7/11 Buzz PMPS: 308, +1: 380/ Auto feeder ?

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Sarah and Buzz

Sarah and Buzz

Member Since 2009
Yesterday's condo: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=19435&view=unread#unread
Uneventful night, but she did manage to make it to blue. Sienne, in regards to your comment yesterday about treats in the middle of the night, no, I didn't give her a treat after that test for just that reason. I don't care to make a habit of getting up in the night to give out treats. ;-)

WCR: Buzz is still doing well and acting happy. She spends the majority of her day on her testing towel, then sleeps with me at night. It's quite sweet as well as convenient. :-D

I hope everyone has had a good weekend. I can't believe we are halfway through July already; wasn't it just Memorial Day?! :shock:

ETA my auto feeder question (duh!): I am going to be ordering autofeeders for the kitties and am wondering which ones people recommend. The less noisy the better, I think, and I suppose one with an ice pack compartment would be nice but maybe not necessary (?). I know I can count on you all to give me the lowdown. :-D
 
Re: 7/11 Buzz AMPS: 258, +1:259, +2:200, +5:93/ Auto feeder ?

Seems like it Wow mid way already Nice Buzz get into the green come on LOL Kath & Trey hugssss
 
Re: 7/11 Buzz AMPS: 258, +1:259, +2:200, +5:93/ Auto feeder ?

(I was kinda kidding about the late night treats!! Lol!) Looks like a late nadir for Buzz!

I've had good luck with one type of feeder and not so good luck with another. I have a PetSafe with 2 compartments and one with 5 compartments.

The PetSafe2 works great. It has a dial where you set the number of hours until you want it to open. It can hold a fair amount of food so if there's more than just Buzz who may eat, you can be generous. The compartment is fairly flat an not terribly deep so it's good for kitties. It uses one AA battery.

The PetSafe5 has been the bane of my existence. The first one I ordered from Amazon didn't work. The second one worked for a month and then promptly died. I think there's a problem with the motor. If it works (and I think Gayle likes hers), you can program the time for each of the 5 compartments. You have to set the clock on it and then set the timer for the compartments. The compartments are wedge-shaped and fairly deep. It uses 4 D-type batteries.
 
Re: 7/11 Buzz AMPS: 258, +1:259, +2:200, +5:93/ Auto feeder ?

I saw both the PetSafe models you mentioned at PetSmart today. I was leaning towards the 2 compartment model because I don't think I really need more than 2 compartments at a time. I will get one feeder for each cat and then no one has to share. Do you freeze the food beforehand and put it in pucks in the feeder, or do you just put the food in there as-is?
 
Re: 7/11 Buzz AMPS: 258, +1:259, +2:200, +5:93/ Auto feeder ?

I have the PetSafe 5 compartment too and its okay. I've never had a problem with it, but it does make some noise and you are kind of tied into the times you set on it, because it isn't that easy to change the times. If you only need the 2 times, I would go with that one. I don't put frozen food in, just regular canned with water and its fine through the night or day.

no, I didn't give her a treat after that test for just that reason. I don't care to make a habit of getting up in the night to give out treats.
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What!?! I get up every night and test and give treats! :o Have I been brainwashed by Blackie? :lol: I even give treats to civies if they ask nicely. :oops:
 
Re: 7/11 Buzz AMPS: 258, +1:259, +2:200, +5:93/ Auto feeder ?

Ele & Blackie said:
I have the PetSafe 5 compartment too and its okay. I've never had a problem with it, but it does make some noise and you are kind of tied into the times you set on it, because it isn't that easy to change the times. If you only need the 2 times, I would go with that one. I don't put frozen food in, just regular canned with water and its fine through the night or day.
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I found the CatMate C20 on Amazon and it has gotten great reviews. It's a two-compartment feeder as well but has ice packs which go underneath. It's more expensive than the PetSafe one, but it sounds like it's pretty awesome. Good to know you don't use ice, though, just water.


Ele & Blackie said:
What!?! I get up every night and test and give treats! :o Have I been brainwashed by Blackie? :lol: I even give treats to civies if they ask nicely. :oops:
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Hahaha! You have been brainwashed. Or maybe I'm just a meanie. There is no middle-of-the-night foodapalooza at my house. Then again, I usually stay up until at least +4, and later if necessary. If I couldn't do that, I would be getting up too. Cricket and Eve say they are coming to live with you, as they rarely get treats; maybe once a day if they are lucky. Geez, I do sound mean!! :oops:
 
Re: 7/11 Buzz AMPS: 258, +1:259, +2:200, +5:93/ Auto feeder ?

I love the Petsafe 2. I use two of them to give me more hours of coverage if I need it. It is so easy to set the timer. The timer is not 100% accurate (don't try to set your watch by it), and will slow down as the battery weakens. My timers make a sort of ticking sound. It makes a soft pop when it opens that my civie can hear from three rooms away. I like that the food remains uncovered if the cat missed the opening of the first compartment. The dish is very roomy, and I set my regular small cat dishes inside the compartment for ease of cleaning. You can put an ice pack underneath if you like, but there can be some condensation from the bottom of the feeder, so be careful if you are setting it on a surface that you don't want to get wet. The biggest complaint I read here about the Petsafe 2 is that some people's kitties are able to break into it.
 
Re: 7/11 Buzz AMPS: 258, +1:259, +2:200, +5:93/ Auto feeder ?

We have the 5 compartment and KB loves it. I can fit a small, flat ice pack but usually I just put a little water in with the food to keep it from drying out. I haven't found the times too tricky to change once I got the hang of it. I got ours through Amazon at about half what Petsmart wanted.
 
Re: 7/11 Buzz AMPS: 258, +1:259, +2:200, +5:93/ Auto feeder ?

Well, we know that Buzz is not with you tonight...cause she is at Spot's pool party with the rest of the gang...dancing the night away...
 
Re: 7/11 Buzz AMPS: 258, +1:259, +2:200, +5:93/ Auto feeder ?

OMG Buzz! Don't dance too much, it looks like the bottom might fall down on that bikini! (Pat you have found the funniest dancing kitties today... no two are alike! :lol: )

Sarah, I use the Petsafe 5 compartment feeder since I have big kitties. They can break into the 2 compartment one (they knock it around and upside down since it's lightweight.) Secondly, the digital timer in the PetSafe 5 is better for me since I have two feeders that need to be synchronized to open at the same times or one of my cats will be frustrated while the other eats. The two-section feeder has a dial timer that is way too approximate to sync. But if you only need one feeder and your kitty isn't aggressive, you have more options than I did. :-D
 
Re: 7/11 Buzz AMPS: 258, +1:259, +2:200, +5:93/ Auto feeder ?

Hi Sarah, That Buzz is the life of the party!

I love my CatMate C 20 (2 compartment feeder). It has an ice pack that fits underneath the food trays and really works to keep the food cool. It is easy to set the timers. I also have the Petsafe 5-compartment feeder, which I don't like at all. If your cat doesn't finish what's in the open compartment when it's time for the next compartment to roll into the opening, she no longer has access to it! Also, it sometimes stops between compartments, making it impossible for the cat to get his head into the food dish.

Good luck!
Ella
 
Pat- That dancing kitty is hilarious! It could be Buzz, definitely, and it also looks just like her brother Cricket (and therefore, like Shadow and Blackie too). The pink bikini is a dead giveaway, though. She bought it to match her collar. :-D

Thanks for all the feeder tips, everyone! I do worry about the feeders not opening at the same time. I have 3 kitties and will use one feeder for each cat. It sounds like the ice pack thing isn't a necessity, which is good. I'm not sure what they would do as far as trying to break into them. They all LOVE their food, but I'm not sure how far they'd go to try to get at it. I guess I will find out. :lol:
 
Hi Sarah - for what it is worth - I have the 5 compartment one, and have no problems with it. I've used the food frozen and not, it doesn't seem to mater too much. It is noisy, but for us it lets Mannie know that it's time for food, and off he goes. That aspect has been good for us. If you don't need 5 compartments, then perhaps the others would be better.

Love the photo of Buzz dancing. :lol: :lol: life of the party!
 
it looks like the food timing change has helped flatten Buzz out. :smile: Now that she is flatter, we can move on to the next step, which is to raise Buzz's insulin dose to try to bring the range down. What do you think about going back to the skinny 1 unit? Do it during a cycle when you can be home, test at +1, and intervene with MC if you have to. The goal is to get more insulin into her so she can combat the bounces. OK?
 
Libby-
Hooray for part 2 of the plan! I was just getting antsy that this dose had stopped working (as well) when we did the food change. But as soon as I read your comment, I remembered that you had said awhile back that if we could get her to flatten out, we could get more aggressive with the dosing. :smile:

I will go back to a s1.0u tomorrow morning and I will test, test, test. Thank you! :-D
 
LOL, it seems counterintuitive but we were hoping the dose wouldn't work "as well" with the food change. If you'll look at Jill/Alex's spreadsheet, she is using food so she can keep Alex's dose a little higher. Sienne is doing something similar with Gabby now.
 
Hi Sarah,
I have both 2 and 5 compartment, because surprise surprise, Cody can easily break into the 2 meal by biting and forcing the lid open. Once the little plastic tab get worn or broken off theres not much stopping him. It is nice and small, but it ticks like a really loud clock. I liked it but it didn't work for us. 2 double A bateries

THe 5 is larger and more complex, and it is heavier- but I put extra weights in the ice compartment to make it harder to flip etc.
Cody has not broken in to it yet- but it does make a pretty loud squeel when it opens, which is ok except we use it in dd bedroom where Cody sleeps and the sound is a little scary. Other than that, it is silent. I freeze pucks for the 4am feeding . 4 D batteries.
 
We like the PetSafe 5 compartment too. I like the fact that it closes off the food, that way you don't have to worry about removing it 2 hours before preshot. There is a whirring noise but now that just gets Tess's attention. I've seldom had a problem with jamming like some have. Just be really careful that the tray is well seated when you put it in. The trays are pretty deep, I made stoneware bowls that fit into it. cleanup is easier that way too.
 
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