Transitioning cats to kibble left out all day?

I am planning ahead, for I am moving and planning vacations in the future. When I move, I will be away from home for longer periods of time.. and on vacation, I have a feeling they'll be fed every other day if I can't get a sitter in every day.

Right now, my cats are on scheduled feedings, twice a day (3x if I work my PT shift in the mornings, usually twice a week).

If I put down dry food, they eat it all in one sitting.

Any ideas how I can leave the food out all day for them, without them eating in one sitting? I thought about getting a timed feeder, but that requires daily work for the sitters, right?

There's an instructible on building a timed feeder from an old vcr. Maybe something like that could hold them over until the sitter comes? I'm sorry I can't be more help.

I found this one on Drs Foster and Smith.  It holds five meals and can be programmed over 96 hours.  http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3261+1910+10283&pcatid=10283

I have found Drs Foster and Smith to be a little high you might be able to find it cheaper somewhere else.

that might be good.. though only 96 hours. Maybe I can find something similar that pops open once a day for 6 days

We used this feeder for a while, worked great.   You can set the times you want it to feed, and how much.  It holds a lot of kibble, so shouldn't be any work for the sitter.   We used it on a daily basis, not just when we were away.