Petnet SmartFeeder Review: Feed Your Pets Via App

Going away for a weekend sounds fun, unless you’re a cat owner whose pet considers free-feeding an excuse to eat everything at once, throw it all up, and then spend the rest of the weekend hungry. Enter the Petnet SmartFeeder, an automatic pet feeder you can control with your phone.

Petnet SmartFeeder Review:

Price and Where to Buy:  $119 on sale ($149 full price) on the Petnet website or Amazon.

How the Petnet SmartFeeder:

• Usefulness: 10/10. I’ve been using an automatic feeder for my cats for years, but have found the SmartFeeder to be a major upgrade over the previous generation of feeders. The hopper is large, so you fill it less often. You can schedule feedings via an app—the app even helps you determine how much you should be feeding your pet for optimal health. Because the feeding bowl is pressure sensitive, it knows if and when your pet skips meals—a useful thing to know if you’re away and trying to guess the health of your cat.
• Value: 9/10. The full cost of the feeder is about $150, which is on par with other, less useful pet feeders. On sale, it’s an even better deal. Note that the Petnet SmartFeeder is large enough for dogs to use too. But since you can’t really leave dogs on their own for the weekend, it’s really a cat-owner-centric vacation enabling tool.
• Cool Factor: 8/10. Being able to monitor your cat’s eating habits while away is a great tool for weekend travelers.

Final Verdict: If you’re looking for an automatic feeder that you can monitor via your phone and that will dole out appropriate portions to a cat who can’t be trusted to free feed, the SmartFeeder might be just the thing for you.

More from SmarterTravel:

• How to Travel with Your Dog: 8 Hotel Tips and Tricks
• 11 Pet-Friendly Hotels Your Dog (and You) Will Love
• Traveling with Pets

Editor’s Note: Reviews are based on usefulness, portability, durability, value, and “cool factor.” Some review products are sent to us free of charge and with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions, positive and negative, and will never accept compensation to review a product. If you have any questions or comments concerning our reviews or would like to suggest a product for review, please email us at editor@smartertravel.com.