Cat Feeders: What’s the Best Product of 2021?

Cat feeders are much more than bowls to place the feed. For this reason, there are countless models on the market: conventional, automatic or interactive. Otherwise, all the feeders would be roughly the same size, plastic or aluminum so they won’t break and “end of story.”

Your kitten cannot manipulate food with its legs and naturally eats by sticking its snout in the feeder. Your cat has a contact with this element, much greater than the one you have with your plate. Hence, you may find it uncomfortable, inappropriate, or simply not like it. Want to know more? Don’t stop reading this guide.

The most important

• Cat feeders are made of different materials: plastic, silicone, glass, ceramic, stainless steel and melamine.
• There are different models of cat feeders in terms of the depth and shape of the bowl, the height (some have a support to raise the bowl), the colors and the decorative elements.
• A cat feeder can be conventional, automatic or interactive, to suit the needs of the pussycat and its family.

The best cat feeders on the market: our favorites

Today, most of the people consider their pets as part of their family and take the best care of them. Buying a good quality feeder is the first step in providing adequate nutrition for your cat companion. These are the best cat feeders available on the market:

• The best melamine feeder for cats
• The best automatic feeder for cats
• Best Stainless Steel Cat Feeder
• The best anti-anxiety feeder for cats
• Best Double Ceramic Cat Feeder

The best melamine feeder for cats

This set of 3 cat feeders meets all the requirements: good price, modern design, comfort, durability, safety and acceptance by the kittens. They are made with melamine, a resistant and light material at the same time. They are shaped like a cat’s head and come in neutral or colorful tones. Suitable for food and water.

These bowls have low rims to prevent cat whiskers from bumping into the walls and bending. This design significantly increases the comfort of the cat when it comes to eating its feed. The diameter of each bowl is 14.5 centimeters. It has a non-slip silicone base to prevent food spills.

The best automatic feeder for cats

Automatic feeder for cats, with capacity for 4 liters (approximately 3 pounds of dry food). White color. It allows programming up to 4 feeding times with their corresponding portion and recording a personalized message that will be played when the food is dispensed. Premium product.

This feeder works by connecting it to the household electrical source or using 3 D batteries (not included). In both cases the energy consumption is extremely low. It is an ideal automatic dispenser for people who spend much of the day away from home and do not want to neglect feeding their cat.

Best Stainless Steel Cat Feeder

Cat feeder made up of a stainless steel bowl and a non-slip support and melamine lift. Its capacity is 160 milliliters, but it is possible to get the same model with capacities of 350 and 700 milliliters. It is removable, to facilitate cleaning the bowl and the base separately.

The bowl and stand materials are toxic-free, sturdy, and fade-free. It can be washed by hands or with a dishwasher. The color and design options for the melamine base are numerous: plain white, white with a “cracked” appearance, light blue, green, orange, black or patterned.

The best anti-anxiety feeder for cats

This is a product that serves both as a feeder and as a toy. Helps greedy and anxious cats eat less and more slowly. In addition to containing food, it entertains the kittens. It can be used to provide dry feed or treats. Excellent price-quality ratio.

Consumers of this product are extremely satisfied and report that their cats are entertained and active. It is also a very good option to avoid boredom in cats that spend a lot of time alone. Cleaning is simple because the small bowls are removable. It is not suitable for wet food.

Best Double Ceramic Cat Feeder

Feeder composed of two ceramic bowls arranged on a bamboo support. The support prevents slipping and spills of dry or wet food, while providing comfort to the cat. Very good relation cost quality. Elegant and minimalist design, adaptable to various styles of furniture and settings.

Strong structure. Easy to clean, since the two bowls can be removed for proper hygiene. Ceramic is a material that cats like very much because it does not absorb odors. This trough contains two bowls, but there is also a similar model consisting of three bowls on a bamboo base.

Shopping Guide: Everything You Should Know About Cat Feeders

In this section, we will address some questions that consumers often ask about materials, models and other features of cat feeders. We hope to solve many of your doubts about the choice and use of these products, as well as the feline behavior when eating.

What are cat feeders?

Cat feeders are containers that can come in various sizes and shapes, but their primary function is to hold the food. As a result of other secondary needs, such as entertaining the pet or providing the feed when the owner is away, the interactive and automatic feeders emerged, respectively.

How should a good cat feeder be?

The optimal materials for conventional cat feeders are stainless steel and melamine because they are strong, durable and easy to clean. Ceramic is also highly accepted by cats, but it can break easily. A good feeder meets the following conditions:

• It is made of an easy-to-clean material that does not absorb or retain dirt, pathogens or odors. So stainless steel, ceramic, melamine, and glass are good choices.
• Contains no toxic materials or compounds . If the cat usually has dermatitis or allergic reactions, the ideal is to look for a hypoallergenic material, such as stainless steel or glass.
• It has rounded edges and the bowl and base are removable for easy cleaning.
• In terms of design, the feeder with a support that provides height can be more comfortable for the kitten.
• It is of sufficient diameter to prevent the whiskers from curling when touching the walls. Otherwise, it is very uncomfortable for the cat.
• The depth is moderate, since very deep feeders are not usually to the liking of the cat because it has to push its head too far into the bowl. On the other hand, if the container is too shallow, there is a risk of the cat spreading the feed everywhere.
• The base is non-slip because many cats have a habit of moving and pushing the feeder while they eat.

What materials are unsuitable for a feeder?

Plastic is not a good option because, although it does not break easily, its smooth texture quickly becomes rough and rough, absorbing odors and food debris. This encourages the development of pathogens and causes rejection in the cat. Even many kitties won’t accept new plastic feeders because they don’t like the way they smell.
Wood is a poor choice for the bowl because it is a porous material, whose hygiene and disinfection is very difficult. Also, it tends to chip over time.

Can a feeder cause an allergic reaction in my cat?

Actually, it is the material of the trough that causes the reaction. Allergic reactions, dermatitis or rashes have been reported in cats from the plastic bowl. Lesions appear on the head and muzzle. The paints on ceramic bowls may contain some poisons, but there are also hypoallergenic paints.

Is it a good idea to buy a double feeder?

Buying a double feeder can be a good idea if you have two cats, to administer the feed separately. What usually does not work is to buy a double feeder to use one for food and the other for water. It happens that most cats like to keep their drink and feed separate.

Also, if the food bowl and the drinking fountain are close together, the water can splash onto the food and feed residues can fall into the water. In general, cats do not like their dry food getting wet or dirty water.

What is the best place to put the feeder?

The main condition, without exceptions, is to place the feeder as far as possible from its litter box (litter box). Otherwise, your cat could reject the food and the problem will not be the feeder, but the location of it. Ideally, the feeder should be in a quiet place, for example in the kitchen.

If a dog lives in the house, the feeder must be in a high place so that the dog does not get to eat the cat’s food. Direct sunlight should also be avoided because it can alter the flavor of the fats in the feed. The latter is essential if it is an automatic dispenser that stores food for a week or more.

Are supported feeders good?

Yes. Feeders with a raised support (metal, wood, or melamine) are generally very comfortable for most cats. This is particularly important for older cats whose appetite may be diminished and, if the feeder requires them to adopt an uncomfortable posture, they will eat less and less.

What advantages do automatic feeders offer?

As we mentioned earlier, automatic feeders emerged as a solution for people who spend a lot of time away from home and do not want to neglect the diet of their pets. They allow to divide the feed into several intakes per day, adapting to the habits of the animal and avoiding excesses or deficiencies.

Although some owners resolve their absence by filling a conventional feeder with feed to the top so that the cat can eat when they want, this does not always work. Some gluttonous cats are not capable of self-regulation and consume all their food at once. This can cause digestive upset, vomiting and regurgitation.

What feature should a good automatic feeder have?

In addition to working optimally in terms of scheduling meal times and administering the correct amount of feed, a good automatic feeder must have other characteristics. These are the main aspects that an automatic dispenser of excellence must meet:

• Detachable parts, to facilitate cleaning.
• Programming from the mobile phone, to be able to make any necessary modifications.
• Low or ultra-low energy consumption, to protect the environment.
• Strong external structure, made of good quality materials. The cat may want to move it to play or looking to get the food that is inside. You may even scratch it or throw it on the ground. Therefore, it must have a high resistance.

What is the best feeder for overweight cats?

The automatic feeder allows dispensing the right ration of feed, which will prevent the owner from leaving extra food when he is not at home for fear that his cat will go hungry. This behavior of leaving food in excess “just in case” is usually the cause of overweight in many cases.

Another very beneficial feeder to control the anxiety and voracity of cats when it comes to eating is the interactive type. The owners must hide the feed or the treat in the feeder and the cat is dedicated to “hunt” its prey and obtain its reward. This type of feeder entertains kitties and allows them to channel their anxiety.

What types of cat feeders are there?

The suitability (or not) of a feeder for a certain cat will depend on the characteristics of the animal and the lifestyle of the family. Neither is better or worse than another if the particular situation is not analyzed. Based on the needs of kittens and their owners, we can classify cat feeders into 3 types:

• Conventional: they simply consist of a bowl or a bowl plus a base or a stand. Its function is to contain wet or dry food, and the owner will manage the food.
• Automatic: they are programmed to dispense a certain amount of dry feed at a specific time. They are ideal for owners who spend a good part of the day away from home or travel a lot.
• Interactive (or playful): in addition to containing the food, they entertain and stimulate the cat. The kitten will have to manage to get the food hidden in different parts of the feeder. They are an excellent choice for overweight cats or cats that spend a lot of time alone and get bored.

Purchase criteria

Choosing a feeder for your cat shouldn’t be an impromptu purchase. Otherwise, it is very likely that in a short time you will have to acquire another bowl. If you have not yet decided which feeder to buy based on everything mentioned so far, with these purchase criteria you will finish making your decision:

• Material
• Cleaning
• Shape and size
• Kind
• Design / decoration

Material
The material of the feeder is the first aspect to consider at the time of purchase. You must ensure that it is easy to clean, safe, comfortable and resistant. However, your cat will have the last word, as they sometimes do not like or tolerate certain materials, such as plastic or metals other than stainless steel.

Cleaning
Stainless steel, melamine, ceramic, and glass are very easy to clean materials and are hygienically safe for your cat. Most of these feeders are dishwasher safe. Conventional or automatic feeders with removable parts are the easiest to clean.

Shape and size
The trough should be large enough in diameter so that the cat’s whiskers do not bump and curve against the bowl walls. In terms of depth, cats do not like very deep feeders. A support that provides height to the feeder favors a comfortable posture for the cat at mealtime.

Kind
If you spend enough time at home, a conventional bowl will be suitable for your feline companion. If you are away most of the day and your cat is bored, you can include an automatic or interactive feeder, respectively. Of course, you can also complement the different types of feeders depending on the situation.

Design / decoration
Conventional feeders can have a variety of styles: modern, elegant or minimalist. They allow the use of many decorative elements, such as engravings, stickers, images and inscriptions. Automatic feeders are usually made of plastic and resemble an appliance, while interactive ones look like toys.

Summary

Surely, when you started reading our guide, you did not imagine that there were so many aspects to consider when choosing a cat feeder. However, dedicating the necessary time to the purchase of this element ensures that your kitten receives a feeder according to his needs (and yours).

Buying a good conventional cat feeder doesn’t require a lot of money. The important thing is to select a safe and comfortable feeder for your feline companion. Automatic dispensers may require a higher investment, but they are a solution to not neglect your cat’s diet if you are not at home.