DOGNESS Automatic Cat Feeder with APP, Smart Feed WiFi Pet Feeder for Cat and Small Dog, Smartphone App Portion Control, Fresh Lock System Auto Food Dispenser(White)

I never write reviews but this one is a novel so grab your coffee/tea and settle in. I wanted to wait a while before writing this review because there was a mix of positive and negatives and I wasn’t sure if these feeders (I bought three) were gonna clap out on me two weeks in or something. I have not tried any other automatic feeders and frankly I wouldn’t want to because this product has been amazing. I have three girls, Roxanne (tabby 2 years old 7 lbs) Lili (black 1.5 years old 7 lbs) and Patricia (tuxedo 10 months old 7 lbs). They eat tikicat born carnivore dry food.**BEHAVIORAL DISCLAIMER FEEL FREE TO SKIP THIS BIT: They get along extremely well, Roxanne is Lili’s biological mother and Pat was an unexpected addition when we found her at days old. They are all bonded: they share, play, sleep and do everything together. So there are no issues with fighting for resources or territory. I should also add I’m not the greatest with technology and despite paying out the wazoo for internet its mediocre at best so I’m not sure what people are talking about when they say set up is hard or confusing**I GOT THIS BECAUSE: I wanted something that could feed them lunch and/or dinner in case I ever had to work late, if I was out all day or even on an overnight stay somewhere (if I’m leaving for more than a day/night I just take them with me). They are on a mostly wet food diet that I feed them myself mornings and evenings. I didn’t get this device to leave them to fend for themselves. Just an addition to give me peace of mind and help me in the early mornings.HOW I SET IT UP:I plugged in the devices and also put the batteries in as recommended in case the internet went down. Then I read and followed the instructions with graphics to set it up. Download the app, make sure your phone is connected to WiFi that isn’t 5G and follow the directions. Just follow the instructions and you can’t f**k it up.Hold the button on the feeder, wait for it to beep thrice and then hit add device on the app. Wait for it to connect. Once it’s connected you can go on the feeding plan and adjust to your pet’s needs. You can add a profile pic, name, weight and other information if you so choose.You can hit the button on the device to dispense a single portion or you can do it from the app (on the app you have the option to do more than a single portion).It is VERY EASY. I repeat. Just follow the instructions! One of my feeders wasn’t connecting on the first try so I tried again and it connected. It ain’t hard, just be patient and once more: read and follow the instructions carefully.ALMOST SIX MONTHS OF USING IT AKA TODAY:My internet went down earlier...it still dispensed lunch bc it has the batteries. I was home and I heard it go off/the girls gunning it. No, it will not show up on the app or leave a record of a scheduled feeding since it’s “offline” but it will still work if you’ve set up a scheduled meal.I went in and repeated the steps mentioned above to reconnect: held the button on the feeder till it beeped, hit add device on the app, it connected then asked me if I wanted to bind a profile to the device? I hit yes and reconnected each of my cats profiles to their respective feeder.It’s online now and working super super well. I LOVE this thing. I don’t stress that they are hungry waiting my return, and on early mornings I don’t have to get up because those robots feed them and then they just come back to bed and cuddle with me after they’ve had breakfast. It’s easy to clean, the food stays fresh. My cats can’t break into it. Sometimes they stick their nose in the hole where the food comes out, and a grain or two might fall out but that’s it. They aren’t destructive types, I try my best to meet their needs to make sure they have everything they need and aren’t stressed. We play, exercise, have safe spaces for hiding when we need alone time and I think that helps. Sometimes they rub up on the feeders bc they know the food is in there but they don’t try to break into it. I’m not sure how that would be possible, but I know a willing cat can do a lot. Still, it seems quite secure to me.All in all this feeder is incredible. It works so well, hasn’t missed a single feeding. EVER. Do yourself and your cat a favor and get this now. Don’t hesitate. I’m not getting paid to write this even though it might sound like it.

I love this automatic feeder so much. I haven’t had any issues with it except once it was telling me the food was low when it was actually full. But I just rebooted it and it has been fine since.My cat scarfs and barfs so I have had to switch out the bowl that came with the feeder.

This is an addendum I changed rating from 4 to 2!I’m so mad I could spit! The software doesn’t send a notification about food level AND the little status light never changed either! All my STUPID apps can send notifications as banners, direct message, or email except this IMPORTANT app. I will keep the feeder but anyone who is busy and can’t check an app daily needs to avoid this feeder. The concept is great when food is there it works flawlessly BUT Dogness needs to fire the programmers and hire a whole new team across the org chart!BTW They keep sending the wrong manual saying they all work the same! Horse-Hocky!This review is more about the software app than the actual feeder.The unit is well made and nice looking so much for the hardware! The scheduling feature work as advertised and makes the cost worthwhile. However!First setting up the feeder requires a Wi-Fi connection if you want the application to monitor the feeder. WARNING if you have any devices using your Wi-Fi or Bluetooth other than your phone make sure to power them down when you try to pair the devices, they can hijack the pairing! You can reconnect them after you’ve set up the Dogness feeder. Once the device is paired the install and set up is not that bad.It lacks a readable manual. The manual that comes with it is written in yellow text on white background AND is written in Lilliputian font! There is no online PDF version either, I spent too much time searching for one. I wrote an email requesting a readable manual NO REPLY! I tried calling their support number and was told everyone was busy please leave a message, I did and NO REPLY. I'm writing this reveiw a week after I set up the device and I've still not receive either an email of a phone call. Providing a downloadable PDF would take care of the font issue by using zoom feature, and they could provide some simple measurement conversion charts.Now finally the APP it’s terrible and that’s a compliment! We already know we don’t have a manual well there is no context or in app help either! Nothing to tell you how much food to put in the feed bin so I purposely didn’t fill it up all the way. Since they don’t provide a manual they also don’t provide any measurement conversion chart I figured out that 4 portions is closest to the 4 tbsp. I serve him at main meals. Also you need to know military time and again a handy little chart in a manual would help.Forget the personal message the playback sound is worse than a toy microphone, might scare the animal rather than soothe them.I’ve now had this a week and I knew it was close to getting low on food. To me this is the most important logic test, does the app know when the food is low AND how does it notify you! The answer is yes the app knows when the food is low; but it DOESN'T send any kind of notification you have to check the app! I’m not kidding every game, store, and media application I use can send me notifications wanted and unwanted. This is lazy horrible design especially since it was able to DM me the authentication code when I set up the app.In Summary: Customer service needs to step up their game. It needs a readable manual AND a PDF that can be downloaded from the website, the app needs context sensitive help to explain the various settings, provide a couple of conversion charts for time and measurement. Clicking on “Operating Guide” should present me with an operating guide NOT an arrow pointing to a button saying “click here to feed your pet “! That’s just plain insulting! The picture is dark becuase they darkened the screen; but focus on the message! That's the Operating Guide!I gave the device 5 stars; but overall 4 just because I want people to read the review so they know what to expect.

I got two of the pink feeders September 2021 for my two girl cats. Initially, I felt I was spending too much money on this product since I bought two. I was also nervous by some of the reviews since some people said they were having trouble with the app and the actual feeder. I bought them anyway because I wanted something cute and hopefully reliable. I’ve been using this product for about 2 months now and this product has made my life and my two cats lives better lol. The biggest obstacle I had was figuring out the portion size. Once I figured out through online research 12 portions equals a half of a cup, I set the feedings accordingly. I have one overweight cat; this along with a change in food has helped her to lose a few pounds. She’s even more active. I’ve had no issues with the app or the actual feeder itself. The food inside the feeder last about two weeks based on my feeding times and portion size. I don’t use the voice recording bc I feel it’s unnecessary (but I did try it and it does work) The feeder makes a slight noise dispensing the food and the cats can hear that so I’m good with that. This is my first automatic feeder and I’m so glad I got one for each of my cats!

Es war uns leider unmöglich, das Gerät ordnungsgemäß in Betrieb zu nehmen, da die Verbindung mit der App bzw dem WLAN nicht herzustellen war und es ja laut Hersteller keine andere Möglichkeit gibt, den feeder einzurichten. Wir (arbeiten alle im IT-Bereich und sind daher einigermaßen technsich versiert) haben nach 4 Stunden entnervt aufgegeben und senden das Gerät daher zurück. Sehr bedauerlich, da die kompakte Größe eigentlich genau dem entsprochen hätte, was wir für suchen und die meisten anderen Fütterungsautomaten ziemlich groß sind.

It’s a good size for a cat though the portion sizes are small so you need to dispense a few to give a meal. I like the metal tray as it is easier to keep clean and the unit seals nicely so the biscuits don’t go stale. Connecting wasn’t difficult but I had to wait ages for the connect code to come through so you need patience. The only drawback is that you cannot schedule anything other than time. It would be nice to be able to schedule different times on different days of the week.

Las comidas se han vuelto regulares, cómodas, equitativas. Ahorra tiempo, permite tranquilidad al saber que el animal siempre come q sus horas y perfecto para prevenir la voracidad porque la gata no pasa hambre y a su vez puedes darle cuantas tomas necesites algo día. La única pega que pondría es la capacidad del depósito; que es adecuada para un solo gato y no dura lleno demasiados días pero en contraprestación el aparato es mediano y muy estético.

Optisch schön. Das war‘s.Zwei Stunden lang versucht eine Geräte-Verbindung herzustellen. Geht nicht!Vorsicht: Verkäufer sendet Gerät wieder an Käufer zurück, wenn man es ihm mit Rückgaberecht zusendet und droht mit Anwalt. Jetzt läuft Amazon Käuferschutz. Hoffentlich bald angeschlossen.

Not worth the money as it does not work using the app when even right next to the machine. Might as well have used a normal bowl. Useless if I’m not at home.