This is a comprehensive review of the SureFeed Microchip Cat Feeder from SureFlap, which I’ve included in the list of the best cat automatic feeders.
The SureFeed Microchip Cat Feeder is an automated cat feeder equipped with a collar sensor that can be programmed to recognize your cat’s microchip. It’s compatible with embedded microchips or microchips attached to collars, working seamlessly with all pet ID microchips available worldwide and especially designed for SureFlap RFID collar tags.
I’m personally excited to share this review because the SureFeed Microchip Cat Feeder has truly transformed the lives of my pets and me. Even though I’ve switched to the Feeder Robot, I still consider the SureFeed Cat Feeder an excellent choice.
Since acquiring this automatic cat feeder, I’ve gained valuable insights into my cats’ behavior and discovered ways to enhance their well-being. This device has not only improved their physical health but also their interactions with one another.
Living in a multi-pet and multi-cat household with two dogs and three cats, managing five distinct personalities and attitudes across two species (not to mention occasional visitors like my niece and nephews), paints a vivid picture of our sometimes chaotic home.
Why I Bought SureFeed Cat Feeder
The primary issue that prompted us to purchase and acquaint ourselves with the SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder was that our larger dogs had a tendency to steal food from our smaller cats. While one of my cats would often try to fight back, the other two were much less courageous and quite timid. This resulted in their food being consistently pilfered by the other two dogs and occasionally even by my bolder, larger cat. It’s a problem we’ve had to contend with during the two years we’ve had our pets.
My partner and I were constantly monitoring our pets during feeding times to ensure our cats received their fair share. It became quite a hassle, and unfortunately, we couldn’t be present all the time to supervise. This led to serious issues, with the two cats frequently needing veterinary care due to malnutrition. It was a dire situation.
Things reached a point where my cats required a special diet: my larger, braver cat was placed on a weight management plan, while the other two received heavy supplements.
READ ALSO: Litter Robot 3 Open Air HUGE review: worth $549 or NOT?
SureFeed Cat Feeder Was My Solution
Then my vet introduced us to the SureFeed Microchip Cat Feeder. I was skeptical at first because, to be honest, I thought it was some kind of scam where my vet would ask me to buy three expensive items with health issues for my fur babies as a convenient justification. I quickly learned I was wrong.
This automated cat feeder worked like a miracle. Now each of my pet cats has their own SureFeed Cat Feeder with their own special mix of food, one that only they can access.
It helped stop malnutrition, dietary issues, food theft, bullying, and fighting in the house and among my cats.
SureFeed Cat Feeder Description
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| Amazon Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 CHECK REVIEWS |
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| Price | CHECK AT AMAZON |
Like I mentioned earlier, the SureFeed Microchip Cat Feeder is an automated cat feeder with a collar sensor. It’s constructed from durable, high-impact plastic and is surprisingly lightweight at approximately 2.2 pounds, considering it houses a working motor and battery. The feeder stands at around 13 inches in height, 9 inches in length, and about 8 inches in width.
It features a high arch loop that also functions as a microchip reader, flanked by clear plastic coverings on the sides to discourage food theft attempts. When your cat approaches the feeding basin or bowl, their neck passes by or comes near the SureFeed arch, which then detects whether the cat should have access to the food in their feeder. If it’s the right cat, the cover retracts, allowing access to the food.
However, if a bully or a larger cat approaches the cat feeder while the rightful cat is eating, they’ll have no choice but to push the rightful cat away, deactivating access to the food tray. It’s a simple yet effective mechanism.
SureFeed Cat Feeder Review
The positive
The most glaringly positive aspect of the SureFeed Microchip Cat Feeder is the fact that it undeniably works; there’s just no way around it. It’s simple, and it works.
As I mentioned earlier, when we first acquired the SureFeed Microchip Cat Feeder, we had numerous concerns. I was worried that the machine’s noise would scare my cats, doubted its functionality, wasn’t a fan of the plastic bowls, was concerned about the battery life, and preferred it to be wall socket-powered. I even thought programming my cats’ microchips and the SureFeed Microchip Cat Feeder itself would be a challenge. However, none of those worries materialized. A quick read through the SureFeed Cat Feeder manual, and we were good to go. It literally took me about 10 minutes to program all of my cats into their respective bowls.
There was one exception, though, as I noticed it wasn’t reading one cat’s tag. We initially thought this kitty feeder was faulty, but it read the other cats’ microchips perfectly. Later, we discovered that our cat’s microchip was either damaged or not functioning properly.
The negative
Photo Amazon
While I sing the praises of the SureFeed Microchip Cat Feeder, there are several areas I’d like to see improvements in. First and foremost is the bowl; I would greatly prefer a stainless steel bowl over a plastic one. It’s not a major issue, but I’ve found that metal bowls are easier to clean and maintain for my pets’ overall hygiene.
Another concern is the power supply. Since it operates on batteries, I’ve developed an unfounded fear that this automatic feeder might suddenly run out of battery, leaving my cats without dinner for an entire day until I return from work. Surprisingly, the battery life is quite long, but you can’t blame me for worrying about my furry family going hungry, right?
Lastly, it’s not a significant issue, but I do wish they had made the arch a bit larger. I feel like my larger cat needs to crouch down lower than my smaller and medium-sized pets to access the food bowl.
Final Overview
Aside from these minor issues I’ve listed, which I consider to be “nitpicking,” I absolutely love the SureFeed Microchip Cat Feeder. Do I recommend getting one for each of your cats, as I did? Well, it depends on whether you think your cats need it. I got each of them one because they had different meals specifically designed for them. If you prefer, you can have your cats share a single SureFeed Microchip Cat Feeder if they have the same diet and purchase separate ones for those with special dietary needs.
I highly recommend the SureFeed Microchip Cat Feeder, it is a real life changer. They are often are on special on Amazon. Make sure to check the price today.
Don’t forget to stop by and check out my comprehensive list of the best cat automatic feeders.
Thanks for reviewing this. Why did you change to the feeder robot? Does that allow controls for individual cats and help with weight control and special diets?
I described it in my Feeder-Robot review.
I read the Feeder Robot review for the answer to the above poster’s question and didn’t see the answer either. In this review, you have multiple cats you are trying to manage but in the other just sounds like one cat. You don’t mention the issues you mention above trying to control who is eating what etc. Honestly, seems misleading. At a minimum, you could have put as a con that it doesn’t manage multiple cats.
We purchased one and got the hub also. Neither worked. We wasted several hours speaking to Chewy’s, attempting to reach the maker, and trying to get it to work ourselves. It should have never passed their R&D department. It’s a low quality product. We need better ones on the market. A lot of owners also report that their cats are able to steal food while the designated cat is eating. I would avoid this product and use the portion pro instead, it also allows for another animal to take food but it’s much more reliable and a better build.
We have two cats, each on a special diet as well: senior supplements and weight gain, and weight loss and management. It was a similar situation where our bully cat was stealing food and her sibling was getting alarmingly skinny while she was bulking up to life threatening levels. We needed a solution and this seemed like the only option on the market. It worked fantastically…for about two weeks. Then our fat cat figured out she could wait until her brother accessed his feeder and sit on the lid so it wouldn’t close after she chased him away. I don’t regret buying the feeders, since we still use them with our skinny cat and our new kitten (no hesitancy there at all, the kitten took to it immediately), but they didn’t really work as intended until we switch the fat cat’s food delivery to Doc and Pheobe’s Indoor hunting feeders; now she has constant access to food, which is important to her, but she’s actually slimming down because she has to work for it. She’s stopped stalking the other cats’ feeders and oddly enough they have no interest in her mouse feeders. So I think this product can work if you tailor your feeding program to your cats, but it’s not necessarily a solution on its own.
I bought my first Sureflap Sure Feed 5 years ago. I have 3 now. I have three cats on separate prescription diets so this was critical to being able to ensure that each got the correct food at the correct amount. One of my cats did learn how to “steal” from another cat by forcing his head in next to the other cat while it was eating, I could help this situation by not having the feeders right next to each other. I also have the Connect version as one of my cats has early onset kidney disease and seeing slight decreases in his food intake really helped me identify changes in his health before any other symptoms showed up (he’d slow food intake).
I wish I could find this feeder now! I would love to buy it for the new pet I am adopting but it’s sold out everywhere. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for this feeder because of your review! (if you decide to ever get rid of yours, I will buy it off of you ?)
Jessica,
If you’re still looking, surepetcare is who makes them, just add the dot com at the end. That’s where I had to get mine last time since everyone was out of them. The feeders aren’t perfect, but they are very good.