- Performance & Quality
- Design
- Ease of Use
- Features
Summary
The SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder is a truly revolutionary product for multi-pet homes. It simply works. This is an absolute must buy if food stealing or diet control are concerns.
The SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder’s roots began with Dr. Nick Hill, a Cambridge Physicist, who invented the revolutionary SureFlap cat door by using our pets’ existing ID microchips. The SureFlap products work by scanning your pets’ microchip and then performing an activity (such as unlocking the cat door). In 2014, they took it a step further and completely revolutionized diet management for multi-pet homes.
Do you have multiple cats? Maybe you have one cat who eats substantially more than the others? Or maybe you even have a dog who enjoys indulging on cat food from time to time. With the SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder, you can ensure that the food is eaten by the intended pet and not stolen or indulged on by another pet. During our hands-on review, we were able to keep our 12 year old cat from eating our new kitten’s meal every day. While the SureFeed does not have smartphone compatibility like a few other automatic pet feeders we reviewed, the concise control over diet with multiple pets is truly astounding. Take a look below at our full SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder review to see the design and features.
Design
SureFeed has a very unique design, certainly a one-of-a-kind product and interesting conversation piece when guests are over! The tall arch contains the microchip reading technology; when your pet approaches near or under the arch, the food door will open. The food bowl is approximately 4″ x 6″ x 1″, providing enough room for an entire meal. There are also accessories to modify the device, including split bowls in the event you want to feed hard and soft food. Multiple color options are available to match personal tastes including pink, green, blue, and gray. Overall size of the automatic pet feeder is approximately 8″ x 9″ x 12″.
Features at a Glance
- Ensures only specific pets eat from the bowl
- Prevents stealing of food from other pets
- Great dietary management
- Keeps food fresh longer
- Works with RFID Collar tags if your pet is not microchipped
- Works with both wet and dry food
- Suitable for both cats and dogs
- 6 month battery life
Training Mode
The SureFeed pet feeder has a training mode to get your pets aclimated with the device. Some animals may be a little skiddish of the movement of the lid when they approach it, so training is important. The manual that comes with the automatic pet feeder has a great tutorial on introducing your pets to the feeder. Here are the basics:
- Keep all other pets away during the training
- Introduce your pet to the feeder for a couple of days without any lid movement, as this is often the scary part!
- Begin adding increasing amounts of lid movement until they are used to the motion
Performance
We reviewed this product with a specific goal in mind – here’s the backstory. We have a 12 year old cat, 2 year old dog, and a new kitten. Our dog likes to steal cat food, and our 12 year old cat likes to steal the kitten’s food (but not dog food). To fix this, we now use two SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeders for the cats. Our kitten uses one and our 12 year old cat uses the other. Now, each cat can only access their individual food from their feeder, and the dog can no longer access cat food. Since our cats are not interested in dog food, we just use a regular bowl for that.
Overall the performance has been absolutely impressive. The door opens as soon as our cats approach their automatic pet feeders and shuts when they leave. You can also customize the amount of time it takes for the lid to close. This is particularly helpful if you have a pet that is nervous of the lid closing while they are eating (delay the lid closing), or if you have an aggressive pet and need it to close sooner. Setup was a breeze and cleanup is easy. The SureFeed pet feeder is an absolute must for multi-pet homes where stealing is a concern.
