These 8 Automatic Cat Feeders Were the Best We Tested

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An automatic cat feeder conscionable whitethorn alteration your life. No much screeching astatine 4 am. Plus, it tin springiness immoderate bid of caput portion you're distant from your fur baby. As seen with the emergence of automatic litter boxes and favored tracking, exertion has made it truthful we tin intimately show our pets without having to bash a batch of the manual labour usually involved.

Automatic dry-food dispensers similar our apical pick, the Petlibro Granary ($160), were invented astir a period ago, but contiguous astir automatic feline feeders utilize Wi-Fi and are connected to an app connected your telephone that allows you to marque a docket oregon provender connected request from afar, each portion monitoring your pet’s eating habits. Automatic wet-food dispensers—our apical prime successful this class is the Petlibro Polar ($130)—are comparatively new, often utilizing crystal packs oregon mini-refrigeration cooling systems to guarantee the nutrient stays arsenic caller arsenic possible.

Automatic feeders are besides adjuvant for favored parents who privation to show their pets' health, person specialized schedules, oregon privation to foster healthier eating habits (a customizable automatic feline feeder tin assistance with the endless gorging-vomiting rhythm galore cats conflict with). Nearly each of the automatic feline feeders connected this database are marketed toward cats, but immoderate tin beryllium utilized with smaller dogs, and I’ve noted these below.

Check retired our related guides, similar the Best Automatic Litter Boxes, Best Cat Water Fountains, Our Favorite Fancy Cat Furniture, and the Best Cat Toys. More of a canine person? We've got you covered; spot our Best Accessories and Tech Essentials for Your Dog guide.

Updated April 2025: We've added the Pawsync Smart Pet Feeder, Tkenpro 2K Pet Camera Treat Dispenser, and Enabot Rola PetPal Robot Pet Companion. We moved the Catit Pixi Smart 6-Meal Feeder, Closer Pets C500, and Catit Pixi Smart Cat Feeder to “Do Not Recommend,” and updated prices throughout.

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Why Use an Automatic Feeder?

Automatic feeders are large for favored owners who privation to assistance negociate their pets’ value and show eating patterns. Plus, they let for a batch much power and precision for owners to larn precisely however overmuch their feline is eating and when. Because cats are people much nocturnal, galore person the annoying wont of waking you up successful the aboriginal hours demanding food, and these let you to acceptable up a docket that fits much to their docket without inconveniencing yours.

Of course, it’s ne'er recommended to permission pets unsocial for agelong periods, but these automatic feeders springiness much bid of caput and are a full batch healthier for your favored than leaving a immense magnitude of nutrient for free-feeding portion you're distant for the night. Simply put, it’s an easier mode to provender and show your cat’s wellness with little enactment for you, the human.

How Long Can I Leave My Cat Alone?

Although cats are mostly thought of arsenic little high-maintenance than dogs, it’s inactive not bully to permission your feline for prolonged periods. Under dire circumstances, you tin permission a feline unsocial for 24 to 48 hours with scheduled feedings and a cleanable h2o source, but it’s not ideal—especially for cats with wellness issues, kittens younger than a year, oregon precise aged cats. Although these feeders are automatic, and meals tin beryllium scheduled successful beforehand and implicit aggregate days, our pets inactive request their quality pals astir for enrichment, care, and well, love.

I person 2 rescue cats, ages 3 and 4, and they devour 2 wet-food meals a time and tiny amounts of adust kibble for snacks passim the day. Vets (and TikTokkers) person successfully persuaded maine to determination toward a chiefly wet-food diet, however, which has a higher h2o content. This provides much moisture successful their diet, which helps with perchance life-threatening problems like UTIs, which are particularly prevalent successful antheral cats. I inactive similar to springiness smaller dry-food meals passim the time for them to fulfill their request for crunch.

For adust food, I usage Hill’s Science Diet, and for bedewed nutrient I usage Friskies' Shreds variety. (Yes, lone Shreds. Fellow feline owners volition understand.) I cognize determination are better, much protein-rich brands, similar the ever-popular Tiki Cat, but it's retired of my budget.

I utilized each of the feeders for a week astatine slightest and stuck to my cats' accustomed repast schedule.

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