How long does the opened tray stay opened? Does it stay completely opened until the next tray is programmed to open? My Cat eats very slowly!
213817
After the feeder stops rotating, it will stop until the next feeding. There's a little removable plate that covers the open feeder, so if you have filled the feeder and you don't want your cat to eat yet, the cover will lock in place and will open at the next feeding. If you keep that plate off, the slot used on the last feeding will stay there until it's time for the next one.
213818
It stays open till the next scheduled feeding time. I set mine for once a day so my cat can take all the time she needs to eat her food.
624750
It depends on how much you're feeding and how often. I have 2 -- one with only one of the clear plastic container the other with 2. For the one with 2 I feed 1/4 cup daily and it definitely lasts a week. There is also an attachment for a large black container (maybe hexagonal in shape -- don't remember) but that holds a TON of food...so if you got that you should be able to feed several cats for quite a while. I personally wouldn't leave my cats alone that long without someone to check in on them just in case. A week is a long time if there were any type of malfunction or power outage.
2217573
My cat used to do that with my other feeder but this one does not allow for that. There is a plastic sort of "paddle wheel" inside that dispenses the food so it pretty much stops them from doing it (except for what ever is left on the wheel).
1602265
I did something similar. I put the tag on my chubby cat and leave the feeder open all the time. He is not supposed to eat the food in the feeder so it closes when he comes up to it.
1097795
Refrigerate after opening. My cats prefer room temp. If coming from the fridge, nuke it for 5-8 seconds.
796501
What is dispensed is determined by how much the animal eats. There is no timer on this inexpensive model. In our case, we have two cats.I do not see that you can control the amount of food eaten each day unless only put out a certain amount. Don't need this to do that.
1401051
Ok, I'm really bewildered here. Y'all are saying the newer models have a flap to prevent this. But mine is only about a month old, and it doesn't have this flap. It would be great if it did - one of my cats can get food all day/night, and it's not helping with the portion control idea. She's just eating all the time. I'm trying to think of a makeshift way of adding my own, but why is it that some of you have one actually included on yours?
1053824
We fill the 10 pound holder with kibble, and our cat still happily consumes the dregs at the end. I can't say I have specifically tested the "freshness" for myself, however. The main thing to realize about the set-up with the large holder is that the entire unit becomes top-heavy when filled to the brim. We needed to brace the back using a 2X4 and a bracket that fits around the top of the holder. Even with having to make this modification, my husband and I would recommend this to anyone. Our cat cannot reach her paw inside and "steal" food, which was the problem with the $50 pet store auto-feeders. We fill the 10 pound holder with kibble, and our cat still happily consumes the dregs at the end. I can't say I have specifically tested the "freshness" for myself, however. The main thing to realize about the set-up with the large holder is that the entire unit becomes top-heavy when filled to the brim. We needed to brace the back using a 2X4 and a bracket that fits around the top of the holder. Even with having to make this modification, my husband and I would recommend this to anyone. Our cat cannot reach her paw inside and "steal" food, which was the problem with the... » Read More We fill the 10 pound holder with kibble, and our cat still happily consumes the dregs at the end. I can't say I have specifically tested the "freshness" for myself, however. The main thing to realize about the set-up with the large holder is that the entire unit becomes top-heavy when filled to the brim. We needed to brace the back using a 2X4 and a bracket that fits around the top of the holder. Even with having to make this modification, my husband and I would recommend this to anyone. Our cat cannot reach her paw inside and "steal" food, which was the problem with the $50 pet store auto-feeders. « Show Less
971988
I lightly wet the dry cat food so that it sticks to the food. Hope this helps!
1976593
a neighbor has one of these. she freezes canned food into silicon ice cube trays. they pop out easily from that tray, she places them into this feeder and they defrost so that they are ready to eat when the door shoots opened. so long as you don't set it for too long. I found that the food defrosted faster than I would have expected, but nevertheless, it offers an option for people who have cats that need mid-day meals when they are away for the day.
1692298
My cat feeders topped worked after the first couple of months. It also has to be on battery or electric so when the electricity goes out it stops working. I am so disappointed, so we are back to leaving a humongous bowl of food out. We do leave her for up to a wake at a time. Thank heavens my automatics littler box seems to be a Trojan house! Good luck
1097798
Refrigerate after you open it if you don't use it all. I have tried feeding it to them room temp and cold, they don't like it either way. Most cats don't like cold food though, mostly you want to let it warm up a bit to room temp before serving leftovers.
1155671
It makes no difference if the cat has claws or not. It did take a while for our cat to be willing to do the work to get the food out of the holes. Now he tries to get the kernels close to the opening with his mouth!!I think it is helpful to slow down the eating. Good luck....
1336303
Yes,I had the same problem.I literally had to push it in & hold it upright then force it down her throat to shoot it down.She spit it up a few times.I honestly have to say it was a STRUGGLE!My vets' assistant recommended this bacon putty,comes in a jar!I was willing to try anything!My cat really doesn't like meat,but she loves it.I wrap the putty around the pill,along with her cat treat!She loves it.No struggles,no trying to force it down!Been on this for a year.
1919483
That's a common problem, see the other reviews. I had the same issue. It would feed my cat successfully, at BEST, maybe 70% of the time. A lot of the time it would get to one minute before a scheduled feeding, then switch to 12:00AM, no matter what time it was, and the cat would go hungry unless we manually fed her anyway (which defeats the purpose.) A lot of the time when it did turn on at the right time, the motor would run, but no food would come out. This is a terrible, terrible product! 80% of the reviews are bad ones. If you can still return this item, DO SO!!! If you go on a trip and leave it with an animal, they WILL go hungry. That's a common problem, see the other reviews. I had the same issue. It would feed my cat successfully, at BEST, maybe 70% of the time. A lot of the time it would get to one minute before a scheduled feeding, then switch to 12:00AM, no matter what time it was, and the cat would go hungry unless we manually fed her anyway (which defeats the purpose.) A lot of the time when it did turn on at the right time, the motor would run, but no food would come out. This is a terrible, terrible product! 80% of the reviews are bad ones. If you can still return this item, DO SO!!! If you go on a trip and... » Read More That's a common problem, see the other reviews. I had the same issue. It would feed my cat successfully, at BEST, maybe 70% of the time. A lot of the time it would get to one minute before a scheduled feeding, then switch to 12:00AM, no matter what time it was, and the cat would go hungry unless we manually fed her anyway (which defeats the purpose.) A lot of the time when it did turn on at the right time, the motor would run, but no food would come out. This is a terrible, terrible product! 80% of the reviews are bad ones. If you can still return this item, DO SO!!! If you go on a trip and leave it with an animal, they WILL go hungry. « Show Less
1321401
I held off feeding my outdoor cat and then I put a small bowl of wet food inside the tube one time to introduce the Tube. Putting the food right near the door is also a good idea. He will go in as soon as it is cold enough unless he has a warmer place to sleep somewhere else. You didn't mention if you have blankets or straw in the Tube. Your cat may not like blankets and prefer straw.
1053826
We did not end up keeping this feeder because we were able to repair one that is a different brand. It is essentially the same thing though, and has the 10 pound hopper. I don't think we've ever had problems with the food going stale, but then our cat will eat anything. If it has been stale, he has not told us. The food does not look any different when at the end than it does when we first put it in. These machines really are great and I think healthier for the cat to have regular small meals.