Best Automatic Pet Feeders 2020

Your dog or cat could be suffering all the time when you are not at home because it spends the whole day hoping against hope for food, and yet that is never forthcoming. As a pet owner, several days you’ve had to leave your pet with a friend to feed it when you’re out of town. Even worse, every morning your dog or cat wakes you up with cries for food. The best solution is to buy an automatic pet feeder.

The task to decide which one among the numerous pet feeders in the market is the best for your dog or cat can be very daunting and endless. That is when we come in. We have reviewed pet feeders and listed informed pros and cons to ensure you choose the feeder that is best for your dog or cat. Our goal is to help you decide which automatic pet feeder is the best suited for your little animal.

The list below is based on our ratings in the reviews. We have done a very intensive due diligence to come up with these recommendations. While we trust our very own judgement, you should check the full review of the product you’re interested in so that you can make an informed decision before purchasing. In the reviews, you may land on some pros and cons that we have not mentioned in this list, and if you are anything like me, even the little details matter too.

Best Overall Automatic Pet Feeder

PetSafe Healthy Pet Simply Feed Automatic Pet Feeder

At nearly half the price of our best overall product, this automatic pet feeder provides the best balance for any pet owner in terms of price and functionality. The pet feeder is best known for its consistency in the industry with very rare breakdowns. It’s well built in a sturdy body that is strong against any pet’s determination to break or interfere with food before feeding time. You can customize meals with high flexibility in this feeder, giving you’re the ability to schedule varied amounts of food per meal depending on your pet. For instance, a smaller portion of breakfast and larger portion of dinner, etc. Its feeding modes allow you to bring forward a meal when your pet is feeling really hungry before time. It can dispense upto 12 meals a day. This is best suited for cats to medium-sized dogs. (Read full Review)

Pros

1. Serves both dry and semi-moist food.
2. Slow feed mode dispenses food slowly over a 15-minute feeding period.
3. Customisation of meals is highly flexible.
4. Strong and hard to break into by pets.

Cons

1. Programming is not very straightforward.
2. AC power adapter bought separately.
3. Chute is too close to eating bowl.

Best Low-cost Automatic Pet Feeder

PetSafe 5-Meal Automatic Dog and Cat Feeder

This 5-meal feeder comes in at a very affordable price for buyers who are on a tight budget but would still like the surety that their pet is fed when they are not around. With the ability to feed your pet up-to 5 meals a day, and even provide medication in between meals, this is the best low cost automatic pet feeder that we have reviewed. It is a very simple feeder with a quick-to-setup interface. The batteries last upto 6 months or more depending on frequency of usage. This is best suited for cats and small to medium-sized dogs. (Read full review)

Pros

1. Easy to setup and get going.
2. Easily detachable feeding tray for ease of cleaning.
3. Batteries last upto 6 months.

Cons

1. Compartments with food are not very secure for determined pets.
2. Designed for dry food only.
3. Lightweight and can easily be overturned by a pet.

Also Great:

Feed and Go Smart Pet Feeder

(Update 20th June, 2018): This feeder is currently unavailable until further notice.

This pet feeder has all the hallmarks of the 21^st Century automatic pet feeder. You can control it from your mobile phone through a specially designed platform. It has a smart lock system that totally keeps cheeky pets away from locked food and a webcam that allows you to see your pet through your mobile device when you are not at home. The feeder connects to your Wi-Fi from which you can control it through any android or iOS device but it can work even without the internet connection in case your internet fluctuates every other time. The device allows you to record a message for your pet, which will play calling the pet to eat when it is feeding time. You can feed your pet up-to 6 meals a day, both dry and wet foods. This feeder is best suited for cats and small to medium-sized dogs. However, all the technological advancements come at a steep price. (Read full review)

Pros

1. Control it from any location on your mobile device.
2. Comes with 1 year warranty.
3. Serves both wet and dry food.
4. Watch your pet through the webcam to ensure it eats.
5. Pet connects with you the whole day through your voice message.
6. Smart locking system protects food until feeding time.

Cons

1. You need internet to control it while you are not at home.
2. Requires power backup in places with frequent outages.
3. No mobile app, online access is through a browser.

How to Know When Your Pet (pet/dog) Needs an Automatic Pet Feeder

To be charged with the responsibility of being an ultimately accountable pet owner, a cat or a dog in this context, it takes more than just love. It takes great obligation, sacrifice in resource (both time and money) to see the task through. With the aid from nutritionists, veterinarians, behaviorists, pet groomers and many more parties with experience in this field you will be able to figure out how to communicate with your furry cronies. Research has shown time and again that most pet owners misinterpret and misunderstand pet communication. Take, for example; most people believe that tail wagging is a bidding to pet a dog more. An assumption which is wrong, according to Italian researchers, tail wagging to the right-hand side is as a result of a dog seeing a thing they like, alternatively to the left, is when faced with a thing they do not like and could like to get away. Amazed? Well, that is why I’m writing today. Amaze you with ways we can be able to understand our pets more especially when it comes to nourishing time.

To set off my article, I’m starting with tips on how to know your dog or cat needs its pet feeder. The first sign is when your pet wakes you up at 4 or 5 am. daily. No one will for sure appreciate waking up early every day to the face of that cute tiny guy sniffing all over their faces, especially after a long day’s work. Nobody would like to develop dark spots around their eyes due to their pet’s routine. Time is ripe to get a feeder; it will get the work done for you while you snore away the wee-hour sleep.

Moving on, is your pet manipulating the miss-communication between you guys as a family to its advantage? It is high time you got a pet feeder. Take for example you wake up early because you got that important issue at work to handle before the boss turns up, of course before leaving for work, you will have to feed your pet. Later on your husband, roomie or any other person applicable in this case, wakes up, your pet having already cleared its food, they think you most probably forgot, they too feed the pet. The cat or dog is enjoying extra rations thanks to your unorganized routine. The pet feeder is not going to make the same mistake.

Have you been declining and skipping your after-office biddings since you have to nourish your pet? Your colleagues, job mates and even other important people in your life organize events such as improvised dinners, an awesome after job get-together, how are you going to attend and stay over knowing very well that favorite little guy is starving back at home? You have to forgo one to tend to the other, the dinner of course. Avoid such inconveniences; it is time to get a pet feeder.

Your pet is gaining unnecessary weight, that cat used to graciously slid through the cat door but due to uncontrolled eating it does no more, or making the already bad situation worse, it has ruined the pet door, time is right to put your feline buddy on diet and get him/her back to shape. The best way to get this done in the shortest time possible, a pet feeder, without your supervision, your pet food ingestion is kept under check.

Lastly, you have more than one pet. Let us say two cats or dogs. One of this pets has grown fatter than the other. Alternatively, one is skinnier. That should immediately alert you that one pet (the fatter one) is eating the Skinner one’s food. One of your pets is not philanthropic at all. Instead, it is bullying the other. The leaner pet is likely to suffer from malnutrition pretty soon, and you need to immediately if not super-fast, act and get this situation under control. Individual pet feeders are specifically meant and designed for this. They can allow the leaner pet access the food and deny access to the dominant one. These feeders are mostly set to detect collar tags and recognize which pet to feed and which not to.

Reasons to enable you to know it is the right time to get a pet feeder for your pet(s) do not just end here, there are more and more of them. Having given the common ones, I think they are enough to make you decide to get a pet feeder, with which you have assurance that day and night, your pet is well fed as per the desired requirements not only ensuring health for your pet but also long life for our life companions.

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Buying an Automatic Pet Feeder

Many pet owners opt to serve their pets best by purchasing them automatic pet feeder. An automatic pet feeder will release pet feed according to the time you have programmed it to. The biggest issue with many pet owners is that they have little knowledge of automatic pet feeders. As the adage goes, ignorance is no defense; you won’t have anyone to blame when you make the wrong choice of automatic pet feeder. Pet feeder machines come in different sizes, models, brands and features. You need to have a particular device in mind. To help you select the best feeder, here is a list of top five mistakes pet owners make when buying automatic pet feeder. This article will help you not fall prey to these errors.

1. Price Doesn’t Dictate Quality

High price doesn’t always translate into high-quality automatic pet feeder. There are many high-priced feeders worth every penny. However, placing all expensive feeders in one bracket will be a terrible mistake. There are highly-priced feeders that will crumble within a few feeding times. Lowly priced feeders aren’t always of poor quality either. If a company can manufacture high-quality Automatic pet feeders under significant economies of scale, you would expect that these feeders will be reasonably priced.

Instead of using price as your criterion to gauge the best feeder machine, base your approach on positive reviews from users, quality of the materials used in the pet feeder and the warranty. Compare features from different automatic pet feeders too.

2. Size of the Pellets

Most pet owners do not consider pellet size when purchasing an automatic pet feeder from the shop. They buy a feeder only to realize later that it produces pellets that are too large for their small kitten. Different pets can use automatic pet feeders including cats and dogs. While most of these machines are made for cats, some are fit for dogs. Dog food is larger in size that that of a cat. A cat will be comfortable with ¼” diameter pellets while a dog will require ½” diameter.

When buying an automatic pet feeder, consider the size of pellets fit for your pet, then opt for a machine that produces such pellets.

3. Avoid Last Minute Purchases

Last minute purchases aren’t wise; they have never been advisable. It is not ideal to buy an automatic pet feeder at the last minute before a trip. It’s a machine, like any other. You need enough time to try and test it to see if it is fit for service. There are reasons why last minute purchase is not advisable:

• You don’t know how long the batteries will last; hence, they may fail half-way the trip.
• Since you aren’t used working with the machine, you might forget to pack the AC power adapter.
• You need some time to learn to program the automatic feeder to ensure that it won’t skip a feeding cycle and starve your cat when you are away.
• Cats are explorers. It might break into the feeder while on a trip and eat all the stored food. This might be cumbersome as you need to get it additional food.

4. Versatility of the Pet

Another mistake that pet owners make is not considering the versatility of their pets. For instance, if you own a Siamese breed of cat, you need to buy a very compact and strong automatic feeder because Siamese cats are known to be very versatile. It will keep roughing up the feeder trying to get the food inside it. Consider the versatility of your pet to match to with a feeder.

5. Warranty

Do you check warranty when purchasing items? Manufacturers know their products best. They won’t give a weak product a long warranty period to avoid related costs. However, they will be comfortable with a two-year warranty on a quality item whose chances of breakdown are minimal. Warranty in electronics speaks volumes. When purchasing a pet feeder, opt for one with at least a one-year warranty. This will guarantee you free repair and replacement if the item breaks down within the stipulated time.

These five points look simple, carry loads of weight. These are the mistakes that other pet owners who bought pet feeder made. You don’t have to learn from your experience like they did. Purchasing the right pet feeder will not only be ideal for your dog but will also save you money and time. If you aren’t sure which pet feeder to purchase despite analyzing these points; talk to a friend or a specialist to advise you on the recommended brands. It is your duty to give your pet the best service; give it the right automatic pet feeder.