What Automatic Wet Food Pet Feeder Do You Use?

What automatic wet pet food feeder to you use and why do you like it? How does it keep the food chilled? How many meals does it serve? Does it allow for ice packs in the compartment and if so, how many? Is it battery operated only, or does it plug into the wall?

I am looking into getting an automatic pet food feeder for my grazer kitties (1 diabetic) so I can have food down while I am out at work or asleep late in the night. I see several models online but I really don't know which one to choose. I wanted to come here and see what you guys use and why you prefer it.

Thanks!

 

The PetSafe 5 is one of the favorites around here.....I believe it has a place you can put an ice pack in the bottom or you can also add an ice cube or freeze "pucks" of canned food to thaw later

 

Thanks. I was looking at that one earlier and looking at it again more now. The amazon reviews are hilarious. It's only $35 on amazon prime right now. I think I will need two since I have two cats.

 

Thanks for asking this question.
I'm also looking into getting a pet feeder.

 

The Petsafe 5 is a very good feeder.

 

I just purchased 2 petsafe5 feeders. they arrive tomorrow. half price on amazon prime compared to other stores. i love amazon! Looking forward to trying them out. Lots of good feedback on here and amazon on how to use it with wet food- even though it says it is only fir dry.

 

Update: I purchased (2) petsafe 5 meters a few days ago for my two kitties (1 diabetic) who have a competitive eating problem. Below is my feedback:

Likes:

• I can feed my kitties every 3 hours which I understand is good for controlling blood sugar levels
• Constant food available for kitties who like to 'graze' rather than eat all their food in 2 meals.
• Keeps wet food a little fresher when under the lid than when leaving out exposed to more circulated air.
• I can feed my kitties even when I am away from my home.
• Tray is easy to clean.
• Setting up the clock and timer functions was very easy and only took a few seconds to do.

Dislikes:

• Wasted food - The compartments rotate based on the schedule you set (mine is set for every 3 hours) and sometimes my kitties don't eat all the food before the bowl rotates to the next compartment and I end up with wasted food.
• Plastic bowl insert- I normally feed my cats out of glass or ceramic dishes. Wish the tray came in a different material than plastic (like stainless steel). Anyone know where I can get replacement bowls as a back up?
• Ice pack compartment is very small- not even sure where you can get an ice pack to fit so it is pretty much useless to me at this point.
• Noise from compartment turning scares cats (this may go away in time)
• Large and unattractive design

My kitties have not yet learned that when they hear the noise of the compartment turning, it means their food bowl has new food in it again.

One of my kitties took to it immediately and had no issues. The other kitty will eat out of the compartment fine, but if it happens to turn while he is in the kitchen or is in the middle of eating out of it, it scares the heck out of him. He has always been a fradey cat, so not sure if this will go away. We will see.

After only having the petsafe5 for a few days, I would say that overall I am very happy with it and I think the likes outweigh the dislikes.

 

Some caretakers use these bowl inserts in the PetSafe 5
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/prod...ipping|48|best|0|1|24||3&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH

 

Oh Wow! Very helpful. Thank you Larry. I will get some, too.

See...this is exactly WHY I love this site.

 

I have the Petsafe too and have the same issue finding an ice pack! Let me know if you find a good one that fits.

The cats will get use to the sound. (Though... my civvie still gets spooked. But its not for her, so she can deal )

 

Pop some ice cubes into the compartment to cool the first couple of meals. Make frozen meatsicles for the next two (they'll have time to thaw before they're dispensed).


Mogs
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I have been doing that- so far so good! Thanks for the tips!

 

The Petsafe 5 has a great advantage over most other feeders in that it's pretty much burgle-proof.

I agree that the rotation of the compartments and taking uneaten food can be an issue. It is of more concern when a cat is not eating well and needs longer to finish a meal. To overcome this problem I also use Catmate C20 feeders because once they open the food stays available until the kitty is ready to eat it.


Mogs
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@Tricia Cinco(GA) & Harvey has posted that she got the ice packs from Amazon I think...hopefully she'll see the tag and be able to help with locating them

 

Try to find the re useable mini ice cubes. You can put them under the trays.

 

Yup. Here they are:https://www.amazon.com/Replacement-...97648&sr=8-1&keywords=ice pack for pet feeder. They're designed for a different feeder, but fit the Petsafe one just as well.

 

Wonderful! Thank you to all who have responded! You guys/gals are great!!!!

Tricia, what a beautiful Kitty you have. I love seeing all the pics of everyone's fur babies!!

 

Thank you. I just lost Harvey in September. He was a beautiful specimen of an Abyssinian, and loaded with Aby personality. I miss him very much.

 

((((Tricia))))




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Confession: I give them all little scritches with my mouse pointer.


Mogs
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Excellent idea!

 

I am so sorry for your loss Tricia. I am sure he loved you as much as you loved him and had a wonderful kitty life with you as his devoted mama.

 

For those who do use a feeder like the PetSafe, how far in advance can you fill it? Do you fill it with meals for a full 24 hours (with frozen portions for the meals further out in time), or just 12 hour cycles? Any tips on how long it takes a frozen hunk of wet food to thaw?

 

Well, the Petsafe has 5 compartments, but one is exposed so its only 4. And filling depends on how many times a time you want it to spin.

My frozen ones (its about 1.5tablespoons) take about 4 hours to thaw, but they stay cold for a whole after that.

 

I think you can program up to 9 different times on it but as mentioned above, it only has 5 compartments and 1 is exposed.

I feed my kitties every 3 hours. Their main breakfast meal and dinner meal are fed separately in regular glass dishes then I set up the feeder for the rest of the day. I feed the main dinner portion around 7pm and wash the compartments and reset it for the evening cycles. So I have to fill it once in am and once in PM but the timer is always preset so no additonal work there.

You should really get one. it is really a game changer and you won't regret it!

I usually use frozen food for the last 2 compartments of each cycle, refrigerated for second and fresh out of can for first compartment. I just freeze more food each cycle as I am preparing the next tray. It is really easy and you will get into a groove with it.

 

I am searching for a multi day wet food dispenser that will open cans and serve food to my kitty when I am out of town on traveling gigs for 2-3 days. This is the only one I can see where I don't have have to worry about food going bad.. Anyone seen this? .. I am a first time cat owner, so I though discussing here would be helpful .. sorry if this is not the right way to ask. Are there any other dispensers that will do what I need? Thanks for your input and help!!

https://pawbot.com


~John

 

Try this one out: http://www.catzenpup.com
It might fit your situation.

 

Wow....that's amazing!!!.....of course for $3500+, I could hire my vet to come 4 times a day, feed and do a quick physical!!.....LOL

Talk about building a better mousetrap!

Hope they do get it working.....I guess they are still working on it since it won't be released until at least late 2017

 

Just wow . @Chris & China 4x a day for a couple weeks! LOL!

 

Woow!!× Pawbot is amazing!! And what a game changer that would be. He is so cute and even washes his hands after too! I love the camera and status updates too. This thing is seriously amazing!!!! Finally someone in the technology and pet industry actually gets it! Maybe the price will come down later on - $3500 is pretty crazy!