Top 5 Best Automatic Cat Feeders (We Tested Them All)
Top 5 Best Automatic Cat Feeders (We Tested Them All)
Looking for the best automatic cat feeder? After hours of research and testing, we’ve chosen these 5 feeders as the best you can buy. We purchased all of these products independently and were not sponsored by any of the brands mentioned in this video.
✔️ Sign up for our free recall alert program: https://cats.com/recall-tool-email?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video
Video Navigation and Links
0:00 Introduction
1:05 Overall Best: Cat Mate C500 Automatic Pet Feeder
Buy on Chewy: https://cats.com/link/?href=https%3A%2F%2Fprf.hn%2Fclick%2Fcamref%3A1101l4atA%2Fpubref%3Ayoutube%2Fdestination%3Ahttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.chewy.com%252Fcat-mate-c500-digital-5-meal%252Fdp%252F154556
Buy on Amazon: https://cats.com/link/?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FCat-Mate-C500-Automatic-Digital%2Fdp%2FB01AUYLVU8%2F%3Ftag%3Daac-youtube-20
4:16 Runner Up: PetSafe Eatwell Automatic Pet Feeder
Buy on Chewy: https://cats.com/link/?href=https%3A%2F%2Fprf.hn%2Fclick%2Fcamref%3A1101l4atA%2Fpubref%3Ayoutube%2Fdestination%3Ahttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.chewy.com%252Fpetsafe-eatwell-5-meal-automatic-dog%252Fdp%252F48080
Buy on Amazon: https://cats.com/link/?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FPetSafe-5-Meal-Automatic-Dispenses-Digital%2Fdp%2FB000GEWHNS%2F%3Ftag%3Daac-youtube-20
6:44 Best for Dry Food: PetSafe Simply Feed Automatic Pet Feeder
Buy on Chewy: https://cats.com/link/?href=https%3A%2F%2Fprf.hn%2Fclick%2Fcamref%3A1101l4atA%2Fpubref%3Ayoutube%2Fdestination%3Ahttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.chewy.com%252Fpetsafe-healthy-pet-simply-feed%252Fdp%252F126450
Buy on Amazon: https://cats.com/link/?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FPetSafe-Healthy-Automatic-Dispenses-Digital%2Fdp%2FB00VIXRB6O%2F%3Ftag%3Daac-youtube-20
9:24 Best Smart Feeder: Wopet SmartFeed Automatic Pet Feeder
Buy on Amazon: https://cats.com/link/?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FWOpet-SmartFeeder-Automatic-Programmable-Recording%2Fdp%2FB07N5BBFZY%2F%3Ftag%3Daac-youtube-20
12:36 Best Microchip Feeder: SureFeed Microchip Automatic Pet Feeder
Buy on Chewy: https://cats.com/link/?href=https%3A%2F%2Fprf.hn%2Fclick%2Fcamref%3A1101l4atA%2Fpubref%3Ayoutube%2Fdestination%3Ahttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.chewy.com%252Fsurefeed-microchip-small-dog-cat%252Fdp%252F157145
Buy on Amazon: https://cats.com/link/?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FAutomatic-Pet-Feeder-Microchip-eOutletDeals%2Fdp%2FB01JM4XK9W%2F%3Ftag%3Daac-youtube-20
15:06 Conclusion
Read our complete written guide to the best automatic cat feeders on the market: https://cats.com/best-automatic-cat-feeder
Explore the Cats.com website: https://cats.com
Join the community and keep the conversation going off of YouTube: https://cats.com/community
Join the Cat Guardian Academy by Cats.com: https://cats.com/cat-academy
Join our cat rescue and welfare group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/221547659977479
Disclosure: Some links are affiliate links to products. We may receive a small commission for purchases made through these links
How many cats do these automaticly dispense?
So, I ended up going with an Ipettie Auto feeder and I frickin love it! Seriously.
Customer service is amazing. I contacted them before ordering and they responded quickly and thoroughly and followed up a d day or two later to see if had any questions. After I ordered it, they reached out again to make sure I was liking it and if had anything could help with… Wasn’t in a badgering way, it was just good customer service.
It’s extremely easy to set it up. The tray has 6 spots for food, but you can schedule just 5 times… So, one of the slots is considered an immediate feed. But, 5 schedule times is still more than others. And the trays dishes are a good side, not too deep. It’s also super easy to clean because the tray sections are rounded, no crevices where food goes, so just wipes up easily!
I use the ice packs because I give my kitty, Gwen, wet and dry food, and I’d say the ice packs easily last 8hrs, but depends on temp it’ll be sitting in too. They give you two ice packs, so you have to make sure to refreeze them daily. You can purchase extra icepacks if would like to always have ice packs ready to go in feeder. On this topic, the feed tray you get with machine is plastic, but you can purchase a stainless steel one if you prefer that.
The machine is very quiet when rotating. It does a beep when in position to alert your pet, but it’s rather quiet – I live in a studio essentially, and so the feeder is near my bed, and it never wakes me up, though it goes off 3x over night. She also hasn’t managed to pop the lid off to get at all her food (and she did try initially lol, I’d hear her pawing at it and whining lol).
I got the non-wifi one, bc my wifi is sketchy where I live and I didn’t wanna had issues with setting it up. But, there is one that you can get where you can set and change the schedule using and app on your phone.
It also has a safety mechanism, so if kitty was eating or sniffing or pawing as the machine starts to rotate the tray, it will stop moving when feels any resistence or obstacle, it stops, rotates back a little, pauses for 30sec and then resumes.
So, yeah, I love mine! Lol, got in Amazon. No, I’m not paid by them to gush about their feeder, lol, I wish!!
I know the cat mate is supposed to be the top feeder for wet foods, etc. It’s literally #1 on a feeder lists, BUT when you look at actually customer ratings and comments, it’s lower than other feeders. My big concern with it was that it doesn’t acknowledge if cat gets in way of machine turning. My kitty is young and curious. I read stories of people’s cats getting stuck in them, like paws pinched, collars stuck. One guy wasn’t home when it happened to his cat – he said he walked in, saw the feeder several feet from where it normally would me and flipped over, his cats collar had been ripped off the cat and the tags were wedged in the machine and his cat was hiding. ☹️ So, after reading that a few times, I was not excited for that feeder. But, again, the Ipettie one has that stop mechanism.
Anyway, again, I love the thing, one of my best purchases ever. Highly recommend it!!!
(As a PS in case you are planning on getting one or just got it… This is just regarding setting up the feeding schedule. I found it super easy to set it up. The directions are clear and it makes sense. But, one thing I will say is, for some reason, it seemed a lot of people were confused about this and mad at the machine for it (though, I think description/instruction packet are rather clear)… So, you can’t set it by a day and time… You’re just setting up to 5 times in a 24hr time period. So, say you want to feed your cat 1x a day for 5days. OK cool. You’d just put in that one time and leave all the other time slots as 12:00am (it’s their equivalent of null time slot… So you can’t actually set the feeder got midnight, but you could do 11:50pm or 12:10am, so, close enough). OK, want 2 feed times, ok put in the 2x and leave the rest empty. The feeder will always just activate when your scheduled time comes up. And, I know one woman was mad be she said her times kept getting changed… So, for example, if you set the times as like 1) 3pm, 2) 9pm 3) 6am 4) 12pm… The machine will actually just reorder them so listed chronologically… 6am, 12pm, 3pm, 9pm. She wasnt realizing it was all the same times she’d done, just put in chrono order. I learned it did that when I added a random night feed in the middle of my schedule and next time I went to update it, I saw it was changed. So, you can’t tell the machine, do 8am & 8pm today, then 9am tomorrow…. Because, again, it goes in chrono order for a 24hr period. So if put that in, it’ll go off at 8am, 9am, 8pm in one day. Make sense? )
If i would get one that works for wet food. Should i get 2 ? Because i have 2 cats or is it ok with just 1?
Thank you very much for recommending the “PetSafe Healthy Pet Simply Feed Automatic Feeder”!
I found having an automatic feeder to be helpful in general. The first feeder that I had was the “Iseebiz Automatic Cat Feeder”. That worked pretty good for a decent amount of time, but it somehow became unplugged every so often and my cat (Bastu) would be able to sneak extra food out of the feeder (which always made me a bit nervous). After what I think was at least a year, the feeder stopped distributing food. I am not sure if there was problem with a gear, motor, etc.
The second feeder (or the first replacement feeder) was a “Ymiko Automatic Cat Feeder”. Within the first week, there were issues with food being provided at the scheduled times. I noticed this happened at least one more time within 2 weeks. My cat has a special prescription diet, and I think that food is larger than average cat food. So, I left it out in the mailroom for my apartment complex with a note to let me know if it causes problems for somebody else’s cat. Nobody has contacted me after that point, so I am assuming that it might be OK for somebody else. However, not being feed all of the scheduled meals is not acceptable, and this was not the feeder for me.
After watching this video, I purchased the PetSafe feeder (as the third feeder or second replacement feeder). I have been using this feeder for more than 1 month, and I have not noticed any problems. It is not as transparent as the Ymiko feeder, but it is more transparent than the Iseebiz feeder. The power adapter also has a different style plug, and I am not sure if that might contribute to the feeder not becoming unplugged (so far). Also, as an added benefit over both the Iseebiz and Ymiko feeders, I have not yet seen my cat “sneak” any extra food and I think the extra cover over the dispenser may make this harder for my cat.
So, again, thank you very much for the recommendation!
Downside (con) for Cat Mate C500:
When device is first fully loaded (5 compartments including immediate feed (position "0"), the two portions afterwards ("1" & "2") are above the ice pack, but "#3" is NOT.
Number "4" begins over the ice pack but as soon as it rotates one position, it then is NOT over the ice pack.
I have been wracking my brain to come up with various schemes so that portion "4" moves quickly past the unchilled portion (and it CAN be programmed that way) but I have decided to buy a different brand that chills all 5 compartments.
(I also have a C300 (3 compartment) model, but I’m sending it back also because one compartment also does not get chilled until it rotates over a chilled position.
I think Cat Mate makes a good product, but there being an unchilled position does not fit my pet’s needs.
NOTE: then unchilled position is the battery compartment. Other brands are designed differently.
I have a micro chip feeder. My old cat thieves into the feeder (really easy to do and she figured it out immediately). I put it on a skinny shelf so only 1 cat at a time can fit and that worked well. However, now skinny 6 month old kitten has decided she doesn’t like it on the shelf and turns away from it. She’ll eat from it from the floor but then big cat gets that. Do I just let the kitten get really hungry and pray she will eventually eat from it from the shelf? I feel so mean knowing she’s hungry! HELP
We have 2 of these feeders. The Petsafe spinning bowl and the Surefeed microchip feeder. One of our old cats was a MAJOR food thief and took advantage of the other cat’s grazing nature. We had to get the microchip bowls so our poor senior cat could get enough food. Before that, we were using the spinny feeders. After we got the microchip feeders, we only used the spinny bowls when we went out of town for a weekend, which wasn’t often.
Both of those cats have since passed and we got 2 new kittens. We just went ahead and acclimated the kittens to the microchip feeders since they were still in great shape and worked so well for the previous cats. I even ordered extra bowls in 2 different colors and we only use one color with one kitten and the other color with the other kitten so hopefully they can easily identify which bowl is theirs by color.
Ik heb zelf slechte ervaringen met de Trixie orusuban bowl. Tot twee keer toe was hij met twee maanden defect.
I’ve got terrible experiences with the Trixie orubusan bowl. Two times (two different bowls) were after two months no longer usable because they were destruct. The bowl turned no more, there was only a sound by the time he should turn. Therefore I wouldn’t recommend this cat feeder to no one.
This is so helpful❤
Question, given that you posted this video about two years ago, are there any new models of auto feeders out that you would add to this list?
Does anyone know if the WOPET feeder has a monthly subscription cost, and can you use 2 separate feeders on the same app?
With the first C500 feeder you showed is it easy for cats to flip that over? Curious because I think the concept of being able to put wet food in it is amazing since that’s all my cat eats but I worry about her flipping it over easily and then it leaking out everywhere. Also, she loves her wet food and goes nuts over it so if she could smell it just sitting in there I feel like she would do anything and everything to get it out.
😊Great video, very informative, just what I needed. Thank you
Please do not consider Wopet!!! We have had the feeder for a year, the app is terrible, often glitches. We don’t turn it on all the times, only when we are away, since our cats are on a wet food diet. But one time, when we were about to leave for a trip, the app continuously froze when we tried to log in. We tried multiple times, even restarting our wifi and reinstalling the app. Nothing worked! And we had no way to turn on the feeder manually to feed the cats while away! Customer support is a joke as well
Surefeed microchip I think is the best feeder on the market, however if your cat is particularly large you may wish to buy a stand on etsy especially for this feeder to elevate the feeder at an angle to make it easier for your cat. I’ve had my surefeeders for years, never a problem. The only downside is that food does get in between bits of plastic where you can’t reach it, but it’s very small amounts and isn’t an issue that would stop be replacing the feeder with another surefeed. It’s a bit fiddly to clean if you have a very messy eater!
Thank you for your contribution to the community! I recently learned about this way to donate to YouTube video creators!
Pet Safe feeder is $58 now in 2022. And it has a habit of rotating two or ever four slots instead of rotating just one. It’s very tricky to program.
I bought the first and the last feeder thanks to your reviews. Sadly the first one has quit working, but I am ordering a replacement because it functioned the best for us and our fat cat. The Surefeed works great for our thin grazer. It keeps his greedy alpha male brother out of his food. I also apperceive that I can give them both we and dry food during the day while I am gone to work.
There is a new Catit cat feeder. I stumbled on it yesterday on Amazon. It’s a 6 compartment cat feeder
The large bowl is good for cats because some don’t like their whiskers touching the sides and dry food helps their teeth, just wanted to point that out from the comments in the video
thanks for the info!
Okay cat-food-dispenser-inventors, listen up: we need something that does all of this — Wet or dry food dispensing with refrigeration built-in for the wet food (and none of this battery-only bs, I don’t just have a bajillion DD batteries laying around); Smart phone connectivity with camera; slow feed option for hungry hippos; two separate individually programmable bowls with chip or tag recognition; quiet mechanics and shallow bowls. Oh, and make everything dishwasher safe. Cool? Cool, thanks, see you on Shark Tank
Niec video
I hope they make more options for wet food like I really want to try C300 but I’m worried about whisker fatigue for my cats but I love how that brands had ice packs and stainless steel bowls you can buy to replace the plastic ones
Hi, our cat just tears the cat mate totally apart and eat everything in one big meal 🙂 So a no-go for us. We need a feeder of steel
what about if i have two cats?
Please include the power options/requirements in future reviews.
i accidentaly spilled some crystal meth in one of the feeders without realizing. without my knowledge my cat ate a bit from that feeder… he immeditately started going crazy jumping for joy like a wild leprachaun and wanted more, when I took it away he started screeching like crazy, i dont know what to do , if i take it away he threatens to kill me in my sleep but i noticed his personality changed now and he just brings home random female cats , i dont know what to do anymore my cat is a full blown addict now
(PS. I was just driving home now and i saw my cat on the corner intersection panhandling )
I’ve had 3 of the surefeed chip feeders for about 4 years now. I love them. They’re not perfect, but better than anything else I’ve tried. Feeding wet food can be problematic if you don’t keep up with the cleaning. Cats push the wet food toward the back and it can get into nooks and crannies and ruin the motor. This happened to one of mine but it was covered by the awesome 3 year warranty.
Now, after the warranty is finished, I completely take the unit apart down to the inner workings to clean it.
Once the feeder is opened for a cat to eat from, another cat can come from the back and eat out of the bowl as well. You can purchase a plastic bubble piece to snap onto the back to eliminate that problem. So more costs. That being said, I’d definitely purchase these again.
Imo, the best possible feeder for someone to create is a microchip feeder that also has a built in timer so that it can be locked until you want your cat’s chip to open it. And also a completely sealed feeding area so that moisture and food can’t get into the inner parts of the feeder.
I also have the petsafe automatic feeder, but had it in storage for years since I had stopped feeding dry. I recently took it out and the motor is frozen. It won’t turn the gears.
This has nothing todo with anything, but you are jaw droppingly beautiful.
SO NICE HAVING REAL PEOPLE REVIEW THINGS INSTEAD OF THE AI CREATED REVIEW SITES WITH NO HANDS ON EXPERIENCE. Thank you!!
What makes you interested in an automatic feeder for your cat? Do you want to control their portions while you’re away from home? Keep multiple cats’ food separate? Or are you looking for a feature-rich smart feeder that allows you to monitor your cat’s feedings while you’re at work? Let us know in the comments!
I bought two catmates for my kitties a few months ago and am loving it! We feed 3 small wet food meals a day and two tiny kibble snacks and our cats have never been happier (and I don’t have to listen to them yell for food throughout the day while I’m working). Watching them go running when they hear them rotating is really adorable, too 😂
US link: https://amzn.to/3pWNsvE Automatic Cat Feeder this is a good cat or any pet feeder for a reasonable price go a head and check it out
Love the reviews – my question surrounds the "kibble". I’ve heard that some feeders may either malfunction, food get stuck, or dispense too much – based on the size of the dry cat food. How do I know if my dry cat food will work with the cat feeder?? I use Wilderness cat food.
thanks a lot for your work! How long did the Wopet one last?
What I need is a slow auto feeder for my cat that feels as if he’s the four legged version of Joey Chestnut in a eating competition…….only unlike Joey, he seldom keeps it down after the fact.
Thank you for the honest reviews. It was very helpful.
Hi, what do you think about the catit smart 6-meal feeder?
thank you so much! this is very helpful 🙂
Can anyone tell me why there is still not a cool combination of a microchip function with multiple meal for wet food to keep food fresh, offer small portions, avoid gulping and prevent others from stealing? Who yould love one of these too?? 🙂
Looking for a programmable feeder that can be used for dry cat food in a barn for 16 cats. So the storage bin needs to be large. Any suggestions?
Thanks so much. This video is very helpful
In my opinion, I hate his noisy the Petsafe feeder is and I defo prefer the Wopet smart feeder.
Thanks for your videos.
I have one of the SureFeed microchip feeders but cant recomend it if you have a realy hungry cat.
He draged the whole machene over the floor. Somedays I found it upp side down. When I glued it with doubblesided tape he bend the plastic up to open it.
i need frequent very tiny portions !!! Please help me pick the right one!!!! how much does 1/8th of a cup look like that might still be to much for my cat
Any issues with whisker fatigue?
Not a big fan of the cat mate. The deep food dish gives my cat chin acne and he doesn’t eat a lot of food because of how uncomfortable it is. Good idea though but the dish makes it a NOT RECOMMENDED for me!
Question.
If you have (like your case) more than 1 cat. I am.thinming of even 5 cats. How do they tend to share? Would you just buy 5 feeders? Thank you
In the video you state that wet food is healthier, my cat eats almost exclusively wet food but many people say dry food is healthier.
Nice….video