Sure Petcare SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder with Sealed Lid, RFID Collar Tags Compatible, Works for Wet and Dry Food, White, 4 x C Cell Batteries Required, Not Included

I must say that while I couldn't keep the product (product was amazing, but unfortunately one of my cats was too tall and a little scared of it!) the seller has been absolutely amazing! I advised I needed to refund yesterday and the seller quickly advised of the return process, step by step and when they would issue the refund. In under 24hrs, I reported the issue, seller explained return process, today I followed the process and also got my refund in full. The seller has been amazing! I would recommend anyone who needs a cat feeder linked to microchip or RFID tag (supplied in box) please use this seller...I highly recommend them!

This was our last resort as we have 2 cats on renal diet who were either being nudged off the food by the others or leaving some for later only to come back and find it gone. According to the vet, renal is high in carbohydrate so not good for normal cats and even they said it's very expensive food to feed every day.We tried to take the food up when they had finished but it wasn't possible to watch it all the time every time. Similarly, if we did take it up and were't there to put it back down when they came back, they wouldn't get any. One of the cats is less bold cat and we could tell that he had started losing weight.Even after reading product reviews, we were slightly concerned that this wouldn't work; a combination of our experiences with an RFID cat flap that just doesn't detect the collar tags (we ended up sticking a disc to the flap) and the fact that the vet struggles to find their chips with the detector sometimes. An £89 gamble.Arrival as usual was prompt and, equally as usual, it came in a box about twice the size it needed to be in which one cat immediately set up home. We ordered the 4xC batteries it needed at the same time.Unpacking it, the unit needs no assembly and is a one piece. The arch that detects the cats is tilted back at about 45 degrees and the side triangles below it are sealed off with clear plastic. A clear, square lid covers the food, which is hinged left to right in its centre and, when open, folds back to block access from the back, so only the cat who entered from the front through the arch can get to the food.The batteries were easy to insert (2 in each side). It comes with a single grey tray in the feeder. A separate box contains a grey mat which sits at the front of the feeder and a second tray with a split down the middle so you can put dry in one side and wet in the other. Full, clear instructions are provided and there is also a collar disc to use if your cat isn't microchipped (if you need more than one, extra can be bought separately though probably as cheap and more useful in the long term to get your cat chipped).There are three buttons around the back; a big Open/Close (for filling/cleaning), Learn (to identify the cats using it) and Training (to get the cats used to how it works).We had one cat using the collar disc (he has no chip) and the other one has a chip. The unit easily learnt both cats and despite what the book says about using treats to get the cats to go in the arch, we found carrying them and just putting them through the arch and back was enough for the unit to identify them first time. The first fears about the unit not picking up correctly had been allayed. We've noticed that it seems to pick the collar disc up from a little further away than the chip but there's not a huge difference.The training mode has a three stages, all explained in the leaflet. The first stage has the door is fully open so they can get used to eating within the arch. The second stage leaves the lid slightly closed (about 2/3 open) then opens fully when they enter and are eating so they get used to the lid moving. When they finish eating, it closes to 2/3 open again. The final training step is the same but with the lid beginning only 1/3 open.We ended up not really using the training modes, largely because the other cats would come and eat the food, so we just opened it manually when they came up. One ate straight away but the other didn't like being in the enclosed space so we had to move the bowl out in front of the feeder where he eventually ate. By the second day, the bolder one was activating it himself and eating. We think he may be a bit hard of hearing so the sound of the door possibly didn't affect him, and he just didn't mind the movement. The other cat was very spooked by the lid movement and sound and we had to keep putting the bowl out to the front of the feeder with lots of strokes. Each time, we'd get the bowl closer and finally into the feeder where he would eat but still be spooked by the door. He finally got used to the noise and movement of the door when we opened it manually and after seeing the other cat eating. After only a couple of days, he was also activating it himself.They now come and go as they please, knowing there will be food there (renal cats eat little and often). The lid makes a whirr noise which isn't very loud but can definitely be heard and we now realise how often they must have been looking for food only to find the others had eaten it.There has been one incident of tailgating; the feeder is wide enough for two cats side by side (if they put up with each other) so one of the non-renal diet cats managed to sneak in one time. This isn't a common occurrence though and there's no system that would prevent that.It has been ultra reliable and the weight loss we were worried about seems to be reversing itself. The other cats don't try to paw their way in to the food despite being able to see and presumably smell it, so have reluctantly accepted that they can't have that food.Can't comment on battery life as we have only had it a week or so but at £7 a time, we are hoping to get a good few months out of them.In summary, we were doubtful about this but didn't have many other ideas. It has been a huge success. It's perfect for cats on a special diet and should be good to stop cats overeating. The only minus is the cost. If it was cheaper, we'd definitely get one for each cat to make sure they're getting the right amount of the right food each day. For now, the special diet cats are sorted and we will feed the others manually.It's a shame their other product, the Sureflap cat door has poor draught-proofing and doesn't have a timer (to only allow exit between certain times). The Catmate door we have has good draught-proofing and the timer but doesn't sense the collar discs it comes with yet alone the cat's chips. The two companies should get together as that would be the ideal product combination.

Definitely worth the money with an 18 month old hungry cat and my 5 year old girl being pestered and stressed when food down..This has stopped my cat eating everything left around and my girl able to choose when she wants to eat. Just took her a day to get used to it and now doesn't hesitate to eat or leave food for later, and my hungry boy has tried and failed to get in and eat what she's kept or left for later!Took 5 minutes to set up and get programmed and the rest is history it's that simple!

So, this started off so promising.The cat was constantly having her food stolen by the dog, which was becoming tedious as it was costing me a fortune to feed her, she was being penalised for not eating it in one go & then the dog was having upset stomachs as he was eating cat food & also her medication.I tried moving the bowls elsewhere but we don't have a lot of options as we only have a small house & there are only so many ways you can keep a strong dog out of a room but allow a cat access, plus we didn't really want cat food in the lounge.After a long time debating this, I finally took the plunge & invested in one when it came down in price a little (which I still consider expensive for what it is, but there are not exactly many others on the market to pick from, so my hands were forced somewhat).Firstly, its easy enough to set up & work out how it works. The batteries however are C-Cell which means I had to go out & buy some especially for this unit & they are not cheap.The cat took a week to pick this up & learn how to use it. I set it to the fastest closing time from her stepping back from the bowl & it was working as intended.I was so pleased as I thought we were getting somewhere. And to be fair, we were for the first few months. I could put her food down in the morning & she could go help herself whenever she wanted without fear of her bowl being infiltrated by the dog. She was getting her meds & it meant I wasn't using 4 times the amount of food just to feed her every day.However, one morning I got up & found the unit in the middle of the floor, covered in streaks that looked very much like dog slobber. And it was suspiciously clean. Not a trace of cat food anywhere to be seen. I was not impressed.Try as I might I could not catch him at it however as he isn't daft. I would however know when he's been in it since it was spotless & usually found somewhere else (probably due to getting it stuck round his head, then him pulling away & throwing it halfway across the kitchen). Thankfully it's not broken up to now despite being rough housed by a large dog, so I can at least say the build quality looks good.I've come to the conclusion that he's not forcing it open (Since I struggled to open it from closed, due to the way the mechanism works). I noticed that if I put the bowl down full & the cat didn't go near it, then the food remained all day.However, when the cat is up & about, then as soon as I'm somewhere away from the area, the food is disappearing in its entirety, so I suspect whats he's doing is waiting until the cat opens it & then pushes her out of the way & then the lid cannot close because with him being a german shepherd, he can just keep it open with his nose. I tried it with my hand in it & the unit won't force itself closed if there is an obstruction. Safe for cats to not get injured, not ideal for intruders that have worked this out.Back to the drawing board.I rang Surefeed customer services to ask if they had a cover for the front rather than just the back, as I don't think for one minute he is going in through the back, I believe he is just sticking his head in through the front to keep the flap forced open (which then explains why the cover is then licked clean from the inside, as he's literally forcing it upwards with his face.They broke the news to me that they only do a cover for the back, so basically, I was on my own here.Then I had a brainwave as I bought some fabric boxes the other day from Amazon and had one I had yet to use - so, now I have found a solution to the issue (For now at least). And what do you know, since I placed the feeder inside the box, the food has not yet magically disappeared.I can however say I am happy that it keeps the food fresh all day, keeps flies out & the place doesn't smell of cat food. The cat seems to prefer this as she would have left food before if it had been left out for a few hours & started to dry out, but now she eats all of it (Assuming the dog doesn't get to it first). It lasts all day (again, dog allowing) so I can put her food out in the morning & she can pick all day & its as fresh as when I put it out.So in conclusion, if you have other cats or a small/dumb dog then this works fine. However, as soon as you have a large animal that can sit & watch how this works and work out how to outsmart it (IE allowed animal is the one to trigger it and then there is a very brief window which allows them to get in before the lid closes) then it won't work without some additional measures in place.So I'm giving this 4 stars as you would have thought that the designers of the unit would have come up with something to prevent this by now, even if it's just an additional hood to prevent intruders from the front. And £80 is a lot of money to spend to find out you now need to place it inside a box.