PawPal Automatic Feeder: Your Pet Will Stage a Hunger Strike
An automated pet feeder that dispenses food on a schedule. The schedule, unfortunately, is "whenever the motor feels like working, which is never at mealtime."
The PawPal Smart Automatic Feeder promises to "take the guesswork out of feeding time." It accomplishes this by replacing guesswork with something far worse: certainty that your pet will not be fed.
The concept is simple: load kibble into the hopper, set feeding times via the app, and let technology handle the rest. The execution is less simple: the motor jams constantly, the app disconnects every few hours, and the portion control is so inconsistent that my cat received either a single kibble or the entire day's supply in one avalanche.
The Motor
The dispensing motor sounds like a garbage disposal trying to process gravel. It runs for anywhere between 2 and 45 seconds per feeding, with no correlation to the portion size you set. I programmed a quarter-cup serving. The feeder dispensed what I can only estimate was three cups, burying my cat's food bowl like a kibble landslide. My cat, a 9-pound tabby named Gerald, looked at the mountain of food, looked at me, and walked away in disgust.
“The concept is simple: load kibble into the hopper, set feeding times via the app, and let technology handle the rest”
Click to TweetThe App
The PawPal app requires location services, camera access, microphone access, and access to your contacts. For a pet feeder. It also sends push notifications with "fun pet facts" that you cannot disable. I now know that a group of cats is called a "clowder" and I did not ask to know that.
The Verdict
The PawPal Automatic Feeder is a $129 device that makes feeding your pet less reliable, not more. You know what is a great automatic feeder? A bowl. Put food in it. Done. No app required. No firmware updates. Gerald approves.
What to Buy Instead
Tried-and-tested alternatives that actually deliver on their promises. We may earn a small commission on purchases.
PetSafe Healthy Pet Feeder
Portion control that actually works. Gerald-approved.
Ceramic Pet Bowl
Put food in bowl. Pet eats food. No app. No push notifications. No fun facts.
CATIT Senses Food Tree
Makes your cat work for food. Interactive, analog, and delightfully low-tech.
Comments
Sign in or create an account to join the discussion.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!