PetSafe Healthy Pet Simply Feed Programmable Dog & Cat Feeder, 24-cup

We have a cat that needs to be fed very small amounts, many times a day. This feeder was the only one that we could find that would dispense as little as 1/8 cup per feeding as many as 12 times a day. Better yet- since we can expect brief power outages during storms- the feeder can operate solely on batteries. Our very first weekend away we received notification that the power had gone out at our house- and we didn't to worry that the feed amount/settings had been knocked out on the feeder. Knowing that we can leave out cat alone for a few days is fantastic! Also fantastic was Chewy's delivery time. The feeder showed up only one day after I ordered it- in the middle of Vermont, on a Sunday We have a cat that needs to be fed very small amounts, many times a day. This feeder was the only one that we could find that would dispense as little as 1/8 cup per feeding as many as 12 times a day. Better yet- since we can expect brief power outages during storms- the feeder can operate solely on batteries. Our very first weekend away we received notification that the power had gone out at our house- and we didn't to worry that the feed amount/settings had been knocked out on the feeder. Knowing that we can leave out cat alone for a few days is fantastic! Also fantastic was Chewy's delivery time. The feeder showed up only one day after I ordered it- in the middle of Vermont, on a Sunday. Five stars for PetSafe's Healthy Pet Simply Feed Programmable Dog and Cat Feeder and five stars for Chewy's customer service! … more

I bought this back in 2016, and I dont even think I've needed to change the batteries. This has been going strong for nearly 5 years! There are tons of settings for how much food you want to dispense through out the day. It's great if you're out of town for a day or two. If you're visiting family, friends, take a day trip or the unplanned one night stand. Your little one still gets fed. The only issue I've had that I bumped the top off of the track so food filled up the inside and got into the gears and jammed things up before I realized something was up. After some clearing out everything was good to go.

I've been using PetSafe feeder for about 6 weeks and can't say it's fantastic, but overall it's been reliable and given me peace of mind when away from home. Things to know before you purchase: I'd strongly suggest purchasing the optional power adapter. It costs about as much as replacing the batteries once and with the adapter, batteries can be used as a backup in case of a power outage. Some people have stated they've had issues with programming. Personally, I followed the setup directions step by step and didn't have any issues. It was a bit lengthy, but I think that's to be expected for the number of different programming options it provides. On the plus side: the feeder holds about a gallon I've been using PetSafe feeder for about 6 weeks and can't say it's fantastic, but overall it's been reliable and given me peace of mind when away from home. Things to know before you purchase: I'd strongly suggest purchasing the optional power adapter. It costs about as much as replacing the batteries once and with the adapter, batteries can be used as a backup in case of a power outage. Some people have stated they've had issues with programming. Personally, I followed the setup directions step by step and didn't have any issues. It was a bit lengthy, but I think that's to be expected for the number of different programming options it provides. On the plus side: the feeder holds about a gallon of food, and once programmed, only requires occasional cleaning. Our cat's meals have been dispensed as scheduled, the feeder has never jammed and our cat hasn't been able to dig out any extra food. The drawbacks: the feeder was much louder than I'd expected it to be due to the conveyor operation and the attached metal bowl. This might not be an issue for someone who lives in a house, but we live in an apartment and can hear the feeder dispensing from the bedroom, so early morning feeding times are out of the question. For us, this is the biggest reason why I only gave it only three stars. Lastly, the amount of food dispensed seems to vary slightly depending on the type/size of food you're using. For instance, ¼ cup of one brand, might dispense more accurately than ¼ cup of another brand that's a different size/shape. I suggest measuring the amount of food dispensed in order to check if the programming needs to be slightly adjusted for that brand of food. Even with these issues, I'd still recommend it. I think it's one of better feeders available and most importantly, I've been able to be assured our cat is getting fed even if we're not home. … more

I was a little wary of buying it because of some of the negative reviews (e.g. complicated setup, noisy, etc) but I was pleasantly surprised at how seamless it was to use! The setup is actually quite easy, you just have to read the instructions, it walks you right through it. It's not very noisy either, its just a short robotic humm but nothing crazy that would wake you up or anything - plus it helped my cat associate the noise with food time which decreased persistent meowing. Ive only used it for a few days but so far it's great!

I tried so many times to program this to feed my cats multiple times a day, but the program function only works for dogs and mass feedings. I have a cat who was formerly a feral and will eat until she vomits, so I was really excited about the slow feeding function (never worked) and being also able to program multiple feeding a day (also never worked). I still experimented with this product the last 2 months. I was aware from reviews it was hard to program. I decided to be satisfied with the twice a day, 1/4 cup feeding that it automatically does for cats to at least save me that much time. That mechanism stopped working two weeks ago. I thought it was gravity issue, but more food did not help I tried so many times to program this to feed my cats multiple times a day, but the program function only works for dogs and mass feedings. I have a cat who was formerly a feral and will eat until she vomits, so I was really excited about the slow feeding function (never worked) and being also able to program multiple feeding a day (also never worked). I still experimented with this product the last 2 months. I was aware from reviews it was hard to program. I decided to be satisfied with the twice a day, 1/4 cup feeding that it automatically does for cats to at least save me that much time. That mechanism stopped working two weeks ago. I thought it was gravity issue, but more food did not help. Now it only shoots out a couple of pieces of kibble. I give up. Not even sure I want to try another auto-feeder, but I really need something for when we go on vacation so I don't have to have people come 3-4 times a day to check on my cats. … more

After getting through a set-up that was not easy as it proved very finicky to get the conveyor belt lined up right, it would have been worth it if the dispensing mechanism held up. However, from the first few hours it was set up, my very smart, very food-motivated cat (the reason I needed an automatic feeder in the first place, to try to control her food portions and weight), made it her mission to break into it and access food. It wasn't very hard. Within a few hours she found that if she rammed against it, it jiggled food loose out of the top conveyor belt slot, and she actually hurt herself doing this over and over again. Over time she got smarter about it, putting her front paws on top and After getting through a set-up that was not easy as it proved very finicky to get the conveyor belt lined up right, it would have been worth it if the dispensing mechanism held up. However, from the first few hours it was set up, my very smart, very food-motivated cat (the reason I needed an automatic feeder in the first place, to try to control her food portions and weight), made it her mission to break into it and access food. It wasn't very hard. Within a few hours she found that if she rammed against it, it jiggled food loose out of the top conveyor belt slot, and she actually hurt herself doing this over and over again. Over time she got smarter about it, putting her front paws on top and shaking it to make food come out. Rather than the very accurate 1/4 and 1/8 portions throughout the day, she ate whenever she wanted through brute force, and then when the programmed meals dropped, sometimes only a handful of pieces of dry food came out. She also was able to flip to top off because though it locks in the back, the front part is not held down. She ended up gaining weight more rapidly than she had been pre- automatic feeder. I agree with other reviewers that the sound is somewhat alarming when the food drops into the metal bowl, though I was pleased that the bowl was metal rather than plastic, and my non-timid cat wasn't disturbed by it (it was music to her ears). Granted, this could work well for kittens or cats who don't have the same strength, girth, intelligence (questionable), or determination, but it definitely did not work for us. This is being returned. … more

Bought this to help with my cats weight management as she is very overweight and to give my husband and I peace of mind when we travel occasionally. I can’t comment on how well it works when we’re away as we haven’t travelled yet but it’s been working great so far. Cleaning the parts that touch food was a breeze. I just filled the sink with warm soapy water and wiped them down then let them air dry over night. Assembly was a breeze and so was set up. The directions are very clear on how to properly set it up and it only took about 20 minutes. My kitty only gets fed 1/8 of a cup twice a day based on her ideal weight and it distributes the correct amount right on time every time. She goes running Bought this to help with my cats weight management as she is very overweight and to give my husband and I peace of mind when we travel occasionally. I can’t comment on how well it works when we’re away as we haven’t travelled yet but it’s been working great so far. Cleaning the parts that touch food was a breeze. I just filled the sink with warm soapy water and wiped them down then let them air dry over night. Assembly was a breeze and so was set up. The directions are very clear on how to properly set it up and it only took about 20 minutes. My kitty only gets fed 1/8 of a cup twice a day based on her ideal weight and it distributes the correct amount right on time every time. She goes running whenever she hears the food hit her bowl but it did take her a few days to get used to the new routine (we don’t use the bowl included as it’s too big). The only downside is when you use your own bowl (if it’s smaller), the bowl has to be right under the dispenser which can make it difficult for your pet to eat. Also, the power cord doesn’t come included you have to buy that separately and if you don’t, and don’t have 4D batteries, you won’t be able to power the machine. Other than that I recommend it! Worth the $$$ … more

This feeder was pretty straight forward with setup and worked well. Unfortunately I wouldn’t recommend this for a very food driven smart animal (ie: BEAGLE) as they will be able to “figure out” how to get into in in some way.

Works great. Quite feeding system. Easy to program and adjust the feeding profile. Took a few days to get the feeding down correctly so that there was not extra food in the feeder. Fully loaded last about a month. Have not had any issues with the feeder. Like that I have option for wall power supply and not just battery.

We have a small dog who is always wanting to eat. This system is training her to recognize the time of day she’ll be fed, even if we aren’t home. The smallest serving is 1/8 cup so keep that in mind if you want this for a small dog and you want to feed them several times a day.