Discover the best automatic feeders for cats and dogs and feed your pet efficiently.
The automatic feeder for cats is an excellent choice for our cats. With an automatic cat feeder, we can feed our cats without the risk of overeating and gaining weight so much. They are very useful for sterilized cats, which tend to overeat, or when we have an overweight cat and we are administering a certain amount of feed in order to lose weight.
These automatic devices allow us to regulate the amount of food that we administer to our cat by dosing it while guaranteeing its availability.
These cat feeders are perfect when we want more practicality when feeding our cats. Also, they are an excellent help when we are away for a long time, for example, for work or vacation. That is why, if you are looking for a good cat food dispenser, use the comparison that I have prepared with the best automatic cat feeders.
Also, read our other guides on the best pet vacuum cleaners, automatic cat litter boxes, and GPS trackers for your cats.
The top 7 best programmable cat feeders on the market
Travel dates are approaching, or perhaps you have planned an escape—not a few days, but enough to think of an automatic feeder for cats or dogs that solves the problem of food rations while you are not at home.
We can leave a person in charge of the task, but sometimes these devices make it easier for us to provide them with food on a regular basis and to be calmer while we are not at home. Let’s see the seven best models on the market.
Xiaomi Smart Pet Food Feeder
This is the perfect product not only to program your cat’s feeding but also to feed it from anywhere. What we like the most about the Xiaomi Mi Smart Feeder is that, from the mobile application, we can dispense food wirelessly from anywhere.
In addition, it allows us to program the feeding of our cats with as many portions a day and times as they require according to their needs. We can also customize the schedules on a daily or weekly basis. You can manage everything from your mobile, from dispensing portions of food to checking if it has gotten stuck or if there is little feed left. Automatically selects the amount of food per cat based on its age and weight. This is very simple because, from the app itself, you can create profiles with the weight and age of each one, and it tells you how many servings they need per day.
In addition to not taking up much space, it maintains the minimalist line that Xiaomi gives to its household appliances. So it blends in quite well with the rest of the household elements.
Pros
- Minimalist and modular design
- Good storage capacity for food and water
- Easy to use
- quiet operation
- easy to clean
Cons
- The price of spare parts is a bit high
Discover more and the price
WellToBe Automatic Cat Feeder
This is one of the best pet feeders that you can find on the market, especially since it integrates with your Android or iOS mobile device through an app. It has a Wi-Fi connection that allows it to be easily synchronized with your mobile device. So you can feed your pet remotely. The feeding plan can also be set manually on the offline feeder.
It has a total capacity of 4 liters, where up to 1.6 kg of pet food can be stored, which is enough to feed small dogs or cats for up to 20 days. This device ensures that your pet can eat even when you are not at home, which allows schedules not to be neglected. It is possible to program up to six meals per day, which can help your pet develop good eating habits. You can also set reminders to call the dog or cat at mealtime, and it works both through the mains and wirelessly with 4 D-type batteries.
Pros
- Easy to assemble, use and clean
- LED light that warns when food is running out
- Intuitive app
- Equipped with USB cable
- Versatile and practical
Cons
- The voice call cannot be deactivated at certain times
- Bulky charger
- Wi-Fi setup is a bit cumbersome
Discover more and the price
HoneyGuaridan 4L automatic feeder
This is a pet feeder that features a two-way divider and two stainless steel food bowls. It has a total capacity in its storage container of up to 4 liters. This device will allow you to store up to 1.6 KG of dry food. It is recommended that the food not exceed 1.2 cm per croquette to avoid any type of jam in the machine. It is very easy to program up to six meals a day.
This device allows you to have exact control over portion sizes, so you can easily monitor your pet’s weight and feeding times so they have a regular diet. It is an automatic dispenser with a built-in voice recorder and a speaker to call pets at mealtime. It has a motor that rotates in a set way so that the food is released and that it is not going to block.
Pros
- Anti-touch buttons
- Sleek design
- The best in-voice speaker and recorder
- Infrared sensors are available
- Smart panel system
- Digital LCD
Cons
- A bit expensive
Discover more and the price
Iseebiz Automatic Cat Feeder
This feeder allows you to record your own voice message. So you can call your pet when it is time to eat. You can also choose the 4 hours in which you want to supply food and the quantity for each feeding.
It has an infrared sensor that detects if you have missed the amount, if the feeder is too full, and a button to give a ration (five grams) manually at the time you want.
The dispenser has a capacity of 1.5 kg. It allows you to configure up to four daily meals of a variable quantity, although the maximum is 300 grams. It is important to note that the food balls cannot be larger than 1cm to avoid clogging the outlet hole. This is surely a feeder more suitable for small-breed dogs or cats.
Pros
- Accessible control panel for easy programming.
- User-friendly interface
- Additional voice recorder
- Cute Design
- Low battery light indicator
- A tight lid protects the food well
Cons
- It doesn’t have a low food indicator
- Pieces are not removable for deep cleaning
- It is easy for the cat to unplug it accidentally
Discover more and the price
WOPET SmartFeeder
It is one of the best electronic cat feeders. According to its manufacturers, this option offers us a lot of technology in one place. And it is that here we will have excellent benefits of use, such as the ability to create a feeding plan for our pet depending on its weight, age, etc.
Thanks to its interconnectivity, this electric automatic feeder will allow us to feed our pets from the comfort of our mobile phones.
In the same way, this Wopet feeder has additional high-tech functions such as voice recording, in addition to having a 1080p HD camera with night vision to view our pet in real-time. With the camera, you can see what he does at all times and decide whether to feed him or not.
Pros
- Holds 3.3 pounds of food
- Sleek design
- Secured top-lock to prevent food from spilling
- Lightweight
- Includes two different portion wheels
Cons
- Quiet voice recording
- The food dish is a bit small
- Loud when releasing food
Discover more and the price
HICTOP Automatic Pet Feeder
This dispenser has a large capacity and can store up to 6.5 liters of food that can be rationed into four daily meals for your pet.
It has an LCD screen that allows you to set the time and amount of food in each dosage and record the diet of your pet. With the memory function, you can establish a daily meal routine.
It is very easy to clean, and it can hold food no larger than 1.5 cm. This food dispenser is not only practical but also has a novelty appearance; your pets will definitely love it.
This feeder has 229 Amazon customer ratings with 79% five-star ratings. The buyers emphasize, above all, the storage capacity and its easy installation.
Pros
- Several improved features
- Easy and enjoyable to use
- Good for your cat’s health
- Removable stainless steel tray
- Prevents pets from overheating
Cons
- The removable bowl is not dishwasher-safe.
Discover more and the price
WESTLINK Automatic Food Dispenser
This is considered one of the largest-capacity electronic cat feeders on the market. It has the capacity to store up to 6 liters of food, making it perfect for those occasions when we spend a lot of time away from home.
In addition, this dispenser can deliver four meals a day with up to 39 servings of 10 grams each.
One of the most striking features is the fact that this dosing feeder for cats allows us to record our voice, which will help our cats not feel sad while we are not at home.
It is very easy to program, with four daily doses and up to 39 servings each time. It is perfect, whether you have a cat or a dog.
Pros
- Smart Sensor Technology
- Large Hopper Capacity
- Voice Recording Capabilities
- 4-meal Programmable
Cons
- No wet food
- No kibbles larger than 1 centimeter
Discover more and the price
Cat Mate C500 Automatic Pet Feeder
The Cat Mate C500 food dispenser is a very robust one, built with excellent “burglar” gattu-proof materials.
If the cat wants to be smart and anticipate a meal, he will face a mission that is practically impossible.
There are four programmable meals, and you can even use the cooling function thanks to the ice plates. It has an essential function if you are going to use it with wet food.
Unfortunately, the downside is that the cold holds only for 24 hours, and the programmable meals are few. But from a wet food product, I think you can’t ask for more.
Pros
- 5 large containers for wet (or dry) food
- Easy to wash and use
- Anti-odor
- Large ice cubes that keep food for a long time (even 24 hours)
- Allows you to program four meals at different times
Cons
- Lids are flimsy and difficult to unlock
- Replacement ice cubes not included
- The instructions in Italian are missing
Discover more and the price
How to choose a quality automatic cat feeder
There are certainly several things to consider when deciding to buy a vending machine for your cat. Cat food must never be missing in order to make them feel comfortable and have a full stomach. A kibble dispenser is the best purchase you could make for your kitty, perhaps together with a practical cat fountain, as water is also one of those fundamental things to keep your pet healthy. In addition to the dry food dispenser and a water dispenser, you may also want to seriously consider buying a wet food dispenser. On the market, there are really many models that offer different features, and in this regard, there are several things that should be observed a little more in detail.
Capacity
The capacity of the dispenser is one of its fundamental characteristics. You must first keep in mind how many cats you have at home and how long they will have to be alone, and therefore take full advantage of all the potential of these devices that you will easily find on sale online. Depending on the situation, you will therefore be able to choose a slightly smaller 1.5 kg capacity, which is not a little after all, up to some models that can even hold 6 liters of croquettes. You could also decide to buy two slightly smaller models to be placed in different areas of the house in order to make each cat understand what its distributor is.
Selective feeding
Cats do not know how to manage food very well, and if they find it in abundance, they would risk finishing all the contents of the bowl ahead of time. For this reason, thanks to a practical LCD display, you can set the number of meals that your cat will need, and you will also be able to decide the number of croquettes to be given at each meal in order to make him follow the best diet possible. Thanks to practical infrared sensors, there is no danger of food getting stuck in the exit spout.
Timer programming
Even with regard to scheduling a certain time, there is no problem whatsoever. Through the timer, you can decide at what time exactly your cat will eat. In this way, you will be able to make him follow an important routine regarding the wake and sleep cycle and make your pet feel comfortable even when you are away from home for a slightly longer period of time.
Voice recording
The ability to record a short voice message that tells the cat that it’s time to eat is a nice way to make him feel comfortable and reassure him that somehow you are there to feed him even if he doesn’t see you physically. Thanks to some models that come with both a camera and two-way audio, you can “talk” a little with your cat and make him hear your voice through the speaker.
Battery or power supply
It is really important that the distributor has both the power supply, which is usually supplied with a USB cable and its transformer, and the slot for inserting the batteries. Before leaving, make sure to insert the batteries inside the compartment of your vending machine for cat food to avoid that, in the event of a sudden blackout, the appliance stops working, causing problems that would certainly be better avoided. Also, make sure that the batteries are fully charged. So you don’t have to worry when you are away from home.
Does it also contain wet food?
A dry food dispenser is not likely to contain wet food. One of the reasons is that the food could stick to the walls and not flow evenly inside the bowl used to collect dry food. Another reason why a classic vending machine is not good for wet food is that it cannot preserve its freshness. For this reason, there are specific models that also have a compartment in which you will be able to insert ice to keep food fresh. Of course, you have to take into consideration the fact that the food cannot last forever, and it is, therefore, better not to exceed a duration of 3 or a maximum of 5 days, depending on the wet food you will buy.
Wi-Fi connectivity
Today, we are all connected, and we already have several networked devices inside our homes. Thanks to the Wi-Fi connectivity, you will be able to check through a camera if your cat has emptied his bowl with the croquettes and, if you think it is right, open the passage once again to let him have some of the extra dry food since he has to be alone at home.
Through the connection, you will also be able to communicate when it is time to eat and to make your voice heard, if by chance it should work to draw attention to the bowl. In short, thanks to a practical app that you can download for both iOS and Android systems, you will certainly have much fewer worries when you have to stay away for a few days for work or for any other reason. Of course, a low-priced product may not have such high technology, and it is, therefore, quite common to spend something more, even if you have a product that can guarantee certain features.
How do you teach the cat to use the food dispenser?
Cats are very different from dogs, and it is not said that even if you understand very well what it has to do, it is possible to make it use the automatic food dispenser. After all, most likely, you know very well on your own that the new, very expensive object, bought only to do him a favor, is far too often ignored.
Fortunately, this is not a toy or cat bed that you can ignore sometimes. In this case, it is food, and if you manage to tickle his palate with rather appetizing crunchies, you will see that even the most obstinate and suspicious cat will soon be conquered by this new and functional technology.
One thing you might also learn from using an automatic food dispenser is your cat’s eating habits, for example. If you are often away from home, you have no way of checking how often he goes to munch on some dry food from his bowl. By being able to set the times and portions of the desired meal, you could take tests. So you can precisely calibrate what is needed even when you are away from home for a longer period of time.
Conclusion
An automatic cat feeder provides great benefits, including feeding your pet correctly every day, but without losing freedom and with greater independence, as you do not have to depend on your neighbor, a family member, or an animal pension when you are away. The choice of device is in your hands. But any of the reviews give you the peace of mind of knowing that your cat will not starve or have a bad time when you can’t get there in time to feed it, at a work meeting, or stuck in traffic.
Do you love to photograph and make videos of your cat? What better than to do some impromptu shots? With some of the automatic feeders, you can do it and even know what he is doing at any time, so there is no reason to miss him when you are not at home.