that your cat will go hungry if you stay late at work? Or perhaps you can’t go away for this long weekend because nobody will be at home to feed your furry friend?
If you face the problems above, the perfect solution would be getting for your cat an automatic cat feeder. An automatic cat feeder dispenses food automatically at the set times, so that you don’t need to be present at the time of feeding.
An automatic cat feeder is a great way to free up your time from the daily chore of feeding your cat. It’ll also improve your sleep, as your cat will no longer wake you up in the early hours to feed her. It will also spare you the fear of going for a holiday or staying out of home for longer in case there is nobody else at home to feed your cat.
With hundreds of products on the market, it’s not easy to find the best automatic cat feeder for your feline friend. To save you time, we have reviewed several products on the market to let you know what are the best automatic cat feeders and explain you why.
Without further ado, let’s dive in.
The Top 5 Best Automatic Cat Feeders
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Before we start reviewing the best automatic cat feeders, have a look at the table below. It shows the most important features at a glance:
The Best Automatic Cat Feeder – Comparison Table
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The Best Automatic Cat Feeder – Reviews
1. PetSafe Healthy Pet Simply Feed Automatic Cat Feeder – The Best Traditional Automatic Cat Feeder
This cat feeder has a large capacity – it holds up to 24 cups of dry or semi-moist food. The food is dispensed thanks to the conveyor belt, which can dispense up to 12 meals a day (depending on the way you program it). The meal sizes can be anything from ⅛ cups to 4 cups. The feeder features a translucent lid, which allows monitoring when the food is about to run out.
The Healthy Pet Simply Feed lets you program the following:
The Time Preference:
12-hour format (turns feedings into Cups) + 24-hour format (it turns feedings into mL).
The Meal Size:
You can set the meal size to be from 1/8 cup to 4 cups.
The Number of Meals:
From 1 to 12 meals during a day. There are 3 settings you can choose from:
2 preset settings:
– ‘Dog’ – 2 x 2 cup meals per day at 8 am and 5 pm.
– ‘Cat’ – 2 x ¼ cup meals per day at 8 am and 5 pm.
1 customizable setting:
– ‘User’ – which you can customize according to your and your cat’s needs (you can set up the number of meals, the portion, the time).
The Modes you want the food to be dispensed. There are 3 following modes you can use:
– Immediate Feed Mode – allows feeding the cat immediately, outside normal feeding hours.
– Pause Feed Mode – temporarily stops feeding without losing a programmed feed schedule.
– Slow Feed Mode – allows the food to dispense slowly over a 15 minute period to help prevent bloating and vomiting.
The product requires 4 D-cell alkaline batteries (they are not included, you will need to purchase them separately). You can also buy a power adaptor for this cat feeder, also sold separately. The product is made of BPA-free plastic and stainless steel, it’s dishwasher-safe, and for indoor use only. It also has a 1-year warranty.
PetSafe Healthy Pet Simply Feed Automatic Feeder Key Features:
Capacity: 24 cups
Portion size: from 1/8 cups to 4 cups
Number of meals: can dispense up to 12 meals a day
Type of food: dry and semi-moist
Technology: traditional programming
Modes & options: Immediate Feed Mode, Pause Feed Mode & Slow Feed Option
Powered: 4 D-cell alkaline batteries; power adaptor sold separately
Product dimensions: 18.5 x 8.7 x 12.4 inches; 4.61 pounds
Warranty: 1 year
- Accurate portions
- Slow Feed Option to prevent fast eating (can cause bloating and vomiting)
- Reliable and durable
- The motor isn’t loud
- For dry and moist food
- Not intuitive programming (but instructions are clear)
- Power adaptor sold separately, doesn’t come with batteries either
2. PetSafe Smart Feed Automatic Cat Feeder – The Best Smart Automatic Cat Feeder
The PetSafe Smart Feed Automatic Cat Feeder is a newer, smartphone-programmed version of the best selling manually programmed cat feeder, the PetSafe Healthy Pet Simply Feed Automatic Cat Feeder.
The ‘smart’ version is very similar to its traditional counterpart, except it is fully controllable via the smartphone app. You can set up, monitor and adjust your cat’s feeding schedule remotely all the time using just the app on your phone. The app is available for an Apple iPhone or iPod device iOS 9.0 or later or a compatible Android smartphone 5.0 or later. You can control one feeder from multiple smartphones and multiple feeders can be controlled from one smartphone.
The smartphone-controllable feeder has many features of its predecessor. It holds 24 cups of dry or semi-moist food. It can dispense up to 12 meals a day. The smallest portion of food can be 1/8 cup and the largest 4 cups. The product has three modes of feeding: Immediate Feed Now Mode, Pause Feed Mode and Slow Feed Option. The Slow Feed setting dispenses meals in small portions over 15 minutes. It is designed especially for cats who tend to it too quickly, which causes them vomiting and bloating.
The app notifies whenever the jamming occurs (however, the customers’ reviews indicate that jamming occurs very rarely). However, the app will not alert when the hopper runs out of food, which is a downside.
Customers reported that the product is rather loud when dispensing the food. The motor gives a buzzing sound as well as there is a noise of the kibbles hitting the tray. In order to reduce the noise of the kibbles hitting the metal bowl, some customers have replaced the metal bowl with more soft, ceramic or plastic cat food bowls.
Customers said that the set up of the smart feeder, in contrast to its older counterpart, was very easy and intuitive and took them only 10 minutes.
The product has a power adapter included, which operates with an optional battery backup (4 D-cell alkaline batteries, which are not included). The feeder has also a rubbery bottom which prevents it from moving around easily when cats push. The item is made of BPA-free plastic and stainless steel, it’s dishwasher-safe, and for indoor use only. It also has a 1-year warranty.
PetSafe Smart Feed Automatic Cat Feeder Key Features:
Capacity: 24 cups
Portion size: from 1/8 cups to 4 cups
Number of meals: can dispense up to 12 meals a day
Type of food: dry and semi-moist
Technology: smartphone programming, requires an Apple iPhone or iPod device iOS 9.0 or later or a compatible Android smartphone 5.0 or later. To connect the feeder to the smartphone app, a 2.4GHz (802.11b/g/n) wireless router is required. One feeder can be controlled from multiple smartphones. Multiple feeders also can be controlled from one smartphone.
Modes & options: Immediate Feed Now Mode, Pause Feed Mode and Slow Feed Option
Powered: power adapter operated with an optional battery backup (requires 4 D-cell alkaline batteries, not included)
Product dimensions: 20.3 x 9.4 x 12.6 inches; 5.65 pounds
Material: BPA-free plastic and stainless steel
Warranty: 1 year
Additional features: a rubbery bottom to prevent moving around
- Full remote control thanks to the smartphone app
- Accurate portions
- Slow Feed Option to prevent fast eating (can cause bloating and vomiting)
- Easy to set up
- Stays in place thanks to a rubbery bottom
- Doesn’t jam
- Loud when dispensing food (buzzing sound of a motor and noise of kibbles hitting the tray)
- The app doesn’t alert when the food hopper is empty
- Slow Food Option doesn’t work for the smallest (1/8) portion because the amount is too small
3. SureFlap SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder – The Best Automatic Cat Feeder for Wet Food
The SureFlap SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder was designed with the purpose of protecting the cat’s food from other cats stealing it, or kids playing with it and to keep the cat food constantly fresh and moisturized.
This automatic cat feeder features a plastic flap that opens only when activated by a microchip located in the cat’s body or by the RFID collar tag. Once the cat finishes eating and walks away the flap closes automatically closing the access to food before other animals or kids. The feeder’s lid features a seal with the neoprene lip which helps to retain the food moisturized and fresh. This is especially helpful for cats who are on a diet of expensive prescription food, so it doesn’t get dry and wasted quickly.
The feeder has a capacity of 13.5 fl. oz and can contain both wet and dry food. One of the disadvantages of this automatic cat feeder is that there is no control over the size of a portion or a number of meals that can be dispensed in a period of time. Once you fill in the containers with food, the flap will open anytime the cat approaches. It means that this automatic cat feeder is not designed for cats who need to have their portions and a number of meals controlled. A cat will be able to eat the whole portion of food that is in the feeder at once if she chooses to do so.
The product is battery powered only, it does not have the power adapter which would enable to plug the feeder into the power socket, which some people found as a flaw.
Customers who bought the product found its programming easy and quick. Many praised the feeder for good quality and quietness while working. Customers agreed that the feeder kept the cat food fresh and moisturized thanks to a rubber ring.
One of the most common complaints among the customers who bought this product was that in the households with multiple cats the other cats managed to steal from the feeder. Therefore the feeder is not cat-proof.
SureFlap SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder Key Features:
Capacity: 13.5 fl. oz
Portion size: flexible (not controlled)
Number of meals: flexible (not controlled)
Type of food: wet and dry
Technology: microchip ID (works with 9 (Avid Secure), 10 (FDXA) and 15 (FDXB) digit microchip numbers) or RFID collar tag, one button programming
Modes & options: n/a
Powered: battery powered only (no power adapter)
Product dimensions: 12.6 x 9.1 x 7.9 inches; 2.2 pounds
Warranty: 3 years
Additional features: customized colors for different cats, comes with one tag
- Keeps food fresh and moisturized
- Quiet
- Easy to set up
- Not suitable for diet control
- Not cat-proof
- No power adapter (only batteries)
4. WOpet 7L Automatic Cat Feeder – The Most Quiet Automatic Cat Feeder
The WOpet 7L Automatic Cat Feeder is electronically programmed. You can program up to 4 meals a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner and the ‘4th meal’. The hopper can contain up to 20 cups of dry food. You can portion each meal separately. You can choose a unique food portion for each meal. One portion is about 6g of food. It can serve up to 40 portions at each time, so the maximum you can feed your cat at one time is 240g of food. Customers reported that the feeder is quite easy to set up.
The feeder features a clear lid, which allows you to check the level of food easily. Some customers complained that the feeder is not sealed well. Some people reported that the mice could crawl into their feeder. Customers also reported that this automatic cat feeder is not loud when dispensing food, as some cat feeders tend to be.
The product is electrically charged with a USB cable you can plug into the wall. It also comes with the optional battery backup (batteries are not included with the product, you will need to buy them separately), which is great in the event the electricity goes down, or someone or even the cat accidentally unplugs the cable.
WOpet 7L Automatic Cat Feeder Key Features:
Capacity: 20 cups
Portion size: from 2 teaspoons to 4.5 cups, you can program a unique portion size for each feeding
Number of meals: can dispense up to 4 meals a day
Type of food: dry
Technology: electronic programming
Modes & options: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and “4th meal”
Powered: wall powered and/or battery-powered (requires 3 D-size batteries, not included)
Product dimensions: 13.7 x 9.8 x 15.3 inches; 6 pounds
Warranty: 1 year
Additional features: voice recording
- Affordable
- Quiet
- Easy to set up
- Only for dry food
- Mice can break into
- No additional options, like for example ‘Slow Feed’
5. PetSafe Healthy Pet Gravity Cat Food Station – The Best Automatic Cat Feeder on a Budget
The PetSafe Healthy Pet Gravity Cat Food Station is a gravity type of an automatic cat feeder, which means it’s not programmable, but uses the gravity system to dispense the food. It means that the product is not suitable for diet control, as it will replenish the bowl anytime it detects there is no food in the bowl anymore. That means that you don’t have control over the portions or the timing of the dispensed food.
On the other hand, you can be sure that your cat will have a constant supply of food, perfect for when you’re traveling, at work or when sleeping.
The feeder comes in two sizes. A small, which capacity is for 2 lb of food and a medium one, which capacity is for or 4 lb of food. The product is designed for both dry and semi-moist food.
What is great about this type of an automatic cat feeder is that it doesn’t require any type of power, no electrical power or batteries. That means that it’s cheap in maintenance, as you only pay once for the cost of the product only. There is also no risk that the feeder won’t dispense the food because of the energy cut or batteries dying out. Because the machine is not an electronic device it’s very easy to use and there is no need for setting it up – great for people who don’t use technology as much. The product is also quiet.
The most common complaint among the customers who bought the product was that the feeder would sometimes clog up and they would need to give it a shake from time to time in order to dispense the food again.
PetSafe Healthy Pet Gravity Cat Food Station Key Features:
Capacity: 2 lb or 4 lb (comes in two sizes)
Portion size: flexible (not programmable)
Number of meals: flexible (not programmable)
Type of food: dry and semi-moist
Technology: gravity (not programmable)
Modes & options: n/a
Powered: n/a
Product dimensions: 9.8 x 6.5 x 10.5 inches (small size); 11.7 x 7.7 x 13.8 inches (medium size)
Warranty: 1 year
- Affordable
- Doesn’t require energy
- Quiet
- Easy to use
- Not suitable for diet control
6. Arf Pets Automatic Pet Feeder – The Most Cat-Proof Automatic Cat Feeder
The Arf Pets Automatic Pet Feeder is the second most popular automatic cat feeder on the market with almost 1,000 reviews. The product is praised for distributing accurate portions of food and being easy to set up.
The product is intended for dry food only, so if you are looking to feed moist or wet food to your cat you’ll need to look for another product.
The feeder can dispense from 1 to 10 portions per meal and each portion is 24ml, therefore the biggest portion you can dispense in one goal is 240ml. You can select up to 4 distribution times a day.
How Arf Pets Automatic Pet Feeder works:
- Set the time
- Choose how big the food portion you want to feed your cat
- Move to the next meal
- Do the same up to 4 times
The machine will beep automatically when the food is about to run out so you don’t need to worry that you’ll miss it. Customers reported that the machine doesn’t clog up, but you need to make sure the kibbles are not too big. You won’t have a problem with jamming when you use small pellets. However, it might clog up when the kibbles are too large.
An interesting feature of this cat feeder is that you can record your voice. The machine will speak your voice every time it dispenses a portion of food. While it may help some cats to find the food easier, many people were rather annoyed with this feature. It’s recommended not to set it up at all, as if the recording is set up once, you won’t be able to turn it off.
Another good feature of this cat feeder is that it comes with a magnetic lid. The lid makes it hard for a cat to break into (customers said that it takes two hands to open the lid). Customers also reported that the product is sturdy and hard for a cat to tip it over.
The Arf Pets Automatic Pet Feeder comes with 3 “D” size alkaline batteries and DC adapter. You don’t need to worry that the feeder will stop working in case of a power cut or if someone unplugs it.
Arf Pets Automatic Pet Feeder Key Features:
Capacity: 1.14 gallon
Portion size: 24ml, you can dispense from 1 to 10 portions per meal
Number of meals: can dispense up to 4 meals a day
Type of food: dry
Technology: electronic programming; blue light-up LCD clock and display provides easily adjustable settings
Modes & options: set up to 4 daily distribution alarms; record personal meal call up to 10 seconds; beeps when food is about to run out
Powered: 3 “D” size alkaline batteries and DC adapter, 5V1A standard power supply
Motor: working life – 2,000 hours; rotate speed – 8RPM; rated voltage – 4V
Product dimensions: 9.65 x 11.8 x 15 inches; 4.63 lbs.
Material: ABS
Warranty: 1 year
Additional features: safety magnetic lid, a voice recording option
- Accurate portions
- Sturdy and difficult to tip-over
- Difficult for a cat to get into thanks to a magnetic lid
- Power adaptor and batteries included in the price
- Easy to program and clear instruction manual
- Sleek-looking and air-tight
- Only for dry food
- Clogs if the kibbles are too large (works perfectly when the kibbles are small)
- The noise of the motor and kibbles hitting the tray may bother some people
7. PetSafe 5-Meal Pet Feeder – The Most Durable Automatic Cat Feeder
The PetSafe 5-Meal Pet Feeder is an electronically programmable automatic cat feeder with five food compartments for both dry and semi-moist food. Each compartment has a capacity of 1 cup of food. You have complete control over portion size, depending on how much you fill up the compartments. You can schedule up to 5 meals a day.
The feeder has a simple construction and doesn’t feature any unnecessary bells and whistles. It features, however, two useful options. The ‘Manual Advance’ button allows dispensing a scheduled portion of food immediately, and the ‘Suspend Feeding’ button allows stopping the feeder from dispensing food without losing the programmed meal schedule.
Many customers reported that their cats were scared of this feeder at first. Because a tray moves automatically under the hood cats think it will start moving while they are still eating and that makes them nervous. However, the cats got used to the product after a few feedings.
Clients who bought this product said that it was easy to set it up. They were happy that the feeder is quiet and durable.
Regarding the product’s cat-proofness, clients had different experiences. Some clients reported that the product is cat-proof, and some reported that their cats could steal the food from the food compartments.
The two most common complaints about this automatic cat feeder were about its way of powering and the amount of food it could contain at once. The PetSafe 5-Meal Pet Feeder can be only powered by batteries, there is no power cord to plug into the socket. After adding the cost of batteries the price of the product is becoming much higher than it really is. The feeder capacity is maximum of 5 cups of food a day, meaning that you can’t fill it up for longer as you can do with the hopper feeders. You need to refill the feeder every day to make sure there is a constant supply of food for your cat.
PetSafe 5-Meal Pet Feeder Key Features:
Capacity: 5 cups
Portion size: each tray slot holds up to 1 cup of food (you can choose the portion size, anything that is not more than 1 cup of food)
Number of meals: 1 to 5 meals a day
Type of food: dry and semi-moist
Technology: electronic programming (built-in digital clock and LCD display)
Modes & options: ‘Manual Advance’ button to immediately dispense the next scheduled meal, ‘Suspend Feeding’ button to stop the feeder from dispensing food without losing the programmed meal schedule.
Powered: requires 4 D-cell alkaline batteries (not included)
Product dimensions: 15 x 5 x 18 inches; 3.28 pounds
Warranty: 1 year
- Affordable
- Quiet
- Easy to set up
- Durable
- Not cat-proof
- No power adapter, batteries die quickly
- Cats are scared of it at the beginning
8. PetSafe Six Meal Automatic Pet Feeder – The Easiest to Set up Automatic Cat Feeder
The PetSafe Six Meal Automatic Pet Feeder is an electronically programmable automatic cat feeder of simple construction. It consists of six food compartments. Each compartment has a capacity of 1 cup of food. You can customize the portions you want to dispense to your cat by simply filling the right amount of food to each of the compartments. You can program up to 6 meals a day of your chosen portion.
For example, you can choose to dispense 1 portion of food a day over the course of 6 days, 2 portions of food over the course of 3 days, or 3 portions of food over a course of 2 days. The size of the portion and the number of meals a day are up to you.
The feeder features two handy options. The ‘Feed Now’ button allows dispensing a scheduled portion of food immediately if such need arises. The ‘Sleep Mode’ allows stopping the feeder from dispensing food without losing the programmed meal schedule.
The PetSafe Six Meal Automatic Pet Feeder is designed for both dry and semi-moist food. Customers reported that the product is easy and quick to set up thanks to straightforward instructions. They were also happy that the feeder doesn’t jam. They reported that the product is quiet and does not bother them with a loud sound as other cat feeders tend to.
The most common complaints among the customers who bought this automatic cat feeder are that it’s not cat-proof and a cat can easily get into the food compartments to steal the food. Another complaint was that the feeder does not have a power adapter and it’s only battery-powered. They claimed that the batteries would not last for long. The manufacturer says in the product description that the batteries should last for approximately 9 months, whereas customers who bought the product reported that the batteries would last for around 2 months on average, in some instances even shorter.
PetSafe Six Meal Automatic Pet Feeder Key Features:
Capacity: 6 cups
Portion size: each tray slot holds up to 1 cup of food (you can choose the portion size, anything that is not more than 1 cup of food)
Number of meals: 1 to 6 meals a day (you can set 6 smaller meals a day, 2 meals a day for 3 days or 1 meal a day for 6 days)
Type of food: dry and semi-moist
Technology: electronic programming (built-in digital clock and LCD display)
Modes & options: ‘Feed Now’ option to immediately dispense the next scheduled meal, ‘Sleep Mode’ to stop the feeder from dispensing food without losing the programmed meal schedule.
Powered: requires 4 D-cell alkaline batteries (not included)
Product dimensions: 15.7 x 9.6 x 6.4 inches; 2.85 pounds
Warranty: 1 year
- Affordable
- Quiet
- Easy to set up
- Doesn’t jam
- Not cat-proof
- No power adapter, batteries die quickly
9. DOGNESS Automatic WiFi Cat Feeder – The Most Interactive Automatic Cat Feeder
The DOGNESS Automatic WiFi Cat Feeder is a ‘smart’ type of automatic cat feeder. The product is fully controllable from your phone through an app. Access to the 2.4Ghz frequency network is required in order to connect the feeder.
The machine has a capacity of 6.5LB and can contain only dry food. The portions are in grams which you can set up from the app, as well as the feeding times. Every setting is flexibly customizable through the app. The app keeps the log of the feedings so that you don’t need to be worried you will lose track. The feeder has a manual feeding option too.
The product has also a built-in camera and a microphone. Therefore, you can both see your cat when he is being fed and talk to her at the same time. The camera has a wide-angle, therefore it’s easy to see the cat.
Customers who bought the product said that it’s easy and quick to set up the feeder. The product can be battery-powered in case of a power outage.
DOGNESS Automatic WiFi Cat Feeder Key Features:
Capacity: 6.5LB
Portion size: you can choose how many grams per feed each time
Number of meals: you can schedule as many meals a day as you want
Type of food: dry
Technology: smartphone programming (Wi-Fi), Wi-Fi network needs to be a 2.4Ghz frequency
Modes & options: ‘manual feeding’ option
Powered: battery and power adapter 5V DC 1A with 3 meters (9 feet) long power cord
Product dimensions: 10.8 x 9.1 x 19.5 inches, weight: 6.6 pounds (without batteries)
Warranty: 1 year
Additional features: Camera, Voice Recording
- Easy to set up
- Quiet
- You can see your cat on camera and talk to her through the mic
- Not cat-proof
10. PETKIT Automatic Pet Feeder – The Best Looking Automatic Cat Feeder
The PETKIT Automatic Pet Feeder is a smart type of automatic cat feeder, which is smartphone programmable and works through Wi-Fi. You can control the feeding of your feline friend remotely thanks to the app on your smartphone. The app works on Apple or Android smartphones and is compatible with Alexa. In order to be able to operate the feeder through the app, you will need to have 2.4G WIFI.
This automatic cat feeder has a capacity for 6LB of dry food. It dispenses up to 4 meals a day. Each meal can consist of 1 to 20 portions. The smallest portion is 20g. Different amounts of food can be dispensed at different times, but you can set up only one daily schedule for each day. There is a ‘feed now’ option, which lets you choose a portion and dispense it immediately from the app. The app notifies when the food was dispensed, the set portion, the time it was dispensed and in case there was any problem, it shows an error message. It’ll also notify you of the food level in the feeder, so that you are aware when you need to add more food the to feeder.
When the machine is about to dispense a meal, it gives a single beep sound. It dispenses food through the feeder door. The PETKIT Automatic Pet Feeder has not been reported by any of the customers to work loudly, from the client submitted videos you can hear that the motor of the feeder is very quiet.
The most common complaints among the clients who bought this automatic cat feeder were that the feeder would dispense inaccurate food portions and that the product was difficult to set up. In particular, a few people had a problem with connecting the product to the Wi-Fi.
On the other hand, many customers prised this feeder on being cat-proof and keeping the food tightly closed and fresh.
The product features a battery backup, therefore in case it comes offline, it can still be working powered by batteries.
PETKIT Automatic Pet Feeder Key Features:
Capacity: 6LB
Portion size: each portion is 20g, each meal dispense from 1 to 20 portions
Number of meals: up to 4 meals a day
Type of food: dry
Technology: smartphone programming (Wi-Fi), Apple or Android smartphone, requires a wireless router in 2.4ghz mode, works with Alexa
Modes & options: ‘feed now’ button that lets to choose a portion and dispense immediately from the app
Powered: battery backup, requires 4 D batteries
Product dimensions: 17.5 x 8.8 x 19.7 inches; 11.02 pounds
Warranty: 1 year
Additional features: double “fresh lock” system
- Quiet
- Modern, sleek design
- Keeps food fresh and tightly closed
- Cat-proof
- Dispenses inaccurate portions of food
- Difficult to set up
Best Automatic Cat Feeders – Buyer’s Guide
When you should buy an automatic cat feeder for your cat?
An automatic cat feeder is a win-win solution for both a cat owner and the cat. The idea of an automatic cat feeder lies in dispensing particular portions of food during consistent periods of time at fixed hours in an automatic way, without the need for a physical person to be present at it.
In that way, a cat owner becomes free of having to physically feed their cat for a certain period of time. This is especially useful when:
- You go for a vacation.
- You want to be flexible over the weekends.
- You need to stay long hours after work.
- You don’t like being woken up by your cat at the very early morning hours.
The cat benefits of being fed by an automatic cat feeder are as follows:
- Your cat gets consistent feeding times, which puts her at ease as she knows what to expect (especially good for anxious and food-motivated cats).
- An overweight cat can easily lose weight thanks to being given controlled portions of food at consistent times.
- Your cat will not be starving because you didn’t come on time to home and she won’t get overfed either because you gave her too much food.
Important features to consider before you buy an automatic cat feeder:
There are several important aspects you should consider before buying an automatic feeder for your cat. Here is a useful checklist to go through before buying an automatic cat feeder:
1. Noisiness
Some automatic cat feeders use a motor mechanism inside them, which sometimes can give a loud noise, especially during the food dispensation. If you are easily bothered by noises, you should make sure that the motor of the feeder you want to buy is not loud when dispensing the food.
The best automatic cat feeders which dispense food without the noise of the motor mechanism:
PetSafe Healthy Pet Simply Feed Automatic Cat Feeder
PetSafe Healthy Pet Gravity Cat Food Station
PetSafe Six Meal Automatic Pet Feeder
DOGNESS Automatic WiFi Cat Feeder
Another way the feeder can give a loud noise is when the kibbles hit the tray. This noise, however, is unavoidable, it’s natural that the kibbles will cause the sound when hit at the steel bowl. You can remedy it by replacing the steel bowls with bowls made from a softer material.
The best automatic cat feeders which dispense food without the noise of the kibbles:
SureFlap SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder
2. Wet, dry or semi-moist cat food
When buying an automatic cat feeder you need to take into consideration the type of food the cat feeder is suitable for. Most of the automatic cat feeders are suitable only for dry food (kibbles). There are, however, a few options of automatic cat feeders that can release wet or semi-moist cat food.
The best automatic cat feeders that are suitable for wet cat food:
SureFlap SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder
The best automatic cat feeders that are suitable for semi-moist cat food:
PetSafe Healthy Pet Simply Feed Automatic Cat Feeder
PetSafe Smart Feed Automatic Cat Feeder
PetSafe Healthy Pet Gravity Cat Food Station
PetSafe Six Meal Automatic Pet Feeder
3. Technology (WiFi vs traditional programming)
The smartphone programmed (WiFi) cat feeder will let you control the feeder anywhere from the world only with your smartphone app and connection to the WiFi. It’s the most convenient scenario for a very busy person as you can manage the feeder anytime anywhere.
The best WiFi controlled automatic cat feeders:
PetSafe Smart Feed Automatic Cat Feeder
DOGNESS Automatic WiFi Cat Feeder
On the other hand, if you don’t feel well versed with the latest, smartphone technology, you may like to choose a traditionally programmed cat feeder.
The best traditionally programmed automatic cat feeders:
PetSafe Healthy Pet Simply Feed Automatic Cat Feeder
PetSafe Six Meal Automatic Pet Feeder
4. Voice Recording
A voice recording may be a useful feature to encourage a hesitant cat to eat while you are away. Make sure that the voice recording is of good quality though, as the bad quality recording may be counterproductive and put your cat off from coming to the feeder.
The best automatic cat feeders with a voice recording option:
DOGNESS Automatic WiFi Cat Feeder
5. Cat-proofing
It’s important that the cat feeder you want to buy is tightly sealed and that cats will not be able to open it to get some food on their own. If the cat breaks into the food compartment while you are away, not only she will overeat, but no food will stay for later and she will go hungry.
6. Power
There are cat feeders that work only for batteries, only for a cord, or both cord and batteries. To reassure your cat will be always fed, choose an automatic cat feeder with both means of power.
7. Capacity
Make sure the food compartment of the cat feeder you want to buy has enough capacity to feed your cat for the desired length of time without the need for you to refill it.
8. Size of food portions and the number of meals
If you want to buy an automatic cat feeder with a thought to put your cat on a diet, you should put special attention to the possibility of choosing the preferred size of food portions and a preferred number of meals throughout a day. In order for you to be able to manage your cat weight, you need to be able to regulate the particular portion sizes at consistent times of a day.
The best automatic cat feeders which let you control both the portion size and a number of meals:
PetSafe Healthy Pet Simply Feed Automatic Cat Feeder
PetSafe Smart Feed Automatic Cat Feeder
PetSafe Six Meal Automatic Pet Feeder
DOGNESS Automatic WiFi Cat Feeder
Best Automatic Cat Feeders – Frequently Asked Questions
How does an automatic cat feeder work?
An automatic cat feeder dispenses cat food automatically, without the need for a human to be physically present at it. The person only needs to fill the cat feeder with food and program it according to their requirements. Subsequently, an automatic cat feeder will be dispensing a particular portion of food at fixed times for a certain period, until the food runs out of the food compartment and need to be refilled again by the cat owner.
What are the types of automatic cat feeders?
There are various types of automatic cat feeders. Below are the most common types:
- Electronically programmed automatic cat feeders
- Smartphone programmed automatic cat feeders (WiFi controlled)
- Gravity cat feeders
- Chip cat feeders
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