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📂 Category: Gear,Gear / Buying Guides,Gear / Products / Smart Home,Gear / Products / Home,Buying Guide
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Others have been tested
Photo: Molly Higgins
Closer Pets C200 2-Meal Automatic Pet Feeder for $30: This automatic feeder is very simple, and this is its weakness and strength. They’re basically two shallow plastic containers with stainless steel inserts (both dishwasher safe) and tamper-resistant lids that lock and unlock automatically with an old-school egg-style timer that runs on an AA battery instead of electricity. Although the container contains an ice pack to keep wet food cold, after one night it will lose almost all of its cold. There is a lid clip, which is a small piece of plastic that connects the lids to ensure they are open at the same time, which is very useful for owners of two cats like me. I wish the timer was electric so I could program it for the exact time I wanted it to open, instead of guessing the timing on the little signs. However, this is a simple solution to help make sure my cat gets wet food without having to wake up at the crack of dawn.
Photo: Molly Higgins
Oneisall Wireless WiFi Automatic Cat Feeder for $53: I had high hopes for this wireless feeder that features a 100-day rechargeable battery and an integrated app, but it’s not at all reliable. Through the app, you can program up to 10 daily meals (at 1-12 servings each), monitor your pet’s eating habits, and customize meal calls. Unlike other apps, you can’t choose the serving size, but instead have to double the number of servings. The app was constantly giving me problems, often disconnecting from the feeder and not being able to reconnect to the WiFi. Fortunately, I was able to program meals via the screen and buttons, but it could have been much better if the app had worked reliably.
Do not recommend
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Catit Pixi Smart 6-Meal Feeder, $104: Like others on this list, the Catit Pixi Wet and Dry Feeder uses ice packs to keep wet food fresh and unfolds meals below in six compartments on a rotating schedule. The schedule can be programmed via the app or changed on the feeder body. At this price point, the app shouldn’t be so limited and faulty. The schedule is only available on military time, and the app is very limited — you can only set a meal schedule for the same day, and when I wanted to eat only two or three meals a day spread over two days, I had to reschedule meals for each new day. It did not keep the feeder cool enough to dispense meals, and the wet food was not at a safe temperature to eat. At this price point, you can only get the Petlibro Polar wet feeder for a few dollars more.
Catit Pixi Smart Cat Feeder for $110: Food is stored in the body of this dry feeder, but it does not have a window to visually check food levels. The meal planning calendar only shows one week at a time, and although it should repeat daily based on the schedule, I’ve found that some days there won’t be a schedule even though I set one up. Pixi also doesn’t tell you how much food has been distributed; It only refers to it as a “portion” – I measured it manually and found that the portion was less than a tablespoon of food. After using it continuously for over a month, I found that it was extremely glitchy and never stuck to the programmed schedule, sometimes skipping meals altogether. This feeder is potentially dangerous, and I would caution pet parents not to rely on it.
Closer Pet C500 for $75: This wet and dry feeder can schedule up to four pre-portioned meals (and one hand-served meal) that open on a timer system using three AA batteries (sold separately). The user sets up the four times he wants the bowls containing ice packs underneath to rotate. The bowls are very deep and narrow and are not very easy for cats to reach, which can cause fatigue. Despite having two relatively large ice packs, when I checked the feeder after a night’s sleep, the packs were not very cold. This would be a good thing for the food, but the wet food was kept at unsafe temperatures, and my cat couldn’t get to all the food.
Why use an automatic feeder?
Automatic feeders are great for pet owners who want help managing their pet’s weight and monitoring eating patterns. Additionally, it allows more control and precision for owners to learn exactly how much their cat is eating and when. Since cats are naturally more active at night, many of them have an annoying habit of waking you up in the wee hours of the night to demand food. This allows you to set up a schedule that suits their schedule without disturbing yours.
Of course, it is never recommended to leave pets alone for long periods, but these automatic feeders give more peace of mind and are healthier for your pet than leaving a large amount of food out for free feeding while you are away for the night. Simply put, it’s an easier way to feed and monitor your cat’s health with less effort for you, the human.
I have two rescue cats, ages 4 and 5, who eat two meals of wet food a day and small amounts of dry food throughout the day. My vets (and TikTokkers) have successfully convinced me to move toward a primarily wet food diet, which is high in water. This provides more moisture in their diet, which helps with potentially life-threatening problems such as urinary tract infections, which are especially prevalent in male cats. I still like to offer smaller dry food meals throughout the day to meet their need for crunch.
For dry foods, I use Hill’s Science Diet, and for wet foods, I use Friskies’ Shreds range. (Yes, only Shreds. Other cat owners will understand.)
I set up the feeders, noting the ease of setup, potential issues, and navigation in the app. I also tested different schedules and manual feeds through the app, and noted any issues. I have used both feeders for at least a week, if not more.
How long can I leave my cat alone?
Although cats are generally considered lower maintenance than dogs, it is still not a good idea to leave your cat for long periods of time. Under extreme conditions, you can leave your cat alone for 24 to 48 hours with specific meals and a clean water source, but this is not ideal – especially for cats with health problems, kittens under a year old, or older cats. Although these feeders are automatic, and meals can be scheduled in advance and over several days, our pets still need their human companions for enrichment, care, and love.
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🕒 Posted on 1760905121
