Cat Mate C500 Automatic Pet Feeder | Cat or Small Dog Bowl
Cat Mate C500 Automatic Pet Feeder | Cat or Small Dog Bowl with Digital Timer | For Wet or Dry Pet Food, 5 Meal Carousel, up to 330g in Each
| Weight: | 419 g |
| Size: | 5 Bowl Feeder |
| Dimensions: | 30.99 x 30.19 x 9.39 cm; 419.99 Grams |
| Model: | C500 |
| Colour: | White |
| Pack Quantity: | 1 |
| Batteries Required: | Yes |
| Batteries Included: | No |
| Dimensions: | 30.99 x 30.19 x 9.39 cm; 419.99 Grams |
| Quantity: | 1 |
| Size: | 5 Bowl Feeder |
Great feeder, it doesn’t use alot of batteries, they last long in it and that’s with even using some cheap batteries. The timer is easy to use, it’s a great size and Food stays cool in it when using the ice packs provided. Great value for money and I would highly recommend it.
I purchased the Cat Mate Automatic Pet Feeder Cat, and it has been one of the best things I have bought from Amazon. As I work away from home, it is reassuring to know that I can feed my cat for two days without having to get anyone to help. I also love that I don’t have to get up early in the morning to feed him. Although I did have an issue with the first unit I received, the supplier was very apologetic and sent me a new one right away. I have now been using the feeder for 14 months, and I have had no issues with it at all. It is reliable, easy to use, and has made my life much easier. Overall, I would highly recommend the Cat Mate Automatic Pet Feeder Cat to any pet owner looking for a convenient and reliable way to feed their furry friend.
Overall, this cat feeder does do what I need it to, so I have to give it credit as it’s a life saver for that.
However, there are quite a few hiccups with this product but I will stick to the main points. I’m not sure there is a better model as I spent an eternity doing my research and reading reviews but it would be great if they could improve upon this one.
The biggest issue I had was that I really struggled to get this thing to work. I am not one for reading instructions, however even I had to admit defeat and try and get to grips with the manual. That was a complete waste of time. Thankfully, I found a Spanish YouTuber who thoughtfully uploaded the basics onto a ‘how-to’ guide. I’m guessing that she found the instruction manual as useful as I did as it was rather basic on how to program the damn thing.
Eventually I managed to figure out how to program it with the help of my Spanish friend however I have not figured out how to stop it working when I’m home. Each and every day, at four separate times, the cats and I are startled when we hear the thing come alive and it starts spinning the carousel. I understand that if I take the batteries out, I will lose the programming and let’s face it, it’s not worth starting over so we live with the sound of the cat-feeder coming to life, four times a day. If someone knows how to stop this, please write it out clearly, as I’m at a complete loss.
The other point I will raise is the fact that the product comes with a plastic bowl carousel. For the amount of money your spending on this product (which was 45.95 when I bought it), it really should be stainless steel, however 35 is an awful lot to be spending on a separate stainless steel carousel IMHO!
I like that you have the option to choose up to 4 feeding times for the four sections. But i only needed two for my cat, i entered 7am and 5pm into the feeder, which for 4 meals means i have two days worth of feed set up, the ice packs make sure freshness stays.
Whilst the feeder is for my cat, my dog is unable to tamper and get into it when he walks by, so this is great, i can leave it on the floor for my cat with no issues.
I also bought another set of ice pods so i can easily swap over any time refill and wash it. When my dog is his sitter, we can go away over night with no worries ! life saver to not have to rely on friends/neighbours for feeds.
I bought one for my cat four years ago, and couldn’t imagine being without one now. It’s been in use constantly so that my cat can get regular small portions of biscuits and I’ve only just had to change the batteries. It’s really easy to programme and cleaning is not a problem. The noise when it starts to go round is loud enough for my cat to hear it anywhere in the house, but not so loud as to disturb me – so great for early morning feeding.
This was an upgrade for me from one where the lid used to spin round to expose the food.
Like the fact that it’s digital, has ice packs and that it is always the front compartment that is open!
Can also set it as 2 meals for 2 days or even 1 meal for 4 days
I do wish that these had better clocks though as they do drift a lot (a few minutes a month) and that drift varies per-machine. I also wish they had rechargeable internal battery backups but were otherwise mains operated via USB. I don’t like using disposables and D cell rechargeable are incredibly expensive.
Bought this to help manage the food intake of a cat. Very easy to use and set up. Only noise is when the section moves and that’s brief. Definitely recommend
Perfect for what we need. Found it a little bit confusing setting the timer but got there in the end. Our cat found it immediately and was not bother of the noice it makes when rotating on feeds. Very happy with the purchase.
Most importantly the cat likes it! I like it as you set the timer and not worry about the cat going hungry when you’re late home. Easy to clean and the ice packs keeps the food fresh and cool.
This product is a life saver, we usually put our cat in a cattery if we go abroad. But if we are away either for quite a few hours or overnight, this product allows us to keep our cat at home where he is happy and fed at the same time.
The ice packs keeps the food fresh and the timers are really easy to use. It is also very easy to clean.
Used it loads and the cat loves it. Can take a bit to clean if you forget to wast it pretty much right away. Doesn’t use a lot of batter so lasts for ages.
I bought the Amazon warehouse deal (i.e. someone returned or box was damaged but item was good to be sold) so my feeder did not come with instructions. I’ve uploaded a video for anyone looking for help with the set up.
Easy instructions below:
1. Remove white cover (using the ‘push’ tabs and lifting), insert batteries
2. Hold set/adjust button for a minimum of 3 seconds until you see the time/clock numbers blinking
3. Use the up / down arrow buttons to set up desired time/clock time, click set/adjust to move onto the minutes
*Please note the minute section in your set times go by 10s (i.e XX:10, XX:20, etc)
4. Once your time/clock as been set, use the down/up arrows to move to the next slot to set. Follow steps 2-4 to set your desired times.
*If you need your feeder to only feed your cat 1x a day, ONLY SET 1 CLOCK! (This means your cat will be fed for the total of 4 days)
*If you need your feeder to feed your cat 2x a day, SET 2 CLOCKS. (This means your cat will be fed for the total of 2 days)
*If you need your feeder to feed your cat 3 / 4x a day, set the remaining 3 / 4 clocks. (This means your cat will be fed for 1 day if you set all 4 clocks, and or 1.5 days if you set 3 clocks)
The feeder has five compartments but only four can be used on the timer function. The first compartment is open so is designed to be used as an immediate feed. Our last feeder had a cover to the first compartment that moved back on the first rotation, meaning you had 6 timed feeds. On the Cat Mate feeder the remaining four compartments become accessible by the unit rotating on the timer settings, meaning four timed feeds.
The feeder has a digital display for the timer settings. You can set up to four different feeding times. If you only set one or two times the unit will rotate to the same time each day until it has completed a full rotation i.e. if you only set one time it will rotate to that time for four days in a row.
It’s not immediately obvious how to start the unit but you simply turn in on. It will remember your last time settings and if you want to use the same ones again you simple turn it off and on.
Underneath the feeding tray are two removable ice packs. This gives you the option to use the feeder for wet and dry food, although personally I only use dry in a timer feeder.
The feeding trays and main cover are all dishwasher proof making cleaning nice and easy.
Overall the feeder works well for when you want to keep your cat on feeding schedule. I just wish it had a few more compartments.
I hope you found this review helpful.
This has been really useful when we go away for 1 night and have to leave the cat in. I don’t think the ice pack keeps it super cool for long during hot weather but still a handy little feeder.
Once it arrived (quickly and without issues), I set it up very quickly (super easy instructions) and started training my kitten to use it. The sound the machine makes when changing the slots is a little harsh to your ear at first but once you get used to it, you don’t even hear it.
At the age of 5 months, Flossie had no issues in understanding the concept and was digging in the moment the slot was changing. The ice packs keep the food cool and fresh and it’s sufficient for 12h easily.
I am very happy with this purchase as it’s a life saver for working cat parents 🙂
I found it a bit complicated to get my head around the feeding options. This is why it only gets 4 stars. The instructions are not explicit. Don’t let that put you off, it’s given us numerous last minute away days without getting in a cat sitter!
Here is what I understand.
You can have a maximum of four meals served automatically at set times, with the following provisos:-
You can set 1 meal per day, at the same time each day for a maximum of four days.
OR
You can set 2 meals per day over a maximum of two days each pair at the same time.
OR
You can set 4 meals to be served at different set times over one 24 hr period.
I have two c500 feeders working ‘in parallel’ and use them as 4 day feeders, one delivering a morning feed At 7am each day, the other delivering an evening feed at 7pm each day.
It is tricky keeping the cat food fresh ( we use fresh fish offcuts) but by using the provided freezer blocks and filling trays with frozen and part defrosted fish pieces, have managed four days feeding on a couple of occasions.
I have to say 4 days using frozen fresh fish is really pushing the limits, especially if the weather turns very warm.
Note , this in combination with a large dry food hopper and large water fountain. However the c500s are mostly used when we are away for one or two days, and at this they are excellent .
Tip- to keep the food cooler for longer, using a couple of layers of non slip mats to help raise the feeder off the floor, adding to the insulation. It’s is very light, even loaded with food and the non slip mats stop it moving when the greedy furry thing really gets stuck in. It does have permanent screw down anchor points if needed but we find non slip mats easy to use and clean.
Our Bengal cat does not attempt to break in to the feeder, which we simply leave on non slip mats on the kitchen floor and I think it would take a powerful animal to do so. It has screw down anchor points if needed, should your cat insists on trying to relocate it and a pretty much foolproof clipped down top to prevent Intrusion.
As a reliable cat feeder, I recommend the c500. However, I suspect when you come to read the instructions, and try to work out the electronic timer options, you will realise why I only gave 4 stars to what is otherwise a good product.