Like so many of our readers, the Mable’s Crew does a bit of travelling for both pleasure and business. Even when we’re at home we tend to take frequent trips that can last most of the day. Before discovering automatic pet feeders and pet drinking fountains, this always caused a problem for our cats, who insist on timely meals! We’d come home and have 3 antsy cats circling our feet, meowing continuously until we refilled their food and water dishes. It’s a familiar scene for anyone who has pets.

Convenience is definitely a key selling point for these pet products, but better pet health and longevity are also very important to note. As is common with male cats, our 2 boys (Mable, our namesake, and mc chris ward) were having urinary tract problems last year, and after purchasing a pet drinking fountain they began drinking TONS more water and their health problems have since disappeared. Also, if you are feeding your cat or dog dry food such as kibble, then their lifespan is being reduced simply due to the reduction of water intake. Automatic drinking fountains can increase your pet’s water intake several times over their usual consumption “thereby reducing the risk of urinary tract infection and kidney disease”. It’s a very small investment with huge payoffs for you and your companion animals.

Pet feeders come in 2 main types- gravity and automatic. The gravity style works well only if you have a pet who will stop eating when she is full, because the food will keep filling the bowl until it’s gone. This disqualifies most dogs and cats, (including all of ours) so we don’t recommend it. The automatic pet feeders have different programmable options, and guarantee that your pet won’t be able to overeat (which is a common way that pets cope with separation when their companions are on vacation). The Precise Portion Control Pet Feeder (shown left) is perfect if you use dry cat food or dry dog food; it’s a snap to fill and clean and holds 5 pounds of food. (Plus, it comes with Hammacher’s free Lifetime Guarantee.) If you use wet pet food or a mix of wet/dry, then you have 2 other choices depending on how long you are away or travelling. For daily use, the Viatek Talking Automatic Pet Feeder (shown right) is excellent due to smaller food compartments (1/2 cup each), fewer compartments (just 4), an included water dish, and the ability to record a 20 second voice message for your pets.
However, if you will be away for up to 6 days then the Lentek Koolatron Automatic Feeder (shown left) will fit your needs. Its 6 compartments hold 2/3 cup wet or dry food and includes 2 refreezable inserts to keep your pet’s food fresh. Due to its revolving lid style, it also has the advantage of covering yesterday’s old meal and revealing new today’s meal: something all cats really appreciate, especially if you use wet food.

A little PSA: If you are gone for more than a couple days, please ensure that you have someone come over to interact with, and checkup on your pets health and safety. No matter how unsocial your pets can be, animals don’t like sudden changes and even a reclusive cat may tear up your house in protest!

Posted by Lauren in Gadgets, Household
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