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Yes, your cat loves you. But never forget that underneath that cute, furry exterior beats the heart of a ferocious jungle killer. That ravenous beast needs feeding, and it’s not always going to be on your ideal schedule, unless you particularly love ripping open bags of cat food at three in the morning. If your busy day overlaps with your cat’s regularly scheduled feeding time, an automatic cat feeder is the only sensible option. We’ve looked at what’s available and rounded up our picks for the eight best automatic cat feeders on the meowket.
Between its large 24-cup capacity, useful companion app, and reliable performance, it’s easy to see why the original Petsafe Smart Feed Automatic Cat Feeder earned a Pet Innovation Award in 2020. The Smart Feed 2.0 utilizes a Wi-Fi connection to allow cat owners to monitor the feeder’s food levels, alter its feeding schedule, and adjust portion controls to between 1/8th of a cup to four cups, and serve up to 12 meals a day.
The feeder’s unique conveyor belt-powered feeding system works well as a necessary “slow feed” mode to combat speed-eaters, while also ensuring that the device won’t get clogged with dry kibble and semi-wet foods. Although its official Android and iOS app gives you complete control over the automatic feeder, the machine also sports a handy cat-proof “Feed Now” button to instantly dispense a snack as needed, meaning you won’t have to reach for your phone every time kitty’s using your leg as a scratching post. Other standout features include compatibility with Amazon Alexa, a dishwasher-safe stainless-steel bowl, and a trusty battery backup so even a blackout won’t get between your cat and its dinner.
A quality automatic cat feeder often requires an investment of $100 or more, but the budget-friendly Petlibro Granary Automatic Feeder is nothing to kibble – ah, quibble about. It’s available in three and five-liter sizes, with either white or black color schemes, and while it lacks a Wi-Fi connection, it does have the frankly adorable option to leave a ten-second voice message that plays when it’s your cat’s lunchtime.
The Granary Automatic Feeder’s bright LCD display is easy to read, and the device is simple to program for up to six meals a day. Its sizable storage chamber is airtight, which not only retains the dry food’s flavor, moisture, and freshness for longer, it prevents pests and mold from ruining your cat’s kibble before they have a chance to nom their way through it. Although there are certainly cheaper automatic cat feeders out there, this is the lowest you can expect to pay for something that actually gets the job done well.
With a huge capacity of up to 32 cups, a flexible design, and a handy companion app, Whisker’s Feeder-Robot is the best option for storing and dispensing a large amount of dry food. Available in either white or black, the Feeder-Robot includes an optional battery backup, a user-friendly control panel on its face, and is a snap to take apart and clean. The extra-large dry food storage bin and dependable anti-jam design are particularly attractive for cat owners who regularly rely on an automatic feeder.
The Feeder-Robot has a companion Android/iOS app that lets you dish out up to eight meals per day in your preferred portion size, while (the ability to monitor its food storage level, adjust your cat’s feeding schedule, and drop a surprise dry kibble snack as needed from wherever you are gives this model plenty of added value. But for those who don’t want to mess around with apps, it also has the option of a “gravity mode” that keeps dropping kibble until the bowl is full.
Most automatic cat feeders are designed to dispense dry kibble, but if your furry overlord demands a more succulent treat, the Cat Mate C300 is the best option for serving up to three meals of fresh, wet cat food. The C300 sports an impressive battery life of up to a year, and its crisp LCD display is easy to use when programming exact feeding times. Its three sizable food containers hold up to 0.75lbs of food each, to feed up to two cats at once, while its innovative ice pack accessory ensures that meaty wet food stays fresh for your cat throughout the day.
One downside to this storage system is that, while the feeder can store two covered meals, the third compartment is always uncovered. This means cat owners shouldn’t plan on setting up this model too long before chow time. It’s really a feeding solution for short day trips or for using while you’re at your day job, rather than a week-long vacation, but when it comes to supplying chilled wet food to your cat while you’re taking a much-needed day off from being its devoted servant, this is paws-down the best option out there.
There are a few automatic cat feeders that can dispense enough food per meal for multiple cats, but the Petlibro Granary Dual Food Tray is the only one designed to comfortably feed two kitties at the same time. The feeder can be easily adjusted to send more food to one of its pair of integrated bowls or the other, to suit the needs of your furry duo. With a generous storage capacity of up to five liters of dry kibble and a streamlined user interface, your favorite cat couple will always be fed the purrfect portions at up to ten meals a day.
Easily the best pick for homes with multiple cats, the Petlibro Granary has additional features like an infrared sensor to prevent bowl overfilling, battery backup power supply, and a sealed interior to keep dry kibble fresh. It also has the more-common-than-you’d-think ability to record a voice message, just in case your cat might forget who’s the most beautiful boy, it’s you, yes it is, you’re the most beautiful boy yes you are yes you are!
We often wonder what our pets are up to while we’re at work. Destroying the furniture? Practicing their yowling? Or merely plotting a total takeover of the entire civilized world? The Petcube Bites 2 Lite lets you finally solve this mystery with the ability to check in on them from your smartphone, thanks to a wide-angle 1080p camera and crystal-clear two-way audio system.
The feeder holds up to 1.5 liters of your cat’s favorite snacks, and since the Petcube companion app lets you adjust the angle and distance of its integrated treat launcher, each time you connect can turn into an exciting and tasty game for your cat. While this durable dispenser has plenty of entertaining features right out of the box, Petcube Care subscribers also get access to live smart alerts, activated by motion and sound, as well as cloud storage to keep and manage all of the adorable and/or terrifying adventures you catch on video.
If Wi-Fi control is a must for you, this fairly priced, adaptable, and easy-to-use WOpet model is worth your consideration. Its comprehensive Android and iOS smartphone app allows users to customize a feeding schedule with up to 15 meals per day, set portion sizes between 5 and 250g, and receive notifications when the feeder is running low on dry food.
The machine’s trio of control panel buttons are limited to an instant-feed function, setting up a Wi-Fi connection, and recording a message that plays when your cat is fed, so if you don’t want to navigate the app every time you use it, you may want to look elsewhere. For those who like the app-control angle, though, other key features include a secure emergency battery backup, a spacious six liter food capacity, and a removable feeding tray for easy cleaning.
Ultimately, the best automatic cat feeder is the one that includes all the essential features you need to feed your cat properly proportioned meals on their schedule, without fail. Some of the most important things we looked for when comparing automatic cat feeders include:
A vital feature to consider include a battery backup to ensure your cat will have access to food even if your home loses power.
Wi-Fi smart functionality is important so you can manage portion control and feeding times from your smart device.
Your automatic cat feeder’s capacity should be large enough to hold enough meals to keep your cat fed throughout the day (or night). Don’t go too big, though, with the thought that a larger capacity would mean fewer refills. Cat food left in a feeder longer than the manufacturer’s recommended time period could grow mold.
It’s best to choose a model capable of dispensing your cat’s favorite dry kibble or wet food. If you plan to be away for long, it is important to know that most wet cat food should always be covered and refrigerated. Your automatic feeder should be able to do both.
Cats can have their own preferences when it comes to, well, everything. You may find out that your cat avoids using the automatic feeder, or does not like a specific noise it makes.
Massive spoiler alert: Some cats do not react well to change. That said, there are a few ways to convince a suspicious moggy to switch over to their new automatic pet feeder. Setting it up beside the cat’s old food bowl is a good start, making sure to keep it there until they’re used to eating from it. Filling it with a single meal at a time will reinforce the fact that this is where your cat should expect to be fed from now on, and sprinkling a few tasty treats into your cat’s regular food certainly won’t hurt when it comes to convincing them to give it a try.
The vast majority of automatic cat feeders are made to dispense dry food from a storage compartment that keeps kibble from going stale. Since wet cat food will go bad after sitting out for a few hours, and feeders capable of cooling and storing wet food in an airtight seal are rare, in general, you should expect to fill your automatic feeder with your cat’s preferred dry food.
You can certainly leave your cat alone with the automatic feeder while you’re at work or on a day trip without any issues. However, if you’re going to be away for a long time, try to make plans for someone to take care of your cat. They may be finicky at times, but your cat will get lonely on its own after a while, so consider your automatic cat feeder as a helpful supplementary tool, not a cat sitter.
Both traditional “dumb” gravity feeders and high-tech smart cat feeders have their pros and cons. Gravity feeders are generally more affordable, do not rely on AC power or batteries to function, and can be set inside or outside as needed. On the other hand, the simple gravity-powered design of these feeders allows particularly greedy cats to continue to eat food until it’s all gone.
Smart automatic cat feeders tend to be pricier and are generally made for indoor use only, but they’re designed with features that allow cat owners to feed their cat on a specific schedule, with perfect portion control for each serving. Some models utilize a convenient smartphone app, so pet owners can make feeding adjustments on the go and receive notifications when its food compartment runs low, or even a camera and microphone combination that allows you to check in with your cat at any time.
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