The best automatic pet feeder is not just for forgetful owners. Whether you're dealing with a diabetic pet that requires regular feeds throughout the day, you work unpredictable hours and don't want to risk leaving your furry friend unfed, or you want to cleverly control their portions, an automatic device could be just what you've been looking for.
There are a few different options on the market, so choosing the right one for your hungry pet can be tricky. So, to save you from investing in a gimmick we have found the best pet feeders to automate the process and save you time. Happy pet, happy owner.
Read on for more buying advice, then see our top picks. And, if you need more products for a pampered pet, check out our list of the best pet beds.
How to buy the best automatic pet feeder
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When it comes to buying the best automatic pet feeder, there a few features worth considering before making a financial commitment. These include:
Meals served per day
This is particularly important if you're dealing with a pet who is following a particular feeding plan and requires regular feeds throughout the day. While some models offer the option to schedule up to 30 meals per day, don't assume this feature comes as standard.
Food type
Generally, pet food comes in two forms: wet and dry. If your furry friend has a preference, or is required to only eat one variety of food, you'll want to ensure your chosen automatic pet feeder can cater to this need.
Dishwasher friendly
If you're investing in an automatic pet feeder to ease the day-to-day responsibilities of pet ownership, you'll want to ensure your pet feeder can be cleaned easily, too.
The best automatic pet feeders you can buy right now
With this pet feeder's ability to dispense food amounts ranging from 29ml to 940ml, you don’t need to worry about your pet being ever being over or under fed.
You can set up to 12 meal times a day, so whether you prefer your pet to eat little and often or eat two substantial meals a day, this automatic pet dispenser will enable you to keep their feeding routine exactly the same.
As a bonus, it’s easy to clean, and you can pop everything in the dishwasher to keep it clean and smell-free.
Whether you like to feed them three substantial feeds a day or their diet requires you to feed them little and often, this automatic pet feeder from Pet Mate will enable you to keep their routine in check.
In addition to feeding your pet at specific times, it enables you to serve extra meals on demand or ahead of their usual feeding times if they’re particularly hungry!
As with our top pick, most of the components of this feeder are dishwasher safe, the only downside is it doesn’t dispense wet food, too.
It may look a little complex for your pet to navigate but it comes with training tools to get them used to its workings. It works by recognising your pet’s microchip; the lid will only open if a pet with a registered microchip enters the feeding zone.
So, if you have a household with a cat and a dog, you can be certain that it’s only the cat that’s getting the food and the dog isn’t taking full advantage of an unattended food tray.
This mid-range automatic pet food dispenser features a number of similar functions to the Cat Mate C3000, with the addition of a voice recorder so you can still call your pet to their bowl when you’re not at home.
Thanks to the clever infrared sensor, the food bowl will never overfill and with the ability to set up to six feeding times, you can ensure that your pet is fed inline with their dietary requirements.
This automatic food dispenser goes to show that you don’t need to spend an arm and a leg on one. If you happen to be heading out for the morning or the afternoon, you can rest easy knowing that your pet can have their food at their regular time.
You can set the bowls to open at the same time if you have two pets to feed or you can set them to open at different times if you’re going to be out for a longer period of time.