this post was submitted on 14 Sep 2026
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For me, feeding my cat is a major bonding event. Because that's like 50% of the reason why she even interacts with me. How does an automatic feeder affect that dynamic for you?
It is mainly for indoor cats. They bond with their owner every moment they are at home.
I feed her wet food when I get up and she gets dry food at 6pm and a couple of treats when we play before bed.
Our cats still demand we feed them personally.
She still wants attention from us. Hubs calls the feeder "wire mother."
The big thing is the consistency of the timing makes her a lot less anxious. She also still knows he's ultimately it's manager because she'll go find and yell at him if it fails to dispense food.
In that dynamic they are gettin out of home, it's reasonable to jave an automatic feeder when you are not home since cats in nature eat very often (but little)
My daughter has a good relationship with food and has never needed an automatic feeder to avoid overeating. We just keep a bowl out and she eats when she wants. Feeding isn't really bonding unless it is something she wants to taste or smell off my plate.