Automatic pet food feeder?

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tipper11

tipper11

Member Since 2011
Does anyone use an auto cat food feeder. if so.. your thoughts on it...brand and cost. Thinking about getting one
and using it on those long days at work so Tippers food is spread out more evenly instead of all at once when I leave in
the AM.

Thanks
 
I use an automatic feeder during the day and overnight for my cat, Simon. He really loves it and it has not been a problem with him learning how to eat from it. I just bought one of the less expensive kinds, called Cat Mate. I got it on Amazon. It has two compartments and dials that you set for whatever hour you want the compartment to open. It doesn't make a whirring noise that some of the other feeders make, and instead, the top of the lid just opens up when it is time without alot of noise. I have it in my bedroom, and I don't hear it open in the middle of the night, although Simon has no problem hearing it and running to it the minute it opens. I have used it for about 3 months now and it seems to be holding up pretty well. Good luck!!
 
I think Georgia and I use the same feeder. I find this feeder to be very reliable. It may not open exactly on time but it's close enough.

I tried a 5-compartment model. Others here have used this model and love it. The first was DOA. The motor just stopped turning when I tested it. Amazon replaced it. The second one died after about 2 weeks.
 
I have a PetSafe for Attie as he eats multiple mini-meals. It has worked fine since I figured out setting the timers.

I bought mine slightly used off ebay/amazon and it has worked great. Attie adapted to it right away.

Attie often skips a meal though. So I've taken to filling all 5 compartments and the last compartment is set for a late afternoon setting. That way if he missed and starts to drop late in his cycle(known to do), there is something available. Now that he is closer to regulation he doesn't scarf every scrap of fuds. Often I'll find he didn't eat it...because he didn't need it.
 
I, too, love the Cat Mate C 20, two compartment feeder. It comes with a freeze block that fits under the trays and that does a good job keeping the food cool in the summer months. It is a nice, simple system (the two 48-hour timers are mechanical) and there is very little that can go wrong with it. Once a compartment lid pops open, it stays open, so the cat doesn't have to eat everything in the tray at once: he can graze.
http://www.amazon.com/Cat-Mate-C20-Auto ... B0013IX9YC

I also have the 5-compartment PetSafe rotary feeder, which, in my opinion, is less than satisfactory. The food compartments rotate into an opening and it operates on an electronic timer that you can set at whatever intervals you wish. A lot of people like it, but I found that unless your kitty finishes the food in a compartment before it is time for the next compartment to rotate into the opening, the uneaten food will be unavailable. Also, it needs to be set up very precisely because it has a tendency to stop mid-way between compartments and the cat can't get his head into the opening! It does not have any provision for keeping the food cool.
I got the Cat Mate C-20 and "retired" the PetSafe 5-compartment.

Hope this helps,

Ella & Rusty
 
I have two PetSafe 5 compartment feeders. Both work great :thumbup It's big and clunky but cat-proof and quiet. My one gripe is that the newest feeder I have (two months) has a tendency to only partially rotate the bowl for some reason and the cats can't get to the food even though they can see it and smell it :?: The other feeder which is about 3 years or so old does't have this problem. And the round bowls aren't interchangeable. I put the new bowl into the old feeder once and the feeder could not rotate it at the scheduled time :?

I also have a 2 compartment PetSafe feeder but it's very noisy because the manual dial timer makes an annoying constant ticking noise and it's too lightweight and not cat-proof. Squishy used to flip and push the entire feeder around the houe :shock: Then he figured out how to pry the lids open.
 
At Christmas time I got a Cat Mate C-50 cause I was afraid to leave Alex for over 8 hours without food and I've used it a few times since and so far so good...it was just tricky(at least for me) figuring out the timer and how the thing rotates the first two times I used it (I loaded all the bowls to make sure Alex got food) ohmygod_smile

I am happy with it though and I am going to get another one cause I know Alex doesn't let Jackson get any food :sad:

Cat Mate C-50
 
I have the petsafe 5 compartment one, and have had no problems with it - had it for 1.5 years. The clock is accurate - never missed a feeding. Ella is right however, if they don't come and eat the offering that it will rotate to the next time, leaving the original available. Not sure if that is a concern for you or not. I love the feeder - works great for us.

Mannie was easy to teach - he knows what it is for. The only issue is that there are time when he just chooses to ignore it... so - problem, but that the cat, and not the feeder. :lol: :lol:

Good luck!
 
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