Homemade automatic cat feeder. Automatic cat feeder: reviews

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Every experienced cat or cat owner knows that these night hunters eat up to 10 times a day, in small portions. At the same time, a cat catches and consumes a significant part of its food in nature at night or in the early morning.

Auto feeder advantage

The owners of lazy gourmets know that their cat is able to swallow a whole bowl of their favorite treat without even blinking. Leaving for work, you fill it to the brim, and in the evening you are met by a starving animal. If you're an avid cat lover, you're certainly familiar with wake-up calls in the morning with an urgent demand for breakfast. It is simply impossible to leave home even for a couple of days without taking your pet with you. But all these problems will disappear once you have an automatic cat feeder. Whether it will be store bought or handmade depends on the availability of time and the size of the wallet.

Creating a natural environment for your pet will improve his quality of life in a city apartment. Releasenot everyone will decide on a carpet of mice so that the cat can hunt. The automatic feeder perfectly imitates the foraging in nature. Make it easy. Improvised means can always be found on the balcony, mezzanine or in the garage. Some details will have to be purchased at a construction hypermarket. A mass-produced automatic feeder is not cheap. Not every device will please a cat. At the same time, there are DIY stores in every district. Therefore, a homemade automatic cat feeder is sometimes more affordable.

Basic operating principles

Some rules for building a feeder will help you do the job well and not harm your pet:

• Hygienic requirements - the material for the feeder must be harmless and resistant to chemical attack. A strong smell should alert you. A cat feels it 14 times stronger than a human. Your animal simply will not eat from such a feeder.
• Durability – a hungry animal can gnaw through a thin plastic or plywood feeder.
• Accessibility - Feed should not come by itself. The cat or cat should be fed on demand, after some effort. Almost all automatic drinkers and feeders for cats are based on this principle. The exception is devices for the care of sick animals.

Homemade sloth feeder

The first type of feeder is the simplest, you can buy an analogue in stores. Its purpose is to find food for animals. Small portions of feed are placed in glasses of different depths, fixed on the same base, and preferably on the floor. The animal will look for a treat in cups until it finds it. Deep containers with little food at the bottom should encourage the sloth to forage for its own food.

Creating such a device is easy. In fact, this is not quite an automatic cat feeder. Instead of electronics, it uses the animal's natural propensity to hunt. However, the benefits of such a device are obvious. Ideally, you will need several cylindrical glasses of different heights with smooth edges. Cooking molds, children's toys or a stationery organizer will do. Secure them randomly with all-purpose glue on a round cutting board. On the underside of the board, you can glue rubber circles for stability. After the glue has dried, wash and ventilate the product in the fresh air. Pour some food into each cup. When it runs out, the animal will look for food in deeper containers.

Automatic clockwork cat feeder

The second device will make your pet wait a bit. You will have to work hard, but you will get a real automatic feeder. You will need:

1. For the base - a tin of Danish cookies.
2. Making clay will be needed to process the inside of the feeder.
3. Automation will be provided by a clockwork and a battery, double-sided tape is required for fastening.
4. Additionally, you will need glue, two thin bolts and nuts to them (in extreme cases, they will be replaced by twonails), electrical tape and plywood for the cover.

The principle of operation of the feeder is simple. It is a container divided into segments that open depending on the rotation of the lid. Thus, a small part of the feed becomes available to the animal at a certain time interval. Despite the complexity of the task, it is quite possible to assemble the device. An automatic cat feeder will cost almost nothing. Owner reviews often speak in favor of a homemade ready-made option.

Disassemble unnecessary watches. Measure the clockwork beforehand. Save the hour hand. A tin can must be coated with clay, fashioned inside the partition. Make four divided segments and a rounded notch in the middle. Use clay that does not require firing. When it dries a little, insert the clockwork into the round recess with the dial up and, until the walls have completely hardened, fix it. Suitable brackets, toothpicks, matches. You can use double sided tape. Place the pieces in the bottom of the container. The main thing is that later you can remove the mechanism and replace the battery.

The hour hand needs to be strengthened. If it is made of thin metal, fold it in half and wrap it with electrical tape. If you only have a plastic watch, don't make the lid too heavy. You can additionally strengthen the arrow with a piece of plywood by wrapping it with tape. It is not easy to calculate the pressure of the arrow on the cover, it is necessary to check the performance of the design empirically.

Final stage

Making a cover. We cut out a circle from plywood, cut a segment in it, drill two holes in the center for metal bolts, an hour hand will be attached to them. Insert the bolts into the holes and secure them with nuts. You can instead drive in two small nails, then cut off the sharp ends with wire cutters. Attach the hour hand to the clock mechanism.

Paint the lid on top, cover the metal bolts with a decorative lid, putting it on glue. It can be cut out of the remnants of plywood and decorated with an image. Pour food into the feeder. Then simply insert the hour hand between the two bolts. Now the automatic cat feeder is ready. Stopping the mechanism is not provided. When not in use, the feeder can simply be taken apart.

Is there an alternative?

The principle of step-by-step opening of several segments can be used in another way. Come up with your own version of the mechanism that ensures the movement of the lid. The same principle is used in the purchased device. What you can't do, you can easily buy. Do not seek to purchase the most expensive and high-tech feeder. When choosing a product, first look at the reviews. “Oh, an auto-feeder for cats with Internet access, heating and an organizer!” - you will say when you see a fashionable novelty. However, such a device may not please the animal, and it costs much more.

There are also complex feeders that independentlymade by cat owners. With the help of purchased parts and custom-made molds, you can make a real robot that will take care of the cat for you. It is not easy to describe in detail all the options. If your pet is adept at feeding or requires special foods and schedules, you may need a programmable device.

Feeder Reviews

A few reviews from the owners will help you navigate your choice. Some buyers note that the batteries in the feeder run out too often. This is inconvenient when a cat or cat is left alone in the apartment for a long time. Most devices are designed for round feed. Treats and foods with large pieces may not be suitable. Some owners of feeders note their periodic jamming. Most owners are satisfied that the animal does not overeat and eats regularly in their absence. Setting up the feeder is quite simple, but it is not always possible to record a voice signal. Some models with a sound recording function do not transmit it very clearly, and the animal does not respond to the signal. Whether it is worth spending extra money on these innovations is up to you.