8 Best Automatic Outdoor Cat Feeders – 2022 Reviews & Top Picks
A Quick Glance at the Winners of 2022
The 8 Best Automatic Outdoor Cat Feeders
1. Hepper Cat Auto Feeder – Best Overall
Weight: | N/A |
Capacity: | 4 liter |
The Hepper Cat Auto Feeder is our pick as the best overall outdoor cat feeder and a must-have for cat owners who are away for hours at a time and need an automatic cat feeder to ensure their cat’s meals are delivered conveniently and consistently.
This automatic cat feeder has outstanding features which will benefit many cat owners and make feeding time a better experience, with advanced control systems available via an app for remote control feeding and voice activation, while also featuring a timer for intermittent feeding and a key lock to prevent excessive feeding. The app allows you to track the feeding system so you can see precisely when your cat is being fed. The high-quality and advanced design allows this feeder to be safely used both indoors and outdoors or wherever your cat enjoys being fed.
Unlike many other automatic feeders on the market, the Hepper Cat Auto Feeder stands out for its high-quality design, with a nylon power cord to deter cats from nibbling, a stainless steel bowl for easy cleaning, and a 4-liter capacity for food storage, all at an affordable price.
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- Affordable price
- High-quality design
- Can be used outdoors or indoors
- Features advanced control technology via an app
- Excludes power adaptor
- Must be plugged into an electrical outlet to work
2. Van Ness Automatic Dog & Cat Feeder – Best Value
Weight: | 1.3 pounds |
Capacity: | 24 cups |
- FDA-approved plastic
- Easy to fill
- See-through reservoir
- No assembly
- Flimsy plastic
3. Sure Petcare Microchip Auto Cat Feeder – Premium Choice
Weight: | 4.6 pounds |
Capacity: | 1.6 cups |
- Keeps track of how much food your pet each day
- It opens only when your pet approaches
- Can track up to 32 pets
- Works with wet and dry food
- Expensive
- It only includes one collar tag
- Cats can fool it
Wet cat foods can also bring much-needed moisture to your cat’s diet.
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4. PETKIT Automatic Cat Puppy Feeder – Best for Kittens
Weight: | 2 ounces |
Capacity: | 1.6 cups |
- Fresh lock system
- Backup power
- Low food indicator
- Works with a smartphone app
- Hard to use software
- Uses batteries while plugged in
5. PetSafe Healthy Pet Simply Programmable Cat Feeder
Weight: | 6.72 pounds |
Capacity: | 24 cups |
The PetSafe Healthy Pet Simply Feed Programmable Dog & Cat Feeder has a huge 24-cup capacity that will help keep your cat fed for several days. It can dispense food up to 12 times per day, and it even has a slow feed option that releases the food over 15 minutes to help prevent your pet from eating too quickly. It’s easy to program using the LCD screen, and the ABS plastic and stainless-steel construction provide you with a durable machine that will last many years. The downside we experienced while using the PetSafe Healthy Pet was that the assembly took a while, and it was challenging to get it operating correctly the first time we used it.
- It feeds up to 12 meals a day
- LCD screen
- Slow feed option
- Durable
- Challenging to set up
6. Super Feeder Automatic Cat Feeder
Weight: | 5.5 pounds |
Capacity: | 5 cups |
- Expandable
- Can feed 48 times per day
- Includes mounts
- Requires assembly
- Requires frequent adjustments
7. HoneyGuaridan Automatic Cat Feeder
Weight: | 5.93 pounds |
Capacity: | 13 cups |
- Ergonomic operating panel
- Dispense six meals per day
- Manual feeding option
- Expandable
- Cats can get more food
- Noisy
- Difficult to set up the portion size
- Batteries drain quickly
8. PETFLY Pet Remote Controlled Automatic Cat Feeder
Weight: | 6.7 pounds |
Capacity: | 30 cups |
- Easy to program
- Large capacity
- Durable construction
- Includes remote control
- Frequently clogs
- Batteries drain quickly
Buyer’s Guide: Finding the Best Automatic Outdoor Feeder
Capacity
When choosing your next automatic outdoor cat feeder, the first thing you will want to consider is how much capacity it has to hold food. The more food you can put in it, the less you will need to refill it, which reduces your daily chores and allows you to take longer vacations. However, larger capacity machines will also take up more space on your porch or patio.
Reliability
If you have a properly sized machine, the next thing you want to worry about is its reliability. If the device doesn’t dispense treats when it’s supposed to, it’s not very useful. We didn’t have any significant problems with reliability in the models we reviewed on this list. Still, we highly recommend you check the reviews on any other brands you might be considering to ensure they reliably dispense food when they’re supposed to.
Durability
Since these are outdoor dispensers, they will be subject to harsh weather conditions even if you keep them on a covered porch. Hence, construction material is important because flimsy plastic will warp in hot weather or crack in cold weather. We tried to point out any brains that may not be suitable for harsh weather in our reviews and recommend you check the reviews of any brands not on this list that you might be considering for durability issues.
Potion Control
Portion control is extremely important because it makes sure your pet eats properly without becoming overweight. A machine that dispenses too much food can allow food to be leftover in the bowl when your cat finishes eating, which can invite ants and other insects, not to mention other animals. We tried to point out any brands that had problems with portion control in our reviews.
Easy Setup
Another thing you want to check before purchasing an outdoor cat feeder is the setup. Many modern feeders use smartphones and apps to control feeding time and portion size, while older units will use ordinary timers and manual devices to do the same. Modern devices will be more expensive, have a steeper learning curve, and may not be as durable as vintage units, but they are often more accurate. Many also have useful features like tracking how much your cat eats and allowing you to see and speak to your cat from a remote location.
Conclusion
When choosing your next automatic outdoor cat feeder, we highly recommend our pick for the best overall. The Hepper Cat Auto Feeder has a 4 Litre capacity, anti-clogging design for reliable food delivery and a high-tech operation system that make feeding your cat easier. The Van Ness Automatic Dog & Cat Feeder is our best value, and it’s a great choice for people looking for a large capacity machine at a low price.
You might also be interested in: 11 Best Automatic Cat Feeders for Multiple Cats – Reviews & Top Picks