PetSafe 5 Meal Feeder

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by Nicole & Baby, Jan 10, 2010.

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  1. Nicole & Baby

    Nicole & Baby Well-Known Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    I just bought one of these. I will read the instructions on how to use it, but how do I use it with canned? Do I put my canned in the freezer over night & then transfer the canned into the trays & then it thaws & is ready for when the timer opens?
     
  2. kate and lucky

    kate and lucky Member

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    Jan 3, 2010
    Hmmm I suppose it could keepthe food fresher for longer.
    I thought the idea of these feeders wasn't just to 'meter' out their meals but keep the food fresh too. Never used one myself.

    If you do freeze food, don't freeze in a can-the metal may react with the food. I think foil tray ones would be o.k.
    Some peeps make frozen puks in ice trays.
    We used pouches and I would just freeze these whole. As Luks was a graze feeder I only did this to ensure she had on-going fresh food.

    Meat does seem to lose it's smelling potency after opening.
     
  3. squeem3

    squeem3 Well-Known Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    I just put a measured amount of canned food (freshly opened canned or a leftover can from day before from fridge) into the compartments. You don't need to use frozen canned food, although you can if you want to.

    How much canned food to put into each compartment and how many compartments to use depends on you and your cat's needs. I only put about 1/3 of a can into two compartments. That was enough for my cat to snack on during the day until I got home from work.
     
  4. Sue and Oliver (GA)

    Sue and Oliver (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    We have this feeder and love it, Nicole. I freeze my food in a plastic SmartWare cupcake pan. A can of Fancy Feast fits into each section. It goes in the freezer and then I take it out of the cupcakes sections and put it into a baggie and refreeze. I know other people just plop it in a baggie and freeze or put it into a ice cube tray. I put a frozen puck in the feeder at 10pm and it is thawed and ready to go by 6am. (I think it actually thaws in a couple hours, but it's good for several hours more.)

    We have had 3 feeders and like this one the best. Oliver managed to get into the other two and mangle them and they were harder to program.
     
  5. Nicole & Baby

    Nicole & Baby Well-Known Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    Sue that is funny..it will be interesting to see how Baby's sister Sadi does with it. She figures out everything... all the fresh flowing fountains end up turned over in a matter of hours & we could not do those because my carpet would be flooded :evil: .
    Smart furbabies we have here.. they must take after us! Anyway... hoping this works well & that Sadi is not too smart for this one. Our biggest issue, is they will eat canned when freshly opened..but after it sits out...they wont... The "crack of the can" has them salivating...

    I could leave food out all day & it wouldn't be touched..neither eat enough in my opinion.. let alone over eat. I am jealous of those with cats who attack snacks/food.

    Anyway... time will tell. Thanks again for the feedback.
     
  6. Nicole & Baby

    Nicole & Baby Well-Known Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    Where do the batteries go in at? How do I open the battery compartment?
     
  7. Sue and Oliver (GA)

    Sue and Oliver (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    If yours is just like ours, open the lid up. At the top is a rectangular box with IMPORTANT in three different languages. If you open it up, the batteries go in there.
     
  8. Nicole & Baby

    Nicole & Baby Well-Known Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    wonderful.. got the batteries in! Thanks, Sue...
    Now, Baby is on Lantus.. should I set it to go off every 2 hours? Is there a way to turn that noise off? (the noise when it turns?)
     
  9. Sue and Oliver (GA)

    Sue and Oliver (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    I don't know any way to turn off the noise. Besides, that is part of the fun. When Niko hears it, he jumps up and runs to the feeder, skidding the whole way. It's great entertainment value.....

    You can set it to feed whenever you would like. When Oliver was unregulated, and then later off the juice, we had it feed him every 2-3 hours.
     
  10. squeem3

    squeem3 Well-Known Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    How often to allow meals is up to you and your cat's appetite. Type of insulin used doesn't matter. Food every 2 hours might be too much. Try different times to see when your cat eats and adjust the time(s) as needed. 3 or 4 small meals spaced throughout the day is usually enough for most cats.

    You can't turn the noise off. It's only a little whirr noise that lasts like 2 seconds when the bowl turns at the specified time. Your cat will get used to the noise. In between the programmed times, the timer doesn't make any noise.
     
  11. Blue

    Blue Well-Known Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    The freezing option is very good for portions where they may dry out by the time the section turns to open. Also, if you are using the feeder for a half day or the whole day, food could spoil by being at room temp and not frozen.

    If you want to give just 1 or 2 tbsp of food, like a mini meal about 2hrs apart, I am pretty sure that the 2tbsp in the last section may be dried out, so if you plop the food into ice cube trays then put a 'food cube' into 4 of the sections and fresh into the current exposed section, by the time the 5th section turns to be exposed, it will have thawed out nicely and not have a crusty surface. I know I sure would not find a smelly crusty cube of food very appetizing.

    Shadoe LOVES her feeder. In the beginning though, she did have one traumatic, yet hilarious mishap.

    On the first day, I set the times and left the lid open with no food; I wanted to see how it worked, then I put the lid down to be sure each turn would open up square with the opening. I did not want the thing not turning or turning but in a way that Shadoe could not get the food. So the first day, it was just this weird thing on the floor that both Shadoe and Booboo stayed clear of by walking on the other side of the room.

    They both got used to it and I got Shadoe used to it by first putting it with the food beside it and then inside it, but with the batteries out. What I did was to get 5 small glass bowls that dropped nicely into each section and allowed the feeder to turn with no problem when the lid was closed.
    (Each nite, now, I fill them with the day's worth of food, put them in the freezer, and the plop them into the sections in the morning before leaving for work.)

    The big day came and I dropped the food into the sections.
    Shadoe went over to the machine, and was standing in front of it, but was leaning over the lid to sniff at the food she smelled in the back covered sections.

    Sadly and hilariously, it was at that exact moment that the machine decided to turn! ohmygod_smile Shadoe left the floor - all four paws jumped up in the air and she took off for the other room. I did not see her for some time :lol:

    I really thought I had it all covered and nothing traumatic would happen; oh well. In hindsight, I think I would maybe leave it on the floor, empty, and let it turn. It does make a sound, and kitties are very smart, we know, so they quickly recognize the source of every noise.

    Now, she loves it! She knows the sound well, and also knows she must listen for it because it means FOOD! She can be sound asleep someplace, but when the feeder turns, she comes out to eat.
    I believe that the auto feeder is excellent for balancing out food intake during the day, especially if the bean is away at work like I am. During the week, I am away close to all the time between amps and pmps, and before the feeder, I always came home to a hungry Shadoe as she likely gulped her food down by her +6 time.

    I plan to get another feeder so that Shadoe can have small bits of food available overnite and we can eliminate the hungry kitty at amps time.

    Food plays a big part in the health of a diabetic, so regular measured feedings go a long way to a healthy kitty lifestyle.
     
  12. Nicole & Baby

    Nicole & Baby Well-Known Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    Gayle! LOL I literally laughed out loud at your story & I could picture it quite well : ) "scare D cats" has meaning!
    My girls would be the same way!!!

    This is my plan... I have it set to go off in an hour... just to see if I know how to set it! I then just mixed a 5oz can of Wellness Chicken with some hot water (consistency of batter) then filled an ice cube tray full of lil scoops, will put a few cubes in each compartment tomorrow & set it to go off. I will start with every 2 hours...I bet I come home to only a lil being gone..because they don't eat a lot at all...... especially during the day. Thank you for all your ideas!!
     
  13. Blue

    Blue Well-Known Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    I forgot to add the most useful purpose of the feeder: knowing how much was eaten and when.

    Once the kitty gets used to the feeder, you will come home to a variety of states in the sections.

    You could come home to all sections licked clean or maybe some left in one or some sections, or maybe even some left in all of them. It can tell you how kitty ate during the day, if you made the portions too big or small, or if kitty did not feel well or absolutely hated the crap you left and called food!

    In the morn, I usually feed Shadoe fresh after her amps test and shoot, so the first section sometimes has a bit left in it, the others are empty and the last one has a bit because it turns just before I get home.

    Remember to set that last one in a way that no food is available for about 2hrs before the next shot.

    I am well trained in that I don't put 5 bowls of the same food or amount. You can but something diff in the slots 2 and 4, to break the monotony, or make the amounts smaller if you want to make them just snack size. I have even tried putting half and half in some bowls, just to try out a new flavor. There was one day that Shadoe consistently left one flavor, and I know now to never buy that kind of food again.

    Since using the feeder, I am less worried while I am at work, and Shadoe seems more balanced and is not howling hungry when I get home and she is eating less because she is gulping less.

    Have fun experimenting; you will love it.
     
  14. Nicole & Baby

    Nicole & Baby Well-Known Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    Excellent ideas!! Because I have no idea how much they eat now, I literally open cans & cannot say how many..but they never eat them all.
    This is good information - I will know what they like most & when they most like it. I totally forgot about the +2 & not eating...
    I will open fresh before I leave for work, then have it set to go off.

    One more question.. can I set the timer tonight & fill it in the AM, or do I need to fill it & then set the timer?



    (((Thanks!)))
     
  15. paige

    paige Well-Known Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    Nicole,

    I feel the same way about my Webber and Chloe. They never seem to attack their food or treats with gusto. The other two devour their treats and go after the food the same. But within a couple of minutes they walk away.

    Fortunately, all of mine will graze on the plates all day until they are empty. Well....they even try to lick the empty plates too. :lol:

    Good luck with the feeder. Anxious to see how it works for you.
     
  16. Brenda and Morris

    Brenda and Morris Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    I bought this feeder and am returning it because it malfunctioned..so please be sure to be around the first time you use it. Mine would whirr and try to turn the dish and would just click and whirr endlessly until I stepped in and helped it along. Or it just didn't turn at all. And then a few times it worked perfectly. So I know it wasn't the way I had it put together or set. So many peeps love this feeder that it has to just be that mine is defective....why is it always me???? :cry: :cry: :cry:

    There is a rectangular impression on the bottom of the unit if you remove the feeding trays...that impression "can" hold a frozen ice pack...to keep the food cold.
     
  17. Karen and Flo

    Karen and Flo Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    Re: PetSafe 5 Meal Feeder--multiple cats?

    Any thoughts on using this for multiple cats? I generally put out one big bowl of food, and the three cats take turns eating from it. I probably do this 3 times per day (5am, late afternoon, and bedtime). Info claims there is room for a cup of food, but I'm assuming that means kibble, not canned, which is much messier. Any thoughts as to how much each compartment realistically holds? Will I have to get more than one unit?
     
  18. Nicole & Baby

    Nicole & Baby Well-Known Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    I have not made it home yet to see how my girls did today with it, but I have 2 furbabies & they will both use this one. It seems to hold quite a bit (more than both my girls will eat) but both of mine are grazers & not big eaters. I am inclined to think with 3 cats, you might need 2 of the feeders, but will let more experience people weigh in.
     
  19. Sherry & Zoe (GA)

    Sherry & Zoe (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Dec 29, 2009
    Hi Nicole,

    I have this feeder....and Zoe LOVES it. When I freeze the food, I mix water into the food then freeze....helps to keep the food moist.

    The funny thing......it is really cold here in south Florida....about 30 degrees colder than normal....well, that makes the tile floor really cold...which Zoe hates......well she has come up with the perfect solution...when eating, she now sits on TOP of the feeder to get her food! The first time I saw her do this, I almost fell over 'cause I was laughing so hard....but hey, she didn't have to sit on the cold floor...so I guess she is pretty smart! :lol:

    Sherry & Zoe
     
  20. Sherri & Stash (GA)

    Sherri & Stash (GA) Member

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    Dec 29, 2009
    The only time ours malfunctions is when I do not get the tray set exactly on the dial correctly. I'll come in to a tray only partially rotated. And when I've gotten in a hurry that's what happens.
     
  21. Sherri & Stash (GA)

    Sherri & Stash (GA) Member

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    Dec 29, 2009
    Re: PetSafe 5 Meal Feeder--multiple cats?

    A full can of Fancy Feast mixed with a half-can of water fits with room to spare. Perhaps that helps you envision it?
     
  22. Sherri & Stash (GA)

    Sherri & Stash (GA) Member

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    Dec 29, 2009
    Not sure exactly what you're asking... The timer is electronic. You can open and close the lid at any time without affecting the timer.

    I normally insert food at shot time for the current meal and the next two that will rotate. And remember to rotate to an empty slot at +10.
     
  23. Karen and Flo

    Karen and Flo Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    FF cans are 3 oz, right? So that's a good 4.5 with room, so I wonder if I could get a 5.5 oz Wellness can mixed with water in there? I could probably set the timer to open up 2 spots fairly close to each other, then another 2, then the last one, then I could be around to feed. Just thinking (typing) ;-) out loud.
     
  24. Sherri & Stash (GA)

    Sherri & Stash (GA) Member

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    Dec 29, 2009
    Just a little funny...

    Our feeder sets on a bathmat on top of the clothes dryer (Stash is a messy eater) in the laundry room/pantry. It's been extremely cold the past week or so, and we've been hearing many rodent sounds in the walls.

    This morning when I retrieved the feeder to clean and refill it, the entire top and one empty compartment was covered with itsy bitsy teeny tiny catfood coated nose and paw prints. It literally looked like someone had sponge-painted the cover.

    Sure do hope Stash starts earning his keep soon! cat(2)_steam
     
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