The best automatic cat feeders to keep your feline fed while you're away

For short trips away, this is one of the best automatic cat feeders for sale right now. The PetSafe 5-Meal Automatic Feeder features five chambers that can hold up to one cup of food each. Because of its covered, spinning design, it can be used with both wet and dry foods of varying shapes and sizes — there’s also nothing to get jammed, unlike with hopper-style feeders. You can set a schedule for the feeder to rotate at the same time every day.

The BPA-free, dishwasher-safe food tray makes for easier cleanup, too. Keep in mind that while there are five chambers, one will be available to your cat right away. The spinning system is nice, as you can check how much food your kitty has (or hasn’t) eaten at the end of your trip.

Because of its compact and lightweight design, this feeder is also a great pick for when you have to travel with your cat and want to keep them on their regularly scheduled meals. Even if you aren’t super tech-savvy, this feeder is easy to program. 

Petlibro makes a variety of automatic pet feeders, but this particular model is perfect for cat owners who want lots of control over mealtime. It's made from high quality materials, including a stainless steel feeding bowl, a built-in desiccant bag for freshness, and BPA-free plastic parts. Most of these parts can also be removed for easy cleaning.

Best of all, with the Petlibro programmable pet feeder, you can schedule up to six meals per day and precisely control the portion size of each meal. This means your feline friend will always get the right amount of dry cat food — no more, no less. Plus, it has a capacity large enough to keep most cats fed for up to 12 days before it needs to be refilled, and its twisting lid-lock design ensures that food stays fresh and secure.

The automatic cat food dispenser also allows you to record a 10-second voice message that will play at the start of feeding time, letting you reinforce the bond between you and your cat even when you can't physically be there. Plus, with both a USB-C outlet and battery power, you don't have to worry about power outages, though the batteries are not included.

If you're looking for all of the bells and whistles, you can upgrade to the WiFi version of this product for app-control. However, the regular version is plenty smart and with a surprisingly affordable price tag. Plus, an on-page coupon is often available that knocks $15 off the price.

We recently had a chance to put the Cat Mate C3000 Automatic Dry Food Pet Feeder through its paces, and were pleasantly surprised with how easy it was to assemble, program, and get started. Best of all, the top hopper can easily hold up to a week’s worth of your pet’s food, making it ideal for when you have to go away on a long weekend and can’t bring them along.

We loved that everything except the base that houses the electronics is dishwasher safe, making for quick and easy cleanups. One downside we found was that its feeding units might not be 100% accurate depending on the size of your kitty’s kibble. It says 3 feeding units is equal to about a quarter cup of food, but when we measured the dispensed meal it was actually more than that – something to double check if your pet is on a weight management diet like ours. 

Finally, the lid to the food hopper isn't as secure as other automatic pet feeders, so households with dogs may want to pick another option.

Amazon Basics is known for making low-cost, good-enough versions of everyday essentials, and it can be a great place to stock up on pet care basics. Case in point: this gravity cat feeder set, which comes with two gravity dispensers for food and water. Because these dispensers rely on gravity rather than electronic dispensers, you can't set schedules or control portion size. At the same time, you'll never have to worry about these dispensers malfunctioning or running out of power while you're away.

Each of the dispensers holds a significant amount of food and water — six pounds of dry food or one gallon of water. According to the Cornell Feline Health Center, part of the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, the average cat should drink about one cup of water per day, which means this dispenser holds about 16 days worth of drinking water.

These gravity cat feeders aren't dishwasher-friendly, so you'll have to clean them by hand. If you have canines in your household, then it's possible a curious and determined dog could open up the plastic container and lid and help themselves to some kitty food, so be mindful if your cat lives in mixed company. However, those are pretty minor drawbacks overall.

This robot-shaped Iseebiz feeder is great for smaller cats (or other small pets) who don't need too much food to be dispensed per meal. It can hold enough food to feed your pet for up to 15 days with optimal portion control and it's rather fairly priced for having all the perks of other, more expensive feeders. It has an IR detector to prevent clogging and overflowing, and its screw-lock design keeps food fresh inside while simultaneously keeping curious pets out.

Best of all, you can create an optional 10-second recording that will call your pet to the feeder when it's time to eat, even when you can't be there to do it yourself.

PetSafe earned three spots in this shopping guide, and it was our top pick for the overall best automatic cat feeder. If you're looking for a splurge-worthy automatic feeder with smart features, then this is your best bet. That being said, the smart features on this PetSafe automatic feeder won't appeal to everyone.

Let's start with the positives. This cat feeder has a generous 6L capacity and can be controlled via the PetSafe app, which lets you set portion size, schedule meals, and control the feeder via Alexa. You have a lot of control over feeding time and meal size. This feeder can schedule up to 12 meals per day with precise portion sizes. It also has a slow-feed setting for cats that chow down on their kibble too quickly.

As for the negatives, the app control can be limiting. There are no controls on the feeder itself, so if you encounter problems with the app, you'll have no way to use the feeder at all. With that caveat in mind, this is a versatile automatic food dispenser for cats.

If you’re looking for the best automatic cat feeder for wet food, then this is the feeder you’ll want. It has five separate meal compartments that hold up to 11.5 ounces of wet or dry food, plus two ice packs to keep wet food fresh. While other pet feeders can accommodate semi-moist kibble, this is one of the only automatic feeders for cats made for wet food specifically.

Thanks to a built-in LCD screen, the Cat Mate Automatic Digital Pet Feeder is easy to program, so your pets can eat at precise times. It’s also got a close-fitting, tamper-proof lid to keep even the most determined cats and dogs from getting their paws on an early feeding time. It also takes 3 AA-batteries, which are easier to find than D batteries — the type of battery used by the other feeders on this list — and generally those batteries will last up to 12 months. The bowls in the feeder are also removable for easier cleaning in the dishwasher. 

The only significant drawback to this feeder is that it works best for small dogs or cats — you’ll likely want something with bigger portions than 1.45 cups if you have a large breed dog.

Remember: Even though the ice packs can keep wet cat food fresh, there's no guarantee this food won't spoil over a longer period of time.