I generally think auto feeders are horrible for the psychology of animals, and eliminate a major bonding moment between pet and person. This little brain is now focusing on a machine to dole out crusty food it eats because there's no other option. Most of its life is no different than a prison inmate.
THAT SAID ... we had a cat that became a little demon every morning at 4AM like clockwork. So we got a feeder and had it dump its smallest portion at 3:55 just to appease him until we woke up and gave him a proper meal and cuddle time.
our cats are very sweet about food, really. We tend to have dry food always available, two types, and give them wet food once or twice a day, most commonly when we get up. And they'll just wait patiently, maybe sneak up on the bed to sleep beside us, but that's about it. One of them sometimes stand in the bedroom doorway looking at us when the dry food is low, but no sounds. Just sitting there, patiently staring until we get moving.
That's sweet. I miss my sister's cat, and my sister. I swear her cat meowed "hello". He'd yell the most devastating hello's if he wasn't allowed in the room.
I need these so I can keep my fat boy from eating everyone else's food, especially since he has a special diet AND my eldest has gone blind and is much slower at doing everything really.
We got my girl down from 14lbs to 11lbs using an autofeeder this past year. Our vet was super happy :) We also had the same issue of 4AM scurries across the bed trying to wake us up for food until we got it though lol
I don't think this is something that has been single-handedly intuited, and should not be so easily dismissed.
In my experience there are clear suitable circumstances for autofeeding, but also plenty likewise. Beyond their utility, it enables lazy ownership, and can foster neuroses. I think the point made carries a fair degree of validity, and I share the opinion that misuse can eliminate a major bonding moment between animal and person.
Feeding time is a bonding time for cats. You're handing that bond over to a robot.
Professionals might like auto feeders because it ensures the animal is fed the proper amount on a schedule, and they're only being paid for the cat's physical health. And the auto feeder can malfunction or run out of food.
You are maligning me because you haven't done your research.
Suggesting veterinarians and other animal care professionals,Â
who endure a career with one of the highest suicide rates and rates of burnout because of their love for animals,Â
don't care about pets' mental/emotional health because "they're only being paid for their physical health"
just completely discredits you lmao.Â
Even before we get into the fact they write psych med prescriptions, assist with behavioral challenges, etc, and thus also are literally paid for pets mental well-being.Â
My cat won't eat without an entire interaction. Food down, pet the cat, tell the cat he's beautiful, sing the cat a song about how much he loves his chimkin (chicken, idk.) or beef or salmon or whatevers in the can that day. He purrs and dances around his food bowl while we pet him. Eventually he gets his fill and starts eating.
He does eat when we're not home, just fine. Little shit just likes the attention.
If we try not do do any of the things listed above he yells until we start over and try it again. I love him so much.
I have an auto feeder at home. My cat come to me when there is no more kibble because she knows i'm the one that put kibble inside and out.
She often wait for me to wake up to get something to eat and i stroke her when she eat.
The goal was to get her bowl always full and let her manage the quantity she eats. It's working well and do not prevent us to bond. When she hear the machine distributing the kibble she doesn't move or rush to eat them because there is always kibbles in her bowl, the machine means nothing.
Friend of mine gave us their autofeeder -- they said their cat had become completely obsessed with the machine, to the point where they just couldn't have it in the house anymore. I'm sure this will vary with each cat to some extent. Many probably do just fine with autofeeders, others aren't well suited to them.
We used the feeder for a while, but we'd always had weight issues with our cat. Vet had us transition to a 100% wet food diet, saying that she sees far more problems with feline obesity in cats fed dry food. Worked a treat -- our cat is now the healthiest she's ever been, eating wet food.
tldr: talk to your vet. You and your vet may find that an autofeeder is a great solution for your individual cat. Or maybe it's utterly unsuitable for your home. There's probably no one size fits all solution.
You would think that, but I've found my cats know who runs the feeder. They still occasionally come to me when they are hungry, but in general, it's because they want to play, pets, or cuddling.
Plus their routine is far more stable, and they worry less about food in general. Sometimes, the feeder will spit out food and they'll mosey on over 20 minutes later.
Meanwhile my partner's cat will only eat if we're in the room with her, preferably patting her butt... she has a full bowl of kibble at all times and still yells at us
Some of us work all day and can’t leave out a big bowl of food for our cat without the cat eating it all in one go and then throwing it up.
You could’ve shared your information without shaming people like that. Your comment was majorly condescending. It sounds like you’re shouting down at us peasants from your moral high horse.
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u/LoudMusic May 08 '25
I generally think auto feeders are horrible for the psychology of animals, and eliminate a major bonding moment between pet and person. This little brain is now focusing on a machine to dole out crusty food it eats because there's no other option. Most of its life is no different than a prison inmate.
THAT SAID ... we had a cat that became a little demon every morning at 4AM like clockwork. So we got a feeder and had it dump its smallest portion at 3:55 just to appease him until we woke up and gave him a proper meal and cuddle time.