Automatic Pet Feeders - are they any good?

DSN

heyas - anyone ever use those 'auto feeder' things for cats - do they work & if so which one would you recommend (or not?!).
cheers.

shanew

I got some 48hr timer feeders which worked fine, they
have ice-packs that you place underneath to keep the
food fresh. For dry food I found a hopper and for water
I found a gravity device - a bit like the idea of the
ones used for chickens.

I can look at the makes etc and check to see where
I got them if you like....



Shane

DSN

Cheers - cud you give me the make of that 'hopper' device?! never heard of that but we on the dry food as well. apparently some are real easy for the cats to break into etc

shanew

The hopper is marked PetMate - 4lb Self-Feeder
I bought it and the water device in Woodies, Carrickmines.

the timer gadgets just have "CatMate" on them and
have two seperate sections with timers - I think I got
them from Pet-Bliss via an online site - they are
based in Co. Wicklow I think.

Shane

hypnotic_tango

Well i had an auto feeder before for my cat.... Mr.Bensas.... and he got so fat... so i took it away from him..he was having fits... cause he wanted to eat.. He would wake me up in the middle of the night for food... it was getting bad.... he by passed the feeder one time..and knocked the whole thing over ... never again.. will i get one... but... every animal is different.. so.. i don't know what to tell ya....

tk123

I think my cat would just smash it. I used to keep his food in a giant lunchbox thing on top of a press - he started sitting on it and trying to scrape it open then he pushed it onto the floor to try and smash it! I have his daily food allowance in a screw top beaker and he's always trying to knock it down and smash it too!

hypnotic_tango

i tried that screw lid.. he cracked it open.. that fat cat.. he is so fat... i feel so bad for him.. it was the feeder.. i know it.... *laughs*.....

DSN

thanks shane for the tips on those, mite give one a go. yeh yeh blame the feeder for cat being on the tubby side tango, did he managed to get in & eat it all at once?! I feed the kits dry food I dont think it as 'more-ish' to them as the tinned stuff so they just seem to graze at it all day long as they need it rather than gobblin it all down at once.

shanew

found a picture of the feeder... (If i've attached it correctly!)

S.

Arcadian

I have 2 of these kibble dispensers, but i only use them if i'm going to be away overnight. The problem with them is that they don't keep the kibble fresh so if you only have a couple of cats grazing from it you may find that your only topping it up once or twice a week, which means the food is sitting in it for several days at a time.

Mine are fed dry food twice a day, in their long row of bowls;) , but are given enough that they can graze on it for several hours.