Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

My cat was giving me problems because it gets antsy in the morning before I wake up and makes noise if it doesn't have food. I tried a $5 food ball product from Amazon first and the cat doesn't understand it. This item was around $45 when I bought it (fulfilled by Amazon). I'm a few days into using it and it works well. I read reviews of the other circular feeders such as this being a problem because the cat can pull the lid off. This lid is on tight (it has dual snapping locks) and if my cat is able to get it off, I'll have bigger problems than a broken feeder (he can already open doors). Setting up the feeder is not hard. Basically there are 6 feeding times (labeled 1 thru 6). You have to put the feeding times in chronological order... and realize it won't start until feeding time 1 starts. For mine, I feed the cat at 6am, 3pm, and 11pm everyday. I made feeding time number 1 be 11pm just because I was setting it up in the evening and wanted to make sure it started at 11pm. So the feeding schedule looks like this on the machine: 1 - 11 (PM) 2 - 6 (AM) 3 - 3 (PM) 4 - 11 (PM) 5 - 6 (AM) 6 - 3 (PM) Just follow the directions and you'll be fine... but realize that if you do the feedings out of order, it will skip entire days in between feedings. The only reason I'm giving 4 stars right now is it doesn't have the look and feel of a high quality electronic product. It's very quiet overall, but sounds kind of tired as it rotates the trays. I just worry it may not last as long as I'd hoped. If it does break, I'll come back here and change the comment. Another thing I would have liked to see is a dishwasher safe food tray... cleaning it by hand isn't terrible, but I would have loved to be able to throw it into the dishwasher twice a week. The recording option is nice. The cat hasn't quite figured out that the recorded message means new food is available, but I'm sure it will by next week! Finally, this has solved my issue with a rambunctious cat in the morning. Since he gets his food at 6am now, he is able to get up, see the food is there- and then let me sleep in til 7. EDIT - (10/24/2011): It's still working well but there is one point I feel I need to add to the review... the timer needs to be "re-activated" after it cycles through one time. It's not a negative point, you just have to remember that when you refill the food, you must push the start button again. I had been taking the lid off once a day and refilling the empty trays, but then I realized that it doesn't just go cycle through for 6 to 1... after the tray circles around once, you have to push START again. EDIT - (2/28/2012): This product is still working great for me. Although it does offer the option to record your voice as the food tray turns, I don't use it. The machine makes a very distinct click as it starts to move and my cat has learned to listen for the click... when it goes off, you better not get in his way or he will run you over to get to the machine. He hasn't yet figured out how to move the little trap door that blocks the first round of food and he is pretty smart overall (he can open doors by jumping up and hanging on the handle, etc.). Overall I'm still happy with this purchase. I also haven't changed the batteries yet and I've used it everyday since I bought it. I have changed the feeding rotation and made 6am the 1st setting instead of 11pm. I don't go to bed til after 11pm so it's easier to fill it up once every 2 days before bed and put the trap door on it over night... then at 6am when the tray turns, the trap door moves as well. EDIT - (5/21/2012): This product still works great. I am still on my original set of batteries and I've been using it every day since I got it. I was hesitant that it would last even this long but it's still working fine. EDIT - (2/7/2013): Still works just as well as the day I got it! I have only changed the batteries once a few months ago and I don't know how I'd live without something like this at this point... it has kept my cat happy and fed, especially when I need to go away for a day or two and don't have anyone who can take care of him. EDIT - (7/15/2013): Going to be ordering a 2nd unit in a few weeks... got a new kitten for my older cat to play with :-) EDIT - (8/14/2013): It looks like the legacy I'll leave behind on Amazon is this review of a cat feeder... oh boy! Anyway, my kitten must be smarter than my cat because he's figured out how to open the little door with his mouth. That said, I sprayed a very small amount of Bitter Yuck Spray on it and now he leaves it alone. So those of you who have problems with smart cats might want to look into something like that to deter them! EDIT - (11/17/2013): My youngest cat is very food motivated and finally learned how to successfully rip the lid off of this feeder! To counter this, and I imagine this will work for a number of these style of feeders... I found a cardboard box that is a little bigger than the feeder, cut a hole the size of the open food tray, and then taped the top of the box shut. After I reload the feeder, I put it inside the box from the bottom... the weight of the feeder on the flaps holds the box on the ground... and the cat can't rip off the lid. Good luck! Here is a crude drawing of what I've done. tinypic(dot)com/r/207voed/5 EDIT - (11/21/2013) I realize that creating a box to put this feeder in is an extra step and I hope that the company that makes this product comes out with a newer version. In the meantime though, for this price (<$40), I will deal with having to had spend the 10 minutes making the box once. If anyone from the company reads this, you can fix the product by redesigning it so that the little cover that is supposed to cover the initial feeding hole is better secured to the lid, and not able to be pulled off by the cat. I would also make it so that the hole that opens up lines up better with the feeding area. You also need a better way to secure the lid so that cats can't rip it off. EDIT - (6/12/2014) - My legacy of longest running updates on an Amazon review continues (Can I get an official judgement on this? LOL). Both of my feeders are still working great. The original one has slowed down considerably, but its still working! I want to thank the 464 people who found this review helpful... to the 2 unhelpful votes, feel free to let me know what else you need :-D EDIT - (2/27/2015) - It looks like Amazon put this under the dog feeders category... unless you have a small dog, I don't think you'd want this. It is however a good size for cats. EDIT - (8/24/2015) - i am still on my original two units that i ordered. i was also on my two original box solutions, but recently threw them out from them getting kind of gross looking. i realize i never posted a picture of my boxes, so let me describe again in detail. if your cats are getting into this (which is really the only flaw in this unit - a big flaw, yes, but easily dealt with): i was using the 12x12x5.5 US post office flat rate box. obviously make sure that it was already sent through the mail as i believe it is a crime to just take the box and not use it for postal service. tape the top of the box as if you were going to mail a package. leave the bottom of the box open. place the feeder into the box, from the bottom. take a marker and mark the top part of the box where you believe the feeding hole is. at this point it's almost as if you're going to be mailing the feeder in the box. the top of the feeder should be touching the top of box (from the inside). now, fold the bottom flaps of the box on top of one another to close it. you should be holding a box that, if you were to not holding it from the bottom, the feeder would fall out... so, while holding the bottom flaps shut, put the box onto the floor. carefully cut a hole into the top of the box (the part that is taped closed) where you marked the location of the feeder hole. widen that hole as necessary so that the cat can get its head in. ideally it should be able to just get into the feeding part, you don't want the hole to be too big. now, the cat can't rip the lid off of the feeder. the weight of the feeder on the unsecured closed box flaps on the bottom will prevent the cat from getting the box off, and there won't be enough clearance inside the box for the cat to rip the lid off. i want to make a wooden version of this so that i can paint it and it will look better than post office boxes. if anyone wants to do this for me, just let me know :D - take care all, until next time, yours truly, cat feeder review man... EDIT - (10/27/2016) - still on my original two units. no longer using box solution. single piece of black electrical tape across the top has kept my cats out. for an update on my cats, the one has gotten pretty fat. he is almost 5 years old. the little one is about 3. he is not as food motivated anymore. i probably don't even need the tape across the top. i did drop one of the units though and the snaps broke off, so the tape is all that holds it on. until next time, enjoy yourself! EDIT - (2019-05-16) - I just want to let everyone know that my two cats are still enjoying these two feeders. EDIT - 2019-10-07 - i am adding a picture of my cats to this review. they both still eat breakfast every morning out of these two feeders. to be honest, i am surprised at how these things have held up. i don't think i've changed the batteries in them since 2016. the black cat (weezy) turns 9 this month and the white cat (tod) turned 6 in may. i often think about how much has happened since i first bought these products years ago. these feeders have been moved through four apartments and are now in our first home. my girlfriend (at the time) who convinced me to let us get our first pet (the black cat) is now my fiance! i can't help but think that so much of what has happened in my life is a direct result of these "Qpets automatic pet feeders." it was 8 years ago to the day that i ordered my first one - oct 7th 2011. maroon 5's "moves like jagger" was the #1 song in america. saudi arabia had just given women the right to vote! and there i was, losing sleep from a having to wake up and feed a hungry cat. could i have imagined all that would happen in the next 8 years? how could i know that a simple purchase from amazon would lead my life in such a splendid way? i'm hesitant to bump this up to a five star review, but i would remiss to not mention the success and joy that this purchase may have provided. this review has touched so many hearts. i appreciate all of your comments and well-wishes. amazon has apparently removed the ability to see how many "unhelpful" votes were given, but i count 2012 helpful votes as of today. that's up from 464 in 2014. my limited vocabulary and poor education has not adequately prepared me to show my gratitude, so i shall just say: thanks! but, back to earth, for a minute at least. amazon no longer sells this feeder directly. i fear that this page may be purged in the coming months, as whatever manufacturer makes this feeder has clearly started selling it (and it's variations) under other names on amazon. i'm hopeful that we will "meet" again. i will continue to update as long as the powers-that-be allow it. if i do not return, don't weep. enjoy the love of your pets, and know that as long as you own this feeder, we share some intangible, ineffable bond - a companionship only a company like amazon could provide.