5 things to consider when choosing a smart food bowl for your pet

A smart food bowl so that your cats can count on food at the right time, when you don’t sleep at home for a night? That really can’t hurt. Yet there is a lot of discussion in the animal community about those smart feeders. Not everyone is equally positive about it. Here are five things to keep in mind when choosing a smart pet feeder.

They still need attention

The main criticism of the automatic feeder is that people think that others leave their cats or dogs completely to their own devices, for days at a time. They are, of course, animals that still want attention (especially dogs, which also need to be walked). The litter box also needs to be emptied regularly and they need fresh water, so using an automatic feeder overnight is fine, but not recommended for several days. There are also people who always use the automatic feeder, even when they are just at home, to ensure that the animals never run out. Despite that handy feeding robot, keep giving your animals a lot of attention, and of course the necessary sweets and wet food now and then.

Not every kibble is ideal

Some automatic feeders get what you would call a paper jam in the printer. Often this is because the kibbles are just not a great shape, so they get stuck in the rotating mechanism of the device (or the lid that simply opens and closes). So pay close attention to the shape of the kibble and do not immediately buy a 20 kilo bag, but check with a small bag whether it works in your automatic feeder.

Get one with a camera

Among other things for the problem we describe above, but also because you have to keep an eye on whether your animals are eating well: either use a variant with a camera where you can actually see the food bowl, or put a smart camera on it that you can see that. In this way, you can firstly see whether real food is coming out, and secondly, you can check whether your animals are okay, eating well, and so on. Especially if you are at a distance, you still want to make sure that your animals are okay (always make sure someone is nearby with the key).

Get a good spot

With such an automatic feeder you are of course dependent on a place with a power socket. Make sure your animal understands that he or she has to be there for his portion of food. There are also smart feeders that work on batteries, if you’re afraid of hungry animals in the event of a power cut, but in the Netherlands it’s quite safe to use the power version: it won’t run out without you knowing it. Moreover, you are often at home to check whether everything is still going well, so that a power failure should not be insurmountable for your animals.

Clean it regularly

You would almost forget it because only dry food goes into the device, but make sure you also clean the inside of the device regularly. Meat is constantly going through it and it is so hygienic if your animals can also eat clean. Moreover, the bowl they eat from is regularly due for a rag anyway: licking it clean doesn’t count.

More information

Don’t feel guilty if you use an automatic feeder sporadically, as long as you keep the above things in mind. The advantage of the automatic feeder is also clear: not only is your animal provided with food if you are not there for a night, you also ensure that your animals do not stuff themselves, but eat in small amounts, which is much better for them. is.

Would you like to know more about automatic feeders? For example, read our review of the Talo automatic feeder or our article in which we have several smart feeders to clarify.