Electronic cat feeder for IBD kitty

There was a post in another thread about an IBD kitty needing to be fed during the night:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/270187/help-my-senior-kitty-is-driving-my-crazy#post_3466670

I've been thinking about trying out an electronic cat feeder for just that reason.  Jake starts yowling in the wee hours.  We've got other factors going on--he's gone almost completely deaf during this past year so I thought maybe he's upset about his world going quiet.  And he and Hannah sleep separately from the other cats because they can't get along with our cats.  They're in a very comfortable 'cat room' with access to the catio from there but still, they're isolated from human and other cat contact more than the other five.  So I thought maybe it was a loneliness thing.  But even the nights he sleeps with me and some of the other cats, he still gets up and yowls early (around 4 a.m.)  

I'm now thinking it may be related to his IBD and need for food more often.  An electronic feeder might be the answer to provide him with a snack during the night, and for me to not have to get up to feed him OR be awakened by his meowing.  I found one thread here about the feeders:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/255988/wet-cat-food-timed-dispensers but was wondering if there are thoughts by anyone else about these?

One of our problems would be that if there's a timer that beeps or something when food is available, Jake wouldn't be able to hear it!  It would be during the night, so if it pops open, he wouldn't necessarily see it, either.  I do have a night light near their food dishes.

Anyway....just musing "aloud" here.  :-)  Does anyone have any experience with electronic feeders?

I don't have any experience although I've thought about getting one because Ritz sometimes throw up if she goes too long without food. But I was concerned about the timer not working consistently. And I feed raw. You worried wondered about Jake not hearing seeing the food. He will smell it--cats have a great sense of smell.

Ritz said:

I don't have any experience although I've thought about getting one because Ritz sometimes throw up if she goes too long without food. But I was concerned about the timer not working consistently. And I feed raw. You worried wondered about Jake not hearing seeing the food. He will smell it--cats have a great sense of smell.

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Good point, I didn't think about him being able to smell it!  

My IBD kitty wakes me up early for food, and I end up feeding them all 3-5 times a day instead of twice because of her schedule, but I just figured she was a piggy and not that it was related to her IBD. It makes sense, though; I've noticed she does better with frequent small meals than a couple of large ones.

I don't have any advice, unfortunately, but if you find one and it works, I'd love to hear about it.

There's a German refrigerated feeder that even warms up the food before serving, but it's very pricey and they don't deliver outside Europe: Catsomat, though you could contact them and see if they'd make an exception.

Mogli eats roughly every six or seven hours because of his IBD. He gets two main canned or cooked meals and two snacks (

Wow, that's quite a gadget, jcat. Nice.  Do you have one of those?  

I think I'm going to start with one I saw on Amazon, around the $30 price range!  I've been feeding Jake on the other cats' schedule, twice a day, but I have a feeling that more frequent feedings may help, especially one late at night or during the night.   I'll post back on how it works and whether it helps Jakie.  

If anyone else has any thoughts/experience with this, please post, I'm open for suggestions or recommendations on brands for feeding stations.