Feeding While on Vacation???

I've been feeding several feral cats for the past 6 months. I put food out each day at the back of my driveway. The problem is I will be traveling out of town every other week for the next couple months and I was wondering how I can make sure the cats are fed while I am away? I don't have anyone who can help. I was looking for large feeders online but not sure if this would work or if there is one large enough to do the trick for a week at a time. Any help appreciated. Thanks

Leaving feeders outside will only attract other wildlife.  I would look to hire someone to come and feed them.  It would be very cruel to just cut off their food.  You could ask your local vet for help.  Sometimes the vet techs want some extra cash and will take on small jobs.  Ask friends/neighbors for help.  Check with local pet stores too.  They might know of pet sitters in your area.

Thanks Shadow.  Unfortunately my neighbors are not very cat friendly and one has even complained that they saw a cat in their driveway. My vet is several miles away and I can ask, but don't think anyone would want to travel to my area to help.

I understand about attracting other animals.  I woke up last night around 3am and heard a noise.  I looked out the bedroom window into the driveway and saw a cat by the food bowl and a red fox challenging him.  I immediately opened the window and yelled which scared them both off.  I do feel other animals come at night to eat the food I leave out, aside from the cats.  Unfortunately my schedule is so busy I am usually only home for short periods of time during the week so it's hard for me to monitor all the action.

I am now trying to find a large feeder that I can leave outside that will help with this issue.  Something the cats can access without problems as they come at all different times to eat.  Most of the feeders I see online seem too small or difficult to operate.  I am leaving in 3 weeks, so I don't want to run out of time before I find a solution.  Any suggestions on auto feeders?

It's not a perfect solution by any means, but here's what I know. I got a programmable feeder like this on Amazon, but it's not huge so depending on how many cats you feed, you'll likely need more than one (which is not ideal): .

The cat I feed can't get into the closed compartments, but I'm not sure about wilier cats, foxes, and other wildlife. I do know ants *can* get in and that it's not weatherproof. Like I said, not ideal for your situation but let me know if you have any other questions.

Maybe a local resource for finding someone to help could be found through Alley Cat Allies?

I used a programmable feeder once when I was away for one night.  It was completely torn apart by the raccoons.  

I have vet techs who come to my house to feed/care for my ferals while I am gone.  I live 5-10 miles from them.  As long as I pay, they will come and help me.  If the vet techs cannot help, maybe there is someone else the vet would know.

Are the cats you are feeding spayed/neutered?  I ask since feeding a few will multiply into many many many cats before your very eyes.  Doing TNR on them is the best way to care for them while cutting down on the massive cat population.  When you feed the feral cats, it makes them stronger and healthier and promotes more breeding.

I hope you are able to find someone to help you.

I was thinking about something more like this, but I'm not sure if the cats would be able to figure it out or not:

http://www.bigr.com/pet-bird-feed-a...et-lodge-chow-hound-feeder-50-lb-capacity.htm

yes, I put out chicken last night and a couple hours later a huge raccoon was out there having a feast!  

I plan on doing the spay and neuter but not until early spring

yes, I put out chicken last night and a couple hours later a huge raccoon was out there having a feast!  

I plan on doing the spay and neuter but not until early spring