Best Automatic Pet Feeders

Feeding your pet is certainly not a real chore for dog lovers, but it can sometimes be difficult to stick to a consistent schedule while fitting your pet parent duties into all of your other responsibilities. Or maybe your pet needs to eat more regularly throughout the day, but you’re not home all day to be able to fulfill that need (that is, if coronavirus quarantine ends and we ever leave home again). An automatic pet feeder can be a major help for pet parents looking to add a little ease to their daily lives, as well as provide consistency and comfort for our beloved pets. Check out this round-up of automatic pet feeders, including options to suit nearly all varieties of needs and desires!

Why Buy an Automatic Pet Feeder?

An automatic pet feeder is a great way to provide ease of mind for you, and probably also for your pet, whether your furry friend is a cat or dog. Great for both day-to-day use and sometimes even for longer travel away from home, a good automatic feeder will help to ensure that your pet is fed even if you’re not home to be the one to do it. This helps foster a consistent food schedule so that your canine or feline companions confidently know when they will get their meals.

Automatic pet feeders are also great for pet parents with pets who need to eat more regularly throughout the day, and for pets who demand meals or snacks at perhaps less than ideal hours, like a midnight snack or super early in the morning. If you set your automatic feeder to provide a small midnight snack, or a bigger breakfast for your pet who just loves to eat right at 5:00 am, that saves you the task of waking up and getting out of bed to feed your furry friend.

Whether you’re looking for a pet feeder for shorter-term use or one that can provide meals over the longer term, there are several options available for you.

What to Look for in an Automatic Pet Feeder

When selecting an automatic pet feeder for your pet child, there are several factors to consider. There’s a wide range of variation in price, fancy features, food capacity, and more. Here are some factors to keep in mind in your mission for what automatic pet feeder will be best for you and your furry friend.

• Food container capacity — How many meals you can get out of one fill? How often do you need to fill it back up? (For pet parents with bigger furry friends, you’ll likely have to fill it up more often, so maybe you want a larger capacity.)
• Price — How much are you willing to spend? Are you looking for something to simply get the job done, or are you looking for something with more bells and whistles?
• Size/footprint — How much space will the feeder take up on your floor? Will it get in the way?
• Setup and timing capabilities — You probably want it to have easy setup, and you want it to be clear how to program the machine.
• Flexibility in timing and portions — How many meals per day can you program? How much flexibility does it provide in terms of meal size? What is the meal size your pet needs, and does the machine allow you to provide that portion? (This is particularly important for pet parents with bigger dogs to consider.)

Best Budget Automatic Pet Feeder: PetSafe Eatwell 2-Meal Automatic Pet Feeder

The Petsafe Eatwell is a great option if you’re looking for a simple, low-tech solution to slightly reduce the time and effort involved in feeding your pet on the daily. It’s easy to operate — simply fill the two bowls with up to 1.5 cups of food each, close the lid, and set the manual hourly timer for any time within the next 48 hours. This means you will know your pet will get fed on a regular schedule, even if you can’t make it home in time for that exact schedule. It doesn’t have any fancy bells and whistles, but it gets the job done!

Pros

• Low price tag
• Works for both cat and dog food; suitable for small/medium pets (as long as they don’t need more than 1.5 cups of dry food per meal)
• Easy to operate
• Great for short-term needs
• Components are BPA-free and dishwasher-safe

Cons

• Not suitable for longer-term needs since it only provides two meals
• Only battery-powered, so no adapter option
• Some users report their crafty pets being able to get the top open even when the timer hasn’t gone off
• Lightweight design likely makes it less suitable for bigger/stronger dogs who could pick up and/or move around the device

Best Wet Food Feeder: Cat Mate C20 2-Bowl Automatic Pet Feeder

While most automatic feeders are designed for dry pet food, the Cat Mate C20 is specifically designed for wet food — perfect for pets who need or prefer this, or for a special occasional change from the usual dry food. Each of the two bowls in this feeder can hold up to one pound of wet food, providing two meals for your pet throughout the day. Set it once, then no need to worry about refilling food for up to 48 hours. Pet parents can set the manual timer for two separate meals within 48 hours; the timer provides options for one-hour intervals. The design includes an ice pack to help keep food fresh for delayed feeding. Overall, this is a simple solution for taking some of the work out of your wet food feeding routine.

Pros

• Low price tag
• Despite the name specifying this product as a cat feeder, this also works perfectly fine for wet dog food
• Easy to clean with removable, dishwasher-safe lids and bowls
• Great for short-term feeding schedules so that pet parents only have to dispense food once per day rather than multiple times

Cons

• The ice pack only promises to keep food cold for up to eight hours, so cannot guarantee that food will be cold after that timeframe
• Mechanical timer may lack precision, relative to a digital option
• Timer dial displays number of hours rather than time of day, so you’ll have to do some mental math based on when you set it to ensure that it opens the food compartment at your desired time
• Some users have reported their sneaky pets being able to break into the latched container
• Only battery-powered, so no adapter option

Best for Grazers: PetSafe Healthy Pet Gravity Dog and Cat Food Station

If you’re looking for a low-price option for pets that are more inclined to graze throughout the day than to eat designated meals, the PetSafe healthy pet gravity dog and cat food station is for you. It’s a low-tech solution to having food readily available for your pet — the gravity design means that food flows freely into the dish as it empties, so pets can eat whenever they are hungry. This is particularly well designed for cats and even some dogs; but, that said, this model wouldn’t be appropriate for pets who tend to eat everything in front of them all at once, because this design doesn’t allow for any scheduling or portioning of meals. But for a hands-off option that fits your pet’s specific eating needs and desires, this one does the trick!

Pros

• Low price tag
• Slim, simple design
• All components are dishwasher-safe
• Pet-proof food hopper with locking lid that keeps food fresh and prevents prying paws from sneaking extra food
• Includes stainless steel bowl
• No batteries or power source required

Cons

• Opaque design may make it difficult to know when food supply in container is low
• No pre-programming meal times or portion sizes
• Gravity feeder mechanism may pose issues for consistent food flow — some users have reported that the food dispenser doesn’t have enough of an angle to make the food completely properly fill the bowl

Best Mid-range Automatic Pet Feeder: PetSafe Eatwell 5-Meal Automatic Pet Feeder

For those looking to be able to pre-set multiple meals for the short term but are working on a budget, the PetSafe Eatwell 5-meal automatic pet feeder is for you. This PetSafe model has five one-cup food wells, allowing you to pre-portion and schedule up to five meals at a time. With this feeder, you are the one portioning out the food, and the feeder just makes it available at the time you set, so you don’t have to worry about a machine going awry and not serving the correct portions. Best for cats and small/medium dog breeds who need one cup of food or less for each meal, this is one of the best and most affordable automatic feeder options.

Pros

• Excellent value
• Food tray is BPA-free and dishwasher-safe
• Low profile and small footprint, with diameter of 11.5 inches
• Easy to program
• Works for both cat and dog food; suitable for pets of all sizes, including large-breed dogs

Cons

• Can only serve five meals, so not ideal for longer-term automatic feeding
• More manual work — it’s on the pet owner to scoop out and portion the food, rather than the machine doing that work for you (though this may provide more peace of mind for you, depending on your preferences)
• No wall adapter option (only battery-powered)

Most Features for a Non-Smart Feeder: Roffie Cat & Dog Food Dispenser

This Roffie model is a best seller on Amazon, and it appears to be for good reason. It has very user-friendly design and features, with intuitive settings controls. It allows for multiple facets of customization, including being able to serve different amounts of food at different times, and a voice recording setting so your pet can still hear your voice at its meal times. For those pet parents who want a high-quality automatic feeder, but don’t need or want a full-on ‘smart’ experience, and don’t want the automated feeding experience to eliminate their personal touch, this model is the best optio

Pros

• Works for both cat and dog food; suitable for pets of all sizes, including large-breed dogs
• Easy to clean
• Buttons hidden under the lid means no accidental bumping and unintentionally changing the settings
• Can be plugged into wall outlet or battery-powered (batteries not included)
• Large capacity — can hold up to 29 cups of food, which can be meals for a couple weeks, depending on the size of your pet
• No extra food for sneaky pets — top latch prevents pets from being able to open the food container from the top, and feeding mechanism doesn’t provide space for pets to reach their arms up into the container to steal extra food
• Container seals to keep food fresh
• Customizable voice message to help remind your pet about meal time even if you aren’t home

Cons

• A small number of users have reported a few glitches and needing to occasionally reboot the feeder
• May still emit the pet food smell despite container seal

Best Budget Smart Feeder: Iseebiz Automatic Smart Pet Feeder

For those of you who love all things in your home to be smart, there are multiple options for you. Of course with the smart technology, the price tag gets a little higher; but this Iseebiz option is the best smart bang for your smart buck. This feeder connects with a smartphone app that allows you to set meal times and sizes, for up to eight meals or snacks per day. You can also add a personalized 10-second voice recording that plays three times in a row when a meal is dispensed so that your pet can hear your presence even if you’re not actually present. With a six-liter capacity, it can hold a large amount of food, especially for smaller pets, but is certainly suitable for bigger pets with bigger portions as well, with flexibility for portion sizes up to 1.5 cups of food.

For a step up in price, Iseebiz offers bigger containers as well as a camera option that links to the app so that you can visually check in on your pet. But even the more basic model provides smart capability at a relatively low price tag!

Pros

• Low price tag for a smart device
• Works for both cat and dog food; suitable for small/medium pets (as long as they don’t need more than 1.5 cups of dry food per meal)
• Sleek, sturdy design
• Easy setup
• Infrared detector to help prevent clogging and food overflow
• Small footprint — approximately 14×8 inches
• Can be plugged into wall outlet or battery-powered (batteries not included)

Cons

• Lower capacity than other models — holds approx. 12 cups of dry food, so may need to refill more often for larger pets who eat larger meals
• Doesn’t automatically notify you of when container is low on food
• Some users have reported some difficulty understanding the different portion sizes specific to this model, but note that it’s fine once they got the hang of it
• Takes some time to dispense the food — users have reported that it takes approximately a minute to dispense 1.5 cups of food

Best Higher-End ‘All the Bells and Whistles’ Smart Feeder: PetSafe Smart Feed 2.0 Automatic Pet Feeder

If you want to go all out to get the best smart pet feeder on the market, this second-generation PetSafe model is for you. This feeder connects with a free, user-friendly smartphone app (and multiple pet parents can have the app on their phones). The app also notifies pet parents of when your pet is fed, the food level is low, the feeder is empty, or if the feeding mechanism is jammed. The feeder also connects with the Amazon Echo, so you can ask Alexa to feed your pet on-demand when you’re out (or if you don’t want to get up off the couch or leave your desk). Plus, if you sign up with Amazon Dash Replenishment and if you enable this function, once the feeder detects low food, it automatically places an order from Amazon for more food.

This feeder provides flexibility in terms of meal size, timing, and commands. You can schedule meals for up to 12 times a day in portion sizes from 1/8 cup to 4 four cups per meal. In addition, the app includes a ‘Feed Now’ option, and the machine itself includes the same function at the touch of a button. This feeder also includes a ‘Slow Feed’ setting to serve meals gradually in small amounts over a 15- minute period, which is a great option for pets who may be prone to eating too quickly. Although this is a pricey option, it comes with the features and flexibility to back that up.

Pros

• Suitable for pets of all sizes, including large-breed dogs
• Connects with smartphone app and Amazon Echo
• App provides notifications of key information (e.g., low level of food in the container, when pet has been fed)
• Options for both pre-scheduled and on-demand meals
• Wide range of portion size options
• Can schedule up to 12 meal times per day
• Large capacity — up to 24 cups of food
• As long as meals are pre-scheduled, a WiFi outage will not affect the feeder actually dishing out food to your pet
• Both parts and the upper compartment are dishwasher-safe
• Includes power adapter as well as battery back-up

Cons

• High price tag
• ‘Feed Now’ button on machine claims to be pet-proof, but a small number of users has reported that pets have sneakily overcome that obstacle

Final Note

A simple Google search will show you that there are a ton of options for automatic pet feeders on the market, so it’s easy to go down a rabbit hole trying to find the real differences versus the distinctions without a difference. With all those options comes a wide range of prices and features, and what might be best for one pet family might not be best for another. For someone looking for a daily solution on a budget, the PetSafe Eatwell 2-Meal Automatic Pet Feeder will do the trick. For someone looking for a heavy-duty smart tech solution, investing in the PetSafe Smart Feed 2.0 Automatic Pet Feeder might be the move.

We’d love to hear from you, too. What automatic pet feeders do you recommend?