The 7 Best Automatic Cat Feeders

Nowadays we spend many hours away from home and therefore it becomes a real challenge to create habits for our pets, especially when it comes to feeding them.

Whether it is because your vet has told you that your pet is overweight, because you want to help them with food cravings, because you have one of your pets on a special diet and the other is not, or because you have a very insistent dog that would give anything to steal your cat’s food (which should not be underestimated if we want to save visits to the vet), these are just some of the benefits of automatic cat feeders and there are different alternatives to help depending on which case.

The 7 Best Automatic Cat Feeders

After testing, researching and contrasting information from all kinds of users, this is our selection of the 7 best automatic cat feeders you can find today:

7.- PETLIBRO Automatic 2L Timed Cat Feeder

The PETLIBRO automatic 2L timed cat feeder is one of the most affordable in its range.

As a single feeder (ideal for cats or small dogs), it allows you to program up to 6 meals a day consisting of dry food only, as long as the kibble size is between 2 and 15 mm. Following these manufacturer’s instructions will prevent the food from getting stuck when dispensed.

It also has a dual power supply, which could be very useful in case of power cut, as that way your pet wouldn’t stop being fed thanks to the back-up batteries.

We also like that it brings a stainless-steel bowl, which is usually more friendly with your pet’s skin and makes it easier to clean.

One of its most useful features is that it is pet-proof, with a lockable lid and touch screen to avoid that they alter the setting when trying to open or knock it over.

6.- XTUOES Automatic 4L Smart Cat Feeder

The XTUOES Automatic 4L Smart Cat Feeder is a smart feeder that stands out for being remotely controlled through an app at an exceptionally affordable price. It allows you to program up to 10 meals a day, as well as feeding your cat or small/medium sized dog manually whenever you wish to treat them. In addition to this, you can use its “voice recording” function that lets you let your pet know that it is time to eat.

With a clog-prevention system (as long as we follow the kibble size advice given by the manufacturer), it distributes the personalized food amounts smoothly at the set times, which can be particularly helpful when trying to get our pets to lose weight.

Comes with a dual power supply (again, useful in case of power cut) and a stainless-steel bowl, which is ideal to avoid undesired sensitivity reactions in your pet’s skin.

It also stands out for its safety lock, which won’t definitely make it easy for your pet to break it.

*What is 2.4GHz Wi-Fi?

5.- PETLIBRO Automatic 4L Timed Cat Feeder

The PETLIBRO automatic 4L cat feeder turns out to be an excellent upgrade option from the previous PETLIBRO model analysed, with some extra features that are worth considering depending on your needs.

It can hold up to 4L of dry food (freeze-dried food, mixed size food and air-dried food at the recommended manufacturer’s kibble sizes), which probably makes it a better option for short weekend getaways. In addition, with a weight of 2.1 kg, some users consider it a fairly sturdy feeder to any cat or small/medium dog attempts to knock it over.

It is also worth noting that while you can program up to 4 meals a day and customize each portion through its LCD screen, there is also the option of manually feeding your pet, which can help strengthening your relationship.

4.- WellToBe Automatic Smart Cat Feeder

The WellToBe Automatic Cat Feeder is a smart alternative that allows to feed up to two cats or small dogs simultaneously with dry food of 5-12 mm diameter kibble size. It has an anti-clogging design to make it more reliable and can be programmed to dispense up to 6 meals a day at the desired times.

Among its most important features, we must highlight its customization options such as voice recording, manual feeding and very small portion sizes that can be easily adjusted from the comfort of your mobile phone thanks to its app.

Users also point out that it is pretty robust in case of having really insisting pets, although they emphasize that is very easy to assemble and set up.

*What is 2.4GHz Wi-Fi?

3.- Cat Mate C500 Automatic Pet Feeder

The Cat Mate C500 Automatic Pet Feeder is probably one of the best-balanced feeders that we have come across. At an affordable price, you don’t need to worry about food getting clogged as it basically consists of a carousel that rotates and presents the meals to our pets at the intervals we have programmed. This, according to several customers, makes it one of the most reliable automatic cat feeders for both cats and small dogs.

It is worth clarifying that you can schedule 4 meals, but there is a 5th one that will be presented straight away (as it is not covered by the lid), with no delay setting.

Each of its bowls can hold up to 330 grams of any type of food, and this will stay fresh for longer thanks to the twin icepacks that comes with.

2.- SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder

The SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder is well-known for its feature of only opening its lid when a particular pet approaches to the device. This mean that the all the food placed in the bowl will be only accessible to the cat or small dog with a specific microchip number or collar tag (for those that are not microchipped).

It is worth noting that thanks to its sealed lid, the food can stay fresher for longer, reducing food waste and undesired flies. It also incorporates a training mode, which makes it easier for our pet to get used to approach and eat from the device.

We believe that it is essential to highlight that this feeder is quite different from the previous ones analysed, as it is not designed to rationalise our pet’s food but to prevent any others or even toddlers from accessing it. This function makes it ideal for multi-pet households where, for example, one of your pets requires a veterinary prescription diet or you also have a kitten that shouldn’t eat your senior cat’s diet, or even if you had to add any medications to it.

1.- PETLIBRO Automatic 3L Cat Feeder

The PETLIBRO automatic 3L cat feeder is probably the top rated automatic cat feeder in terms of value for money for both cats and small dogs.

Its features are fairly similar to those already described for the other two PETLIBRO models we have analyzed above, although in this case it is worth noting that with an intermediate capacity (3L), it can still dispense up to 6 dry food meals a day. Splitting their meals so much throughout the day can be extremely helpful when we are trying to help our pet with food cravings.

It also differs from the other models in that it has an infrared sensor to avoid more food coming out if the bowl still full (and this way to avoid food waste and undesired flies or ants), and that it has a voice recording function to call your pets to eat when each meal is dispensed, particularly useful for those that are used to this.

One thing to bear in mind is that, of the models we have investigated, it is probably one of the least likely to receive complaints about food getting stuck when used the right kibble size.

If you are still undecided about which automatic feeder is ideal for your particular situation, we recommend you take a look at the buying guide we have prepared below:

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

Before choosing an automatic feeder for your pet(s), it’s important that you first ask yourself the following questions:

• What type of diet does my pet eat: dry or wet?

This is decisive, as most gravity-based or programmable (smart or not) upright feeders are compatible with dry food only (and many will even have a recommended kibble size to ensure it won’t get stuck when dispensing).

On the other hand, if you are thinking of feeding exclusively wet food, you may want to consider investing in a programmable dish-style feeder (such as the Cat Mate C500 reviewed here), as its layout (a segmented bowl) rotates and allows food to be made available for your pet at the desired time.

When feeding wet or raw, it is important that these designs include ice packs to ensure that the food is kept in good condition. As you can imagine, these are more often used for daily food rationing and allows you to give medications at feeding times.

• Are there only one or more cats in the household? Do they have similar or different feeding habits? Do they eat the same diet, or does one of them take a veterinary prescription diet?

As a rule, all cats have different eating habits and some may be greedier than others, which may result in one of your cats overeating and the other too little, even though many automatic feeders are designed with two different dishes and setting options.

If your cats are comfortable eating from different bowls (either separate or close to each other), then you should check which we think is the best automatic cat feeder for multiple cats. But if not, or if they have special diets (weight loss, urinary, chronic kidney disease, etc), the best thing to do in these cases is to buy a microchip/collar tag feeder (like the SureFeed Microchip feeder reviewed here), for each of them.

• Do I have any other pets that could access the cat feeder?

In many cases, cats and dogs live together in the same household and due to the high fat content of cat diets, dogs often find them very palatable. This, of course, can lead to dietary indiscretions and even more serious conditions such as pancreatitis. If this is the case, you may want to look at the more robust options that are harder to knock over and break in. Microchip feeders are also often great options.

• How much am I willing to invest?

It really depends on what you are going to use it for and how important some of its features are to you.

For us, some of the key features are:

• Transparent window to see remaining amount of biscuits
• Easy to program multiple servings and portion sizes
• Easy to clean
• Reliable: with battery back-up (and memory function in case of power cut) and anti-clogging system if upright design
• Bowl made of stainless steel to minimize possible allergic reactions on your pet’s skin.

There are other specifications that we consider more secondary, such as including a camera, manual feeding, or voice recording.

Some users may also choose much simpler, gravity-operated feeders, while others may prefer to be able to control their pet’s feeding habits more precisely from the comfort of their mobile phone. If this is your case, take a look at this article where we talk exclusively about smart cat feeders.

FAQ

• Are automatic feeders good for cats?

As explained at the beginning of this post, these food dispensers for cats bring multiple benefits. Even so, we do not normally recommend leaving your cat unsupervised for periods longer than 24 hours, however reliable the feeder may be, as we cannot guarantee otherwise that they are alright. For weekend getaways, for example, it may be a good idea to ask a friend or family member to pop-in to make sure everything is ok.

• Is more capacity better?

It depends. A big plus is that a large-capacity feeder can help you not to worry about having to refill it so often (did you know that most of them usually come with a desiccant bag to prevent mold growth?). On the other hand, they also take up a lot more space and can be more susceptible to being knocked over by a very insistent dog.

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