Recommend automatic cat feeder for dementia sufferer

[limetrees32]

I'm looking on line but there are an awful lot.
My first thought was an app controlled one but
A could I set it up and control it through my phone?
B looks like error notices on machine itself are not uncommon
Any experience or recommendations ?

I have the Petlibro dry food cat feeder I bought after doing a lot of research.
It has a timer I set manually and they do an App version, (it costs a bit more and I didn’t need it,) but I think it would be very helpful in your situation.

It will still require a little bit of managing - cleaning the dish, topping up the main food holder or if it jams, but my cat has made it extremely obvious she is starving and on the brink of near death when that has happened ;)

I bought it from John Lewis. Yes you can control it from my phone, the person it’s for would need WiFi.

I have 2 of the pet mate double feeder and it works well- battery lasts ages and can set the timer for up to 48hrs. You can also use the ice packs to keep food cool, though I haven’t done that as only used for dry food.

Is the person with dementia likely to fiddle with something if it’s new and unfamiliar? That would be my only caveat.

This is the one I have- can usually find it a little cheaper than the pets at home price though.

https://www.petsathome.com/product/cat-mate-automatic-two-meal-dry-and-wet-food-feeder/7154487P

Edit- there are others in the range which allow for more portions- depending on how often someone would be checking/refilling.

Thank you both. Good old nest of violets.
Auto correct from vipers , but as it's rather nice , I'll leave it .
@R0llonspring I was looking at that one . Have you had many / any electronic malfunctions?

I also love Pet Libro brand.

It feeds by WiFi so I control it when I’m away. It’s pretty easy to operate.

It’s only for dry food though (cats do better on wet food). But might be good as backup. Depends on your circumstances.

PETLIBRO Automatic Cat Feeder with App Control, Battery Operated WiFi Smart Feeder, Timed Dry Food Dispenser with Portion Control, Compact Design

I bought it on Amazon.

I’ve only had the Petlibro one since December ‘25 and it’s never jammed or malfunctioned.
But I bought it to replace one from Amazon that started to jam after 4 years of use.

As an aside, my friend has one with the app and it has a small camera built in so they can see the cat eating its meal, which is reassuring.
Love nest of violets!

Thank you @R0llonspring and @SuperHansLol and others for taking time to comment .

a small camera built in so they can see the cat eating its meal, wow ,they really know their target audience don't they ?

Could someone from the Cinnamon Trust help?

Actually as well as PetLibro I have a second cat feeder for security - in case one doesn’t work!. These are only used for when I’m away for a couple of days, but still a cat would be struggling if one malfunctioned. This one - called CatMate - I can put wet cat food in too for 24-36 hours as it has mini ice blocks. Any longer than 2 days and I get a cat sitter. Could you get a daily cat sitter OP? Mine charges £10 per day. If money is in short supply maybe they could come every other day?.

lol at the “target audience”!

Why do they need timed feeders? The exact issue will inform what is needed. With my Dad he couldn't keep track of whether he had or hadn't feed the cat so we just left out packets for two or three days but mainly fed he just topped up her dry food bowl and she was pretty good at telling him if was empty. But that worked because one of us was in every couple of days, and she wasn't a massively greedy cat.

What support does the owner have?

I’d suggest a big bowl of biscuits that will last a few days so if there are any issues with the feeder, the cat won’t go hungry.

Depending on the location and how the owner is, there are people who visit houses to feed cats and change litter trays whilst owners are away. One of those would probably be quite happy to come in on a regular basis under the circumstances.

It's not that the owner is away but they she has Alzheimer's.
She lives alone , no formsl support but friends and neighbours.
She is v independent and managers must thus herself but her short term memory is non existent .
For some reason she resists strategies to help with her memory.
A cat feeder would ensure that the cat regularly had biscuits.
She wouldn't agree to.leaving a large portion out .

Are your or someone else visiting every few days so could top something up. I would go for something simple like this and the one for water as well. This is very visible so she can look and see that the cat has food and water and therefore she doesn't need to do anything.

Amazon Basics Dog and Cat Feeder Dispenser for Food and Water, Small, Pack of 2, Grey : Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies

We have the pet libro wifi feeder and also a pet libro water fountain. I think it's best combined with a camera so you can see if there is any food left

@helpfulperson I am.chief visitor but my frequency not every 3 days
I do like that the container is clear and that it's all simple.
Little worried about friends reaction to a large.amount of food being permanently available .
But that's another thread .sigh ...

If you are intending to fill the feeder when you're there, and leave enough in there until you return, and control opening times remotely, it could work. It won't work if your friend has to 'do' anything herself.

But (sorry) I think where it will fail is that it will be a new 'foreign' item and people with dementia really do not like those. She probably won't remember what it is and may remove it, or try to force it open.

Sorry to sound negative but I've been through this with two sets of relatives. My mother had a cat and she put down endless bowls of food for him, it was only resolved when she had a daily carer who could deal with cat feeding. She rejected all attempts with various types of tech (not just cat related). So good luck!

I have one as at one point I had 10 feral and semi ferals that we needing feeding and we converted our shed for them for the winter. When we went away for a week we had a friend come over halfway through and fill it up for them.

I use it all the time and just dial down the amounts per drop to suit who is being fed. It feeds up to 10 portions per drop and up to 5 times a day. At the moment it is feeding 6 their dry food, and gets filled once a week. I only drop a few portions each drop as they get wet food for breakfast if they are here at 9am, half a pouch each. I tip food back in if not eaten so they are not going hungry.

It cost 50 Euros. If it broke I'd be ordering another within an hour.

@catofglory I do understand what you're saying.
I do feel pessimistic but feel I have to try and I'm.worried about cat.
She has a " large cognitive reserve " and is managing many things.
But her short term memory is virtually non existent and she is resistant to using strategies to help.

@limetrees32
I understand. Someone with dementia can often cope in a familiar environment - to an extent. She can't use strategies because these are new things she'd have to learn and remember. It's very hard when there are pets involved, it's kind of you to help.

If the cat is having dry food, he needs constant access to water, I'm sure you've already thought of that, hopefully a water bowl is no problem.

(My mother once had all her neighbours searching for her cat for hours as she thought he'd escaped. She'd actually shut him in a clothes box under the bed!)

(My mother once had all her neighbours searching for her cat for hours as she thought he'd escaped. She'd actually shut him in a clothes box under the bed!)
Ah , no dementia issues needed for that !

Just buy a feeder!

I am . No need to !