Wet cat food timed dispensers

???? Of course I don't "have a war" against this product or any product. I have no idea why you would think I would. 

Being helpful entails providing factual information which you have not done.

No doubt many people are happy with the C20 but not because it will keep food frozen for 10-12 hours as you claim because it does not do that. I have not suggested that people who like the C20 are wrong. Just that the claims you make about it are.

Thanks for your replies everyone!

I am not concerned with the ultimate freshness of canned food sitting in a covered feeder for a few hours. During their supper meal I weigh out my cats' last meal of the night in dishes, and stack them in a covered container on the counter, so that when it is time for that meal I can simply put the dishes in front of the cats. I do this because Mazy can't go more than 7 hours without food, and I need more sleep than that.

So I doze on the couch until exactly 7 hours before I have to get up, then I stagger into the kitchen, take out the pre-filled dishes that have been sitting, covered, on the counter for about 4 hours, and put them in front of each cat, wait for them to eat, pick up the dishes and drop them into the sink run hot water over them, and go to bed.

The canned food, after being out for a few hours even, is room temperature and it is fine.

If I use a timed feeder for a mid day meal it will be about the same concept. Mazy doesn't like cold canned food, so unless it it a very hot day, I probably wouldn't even bother with an ice pack.

I doubt canned food would stay frozen, even with an ice pack, for 10 or 12 hours, but it certainly will still be fresh within that time frame, if it starts frozen, on top of a frozen ice pack.

If I decided to try this, of course, I will post my experiences. Jennie is so, SO, food driven I just don't know if it would be practical.

I expect the C20 would work just fine for your purpose, using canned food. Whether it keeps food fresh for several hours depends largely on your definition of fresh and exactly how many hours. I wouldn't be concerned about canned food left out for 4 hours either.

I'm looking at a solution for keeping raw food for several hours (6-8). That's why I know the C20 won't keep food frozen for 10-12 hours. I've tested it. The only solution I've found that I'm satisfied with for raw food requires the food compartments to be fully insulated.

For your situation you wrote that you require multiple feeders to open at the same time. I can tell you it will be very difficult to get multiple C20s or any other feeder that uses the same type of timer to open anywhere near to at the same time. The feeders that have digital timers would probably work better but I've never tried one of them.

You are right Otto, feeders with ice packs keep canned food fresh for several hours, not frozen, but fresh. And about all the feeders opening at the same time, I am afraid to tell you with analog timers that won't happen as mschauer says. They have usually a range of difference from 5 minutes to even 30 minutes, so most likely Jenny will be in a party with these feeders lol!

But you are not alone in this. I have read several times about cat owners that have more than one cat feeding them with moist food and one of them eats the other cat food. It is a problem because moist food feeders don't have digital timers. I have not seen any so far, if I see one, I will tell you for sure.

About your cat Jenny eating too fast, you can re-educate her to slow down eating through a food ball toy. They are designed for eating dry food though, but they certainly help cats to reduce the speed when eating. These toys also reduce the anxiety. Just giving you ideas. I really hope you find the best solution for your and your beloved cats.

Otto, I think I found a possible solution for you. It is the Petsafe 5 meals Electronic Pet Feeder. It seems like it works good and gives you option for feeding schedule because it has digital timer. The only problem I saw is that moist food gets dry within the day as it does not have ice packs. But at least it is one solution for moist food with digital timer. Do a better research to see if it good for you. Good luck!

LorenaAvila said:

Otto, I think I found a possible solution for you. It is the Petsafe 5 meals Electronic Pet Feeder. It seems like it works good and gives you option for feeding schedule because it has digital timer. The only problem I saw is that moist food gets dry within the day as it does not have ice packs. But at least it is one solution for moist food with digital timer. Do a better research to see if it good for you. Good luck!

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Thanks Lorena! I'm not Otto but have been following this discussion. I'm going to check this one out for future reference.

I too use the Pet Mate.  I lined the entire component with tinfoil. First, I freeze the 2 cans of food for a few days. when ready, I place in the frozen ice pack, place in the food trays, and set the timers. THEN the whole feeder gets placed on an old pillow. I've been able to leave on a Friday afternoon (feeding them in normal dishes that day) and return to them on Monday morning. Saturday and Sunday were on the timer. My girl friend checked it out for me just in case and it worked great- in July! Two thoughts- keep feeders out of sun and make sure you give the food ample time to freeze.

I hope this helps!

Now I need to find stainless steel dishes because on of mine has acne due to the plastic dishes. Bummer.

greycats42 said:

I too use the Pet Mate.  I lined the entire component with tinfoil. First, I freeze the 2 cans of food for a few days. when ready, I place in the frozen ice pack, place in the food trays, and set the timers. THEN the whole feeder gets placed on an old pillow. I've been able to leave on a Friday afternoon (feeding them in normal dishes that day) and return to them on Monday morning. Saturday and Sunday were on the timer. My girl friend checked it out for me just in case and it worked great- in July! Two thoughts- keep feeders out of sun and make sure you give the food ample time to freeze.

I hope this helps!

Now I need to find stainless steel dishes because on of mine has acne due to the plastic dishes. Bummer.

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otto said:

I'm looking for any information from anyone who has used a wet cat food dispenser with a timer.

What brand, what you liked, what you didn't like, etc.

I need a solution for Mazy's inability to go more than 7 or 8 hours without food. I arrange my life around her needs, and I don't mind it really, but there are times when I would like to enjoy myself on a long hike, or a holiday like Thanksgiving, or other family visit, and not worry about running home, especially since every where I go involves at least 4 hours of driving, round trip. That doesn't leave much time for any fun.

The plan will require three feeders, one for each cat. Jennie will eat anything left out, so there must be three. I am thinking I will have Jennie's go off about a minute before the other two cats' feeders, so she will already be eating and will be less likely to gobble Mazy's portion before Mazy can get to it.

It will take some tweaking of course, and I am planning to get a surveillance camera to make sure everyone is eating their own food on those days I use the feeders.

But first..I need the feeders.

Click to expand...

I too use the Pet Mate.  I lined the entire component with tinfoil. First, I freeze the 2 cans of food for a few days. when ready, I place in the frozen ice pack, place in the food trays, and set the timers. THEN the whole feeder gets placed on an old pillow. I've been able to leave on a Friday afternoon (feeding them in normal dishes that day) and return to them on Monday morning. Saturday and Sunday were on the timer. My girl friend checked it out for me just in case and it worked great- in July! Two thoughts- keep feeders out of sun and make sure you give the food ample time to freeze.

I hope this helps!

Now I need to find stainless steel dishes because on of mine has acne due to the plastic dishes. Bummer.

Hello all,

I am a Mechanical Engineer, and work on developing products.

Like one of the members (Otto) here said, I am one of those engineer types that like to create useless gadgets.

Currently, I am developing an automatic feeding system with the following features:

1) Automatic feeder controlled over the internet

2) Ability to store and dispense normal and frozen food. I am not using any ice packs, or a fridge. Just using some simple physics to develop a small cooling space. (Volume: 10 inch X 10 inch X 10 inch), (Can reach freezing temperatures.)

Since my expertise lies in electronics and controls, I was hoping to get feedback from experts on this forum about the usefulness of the system. I have worked on developing a similar watering system for my plants, and this seemed like a logical next step.

From my rudimentary understanding of the topic, I understand that there are quite a few products with timers, but not a lot which allow control of the feeder over the internet.  Secondly, majority of them are restricted by the fact that they can't store frozen food for a day or so, without spoilage.

Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Also, if you think that there might be something else which I could add to the system or definitely avoid/improve (no plastic, low profile/i opaque feeder to hide the food storage area), please feel free to let me know. I would be grateful for all the feedback and your valuable inputs.

Thanks,

R

rudraxx said:

Hello all,
I am a Mechanical Engineer, and work on developing products.
Like one of the members (Otto) here said, I am one of those engineer types that like to create useless gadgets.
 
Currently, I am developing an automatic feeding system with the following features:
 
1) Automatic feeder controlled over the internet
 
2) Ability to store and dispense normal and frozen food. I am not using any ice packs, or a fridge. Just using some simple physics to develop a small cooling space. (Volume: 10 inch X 10 inch X 10 inch), (Can reach freezing temperatures.)
 
Since my expertise lies in electronics and controls, I was hoping to get feedback from experts on this forum about the usefulness of the system. I have worked on developing a similar watering system for my plants, and this seemed like a logical next step.
 
From my rudimentary understanding of the topic, I understand that there are quite a few products with timers, but not a lot which allow control of the feeder over the internet.  Secondly, majority of them are restricted by the fact that they can't store frozen food for a day or so, without spoilage.
 
Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Also, if you think that there might be something else which I could add to the system or definitely avoid/improve (no plastic, low profile/i opaque feeder to hide the food storage area), please feel free to let me know. I would be grateful for all the feedback and your valuable inputs.


Thanks,
R

Click to expand...

Welcome to TCS.

Great idea you have got. I'm no help though sorry, never used one.

But I just wanted to say it might be a better idea if you start your own thread on here. That way more people will see it and respond.

Good luck

An interesting concept and certainly in line with today's devices that can be controlled over the internet, including but not limited to house hold security. Yet, I am adamantly opposed to such devices that can and have been hacked via wifi snooping or other such simple means. 

My preference lies in battery operated units, as opposed to those relying on electricity, so I wouldn't be your target audience. 

Secondly - frozen foods is one issue, yet how about canned foods.  Unless of course, you're recommending the user pre-freeze the canned food first, which would work for a day in any feeder. 

Great idea though, I'm sure it would sell to your intended audience at a certain price range.   

Yes. That is a better way to get more feedback. I will do the needful and start a new thread. Thanks for that.

R

Even though this thread is a year old I thought I'd give my experience.  My girls eat canned food and I was trying to find something reliable with a cooling gel insert to keep the food cold.  I settled on a Cat Mate C20 - it worked (the first time) when I pulled it out to use again it did not work.  I stored it without batteries, put new ones in but it just didn't work.  I read this was a problem with these units.  It is difficult when our fur babies eat wet food not only must it be kept cool in a container but I always worry that it might not open when it is suppose to.  I recently got a new job and I'm struggling with this dilema again.

I had a Cat Mate that only worked the first time I used it.  It was stored without the batteries and when I tried to use it again it did not work.  I'm glad that I set the timer for a test run when I was home or else my kitties would have been without food because it wasn't working.