These 5 automatic cat feeders are the best we’ve tested

Petlibro’s One RFID Smart Feeder shows how far automatic cat feeding technology has come. For this feeder, the pet wears a collar with a tag in it where the feeder lid opens only when the tag is present. Features a lid that automatically retracts when the pet wearing the collar approaches the stainless steel food bowl (removable for washing and dishwasher safe). Sensors in the front pad will be activated and the lid will retract over the food when the cat leaves, ensuring that only selected pets with collars can access the food.

The 3-liter feeder is based on the Petlibro app, allowing owners to create up to 10 feeding schedules with quantities that can be modified at any time, including on-demand feedings. Like our other Petlibro automatic feeder options, the app collects data and tracks your pet’s consumption trends, and owners control everything from the app. The automatic lid is also customizable as you can enable the app to leave the lid in “open mode” or adjust how long the lid stays open after your pet leaves the lid.

Overall, I think this is a near-perfect device for a specific type of pet owner. I think it’s best suited for a cat in a dog house where the owner doesn’t want the dog to come into contact with the cat’s food, if each pet in the house has an RFID feeder, if a particular cat has special dietary needs, or if you have a multi-cat home with an aggressive eater. In these cases, I really think this product will be life-changing. (If you get one RFID per pet, you should space them at least 10 inches apart to avoid any interference.)

One of my only complaints with this device is that the lid doesn’t bounce strongly against the wall when retracted, and my cat won’t eat food near the back of the bowl. The QR code tag comes on a super thin collar which stays loose but there is the option to remove it and put it on your pet’s own collar, which I did and then it worked great. Even though the One RFID wasn’t a good fit for my cats, I would still recommend it to anyone who has pets with different food needs.

Can be used with cats or very small dogs.