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There are plenty of ways to feed your cat, depending on both the cat’s needs and your schedule. The simplest approaches, like free feeding or serving each meal in a bowl , often work well. But if they aren’t feasible due to your busy or unpredictable schedule, a need to control your cat’s meals for health reasons, or simply because you don’t want to be bothered by meowing before your alarm goes off every morning, an automatic cat feeder can be a major help. According to certified advanced feline-behavior specialist Michelle Danahy, most cats love the routine of feeding, whether that’s you cracking open a can or an automatic feeder going off — so if a feeder helps you to maintain your cat’s routine, then it can be a beneficial tool
That being said, automatic feeders aren’t necessarily right for every household. They are generally more expensive than a simple bowl, require more complex cleaning, and can remove an opportunity for bonding with your cat, says Jennifer Van de Kieft, a cat behaviorist and nutritionist. And while they can be extremely handy, cat-behavior consultant Dr. Mikel Delgado cautions that since technology can fail, you shouldn’t think of an automatic feeder as a replacement for a cat-sitter when you’re away from home for extended periods of time
To find the best automatic cat feeders, I asked Dan