Table of Contents
Our Top Pick
Petsafe Healthy Pet Automatic Feeder
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Introduction
Balancing a busy schedule with nurturing your cat can be a challenging task. It is even worse if you’re planning to go for a two-day trip. In such a case, it means no one will be around to care for your lovely pet. The best way you can eliminate such headaches is by getting a best automatic cat feeder. This device is your cat’s best companion anytime you’re away from home.
Apart from ensuring that there’s food in their bowl, an automatic cat feeder provides your cat with fresh food. This helps to stimulate the appetite, particularly for the selective or choosy breeds. The unit also aids in managing the health of your cat by liaising your availability and work schedule with your cat’s feeding time. If your cat is still in its early years of development, then you probably know the kind of appetite they have. With a best automatic cat feeder, it means the following.
- No more waking up early to feed your pet
- Complete peace of mind whenever you’re away from home
- Controlled food intakes and portions
- Regular feeding routine
- Time-saving
The benefits of buying an automatic cat food dispenser can’t be overstated. These devices come in all types and models. However, selecting the wrong feeder can lead to problems such as weight gain and obesity. If you care about your cat’s health and nutrition, then you may want to buy the right feeder. Below is the best automatic cat feeder buying guide to help you.
Cat Feeder Capacity
The first and most basic feature to consider is the capacity of the unit. A feeder isn’t good unless it comes with a decent capacity. It makes no sense to buy a feeder that requires you to refill it after a couple of hours. Consider the number of cats you have to know the capacity of the unit you’ll buy. In case you have cats that don’t get along, then it is recommended to have separate feeders for each cat to eliminate them from taking the advantage of others.
Bowl capacity will determine the amount of food your cat will get any time they want to eat during the day. You don’t want to underfeed or overfeed your pet. This is why most feeders come with different speed modes i.e. pause, slow or fast. Depending on your cat’s eating style, consider buying the most suitable feeder.
Noise Level
The type of operation and noise level are two paramount features that make a good auto cat feeder. A feeder that makes too much noise when dispensing food can be a nuisance to you and your cat as well. A feeder’s opening mechanism or motor determines its noise level.
Best Automatic Cat Feeder Comparison
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Programmability
A feeder that comes with few buttons is ideal if you want to feed your cat quickly and conveniently. You should be capable of programming the device in a few minutes. The things to program may include the quantity of food and time to dispense the food. Other models allow you to feed multiple pets at different times and food volumes.
When determining the amount of food to dispense for each cat, you can consider their age, strength and activity levels. Be sure to select a cat feeder that can allow you to make various modifications to suit the needs of your pets. Some cats are very aggressive and cunning when it comes to food particularly the Siamese breeds. They can even attempt to break into the feeder and get some extra food. This means a unit that can withstand all forms of abuse would be great.
The unit should be capable of keeping the cat away from accessing the food till the time scheduled. Others are equipped with restock alert feature. They’ll notify you when the unit needs to be refilled.
Power Efficiency
A feeder needs power to operate. This means the source of power is essentially important. While some types use direct electric power, others come with inbuilt rechargeable batteries. For the case of battery-operated feeders, battery life is critical.
Buying a system with a battery that doesn’t function is a nightmare you’ll never want to experience. The commonly used auto cat feeder batteries are the 4D and 4C types and can last for up to one year.
Ease of Cleaning
Cleaning can either be exciting or stressful depending on the type of feeder you buy. No one prefers a hard-to-clean feeder. Good feeders allow you to detach the bowl for quick and hassle-free cleaning. Additionally, those with simple designs are much easier to clean unlike those with complicated or intricate designs. Others have dishwasher-safe parts which make cleaning very convenient. After all, one of the main reasons why you’re buying an auto feeder is to save time.
Type of food to Dispense
Not all feeders are designed to dispense all types of cat food. Some are best suited for wet food while others are made specifically for dry cat food. These devices also operate differently and dispense food based on their pellet sizes. Just like humans, cats need a variety. If they eat dry food today, then tomorrow they might be craving for wet food.
If you want to dispense both types of food, then you will need to buy a feeder that works well for both dry and wet food. On the other hand, if you want to dispense only dry or wet food, then you should have valid reasons why you need it. Moreover, bear in mind that the food should be fresh at all times.
Best Automatic Cat Feeder Reviews
1. Petsafe Healthy Pet Automatic Feeder Review
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- Large hopper and bowl
- Adjustable bowl height
- Powered by batteries
- Batteries bought separately
- Dispensed food may be wasted
- Not suitable for wet feeds
The pet safe automatic feeder is one of the best kitten feeders for the convenience of busy pet owners. It can feed the kittens for days whether you are at home or not. It holds up to 24 cups of kitten feed which can be dispensed 12 times a day according to your customization. Once you load the food, the pet proof lid prevents kittens from accessing the food to avoid destruction and overfeeding. The feeder dispenses food up to 4 cups at a time in both slow feed and immediate feed modes.
Petsafe feeder has a translucent hopper that allows you to monitor feed levels. The bowl is also made of stainless steel which makes it very easy to clean. It can hold up to 5 cups at a time, this allows you to add supplements that may not be contained in the hopper feed.
The automatic feeder comes with a plug for an AC connection. You can buy 4 D-Cell alkaline batteries for more convenience since one set of batteries can power up the feeder for one year. The slow feeding mode dispenses small portions of food over a 15 minute period. This reduces bloating and vomiting especially when the pet is hungry. This makes the feeder both convenient and safe for your kitten.
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2. Surefeed Micochip Pet Feeder Review
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- A wide low-lying bowl
- Universal chip and collar tag detector
- Holds one pet at a time
- Doesn’t close if untagged pets gain entry
- Doesn’t detect a faulty chip
- No automatic feed addition
This is the best automatic pet feeder if you have more than one pet in the house. Its bowl cover opens for the designated pet only allowing it to have its fill. The bowl also has a protective bar which accommodates the head of one kitten at a time. This allows the right pet to eat and the door closes automatically once the pet is done. The automatic flip door opens and closes backward to give enough room for feeding and head movement.
The low lying bowl allows the pets to walk in and eat easily. It is wide enough to accommodate up to 5 cups at a time for a satisfactory portion that can feed a kitten for long. It is also removable for easy cleaning. With a lid that stays closed all the time, the feeder keeps the food clean and fresh for long.
Superfeed designed the microchip detector to be compatible with most standard identification tags. It detects microchips and RFID collar tags conveniently to open the lid only when the right pet is within inches of the bowl. This makes the SuperFeed one of the best automatic cat feeder for kittys on a prescription diet.
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3. Petsafe 5-Meal Feeder Review
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- A light portable structure
- Keeps food fresh
- Allows for clean feeding
- No alert if food runs out
- Unsuitable for multiple pets
- Small bowl size
Unlike the other pet feeders that use a single bowl, The Petsafe automatic feeder is a simple rotating tray with 5 bowls. Each bowl can hold one cup at a time. This keeps the cat satisfied with little wastage. It is also suitable for pets on a diet and also prevents overfeeding. Each portion of the food that is not accessed is fully covered. It can keep the meal fresh for up to 12 hours allowing the pet to feed 5 times a day when you are away.
The feeder has high-level portability for location convenience. It is low lying and light making it very easy to move around the house. The portions are timed through an inbuilt clock that has a provision for both am and pm settings for more convenience. The opening on the lid is wide enough for kittens to pick the food while keeping their whiskers clean. It can serve both wet and dry portions making it suitable for different alternating diets.
The Petsafe 5-meal feeder has a tray made of BHA free plastic which is easy to clean. It uses long lasting 4 D-Cell batteries for portability and long service. You can also feed your pets immediately through the manual button that automatically dispenses the next available meal.
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4. Westlink Automatic Pet Feeder Review
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- Little food wastage
- A wide low-lying bowl
- Easy to clean
- Supports dry food only
- Hard to monitor food levels
- May respond to pet touch
This is one of the best automatic cat feeder products for dispensing dry feeds. It allows you to program the portion size and feeding time. Each portion can be adjusted between 10g to 12g. The feeder dispenses 1-39 portions in every serving. This is enough to feed two pets at a time if they are friendly eaters.
With a 6L capacity, this feeder can hold enough portions to feed a single pet for over 3 days. The feeder automatically detects an empty tray. This prevents food wastage as it will not dispense food if the pets did not finish their last meal. With the voice recorder, you can save up to 10 seconds of your voice to call pets at meal time. With the low-lying bowl, you can use the feeder for kittens under 15 weeks as well as full grown cats and dogs.
To prevent the feeder from responding to pet touch, you need to double press two keys concurrently. This Westlink feeder accommodates 3 alkaline batteries. It can also be powered via a USB. The infrared detector also prevents food from locking. The passage allows 1cm sized particles only which are safe for kittens.
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5. Van Ness Medium Auto Feeder Review
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- Easy to clean
- It doesn’t need electricity
- Friendly price
- May overfeed the kittens
- Causes food wastage
- Messy for playful kittens
Unlike the other automatic feeders, this feeder has no timer. It, however, dispenses food according to your pet’s feed requirement. With a 6 pound capacity, this pet feeder keeps enough food to feed a kitten for days. It has a removable lid that preserves the food.
Van Ness has a wide bowl that can be accessed by multiple kittens at a time. The BHA free plastic bowl is also stainless and machine washable. You can use this feeder for both wet and dry feeds. It doesn’t require any electricity making it the safest pet feeder for naughty kittens.
The feeder is also convenient with handles for lifting and a translucent food container for monitoring food levels. It allows for a continuous flow of food for the kittens to enjoy whenever they need it. The whole set up is simple but very effective and less costly compared to other automatic pet feeders.
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Best Automatic Cat Feeder Summary
Buying an automatic cat feeder is a good decision. It eliminates a lot of hassles from your schedule by doing the feeding, delivering the right amount of food for your cat and giving you the peace of mind you need whenever you’re away from home.
Prior to buying one, there are several factors that you have to keep in mind so that you don’t buy the wrong unit. These factors include the capacity of the unit, the ability to program and operate, the type of food to use, power efficiency and noise level. Price isn’t always the best indicator of a good feeder. What matters most is buying the right best automatic cat feeder that serves the feeding needs of your pet. This means whenever you leave home, you know your lovely cat will get fed at the right time and with the right food amount.
A feeder that can jump one cat feeding cycle because it missed some instructions during programming isn’t good either. With the information presented in this article, you have all the information you need to pick the best automatic cat feeder for your kitty.
