PetSafe Healthy Pet Simply Feed Automatic Cat Feeder for Cats and Dogs – 24 Cups Capacity Pet Food Dispenser with Slow Feed and Portion Control (12 Meals per Day) – Includes Stainless Steel Bowl

10 reviews for PetSafe Healthy Pet Simply Feed Automatic Cat Feeder for Cats and Dogs – 24 Cups Capacity Pet Food Dispenser with Slow Feed and Portion Control (12 Meals per Day) – Includes Stainless Steel Bowl

1. 

   5 out of 5

   Rejane Cascarano – April 15, 2020

   Nobody paid me and nobody gave me a discount for this review.I have done extensive reading about this feeder (publicity and customer reviews) before getting it on Amazon.Prior to getting it, I had had a hard time choosing between the PetSafe Feeder and the Pet Feedster. Because the latter offered more options, I went for that one first. But I had to return it because it was defective and I was disappointed with the general feeling of fragility of the feeder. So I would not replace the defective one by another one of the same brand. (see my review of the product).I was pleasantly surprised with the Petsafe feeder that I ordered after returning the Pet Feedster. I expected it to be a second best. But, I am very happy with it. It is more robust, easier to clean, the buttons respond well and all the options – including the quantity of food delivered (exact amount) – work like a charm.Some reviews mention that the instructions are complex and that it is necessary to keep the book at hand at all time.I disagree.This is NOT a PLUG and PLAY feeder (same was true of the Pet Feedster and probably for most other automatic feeders on the market). It is necessary to take the time to read and follow the instructions in order to set it up right, but it is well worth your time and effort.But the instructions are CLEAR, WELL ILLUSTRATED and EASY TO FOLLOW and everything happens/works as the book says it will.There are 3 kinds of scheduling, “dog” “cat” and “user”.The two first ones are preprogrammed and can be set very quickly. So if your dog of cat has no special need or if you are in a hurry, you can be done more quickly using one of those two settings. But the “user” scheduling is the real gem. It offers the most versatility (love it!).The “user” setting is EASY and QUICK. There is really no big deal here even if it is your first time at this kind of thing. And YOU WON’T GET STUCK because any mistake can be corrected. Take a moment to read how it can be done. It’s just a few steps. And you can do it quickly, It works really well. The feeding quantities can be from 1/8 of a cup to 4 cups – and they will be served EXACTLY (I measured)Very straight forward. The buttons have a good and sure feeling to them.CAREFUL, there’s ONE STEP that is EASY to FORGET because you may think you are done AFTER adding the FOOD in the hopper. It only takes seconds for the machine to do, but YOU must push the buttons to make it happen. It is “PREPARE the CONVEYOR with FOOD.” That step is the only one I find easy to miss because it is a little counter intuitive. That step is in the sequence of instructions but COULD BE MISSED.I have set up my PetSafe without problems and quickly. I did not need to contact consumer support for help because everything is clear and up to date in the guide.I would strongly suggest reading STEP ONE completely (cleaning & assembling) and STEP TWO (Initial Setup) all the way to “Operating mode” BEFORE starting to set up the machine – the second part of Step Two (starting with “Operating Mode”) can be read after the set up..ALSO, The conveyor must be washed and air dry before first use (HAND washed) it does NOT go in the dishwasher plus NO HOT WATER. Also it must air dry completely before assembling. I used a few paper towels (do NOT use tissues, they will leave paper dust) and let it air dry in the suggested position in the guide.The other “washable parts” can go in the upper part of a dishwasher. Also need to air dry before assembling.N.B. The control panel and the base unit cannot be immersed/submerged in waterSome people have said it was difficult to modify the programming. I have to disagree. I have modified the time & quantity being fed to my cat several times already and it is incredibly EASY to do! Just you read about it once, you will see.As for keeping the book handy, all you really need, once the initial setting is done, is to have that QUICK GUIDE sheet at hand.That sheet comes as a stand alone sheet in addition to the manual. One side features the ICON QUICK GUIDE (you don’t really need that side): the back reads “5-BUTTON NAVIGATION QUICK GUIDE”. That’s the side you need.It’s a quick reference to the 7 basic functions: Read/change time, Temporary suspend meals, Enter or exit slow feed mode, Get an immediate feed, Make changes to the schedule (programming), Unlock the navigation buttons, Prepares the conveyor with food.I have laminated my quick guide and posted it at eye level above the feeder.LOVE this feeder!As for the guide, I WON’T DISCARD itI will refer to it when CLEAN the machine – there are a few steps for maintenance that are different from the initial cleaning – (pausing the machine, cleaning the “crumb basket” of the conveyor and cleaning the conveyor belt, and I want to be sure to do the sequence right)

2. 

   5 out of 5

   KarenCNPKarenCNP – April 23, 2020

   Great for two cats. I use it with a 14×18 fast food tray tray for better sharing. (I removed the bowl and it’s holder). As requested by J, here is picture of mine in use.

3. 

   5 out of 5

   Erin R – April 23, 2020

   Like others, I was a bit hesitant to throw down this kind of money for a pet feeder when I’m perfectly capable of feeding my cats on my own twice a day. I mean, really. But I have a new job that will require occasional travel, and I am in a new area so I don’t know anyone I’d want to saddle with feeding the little monsters twice a day when I’m out of town, so I had to figure out another option.One of my cats is a grazer and would be perfectly content with a mountain of food to sustain her over a weekend while I’m gone. The Fat Cat, however, would try to set a world record in how fast he could eat both mountains of food and then wallow around the rest of the weekend while the other cat developed a complex about how her human doesn’t love her enough to feed her.Fat Cat, however, couldn’t jump up onto the counter (or so I thought), so I tried a less expensive feeder because I thought I would only have to worry about Fat Cat while I was gone. The other feeders that were even remotely similar to this one have smaller hoppers, are noisier, and dispense food in increments that my American brain can’t translate to the scoops I normally feed my cats. When Fat Cat discovered that he was in fact able to jump up onto the counter to finish off Other Cat’s food, I knew the other feeder I’d bought wasn’t going to work, so I returned it.I came back to this feeder and all of its lovely reviews. I hesitantly added it to my cart, along with batteries, the power adapter, and the ingenious 3D-printed splitter than another customer developed and now sells on Amazon. I balked at the final price. It was truly ridiculous to spend that much money on a CAT FEEDER, right? But, you know, pet sitters are also expensive and I already have a multi-day trip coming up. Surely this would pay for itself in terms of saved pet sitter cost, right? I accepted my fate as a barking mad crazy cat lady and hit the checkout button.It was easy to set up though there are a lot of steps that aren’t really intuitive, so be sure you actually read the instructions. It took the cats a little while to figure out that their food was coming from a robot and not their long-suffering human, but they’re on it now and go shooting at the feeder when it starts to rumble (but it’s certainly not disturbingly noisy even in my small apartment).Y’all. This may have been the best frivolous purchase I’ve ever made. No longer am I woken up by whiny cats every morning because they have obviously never eaten before in their lives. I feel confident that they’ll be kept alive when I’m gone next weekend (and yes I’m going to ask a neighbor to check on them a couple of times, don’t worry).And protip, if you have one cat who is super greedy and likes to eat the other cat’s food, and the other cat is stupid enough to let them, I found that (with the use of the splitter) putting this feeder on “slow feed” mode, which dispenses one 1/8 cup portion at a time, gives the stupid cat enough time to eat almost all of the small amount of kibble that comes out at one time before the Fat Cat comes a-lumbering.Embrace your crazy cat human status. An auto-feeder is ridiculous, but I’ll never go without again.

4. 

   5 out of 5

   BMoneyBMoney – May 15, 2020

   Our cat is fat (see picture). In fact, I would go so far to say that she *is* a fat, like she really embodies the thing itself. Her life is pretty much driven by food and the only way we’ve been able to keep her at a moderately sustainable weight is by giving her healthy food she hates and this pet feeder. She’s done everything her little mind can think of to this poor feeder. Every time we come back from a trip, there are a few more claw and bite marks on it, but it holds strong. She’s even tried to sit on it, but it’s done nothing more than presumably horrify it a little. She used to move around the bowl so when feeding time came she could put her head where the chute is and feel the food rain down her head like Augustus Gloop in the chocolate factory. She hates her food now so she languidly watches it pour into the bowl. I do know that you have to re-program the timer because it does lose a little time, which is a pain, but it has successfully passed the trial of the fat for several months now. I would recommend this for anyone who has a cat who is consumed with eating and getting food, her persistence has defeated every other one we have tried. Yes it is expensive, yes it is absolutely worth it.

5. 

   5 out of 5

   Ian Trotter – May 15, 2020

   We left Zippy Cat home alone for a holiday weekend with a large bowl of food that he ate entirely in one sitting thus leaving him hungry for the next couple days. After pigging out on that bowl of Zippy Chow he stood by the back door meowing as loud as he could until the neighbor came over with a bowl of food to shut him up. A few days after we returned our neighbor told us of the annoying orange screamer and how she fed him. This is when we knew we had to get an auto-feeder. We went on Amazon and found one that looked nice, at the around $30 it would feed him twice a day for up to 4 days which would be enough. We decided to read the reviews and see how others liked it. Well, when we read the review that said “My rabbit figured out in five minutes how to get the food out of it” we knew this would not be the one for us and our constantly starved cat. My search continued until we saw the PetSafe feeder. The reviews were positive and people said their pets could not get the food out. It was a lot more than we had planned to spend and it was larger than we had wanted but we knew we could not have our neighbor making us feel guilty and our cat getting fatter. We ordered it.We unpacked it and after a little work had it set up and programmed to feed Zippy Cat twice a day. It worked great and off we went on for the next holiday weekend. No issues. We were going to put it into the cupboard and only use it for when we were out of town but realized that while we were making dinner Zippy Cat was not meowing incessantly at us for food. Instead he would sit in front of the feeder and stare at it like he had just met God. Finally, peace and quit while making dinner, it was nice and the feeder stayed on the job 24/7. We did find that you have to fill the hopper with food now and then, there is no electronic warning. The cat will however start screaming at you over and over and over until you realize that he has not had a meal in the last three feedings. I guess no matter how much you spend on the cat and it’s feeder you can still be a bad cat owner. Just remember to “Prime” the chute after it runs dry or the cat won’t eat for a while again. The warnings will continue after a short break. All that aside the cat worships the thing, he sleeps near it and rubs his head all over it. It’s now his best friend and if anything ever happened to it…While out of town on day three the phone rings, it’s the friend who is staying at the house for the week while we are gone but could not be there until day three. She asks, “Where is the auto-feeder”.”Right where it always is, why?””Because it is missing. Can Zippy Cat move it?””No””Well, it’s not there or anywhere in the house”Zippy Cat has a CatMate Elite cat door that reads the RFID in him and/or a tag he wears so that he is the only animal that can come through his door (no one likes uninvited guests, more on that later). The feeder will not fit through that so where it went was a mystery.After talking to her for a while we realized that she had come home and opened the door to the deck and passed out on the couch. We told her to go looking for it as we have a family of six raccoons that live around our house and thought maybe they had something to do with it. Sure enough she found the feeder in the driveway, over 100′ from where it started. Through the kitchen, entrance way, living room, past the couch with sleeping stoner guest, out the door, over the rail, through the garden, and out the driveway. When she told us we figured it would be a lost cause and we would have to order a new feeder, but surprisingly that was not the case. It was scuffed up, the ring for the dish was broken, the batteries still in it and the clock still functioning. We figured the 12 pounds of precious Zippy Chow would have been raccoon fodder but that was not the case. Even a family of masked burglars with thumbs could not get the tub open and the Zippy Chow out of the PetSafe Hopper. We’re sure Zippy Cat was standing near by shouting instructions to them hoping for a share of the take that he never received. We were amazed.Soon after this incident Zippy Cat found a way to stick his paw up the chute and get a little of the next meal out. We knew there had to be a problem as we had never taken the unit apart after the critters absconded with it so we figured there might actually be some damage after all. We took it apart and found that the flapper that keeps the furry things out was not attached and only needed to be put back on. A little cleaning and refilling and a DST adjustment and all is well. Now if we could just explain DST to our cat…Pros -Raccoon ProofFeeds our catCat no longer annoying while we are making dinnerRuns on batteriesQuiet. Enough so as to not wake stoner friend on couch (even when being dragged through house)ToughCons-Not heavy enough to keep raccoons from walking off with itRuns out of food on occasion and has no warning feature (although cat seems to come equipped with no food warning device)Large (not small but somehow not large enough, see above)Not loud enough while being dragged through house to wake up stoner friend passed out on couch (maybe a raccoon alarm is needed on unit)Bowl keeper ring kind of flimsy and hard to remove for repairPrograming not simple or intuitiveWe highly recommend this PetSafe feeder and would buy again when the raccoons figure out how to carry it further.

6. 

   5 out of 5

   Christopher LindsayChristopher Lindsay – August 13, 2020

   We’ve had this unit for about 6 months now. Works great!We have two cats who don’t like to share the bowl, so I made a two-bowl arrangement out of Starboard with a ramp to each bowl. Works great and now the boys don’t fight over the food!Also the unit has been displaying F02 lately. Owner’s manual says it’s jammed, but what we discovered is that actually the batteries are dying. So if you see that error check your batteries first!Update October, 2017: I replaced the batteries shortly before the post above in February 2016 and have not replaced them again yet!The boys love this thing. They sit patiently up to an hour before it dispenses, and woe is you if they happen to be sitting in your lap when that whirring sound starts! We also love this unit to help with weight control. If we see the cats looking “less svelte” then we’ll adjust feeding times to put them on a diet.I’m really sorry I didn’t see all those positive comments on the two-bowl arrangement. I was going to look at making them for people, but I don’t have enough time to spend several hours per-unit to make them. If anyone wants to know how they were made, I can help.Update April 2021: This device is still going strong with no issues! The cats poked one of the buttons in so I had to take the device apart and release the rubber on the button, but it was an easy fix and gave me the opportunity to clean it out good. Five years! And maybe 4 sets of batteries for the entire duration.Update February 22: The conveyor finally gave out where the pin joins it into a loop. Called Customer Service at Pet Safe, and they don’t sell parts. So, 6.5 years of continuous use – pretty good! Pet Safe did offer me a 25% discount for ordering another, so I took advantage of that and ordered the same unit.

7. 

   5 out of 5

   RH – September 25, 2020

   First, we purchased an auto feeder to allow us to maintain the 3x per day feeding (better for digestion etc) and not be tied to be home or interrupt the pup’s feeding routine. We initially left the unit operating all the time, not just when we are not home, at the onset so our dog will grow accustomed to the unit. It makes a whiney geary noise when it operates. Not obnoxious by any means but, a new noise nonetheless, so best to acclimate. We have since kept the unit in service all the time. Frees us up to focus on work.This is the second auto feeder we purchased. The first was completely app controlled, requiring not only wifi but internet access. There were no controls on the unit itself. That returned we purchased this unit and this is the right feeder for the job. The best part is the conveyor feed. We have a larger dog so I was concerned with the rotary conveyance mechanisms on other devices. I selected this one based on the local controls and conveyor feeder. The controls seem a bit fiddly at first. But, following the instructions and a bit of trial and error, brought me around to how to get what I wanted. When I set up the unit, I tested the serving size compared to what we use. For this I used the on-demand feeding control. The trick is you have to jump in and out of the programming mode to keep initiating an on-demand cycle.That accomplished I was able to tune the serving by increasing the programmed serving size with trial and error until I got it right. I believe it is due to the kibble size. No surprise there, as the conveyor operates on moving volume, not weight. Smaller kibble will probably end up closer to the programmed serving size. So, be sure to test the serving size. I have periodically checked the serving size dispensed and it has been spot on each time I checked.A negative comment I noted left about this unit was someone winged about the unit not dispensing food immediately. Well, if one reads the instructions, they indicate the need to pre-charge the conveyor. If you test the serving size, as you should, the conveyor is pre-charged and ready to go. I initially put only a day’s serving in the hopper, concerned the mech may empty the hopper by mistake. The fact that the kibble is dispensed via an inclined conveyor, the risk of the hopper draining from gravity is all but impossible. Not so with other gravity fed units so, another good design point here. Once tweaked to the serving size, setting to three feedings a day, the unit has worked reliably. I have come to trust the unit and add fill the hopper.This unit allows you to completely disassemble the food contact parts for cleaning. Well thought out disassembly and re-asembly guides. Keep the instructions for a reminder of the set-up and assembly.We are using the batteries for now. They say they are good for a year. Keeps from cluttering up the counter and monopolizing an outlet with another adapter.We have taught our furry friend how to extract treats from puzzles so, we were concerned she would see this as just another puzzle to work-out if we left the unit on the floor. Therefore, we have the unit on a counter above an elevated food bowl. No attempts so far to pull the unit off and raid the contents. I think the consistency in feeding time keeps this tendency at bay. I have fitted a fabric chute down to the bowl using the unit’s bowl holding ring. Keeps the kibble from bouncing out of the bowl below and onto the floor- mostly. Our furry wee beastie hears the feeder operating, whining gery noise and all, and she’s off like a shot-Pavlov’s effect at its best. I highly recommend this unit.

8. 

   5 out of 5

   AMH40863AMH40863 – February 10, 2021

   The media could not be loaded.  I initially searched for an automatic feeder so that my cats’ feeding schedule wouldn’t be interrupted while I was out of town. It was difficult to know which product reviews were genuine and which ones were sponsored. I took a chance on this one because most of the reviews were positive. First of all, I want to make it clear that I paid full price for this feeder and am in no way receiving any benefit of any kind for this review. I’ve been using it for approximately 3 weeks now and it has been a blessing. We used it for several days prior to our trip to make sure it worked effectively and it did. Set up was simple with the instructions. We measured the portions dispensed and they are accurate. Honestly, I’m not sure how or why we ever lived without an automatic feeder! I now have 4 feedings per day set up so that they can get smaller portions more frequently to minimize overeating and vomiting. I bought the bundle so that I can feed both cats with one unit. So far, it far exceeds my expectations. I can’t speak for longevity yet but am hopeful this product keeps working as it is now for a long time to come.

9. 

   5 out of 5

   TTSP0328TTSP0328 – February 10, 2021

   I have had this for a little over a year now. I have a covered, yet not enclosed porch at ground level. I originally had a different contraption around it (small Rubbermaid container with bungee cords), but as you can see from the last few pictures a raccoon was able to disassemble it one night and was even able to pull out the flap that is up inside the food chute and I found the bowl down in the woods. I went back to manually feeding my cat outside, except for when going out to town. HOWEVER……I had to get creative considering I do not own any power tools, nor the wherewithal, to make something out of wood, like some of the other reviewers have posted, but the main purpose of this purchase was to keep from having to have someone feed my cat when I would go out of town and leaving a huge bowl of food outside was not an option (possums, raccoons, bears, free-roaming dogs, etc). I love my cat dearly, but seeing that he is a broken, feral cat, he is skittish and afraid of everyone, prefers to be outside unless it is super cold, and I just could not justify paying someone $30 a day to come to feed my cat since we live pretty far out in the woods.I had a genius idea to try and make a “box” out of 12×12 stepping stones and strapping them down. To my amazement, the box has not failed me yet! I have taken many multiple overnight trips and was even gone for ten days (yes, with a neighbor checking on my Harry), and have not had any issues or any evidence of a raccoon or possum trying to eat through the cords. I have no doubt they both stop by at night and eat the daily leftovers though!This is perfect for random use, or anyone that doesn’t have the skill or tools to make a box around the feeder. You cold leave this as is for daily use, you would just need to gauge when the hopper would need to be refilled. This is what you need: 4-12×12 stepping stones, 1-8×16 stepping stone, ratchet straps (I started with three and end up using two since I have not had any issues), 1-metal tray/whatever you can think of or buy (see measurements on tray pics), and 4-1″ binder clips.I put the feeder on top of one 12×12 stone, put a 12×12 stone on either side (there is enough room to have the feeder on top of the bottom stone, and just enough inches to have the stone on either side sit on top of the bottom stone), and put a 12×12 stone on top of the feeder. The stone on top with tip forward since the top of the feeder slants down, but that is okay. It will tip forward especially when you ratchet it down, but it is not a problem. I place the 8×16 stone under the bowl and push it against the bottom stone. This keeps the bowl in place and not where an animal (ahem….raccoon) can push the bowl down and detach it. I use the binder clips to keep the bowl attached to the plastic ring it sits in, because who wants to have to pay for another metal bowl that a raccoon has hauled off????? The metal pan is like a toaster oven pan and it is about 9.5″x13″. This pan fits perfectly on the front. Note: put your first ratchet strap under the bottom stone before all the others or you will have to start over. I wrap one ratchet strap around top and one around the middle. And voila!This has served us well. The metal pan keeps rain from the control center and securely encases the front of the feeder to prevent any damage from curious critters. Although this is under a small covered porch, we have high winds in the mountains and this encasement also protects the digital part of the feeder. I have put this together about ten times now, and it literally takes me about five minutes. This was maybe $17 in materials total. I hope this helps someone else!

10. 

    5 out of 5

    AijaAija – February 18, 2021

    I made fun of people who had automatic feeders. I thought they were lazy. Dumb. People obviously have too much money burning their pockets if they’d buy such a contraption to put some food in their animal’s dish.Then I moved in with my boyfriend and his cat. As it turns out, she clearly had some major food anxiety issues. She’s a fat cat; 16lbs. There’s another cat in the house who she does not get along with, as well as a dog that steals any and all food she can get to. So leaving a dish heaping with food was not an option. For her health/weight, and for other animals to not steal. But she, for a short while, was living in a home where it was not noticed that the other cats in the household would not let her eat, and she would go hungry for long periods. And that’s when her food anxiety started.When I moved in, my boyfriend was just feeding her a small handful/snack whenever she hollered for it. But that wasn’t working out, so we switched it to two feedings per day. One at 6am, one at 6pm. It helped a little, but she still constantly begged for food throughout the day. So we switched it to three feedings per day. 6am, 12pm, 6pm. Still begged. It was a nightmare. The meowing hardly ever stopped. When we did feed her, she’d practically inhale it. She was waking us up at 4am screaming for food EVERY. SINGLE. MORNING. Nothing was ever good enough.So I did the research. And to my sadness, the true winner for an automatic feeder (this one) was an ungodly $130. It was a tough pill to swallow. We avoided it. Continued our horrendous feeding schedule for 4 more months. Finally, one morning at 4am with the cat screaming, I couldn’t do it anymore. I ordered this feeder that very night. I couldn’t believe we just bought a $130 cat feeder……And the day it arrived in the mail, the heavens opened up, and shone light into our sleep deprived, nerve stricken, cat wailing, lives.I set up the machine. I set the clock, plugged in my five 1/8cup feedings at the precise times I wanted them dispensed, and poured in the food. It took the cat 1 food dispensing to figure out that this machine is her Trusty Food God. Instantly, her anxiety went down by 80%. After a week or two, her anxiety was down 90%. And now I think I have her feeding at her precise preference, and she leaves us COMPLETELY alone about her food now. She no longer inhales her food either; she’ll nibble on it throughout the 4 hours until her next feeding. She trusts the machine to give her food every 4 hours. And it does. Every four hours. This feeder is an absolute Godsend and a life-saver. The best $130 I’ve ever spent. For me. For my boyfriend. And more than anything, for the cat, who no longer has to panic about when her next meal is going to come. She never has to question if she’s going to be able to eat today. She’s so much calmer.About the machine:When you first get it, if you just simply pour food into the food holding tray, IT IS GOING TO TAKE ABOUT 6 SCHEDULED FEEDINGS TO ACTUALLY DROP FOOD OUT. The food goes up a conveyor belt at 1/8cup increments. If you want food to start coming out right away, you’ll have to pull the food holder tray out, and fill the conveyor belt with food first (you can see exactly this in my pictures!), then put the food tray back in, and dump more food in. It’s SUPER easy!It has a little bit of a noise when it’s dispensing the food. You can hear a little motor running in there. By far the loudest part is when the food is dropping into the METAL bowl! Scares the hell out of me every morning because it’s at the foot of our bed.At first we were using Blue Buffalo kitty food, and that comes in teeeeeny tiiiiiny little pebbles. They machine worked perfect for that food. Handled it like a champ. If I remember right, a lot of auto feeders have a hard time with tiny food pellets for some reason, but not this one. However, we quickly switched to a much larger food because the vet put our pudgy lady on an old lady diet. The feeder seems to struggle a smidge more with the bigger pellets, but still dispenses exactly 1/8cup, every time.I will never make fun of people with an auto pet feeder ever again.