Automatic Pet Feeder Cat Feeder for Dogs & Cats | Dry Food - 5 Meals, 5 x 240ml

I've lived with my mother (88) and her cat (12) for about 2 years and the feeding schedule was insane. I finally sold this idea and this machine has solved all my problems in this department. I heeded the reviews on the less expensive machines that are similar and am convinced that I made the right choice. This unit seems to be really well made, and will likely last a long time. The instructions are easy enough to follow (if you are not entirely intimidated by something like a digital clock, smartphone, DVR, etc.). It is set to "military time" (a 24-hr clock), so you need to fill it once every day, but that is exactly what we needed. 5 feeding times in a 24 hour period, roughly 5 hours apart. There are 5-bins and 4-program-times, so one feeding is manual (when we fill it for the day). We determined that roughly 2-teaspoons (not heaping, not perfectly level) per bin was the right amount. The bins are plenty big enough for this, and still roomy enough for kitty to get every morsel without a problem. This cat is completely spoiled, was getting irregular amounts at different times (a schedule existed, but was not always adhered to), which literally made the cat a bit crazy and quite a nuisance sometimes (waiting for the appointed feeding time). It was also starved as a kitten (while pregnant, it was a rescue / adopted cat), so it cannot control itself if you leave food out all the time. I noticed though, that sometimes she would not always eat everything in her bowl, so we adjusted the amount so that the first time she visits the bin (on time) she sometimes leaves a few kibbles (dry food only), and will finish the rest later. This cat is WAY calmer now, since she is now getting the same amount of food on a regular schedule. I do still need to pay attention to the feeding times, in case the cat is out of earshot (or outside) when the feeding time is activated, but after a few weeks, even that is getting easier. The recording works great, but is not all that loud. (A bonus in some regards.) We had to get down right into the microphone to get a good recording, but once you are done with that, and all the programming, you are all set. It has a battery backup system, and even includes a low battery indicator. it did not take the cat long (a few days) to figure out what is going on. Now she checks the machine more, rather than annoying everyone, when it is close to feeding time. Now all we have to do is... Once a day (usually when the cat is outside, between feeding times), the bins are loaded up, and at the "manual" time we let her in and all is right with the world.... Thank Goodness!!! .... I did not test it, but I suspect each bin could hold about a cup of food. The tray is removable, but hard to get a hold of. A simple pair of pliers makes that task really easy. The release button is stiff enough that no animal could break into it. I do hold the release button in while both removing AND replacing the cover. (Forcing the cover down feels like something might break.) It is easiest to open and close the lid if the back of the machine is against a wall or something.... At first I was worried that the cat would tear the machine up trying to get to the stored food (she has done similar things, breaking into any bagged food left in her reach), but in the beginning she did not, and now she is so calm it is not a concern. Overall the machine feels sturdy enough, looks nice, and is easy to use.

I have a small dog who, for medical reasons, needs to eat a few small meals each day. Sometimes my work schedule won't allow me to be available for one of those feedings. I had tried another automatic feeder that used batteries, but she figured out how to pry the lid off and get to all of the food at once.So far this has solved the issue of feeding my dog reliably while I'm away. She hasn't been able to reverse-engineer it or break into it. I thought the voice recording option was kind of gimmicky and didn't care about it too much. Initially I didn't even set it up. But, now that I've seen the recording go off while I am at home, it's pretty funny to see how she scrambles across the house with excitement at the recorded message. It has obviously become a nice training cue for her over time.Pros:- It's fairly easy to reprogram which I appreciate because my schedule is variable depending on the week.- The 5 compartments are nice for also scheduling a treat time.- The voice recording is more fun than expected.- Overall it looks pretty nice and feels sturdy. The plastic compartments clean up easily.Cons: - I've noticed that my dog has some separation anxiety and sometimes she won't eat right when the food is available. So if I schedule a meal and then a treat an hour later, once the treat is exposed, the meal is hidden away. This means if she waits too long to eat her meal, she loses it. Just a side effect of the rotating-compartment design that I hadn't thought about. - For programming the unit, it's hard to get the buttons to respond to my fingers. I have to jab/massage/beg the buttons to work. Initially I thought the unit arrived broken. But it's just something about my fingers because my partner can always get the buttons to respond on the first try. It's annoying for me, but the convenience of the unit makes it worth the 30 seconds of cursing at it to get the schedule adjusted.- There is a learning curve on setting up the schedule and recording. Even with the manual, it took a few tries to get the hang of it. Again, an annoyance but worth the effort.Overall, in spite of the higher price tag than the other non-electronic models of dog feeders, I'm happy with this and think it has been a worthwhile purchase.

We've tried several auto-feeders in the past and this one finally gets 5 stars from me. It is quiet. Others have sounded like a low-flying jet liner dropping kibble pieces across the kitchen at 4am. This one is so quiet that sometimes the cats even sleep through a feeding. It's accurate in food portion because you are the one filling it instead of a hit-or-miss meal of one kibble to thirty. The down side is you do need to refill it daily so a several day trip away on auto-feed won't cut it. This definitely helps with our diabetic cat who's life revolves around food. We program it for 4am so he doesn't wake us up every morning. And the best part... it is TOTALLY kitten proof! ! Our little theif CANNOT jimmy it to serve herself as she did with the other 3 we have tried. And it really is not difficult to program. It has a power cord and battery back up. This is a great feeder! We have two! Love it!

Our first feeder was very useful for a few months, but melted down (required batteries even though it was plugged into the wall and had unknown error messages that made it unprogrammable and therefore useless) shortly after. We received a replacement but that one malfunctioned immediately which was frustrating. After contacting TD Design and explaining the issue, they send a third replacement right away (without requesting the old ones be returned) and that one has been working well so far. The product itself is okay - it serves its purpose, is easy to program and does what it says it will do. The customer service is great though and we really appreciated the quick responses and immediate solution to our problems.