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I originally bought an automatic cat feeder for overnight trips that felt too short to warrant hiring a sitter. However, many people use an automatic feeder all of the time, and there are a couple of compelling reasons to consider getting one.
Think about it: Cats are creatures of habit. They like their routines and have an instinctual internal clock — they want to be fed according to that clock, and when they aren’t, they have no trouble letting us know their displeasure. Every cat owner is familiar with being woken from a deep sleep just before dawn to discover their cat is up to no good. Maybe she’s scratching at your bedroom door or knocking over your bedside water glass. Maybe he’s sitting on your chest and meowing directly into your face. In my cat’s case, she’s found some important piece of paper, and she’s tearing it to shreds with her teeth.
Whatever your cat’s method of communication, the message is the same: “Wake up and feed me breakfast.” An automatic cat feeder is like a robot that can perform this task for you at exactly the same time every day. Sounds pretty good, right? We’ve consulted an expert to determine the best automatic cat feeders out there.
When shopping for your automatic cat feeder, Joey Lusvardi, certified cat behavior consultant at Class Act Cats, stresses that your first priority should be portion control. “The most important feature is control over how much food is dispensed,” he says. “If the feeder only has one amount that gets dispensed, it’s tough to control how much your cat gets fed. Smaller increments allow much better control.” Lusvardi also prioritizes machines with lots of timing options: “That way, you can adjust the time of each meal if needed.”
Lusvardi recommends looking for machines with stainless steel parts. “You will want to clean the canister regularly,” he says. “While many feeders have plastic parts, finding one where the dish is made from stainless steel is best because plastic dishes are usually not recommended for cats.”
As with most appliances, automatic cat feeders are priced fairly broadly. Decide how much you’d like to spend and look for the best quality within that range. Knowing what price bracket you’re shopping in will determine how you approach all the other considerations.
Design is a key factor in choosing an automatic feeder. The design affects the product’s aesthetics, which — if you’re passionate about interior design — might matter a great deal to you. But even if you don’t care much about the product’s outward appearance, the feeder’s design is incredibly important. “It depends on if you feed your cat wet or dry food,” says Lusvardi. “You'll want an automatic feeder that's compatible with your cat's diet. There are options that can keep wet food cool, but they are much more limited.”
The machine’s design determines how it dispenses food. Is it subject to jamming? Does it require that the kibble is a specific size or shape? The design has far-reaching implications that affect how it functions as a whole. “Think about how the food itself is delivered. Some automatic feeders will drop kibble into a bowl while others will have a chamber that opens or rotates. Many of the ones with chambers need to be regularly refilled, while feeders that rely on food dropping usually have large canisters that you only need to top off when they get low,” says Lusvardi.
The best automatic cat feeders tend to have special features — some are designed for wet cat food, for example, while some come with cameras to see your cat when you’re away. Since some special features will address a specific need, if you’re having trouble narrowing down your choices, consider which features might make your life easier and let that guide you.
Lusvardi’s favorite feature is Wi-Fi: “While not critical, I personally prefer feeders with Wi-Fi connectivity because you can easily program your cat's feeding schedule via your phone and alter it if you are out of the home for the day unexpectedly.”
When I first started shopping for an automatic cat feeder, my number one question was, “Can I trust this machine?” Whether you’re getting an automatic feeder for overnight trips, early morning feedings or for those days when you have to stay late at work, you’re relying on the machine to care for your cat, and you’ll want one that you can trust.
In multi-cat households, there’s often one pig and one bird. Which is to say, one cat devours all the food while the other hangs back timidly. This feeder has two raised bowls (which provide a better feeding posture for cats) featuring a divider, reducing the chance of one cat stealing from the other’s bowl. The built-in desiccant bag keeps the food from going stale inside the tank, which I personally appreciate as my cat is very picky and won’t touch food that’s gone stale.
The Espelho is a suitable feeder for multiple cats. It provides two elevated stainless-steel bowls with a dividing wall between them.
Get it here: Espelho Elevated Automatic Cat Feeders
Some cats are nervous eaters. Rescue cats are especially prone to overeating, having experienced food scarcity in early life. If you have multiple cats, a nervous eater can eat everybody’s food. “This automatic feeder requires an RFID (radio frequency identification) tag and prevents multiple cats from sneaking a bite from food that isn’t theirs,” says Lusvardi. “It lets you set portions as low as 1/8 of a cup to really let you control how much food your cat gets.”
The PortionPro Rx Feeder has an RFID tag that detects when your pet is nearby and opens accordingly, preventing overeating.
Get it here: PortionPro Rx Automatic Cat Feeder
You can also use an automatic cat feeder for wet food, and the Cat Mate uses ice packs to keep the food safe for your cat. Lusvardi likes this model for its stainless steel bowls, saying, “This automatic feeder comes with a stainless steel insert (plus the option to buy more so you can just swap them out and don’t need to wash it every single day), and has five chambers to allow multiple small meals each day.”
The Cate Mate has five chambers and is suitable for wet food, thanks to its ice packs.
Get it here: Cat Mate C500 Five-Meal Automatic Pet Feeder
PetLibro is Lusvardi’s preferred brand for automatic cat feeders, and he recommends this model as both the best automatic cat feeder with a camera and the best Wi-Fi automatic cat feeder. “PetLibro’s Wi-Fi-enabled automatic feeders are high quality, have a large tank capacity and the app is easy to use,” he says. “This feeder also allows you to keep an eye on your cats as they eat and can easily connect to Wi-Fi so you can program the exact amount of food your cats get. As a fun bonus, you can even record a meal call for your cats that plays before they get fed.” The camera has motion detection and smart sensors, while the overall sturdy construction and locking lid ensure that the food inside stays fresh.
The PetLibro feeder includes an app and Wi-Fi compatibility, a camera with motion detection and smart sensors.
Get it here: PetLibro Granary Camera Monitoring Feeder
If your cat is a dainty eater, you might not need to pay extra for fancy portion control options. “For cats that free-feed, a gravity feeder can be a viable option,” says Lusvardi. “This one comes with a water dispenser that can be placed separately from the feeder and has a stainless steel bowl, which is an excellent feature to have.”
This gravity feeder is affordable, doesn’t need a power source and comes with a water dispenser.
Get it here: WyfKyd 2-Pack Automatic Gravity Feeder
The PitPet Automatic Feeder has a sleek design and offers all the crucial features at an affordable price. The LCD screen makes it easy to program portion control and record a voice message. It has a dual power supply in case of a power outage, a large holding capacity and a desiccant bag to keep the food fresh.
The PitPet Automatic Feeder is affordable with features like voice recording, dual-power supply and a desiccant bag.
Get it here: PitPet Smart Automatic Cat Feeder
Maybe you want to put out food for your outdoor cat. This feeder is affordable and runs on batteries, with an impressive 180-day battery life. It has all of the features you’d hope for, including voice recording, portion control and mealtime scheduling capabilities. As a bonus, the sleek, stainless steel bowl is easy to clean.
This feeder runs on batteries, making it a good option for outdoor cats. It also has voice recording, portion control and mealtime scheduling capabilities.
Get it here: iPettie Hourglass Automatic Feeder
The Sarpaws Automatic Feeder has a stand-alone water fountain, which you can place separately from the food station. “Cats prefer their food and water to be separated,” explains Lusvardi. “Eating near where they also drink could result in their water source being contaminated.” This feeder also includes power outage backup, voice recording options, a firmly locking lid and a desiccant box to preserve freshness.
The Sarpaws Automatic Feeder comes with a water fountain, plus power outage backup, voice recording options, a lockable lid and a desiccant box.
Get it here: Sarpaws Automatic Feeder
This Yuposl feeder has a dual power supply, making it portable. It’s solidly made and unbeatable in price and, while it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of pricier brands, it still lets you program for portion size and up to six separate meals per day. It also has an easy-to-clean, stainless steel bowl.
This Yuposl feeder is super affordable, has a dual power supply, a stainless steel bowl and options for programming portion size.
Get it here: Yuposl Automatic Cat Feeder
When you have three cats, it can be tough to make sure that all of them are getting an equal amount of food. “This automatic feeder will only open in response to an RFID tag attached to your cat's collar,” explains Lusvardi. “This prevents your cats from stealing each others' food so you can feel more confident each cat gets fed enough, or keep feedings separate if they have special diets. You will want one (tag) for each cat, but it will be worth it to know who is eating what and how much they’re eating.”
The PetLibro RFID Feeder only opens when it detects the RFID tag in your cat's collar; get one for each cat to ensure that all of them are getting an equal amount of food.
Get it here: PetLibro One RFID Pet Feeder
Cats are very territorial and sometimes have trouble getting along with each other, especially at mealtimes. “Cats prefer eating separately from each other, so if you’re going to use an automatic feeder, you want at least one bowl for each cat,” says Lusvardi. “I like this automatic feeder because the tank is between the cats, which creates a bit of a visual barrier to reduce the cats’ stress.”
The Oneisall Automatic Cat Feeder with Wi-Fi has two bowls with the tank positioned between them, forming a visual barrier between territorial cats.
Get it here: Oneisall Automatic Cat Feeder With Wi-Fi
As mentioned previously, PetLibro is Lusvardi’s go-to brand, and the Air model features a handy rechargeable battery. “The PetLibro Air with Wi-Fi feeder features an app that will alert you when the battery needs to be charged. You get all the benefits of a Wi-Fi automatic feeder but aren’t limited to placing it near an outlet,” he says.
The PetLibro Air Feeder has a rechargeable battery and is app-enabled, making it stress-free to take it on the road.
Get it here: PetLibro Air with Wi-Fi
To determine the top cat feeders, I consulted IAABC-certified cat behavior consultant Joey Lusvardi, who specializes in helping pet owners solve behavior issues in pets, which often involves choosing the right pet products based on feline psychology. He has extensive knowledge of cat products such as automatic litter boxes, cat litters, cat toys and automatic feeders.
I included some of my own choices, too, basing those choices on the criteria that Lusvardi laid out — portion control, stainless steel parts, Wi-Fi connectivity — and weighed those against price, design and customer reviews.
The most common type of automatic cat feeder is designed for dry cat food only. With these feeders, you pour your dry cat food into it and it functions as a storage container. You then use the control panel to program the number of meals per day, the size of the meals and the times when they’ll be dispensed.
At the appointed time, the feeder’s internal mechanism will rotate to dispense a controlled portion of food. Most feeders also allow you to program your voice into it so that it can play a recording of you calling your cat’s name to alert them that it’s time to eat.
The mechanisms for programming your feeder will vary widely from brand to brand and depending on what type of feeder you have. Generally, however, you’ll first set the clock to the correct time. Then, you should be able to program how many meals your cat gets per day, and at what time. You’ll hopefully also get to control the portion size.
“Cats prefer to be fed small meals multiple times during the day,” says Lusvardi. “This is closer to how they would eat in nature. If your automatic feeder allows you to program multiple smaller meals, you’re better off setting it so your cat gets more small meals at regular intervals than feeding your cat a large amount twice a day.”
Luckily, automatic cat feeders don’t require nearly as much maintenance as cat litter boxes, but they still need cleaning. As Lusvardi points out, a stainless steel removable bowl makes it easy to clean your feeding bowl regularly. Many models come with dishwasher-safe bowls, which makes cleaning even more simple. You should also periodically check the holding tank and inner mechanisms to ensure they continue to run smoothly.
If you use a wet food feeder and thoroughly combine the medication with the food, it’s possible to give medication to your cat via a feeder. But Lusvardi advises caution: “If your cat doesn't eat the pill or only has part of their meal, they may not get the full dose of the medication. It's always better to watch your cat take the medication. Check with your veterinarian before relying on an automatic feeder to dispense medications.”
Looking through the list above, you’ll notice that there are a range of power options.
“Many of the plug-in options have battery backup, which is nice if you lose power,” says Lusvardi. “When looking at a battery-operated automatic feeder, make sure you check if the battery is rechargeable and how long the estimated battery life is.”
The answer to this question will depend on what kind of feeder you have. “The individual automatic feeder should give you specific instructions on what to do for your model, so refer to that first,” explains Lusvardi. “For automatic feeders without Wi-Fi connectivity, you'll want to look for a screen that will allow you to set when and how much food your cat gets at each meal. If your automatic feeder has Wi-Fi connectivity, it likely has an app you can use. The app will allow you to program how often, when and how much to feed your cat.”
Lusvardi is an enthusiastic proponent of the automatic feeder, but even he concedes that not all cats do well with them, even if you buy the best automatic cat feeder available. “If you have multiple cats and the automatic feeder is a source of tension, you're better off either getting separate automatic feeders or using a microchip-activated feeder instead,” he says.
Likewise, there’s a wide range of types of feeders, and not all will be suitable for your kitty. “For cats that tend to overeat, a gravity feeder is not a great option as you can’t control the amount your cat eats,” warns Lusvardi. “I also don’t recommend gravity feeders in multicat homes as it’s hard to tell how much each cat is eating.”
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