Best automatic pet feeders for regular mealtimes in 2024: Now on sale for Black Friday

The PETLIBRO Automatic Cat Feeder has six programmable meals a day with up to 50 portion settings per meal to customise the diet for your pet. While it's a little tricky to set up initially, the programmes are easy to set going forward with the inbuilt LCD screen, and it'll remember your settings, even when you unplug it. The dual power supply - USB and batteries - means you're not at risk of the feeder not working if there's a power outage. This nifty gadget also comes with a voice recorder so you can call your pet to mealtimes with a 10-second voice recording, though some reviewers thought this was a bit of a gimmick and not all that useful.

Overall we love the sleek design of this pet feeder which we'd happily station in our homes - and customers agree. They found it to be a sturdy, reliable solution to keep their furry friend fed while away. Their main concern was the ease of cleaning - unfortunately, the PETLIBRO doesn't come with cleaning instructions, and some found cleaning the base of the main cylinder not the easiest task.

This SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder is not only great for providing food while away, but it's a fab option for households with multiple pets. The feeder reads a pet's microchip as it approaches and if the correct pet is detected the lid opens before closing again when they move away. Great for preventing other pets from stealing food or for targeting pets on special diets, this device is easy to program with the push of a button. Food stays fresh in the sealed bowl and this pet feeder comes with a single and split bowl for separating wet and dry food.

Customers found pets were quick to understand how to use the SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder, even without the training mode, and it proved to work extremely well at ensuring only the right pets got access to the food. As it's battery-operated, it can be sited anywhere in the home but reviewers have found this is best suited to smaller cats. Large cats or cats with spinal issues may be uncomfortable eating through the microchip reader.

Keep an eye on your furry friend as they chow down with the PETLIBRO Automatic Feeder with Camera. It’s equipped with a 1080P HD camera with a 145-degree wide-angle lens that connects to Wi-Fi, so whether it’s dinner time or not, you can check in on your beloved furry bestie wherever you are via an app on your Smartphone. It also has a built-in microphone and speaker so you can also talk to them, so you can encourage them to eat, tell them you won’t be too long or anything else to bring them some comfort when you’re away from home. As a pet feeder, it has a five-litre capacity and you can easily set up 10 meals per day via the app to keep your pet’s feeding schedule consistent.

Customers appreciate the addition of the camera on this pet feeder as they could check up on their pet whenever they’re out of the house and talk to them too although some experienced connectivity issues of the device to their Wi-Fi router so they couldn’t then see their pet while out and about. As a feeder, hundreds of customer reviews mention how fantastic it is, they found it easy to set up and they like that they can control and set up feeding schedules straight from the app.

We mentioned that the SureFeed pet feeder was good at keeping food fresh, but the Cat Mate C500 goes to the next level. Not only does the five-meal carousel keep food sealed, but it also has an in-built twin ice pack for extra freshness. You simply need to set the digital timer to allow for rotation and access to meals at set times to keep hungry paws at bay. Another stand-out feature for reviewers was the tamper-resistant lid. Not all pet feeders are successful in keeping pets away from the grub, but many customers have found pets haven't been able to hack the other sections - without a lack of trying.

With over 12,000 reviews on Amazon giving this an average of 4.4 stars, this feeder is a favourite with cat owners who found it wasn't only good for their pet, but good for them too. It's easy to clean (you can put sections in the dishwasher), easy to refill and reliable. That being said, some thought it was a little loud when dispensing (though this shouldn't be an issue if you're using it for when you're out).

From the same makers for the C500 comes the C3000 Automatic Pet Feeder that is more akin to the PETLIBRO in design, if less stylish. With a huge 3kg capacity dry food hopper, customers found they could feed their pet for up to a month before running out of kibble, making it specifically helpful for jet-setters or anyone wanting to make sure their pet is consistently fed. They also thought this pet feeder was robust and sturdy so there was no fear of it being knocked over by larger cats.

Much like the Cat Mate C500, every component (except the base) is dishwasher-safe, making it much easier to clean when the time comes around. And you can keep prying paws at bay thanks to the anti-tamper snap-lock lid - ideal for keeping a greedy puss from eating all the goods. While it's easy to assemble, some found the initial setup a bit complicated on the LCD due to the weak instructions.

If you don't need anything fancy and just need to tie your pet over while you're away during the day, the Pawise Automatic Pet Feeder is an affordable option to have on standby. Allowing you to schedule meals up to 48 hours in advance for convenience and peace of mind, it's operated with a simple timer dial that reviewers found really easy to operate - no complicated instructions over here! It can hold up to 1.5 cups of food and thanks to the ice pack provided that sits under the tray, it can be dry or fresh wet food.

Customers found this particularly helpful for midday treats or scheduling for hungry pets while out at work. They loved how easy it was to use and clean - thanks to the dishwasher-safe bowl - however a lot of reviewers have advised taking the batteries out when not in use. It saves battery power and, as there's no way to turn it off, stops the timer from continually ticking.

Everything has an app these days, so why not get a pet feeder with one too? It's more pricey compared to others on our list but comes with a bunch of benefits. With smartphone programming, you can control your pet's mealtimes from anywhere with the PetSafe Smart Feed Automatic Dog and Cat Feeder. With the free smart app, you can easily set up to 12 meals to feed on your pet's schedule, set flexible portion sizes, and receive alerts when the food level is low and when your pet has been fed. There's even a Slow Feed setting to dispense meals in small amounts over 15 minutes for pets who tend to eat too quickly.

Described as a 'game-changer' by some pet owners, they've found this has solved the issue of needing to recruit a neighbour to feed your pets while away from home. The bowl is a good size for a dog or multiple cats (you can add your own bowl if you like too), and the feeder itself is sturdy, preventing any curious pets from getting into the feeding tank or knocking it over. The only issue some customers flagged was the portion sizes; they found it took a bit of trial and error to perfect while others felt it wasn't as accurate as hoped.

With a design very similar to that of the Pawise Automatic Pet Feeder, the PetSafe instead serves two meals for nearly the same price. You can schedule meals up to 24 hours in advance with the simple-to-use dials, so you can schedule one compartment to open at a different time than the other. Much like the Pawise, each of the removable trays is dishwasher-proof and can be filled with dry food or semi-wet food. However, unlike its counterpart, the PetSafe doesn't have a cool pack section, so that's something you may want to bear in mind.

Reviewers have raved about its value for money and how simple and reliable it has been for them and their pets so far. They've found it useful for meals, treats, medication, and even feeding bunnies. The only thing they'd change, aside from the lack of a cool pack, is for there to be an 'off' switch. Again, like the Pawise, you'll need to remove the batteries to close the compartments when not in use.

If you like the sound of a two-meal automatic feeder like the PetSafe option above, but want the ice pack that comes with the Pawise, you've found it in this food dispenser. The Trixie TX2 comes with a 49-hour timer to set mealtimes with space beneath both compartments for ice packs to keep dry and wet food fresh as can be. Again, you get a simple timer dial to schedule your fluffy friend's meals and it's easy to clean too with the dishwasher-proof trays.

Due to the rotary timers, the Trixie is a little loud (especially with the two-compartment timers running simultaneously) which may not be ideal for sensitive pets. And, like its counterparts, it suffers the same issue of needing the batteries to be removed when no longer in use to stop the ticker from continuing. That being said, reviewers found it was particularly good for cats, with two pouches fitting easily in one tray, and it was surprisingly sturdy for the price.

It's not just our furry friends that need feeding. If you have fish in an aquarium or tank, you can keep them fed with the Podazz Automatic Aquarium Fish Feeder. With a top-opening design, you can easily add the feed to the device with a large 200ml capacity. Fill with fish food including flake feed, pellets and powder and use the display to set your feeding times up to four times a day.

Reviewers felt it was easy to install, and there are in fact two ways you can do so to suit your fish's habitat best. They found it was reasonably easy to programme though it took a little trial and error to work out how much to dispense at once. This is best suited if you have lots of fish - even on the smallest setting, some found it had the potential to pour too much, especially with granular fish food.