Cat Chat Feline Forum

I have kindly heard from a few of you that have suggested we look at a microchip feeder. I have seen this on Amazon....
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sureflap-50601 ... cat+feeder
Does this look like the one I should consider? How relaible are they and are they suited for all cat microchips and what do the cats make of them? They seem to come with mats. Are they necessary or is it just a marketing thing?

hey there - that is the right one.

I'll be interested as well to see what people have to say about it

That's the one. If you go to the Sureflap website, you can check whether your cats microchip will work it. I don't have one, Tilly being a Maine Coon and rather large she would not fit comfortably under the yoke which is only 200mm high , but I have heard they work well for small-medium cats.

alanc wrote:That's the one. If you go to the Sureflap website, you can check whether your cats microchip will work it. I don't have one, Tilly being a Maine Coon and rather large she would not fit comfortably under the yoke which is only 200mm high , but I have heard they work well for small-medium cats.

Thanks. It is compatable but knowing how bad the cat flap was I am hesitant atm. Would work for Grany as he is very slight.

Emma, maybe try and buy directly from Sureflap. Their customer service is really good and I'm fairly certain that if there is a problem with the feeder they will reimburse you

meriad wrote:Emma, maybe try and buy directly from Sureflap. Their customer service is really good and I'm fairly certain that if there is a problem with the feeder they will reimburse you

Ha ha....ben there done that! We ended up sending it back it was so much hastle and poor little Purdy was getting shut out even though it was compatable. We even had to build him a step so that his position he came in the cat flap was different. I can laugh now but at the time it was a nightmare.

I have Surefeed feeders for my 2 cats, and I'm happy with them. Bought last March for my two rescue cats, one a chunky 5.5 kg, the other a dainty 3.8 kg. I wanted to make sure the smaller one got her fair share of food, and also I liked the way the food is covered, to keep it fresh and keep flies off it. The feeder has a "training" mode, where the lid is open, but it moves slightly when the cat comes near, to get them used to the movement. Mine got the idea very quickly, and it only took a day or two for me to change to normal mode, with the food completely covered when the cat goes away.

I lost my "dainty" cat, and later brought in a kitten. She took to the feeder very quickly - once I'd discouraged her from standing on the lid. She is now 6 months old, a Norwegian Forest Cat, and getting quite big. Sometimes I think she is having to stand closer to the feeder to make it open. I don't know exactly where her chip is, but if it's back towards her shoulders, maybe that's why she needs to go nearer before it reads. But if she really wants her food, she goes right up to it and peers down through the plastic lid at the food. At that point, it always opens for her. The other cat, maybe because he's the greedy one, doesn't dither about on the edge thinking, "Do I want to eat or not?" He moves right in, and his lid opens.

A few other considerations: You have to use the bowls supplied. You get 2 with each feeder, and can buy more if you want. They are not dishwasher-safe, because of the rubber seal round the edge. The feeders are battery-operated, taking 4 "C" batteries. I put Duracell in mine, which was an expensive start. But Rocky's feeder has been in daily use with the same batteries for 8 months, and is not yet giving me a "low battery" warning. My second feeder is also still working with its original set of batteries, but that one had a couple of months out of use, between losing one cat and getting the next.

You can adjust the speed with which the lid closes when the cat moves away. Mine is on the medium setting, and it takes about 6 or 7 seconds before it closes. You can set it faster, if you have a problem with an intruder cat pushing the eating cat out of the way to get his food; the robber won't have time to get much. Or you can set it slower, if you have a nervous cat who wants time to get well away before the lid moves.

In your other thread, I mentioned the solution I used in the past, of fitting a microchip cat flap to a crate and feeding the smaller cat in that. That has the advantage that, once in her "dining room," the small cat couldn't be hassled by the big cat, and could eat at leisure. Like you with Purdy and your cat flap, I had to use a step to raise the cat up to where the reader could recognise her. But that sort of problem is easier to solve indoors when you can see what's going on.

Good luck.
Mary

I have succombed to it! I have bought one! I know it will be another item that will become a back of the cupboard or return item! Thank you for the heads up.nI really hope it works.

WELL...so far so good. Grany has taken quite well to the feeder and no more Gemo stealing his food. He has done well for his first feed and does use his paws from time to time which could be a problem but am confident after his first feed he will do OK. Thanks all for the advcie on these. I hope I will be saying the same in a months time.

I'm glad Grany has taken to the feeder. I hope it continues to go well, and you'll know that he is getting his own food. It should help Gemo's waistline as well!

MarySkater wrote:I'm glad Grany has taken to the feeder. I hope it continues to go well, and you'll know that he is getting his own food. It should help Gemo's waistline as well!

It won't happen overnight, He didn't eat anything overnight so I am leaving some chicken on the mat. Except I think Gemo has had more of it so far! It will come good in the end I am sure so thank you.

Update fo you. This thing at the moment is working and amazing! No more chasing Gemo away from the dish and Grany is happy using it now too. Our neighbour has been looking after the cats and when we got home the feeder was open...not sure why and he was hungry, hence why she left it open and Gemo had got all the food ! Anyway, all is good and recommend one if you are at the end of your tether with food getting stolen from your cats tray!

That’s great news!