A good automatic feeder does more than cover you when you are running late. Used properly it is one of the best tools I know for keeping a cat at a healthy weight, and feline obesity is genuinely one of the most common problems we see. Free feeding a bowl that is always full is how most cats slowly get overweight. The best automatic cat feeder in Australia lets you portion out several small meals a day, which suits a cat’s natural grazing but stops the endless topping up.
Here is how to choose one, and how to use it so it actually helps rather than just dispensing more food.
The best automatic cat feeder in Australia costs about $60 to $300. Simple timed dry food feeders start around $50 to $120, models with portion control and an app run $120 to $200, and microchip feeders that only open for one cat, like the SureFeed, cost about $225 to $300. For most homes a portion controlled feeder with a battery backup is the sweet spot, and it is one of the easiest ways to manage a cat’s weight.
If you just want the short answer, I would start with Automatic Portion Control Cat Feeder, programmable meals with a battery backup, the everyday workhorse.
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| Feeder type | Typical cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Timed dry food feeder | $50 to $120 | Free feeders who need set meal times |
| Portion control with app | $120 to $200 | Weight management and travel |
| Microchip feeder (SureFeed) | $225 to $300 | Multi cat homes, stopping food stealing |
| Wet food feeder (chilled) | $90 to $160 | Cats fed wet food on a schedule |
| Gravity feeder | $20 to $40 | Not recommended for weight control |
Why Portion Control Beats a Full Bowl
Cats are built to eat many tiny meals across the day, a bit like they would if they were hunting. The problem with leaving a big bowl out is that most house cats will eat well past what they need out of boredom, and the weight creeps on so gradually you do not notice until the vet mentions it. An automatic feeder lets you set the total daily amount your cat should have and split it into four, five or six small meals. The cat still gets to graze, but the machine stops at the daily limit. I have seen overweight cats slim down just from switching to a portioned feeder without changing the food at all, because it takes the guesswork and the guilt eyes out of it.
The Feeder Types, and Which Suits Your Cat
Timed dry food feeders are the simplest and cheapest. You fill a hopper, set the times, and it drops a measured amount of biscuits at each meal. They are reliable and fine for most cats. If you want tighter control, a feeder with proper portion settings and a phone app lets you adjust meals from work or while you are away, and many have a camera so you can check in.
Wet food feeders are a smaller category with chilled compartments and ice packs, useful if your cat is on wet food and you are out for the day, though they only hold a meal or two. I would steer people away from gravity feeders, the ones that just keep topping the bowl up from a big hopper, because they give you no control at all and defeat the whole purpose if weight is a concern.
Microchip Feeders for Multi Cat Homes
If you have more than one cat, a microchip feeder is worth every cent. It reads your cat’s existing microchip, the same one the vet scans, and only opens the lid for the right cat. This solves two problems at once: the greedy cat cannot steal the other one’s food, and a cat on a prescription or weight diet actually gets to eat its own meal. They are the priciest option, but in a house where one cat bullies the other off the bowl, or where you are feeding two different diets, nothing else really works. You can also use them to keep a food thieving cat out of the dog’s bowl and the other way around.
How to Work Out the Right Portion
A feeder only helps with weight if you set the right total amount, and this is where people either guess or trust the generous serving on the food packet. Start with the feeding guide on your cat’s food for its ideal weight, not its current weight if it is overweight, then split that daily total across the meals you have set. As a very rough guide, an average adult cat eats somewhere around 40 to 60 grams of dry food a day, but it varies a lot with the food, the cat and how active it is, so treat the packet as a starting point and adjust.
Weigh your cat every couple of weeks at first, and aim for slow, steady loss in an overweight cat rather than a crash diet, because cats that lose weight too fast can develop a serious liver problem called hepatic lipidosis. If your cat is on wet food or a mix, factor that into the daily total too. When in doubt, your vet or the vet nurse can help you set a target weight and a sensible daily amount.
Getting It Right: Backup Power, Cleaning and Fussy Cats
A few practical things decide whether you love or hate your feeder. First, get one that runs on batteries as a backup even if it plugs in, because a feeder that stops in a blackout while you are away is worse than useless. Second, check how easy it is to pull apart and wash, since the food chute gets greasy and can grow mould if it is fiddly to clean, and a feeder you dread cleaning is a feeder you will not clean.
Third, introduce it gradually. Some cats are startled by the noise of the motor at first, so run it a few times while you are home and put the first few meals through it by hand so they learn that the sound means food. Within a week almost every cat comes running at the whir.
Wet Food, Dry Food or Both?
An automatic feeder shapes what you can feed, so it is worth thinking about the two together. Most feeders handle dry biscuits, which is convenient and fine as a base, but many cats do better with at least some wet food, because it adds moisture and cats are notoriously bad drinkers, which matters for their urinary and kidney health. A common setup that works well is a dry food feeder handling the daytime and overnight meals on a schedule, while you serve a wet meal or two by hand morning and night when you are home.
If you want wet food dispensed while you are out, you need a specific chilled wet feeder with an ice pack, and even then only use it for a meal or two, because wet food should not sit out for long. Whatever you feed, keep the total daily amount in mind across both wet and dry, so the extras do not quietly undo the portion control.
Switching a Free Fed Cat to Scheduled Meals
If your cat has always had a full bowl, expect a bit of protest when you switch to set meals, especially the classic 5am wake up demanding breakfast. The trick is not to give in to it, because feeding a yowling cat teaches it that yowling works. Set the feeder to dispense the early meal itself, so the food arrives on the machine’s schedule rather than yours, and the cat quickly learns to sit by the feeder instead of your face. Introduce the change gradually over a week or two, shrinking the always available food and moving to measured meals, rather than going cold turkey overnight.
Give it a fortnight and most cats settle into the rhythm completely, and honestly they seem calmer for it, because a predictable routine suits them. You also get the bonus of spotting appetite changes early, since a cat that suddenly ignores a meal it usually races to is telling you something worth noticing.
Recommended Gear for Automatic Cat Feeder
This is the setup I would pick for a single cat or a small multi cat home. A feeder plus good water is the combination that quietly keeps a cat well. (these are affiliate links)
Related Cost Guides
Whichever feeder you choose, the trick is to set the total daily portion to what your cat actually needs and then leave it alone, rather than adding extra because they act hungry. A cat on regular measured meals is calmer, less pushy at 5am, and far more likely to stay at a healthy weight. Pair it with fresh flowing water and you have covered two of the things that quietly keep cats well for years.
This guide contains affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only point to gear I would actually use or sell.