The easiest strategy to keep your cat from knocking over their automatic feeder is twofold. First, place the feeder into a corner. The angle of two walls will ensure that your cat can only knock the feeder forward.
Next, get some Velcro tape, and attach it to the base of the feeder and the floor. This will hold it firmly in place so that your cat will not be able to accidentally knock over the feeder when they are fishing their paw inside it to get extra kibble!
In this article, we’ve gathered the questions which are trending the most this week when it comes to the subject of automatic feeders. How do you pet-proof them? What’s a good feeding schedule for your cat? Read on to get the answers to these to these and other important questions that cat owners need to know!
Table of Contents
- Do cats like automatic feeders?
- How long can you leave a cat with an automatic feeder?
- Can you put wet food in an automatic feeder?
- How many times a day should I schedule meals for my cat with the automatic feeder?
- How Long Can cats go without food if the automatic feeder breaks?
- Can two cats share an automatic feeder?
- How do you pet proof a cat feeding station?
- How do you keep dogs and cats from eating each other’s food?
- What is a Microchip feeder?
Do cats like automatic feeders?
Yes, cats love automatic feeders… once they get used to the sound. At first it may startle them, but just like a cat comes running for a can opener sound, they will learn that the clicks of the automatic feeder mean that it’s time for a meal.
Set a feeding schedule on your feeder and call your kitty over before the feeder works its magic. After a few times of this, your cat will begin to associate the sounds with their meals and come running when they hear them — whether you are there or not!
How long can you leave a cat with an automatic feeder?
While the feeder will make sure that your cat is eating while you are away, it’s still not recommended to leave your cat alone for more than 4 hours. For one thing, if the feeder were to jam or be knocked over, you would have no way of knowing that your cat was hungry and it could be disastrous.
Also, cats are creatures of habit, and whenever you leave ‘off schedule’ for an impulse visit to a friend or even a trip to the store, your cat gets uneasy.
Left alone too long, your cat may become anxious or even depressed – so if you need to go for a period of time, get a friend or family member to check in from time to time on your kitty at the very LEAST. Cats need regular interaction with you to feel safe and happy.
Can you put wet food in an automatic feeder?
Some feeders are designed to dispense wet food only or wet food AND dry food. You need to check the features on any model that you are considering, however, to ensure that the one you pick will support the use of wet cat food.
Wet food dispensers typically include a cooling element, with the more inexpensive models employing a 6 hour icepack, while higher end ones may have internal refrigeration. Look for these and you can put wet cat food in your automatic feeder safely.
How many times a day should I schedule meals for my cat with the automatic feeder?
Most pet owners feed their cats twice a day and this is a good frequency from age 6 months to adult. As far as the amounts, this will typically be 167 to 250 calories daily, which comes to 1/3 to ½ cup of food divided up into those two feedings.
If your cat is on a diet, check with your vet to determine the best amounts so that you can gradually lower their food intake without leaving your cat hungry all of the time.
How Long Can cats go without food if the automatic feeder breaks?
Much like humans, water is the most important consideration, as cats can only go for around 3 days without it. Without their food, a cat might survive up to 2 weeks, but this will depend on the age and overall health of the cat.
If you need to leave your cat alone for more than 24 hours, rather than relying on the feeder you should consider a boarding house or having a friend or family member ‘cat-sit’ for you while you are away.
This way you know that your cat will be safe and fed regularly and they also won’t feel as lonely in your absence.
Provided that one of the cats is not a bully, then they can certainly share the same feeder and there are even models designed to allow 2 kitties to eat side by side, such as the PetSafe ‘Healthy Pet’ dispenser. If one of your cats tends to hog the food, however, then a microchip feeder is a much safer bet.
These types of feeders open and close based on an RFID chip in a specific cat’s collar, that way the other cat cannot steal their food.
How do you pet proof a cat feeding station?
That will depend on the animals that you are defending the food station from. If you have a dog that keeps eating your cat’s food, the easiest solution is to make space on a countertop where the dog cannot follow.
If you simply have multiple cats and you want to keep them from fishing their paws inside their automatic feeders and knocking them over or knocking it down in a rush of multiple hungry cats, then put some Velcro tape underneath the base of your feeders to secure them.
Consider separate locations for each feeder as well, so that they aren’t all rushing into one spot, and put the base-taped feeders safely in the corner for the added security of 2 walls.
How do you keep dogs and cats from eating each other’s food?
The easiest way is just placing their feeding stations in different places. The dog’s food might be on the floor, while the cat’s food might be up on the counter.
Alternately, you can use a microchip feeder for your cat and if you have a small breed of dog, feeders such as the ‘SureFeed’ microchip feeder are good for both cats and small dogs.
What is a Microchip feeder?
A microchip feeder is a type of automatic feeder that has a protective door which opens and closes to allow access or protect the food. It works by the means of an RFID chip that you can attach to your pet’s collar and when they get close enough to the feeder, the food door will automatically open.
If they leave or are pushed away from their food by another pet, the door will automatically close, safeguarding their food to eat at a later time when the ‘bully’ has gone.
My name is Ken and I’m one of the staff writers at Petloverguy.com. I’ve cared for pets most of my life starting with hamsters, turtles, and snakes. Then moving up to parakeets, guinea pigs, and even ducks.
I currently live with two yorkies and a chihuahua mix.
