SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder

Making sure our pets eat the right amount and diet type without having to monitor them 24/7 is a difficult task, especially in multi-pet households.

Food stealing between pets cannot only lead to behavioral problems of anxiety and competition, but also to malnutrition and dietary indiscretions, and consequently unwanted visits to the vets.

Microchip feeders such as the SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder offer a perfectly valid solution, as they open exclusively for the specific pet for which the food is intended.

Pros and cons

PROS

• Both dry and wet food
• No need to worry about clogging
• Easy to clean through removable bowl, mat, and lid
• Sealed lid which protects and keeps food fresh
• Sturdy and difficult to open for unauthorized pets
• Reliable and easy to set up
• Ample food bowl
• Compatible with worldwide microchips and RFID collar tags
• Intended for cats and small dogs, particularly if on veterinary prescription diets
• Has a battery-life indicator
• Intended for cats and small dogs

CONS

• No stainless steel bowls – need to be purchased separately
• Not programmable for feeding times or dosing/portion control – therefore not ideal for weight management
• Batteries-powered only

Which automatic cat feeder is the best? – Things to consider before choosing an automatic feeder

Making sure that our pets will eat whatever the time is, whether we are sleeping, working or away on a short weekend getaway, is a great advantage of these automatic feeders.

Some of the key points that we recommend considering before getting one are the following:

• Does my pet eat dry, wet food or both?

This will determine what type of automatic feeder you are going to need, as most gravity-based upright feeders are compatible with dry food only. For wet or mixed food, usually you will better go with a dish-style design one. If you would like to have a look into these, please see our Cat Mate C500 Review post, where we compare it with its competitors.

• Is it intended for just one or more than one pets? Does any of them take a veterinary prescription diet?

In multiple cat households, unless your cats are trained, normally they will have different eating habits and that may result in one of them overeating and the other too little. If that’s your case, or any of them are on a veterinary prescription diet, then it makes sense to consider a microchip feeder.

• Do you have any other pets that could access the automatic feeder?

Due to the high palatability of most of cat’s diets, your dog might find their food very interesting and that could lead to dietary indiscretions. To solve this problem, you can either get a microchip feeder, or other robust options like a dish-style automatic feeder, that can be programmed to serve meals at certain times (see link above).

• How much are you willing to invest depending on its features?

It depends on what you are planning to use it for and how important some of their features are for you. For us is very important for them to be reliable, easy to program multiple servings/portions, easy to clean, and ideally with a bowl made of stainless steel to avoid any undesired allergic skin reactions.

Key features

As a microchip feeder, the main feature is that its lid will open exclusively to the pet whose microchip or collar tag you have matched as the pet approaches to it. If an unauthorized pet does it, on the other hand, the cover will remain firmly closed and won’t be able to access the food. If the selected pet was pushed by another, the cover would rapidly (but safely) close.

This allows making sure that a specific pet receives the desired amount and type of diet, without needing continuous supervision.

If your plan is also feeding or mixing with wet food, this is certainly a product to consider given that other programmable upright feeders won’t allow this option. At the same time, you can rest assured that the food will stay fresh and protected from flies, because the lid will remain closed.

However, this automatic feeder is not ideal for users who are looking to schedule meals to ration their pets during a short getaway, for example.

Product description

Both dry and wet, also raw

It is particularly ideal for pets on prescription or weight loss diets because you can actually place any type of food in its bowl, without having to worry about it getting clogged as it happens with some gravity-based feeders.

Sealed lid

Its lid is made of neoprene which allows a full seal while closed (the majority of the time unless the registered pet approaches the feeder). This guarantees that the food remains fresh and free from flies, insects or even toddlers.

Compatible with worldwide microchips and RFID collar tags

The feeder’s internal sensor detects the pet’s implanted microchip (regardless the country where it was placed) but also the RFID collar tags issued by SureFlap, so we don’t have to worry about our pet not being microchipped.

*Please not that if you are in the United Kingdom, all cats must be microchipped by the 10^th of June 2024 as per the new government regulations, or you could face a fine of up to £500.

Portion size

The detachable bowl has a capacity of approximately 400 ml or 13.5 fl oz, an amount that is usually more than enough for an average size cat’s daily intake, no matter the type of food.

Ample front opening and training mode

The feeding front end measures approximately 8.26” wide x 6.10” high, which makes it ample enough for our small dog or cat to eat without feeling enclosed. It also comes with a training mode to allow you pet getting confident with its closing lid.

Dimensions and weight

Its dimensions are approximately 13” high x 9” long x 8” wide, and weights about 2.2 pounds. These features make this feeder small and easy enough to transport but sturdy at the same time.

Energy supply – battery life indicator

Requires 4x C-alkaline batteries to work, which would usually last between half and a year depending on its usage. It cannot be plugged to the mains, but that shouldn’t be a problem as it has a low battery indicator. At the same time, this feature brings flexibility to move it around until you find its ideal place in the house.

Material

The bowl’s material is polypropylene (a type of plastic) and comes with a silicone mat which you can buy in different colors in case of needing different feeders for multiple pets. This material makes it really easy to wash and clean, although from a vet perspective we would normally prefer stainless steel bowls to avoid undesired sensitivities on our pet’s skin. Don’t panic! You can purchase these separately from Amazon too.

Difficult to open for unauthorized pets or individuals

Made of hard plastic, it is fairly sturdy and won’t be easy to open by cats or small to medium size dogs. If an unauthorized pet tries to break in, the lid will gently push the pet out. However, if there was something bigger blocking it, it will just try again, which makes it also a safe option to use when kids are around. Anyway, you can adjust how quickly the lid closes by setting up the “time delay”, which offers three speeds.

Easy to set up

Users highlight how easy is to set it up with one button when following the instructions, and their pets getting used to, particularly if the training mode suggested is used. As we always say, it would be quite annoying if we bought an automatic feeder to make our lives simpler, only to end up having to go round and round in circles to program it.

User reviews

Comparison with its main competitors

Material of the bowl

All three options: the SureFeed Microchip feeder, Closerpets MiBowl and the Cat Mate C200 include a BPA free plastic bowl but with the option of purchasing stainless steel bowls separately, so overall we think that they are as good as each other in this sense.

Number of programmable meals

It would not be entirely fair to compare microchip automatic feeder models with dish-style ones, since, as we have discussed on occasions before, the purpose is often different. However, we like to emphasize these differences, so it is worth mentioning that the microchip models (SureFeed Microchip feeder and Closerpets Mibowl) do not allow you to set feeding times (rather the specified pet approaches the feeder and it automatically opens for them, giving them access to all the food served), whereas models such as the Cat Mate C200 will open only at the times you set, and regardless of whether it is for a specific pet.

Type of food compatible

In this sense, no one model is superior to another as all three are compatible with any type of food, as long as they fit in the bowl.

Power

All three models of automatic feeders are powered by batteries, making them very easily portable options.

Microchip ID-specific?

Only the SureFeed Microchip feeder and Closerpets Mibowl are capable of recognizing your specified pet’s microchip or collar tag (for those that are not microchipped) and opening its bowl for them only, and not for any intruders that attempt stealing food from it.

Ideal for

Each automatic feeder will be suitable for different scenarios: if what you need is to split your pet’s meals (up to 2) and you only have one pet or they are well trained to stop stealing food from each other, then the Cat Mate C200 will help with your cat or small dog’s food anxiety. However, for feeding veterinary prescribed diets, adding medication, or monitoring a specific pet’s food intake, then you should definitely consider a microchip feeder instead. We personally like the SureFeed Microchip feeder the most, as according to users’ opinions its transparent and simple design has helped pets get confident and used to eat from it fairly quickly.

Should you get the SureFeed Microchip Feeder?

In our opinion, this automatic feeder is almost perfect for those with a multi-pet household. In most cases, it will be a big investment as these users will have to buy several feeders. However, there is no more practical automatic feeder nowadays to avoid food competition and above all to ensure that our pets with special dietary requirements receive their diet exclusively and we can soon realize if they become inappetent.

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you make purchases through the links we provide, we may receive a compensation. Read more about how you are supporting us.