I want a CAT feeder that allows the kibble (Purina Cat Chow) to flow FREELY in the tray. I've had several, but the food gets stuck. Will this one do what I want?
147606
It flows well. Occasionally I have to tap it to get the food to flow fully into the bowl. The cats just use their paws to pull some down when that happens, so there's no danger anyone will go hungry.
147607
for the most part it comes to the main part. every once in a while I do have to reach in a hit it and it comes down but only about twice since I had it since the summer. and I have 4 cats. the love it and I just fill it and go. I have the purina indoor and complete mixed together and it does not give me any problemsm
147608
it definitely does flow well. The only problem we had was when we were feeding the outdoor kitties--the raccoons figured out how to get the top off and ate all the food. We built a little wooden box around it and that solved the problem.
147609
I have three cats using this feeder, I have not had any problems with food getting stuck. I use Purina Indoor cat chow. The food flows freely, but it does not fill the bowl completely, but there is always food in the feed bowl. I also don't fill it up completely, I usually only fill about 1/3 of the way.
147610
I have never found the tray empty. Whether you would term it flowing "freely", maybe not, but mine has never got stuck either.
69049
I also have that problem. I placed a piece of wood under the back side to tilt the feeder. This corrected the problem. Do not change your cat food to accommodate the feeder issue - just block (elevate) the back side.
2197274
Indeed, I have the same problem with mine. It's not a big deal, but the loose bowl fitting does allow the kibble to miss the ramp and end up accumulating underneath the feeder itself. As a temporary fix, I took some duct tape (is there anything it can't do?) and connected the bowl to the feeder. That helped a lot, but a better fix would likely involve mending plates and screws, perhaps arranged on the bottom of the unit. When I get a better look at this, it might prove possible to add (tape) a cardboard ramp to the back end of the bowl to direct the food into the bowl no matter if the bowl-to-feeder fit is not as tight as it could be. Indeed, I have the same problem with mine. It's not a big deal, but the loose bowl fitting does allow the kibble to miss the ramp and end up accumulating underneath the feeder itself. As a temporary fix, I took some duct tape (is there anything it can't do?) and connected the bowl to the feeder. That helped a lot, but a better fix would likely involve mending plates and screws, perhaps arranged on the bottom of the unit. When I get a better look at this, it might prove possible to add (tape) a cardboard ramp to the back end of the bowl to direct the food into the bowl no matter if the... » Read More Indeed, I have the same problem with mine. It's not a big deal, but the loose bowl fitting does allow the kibble to miss the ramp and end up accumulating underneath the feeder itself. As a temporary fix, I took some duct tape (is there anything it can't do?) and connected the bowl to the feeder. That helped a lot, but a better fix would likely involve mending plates and screws, perhaps arranged on the bottom of the unit. When I get a better look at this, it might prove possible to add (tape) a cardboard ramp to the back end of the bowl to direct the food into the bowl no matter if the bowl-to-feeder fit is not as tight as it could be. « Show Less
1728878
Yes, however it does not always dispense the amount of food that was programmed into it...and it sometimes doesn't dispense ANY food! I have had to open the hopper and "stir" food around after each feeding to ensure that the kibble went down the center...
2260111
I use Purina cat chow & it works fine. Sometimes I add Whiskas Temptations for an extra treat & that works also.
624751
Go for the expanded capacity model and try it for at least a week with your kibble. Spherical definitely works better than triangular food. My cat loves his kibble, so this helps give him small amounts throughout the day.
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?
2003331
Mine kept doing that over and over again and I was just about to send it back - I contacted the company and they offered me a label to ship it back to them so they could look at it - when we ended up changing our pet's food to a larger size kibble and now it seems to work pretty well. I think the error message means that it's getting jammed. That has happened to us a lot. It's better now, but it still won't feed on the program schedule, so we just press the buttons manually twice a day, which kind of defeats the purpose of the feeder. Not great quality.
1362194
Water would be a bad idea; just stick to dry food. It would really surprise me if a cat were able to pull off a cylinder. The large tube size is mostly to keep the food out of easy reach. You don't have to fill the tubes to the top, and I doubt that many people fill them. We distribute the food so that all of the tubes have some food, and the food is as physically low as possible. The whole point is slowing down the cat.
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).
1380975
YES! You can count on on this awesome feeder. Just make sure you set it up correctly...there is a learning curve. My cat is so much better since I started using this feeder. Worth every buck!!
1794631
I would think you would be able to if you supplemented it with a small amount of easy access food. I do not put any treats in this only cat foot. My larger cat, who loves the feeder, primarily only eats out of it for his dry food. I regulate it so it doesn't feed really fast because it does spit it out when you fill it. My kitties (3) get split 1 3oz can in the mornings.
980462
Thanks so much! I have 3 cats, one of which is a classic binge/purge eater so I'm looking for a single solution for all of them. Sounds like this is it! Thank you again!
376396
The "bowl" isn't really a bowl - more of a food reservoir - and could not be replaced. However, it is a little more than an inch deep, so you could probably put a shallow dish in it. Of course, if your cat attacks it vigorously, it might spill out of the bowl and into the plastic food reservoir. It might be worth a try though. One of my cats gets chin acne too and it hasn't come back since I got these feeders, but I only put food in it once a day, so his exposure is limited.
851692
Had mine hanging from a shepherds hook and it did leak, even when it wasn't windy. I have another Perky Pet Feeder that I've never had a problem with. This one had such great reviews that I thought maybe I just received a defective one.
2254661
I've had this feeder for 2 days and my cat has also knocked the hopper off the base - twice! It doesn't "twist & lock" into place, it just sits on top sort of "tongue & groove" like... I have the model with the barrel shaped hopper. Maybe the one with the saucer shaped hopper is a newer one that allows the hopper to lock onto the base? If someone could verify that would be great! Soo tired of picking up kibble...
2197272
I have tried duct tape, gorilla tape, mounting tape, etc. My cats are too strong, I guess, and always managed to get the bowl out. Now I use a thin, oval headband (think giant rubberband) that goes all the way around the bowl and the feeder. I've used gorilla tape to keep it in place. Two weeks and so far the bowl has stayed attached, which is a record.