Okay, so I finally caved and got one of those automatic pet feeders, a “Sure Pet Feeder” to be exact. My cat, Mittens, has this annoying habit of waking me up at 5 AM, yowling for breakfast. I love her, but I also love sleep. So, I figured this thing would be a lifesaver. Here’s how the whole setup process went, bumps and all:
Unboxing and First Impressions
First, I ripped open the box. Inside, there was the feeder itself (obviously), a couple of bowls (one stainless steel, one plastic), a mat, and the instruction manual. My first thought: “Wow, this thing is bigger than I expected.” I mean, it’s not HUGE, but it definitely takes up some space.
Reading (Skimming) the Manual
Next, I grabbed the manual. Important step, right? Well, I’ll be honest, I mostly skimmed it. Pictures are worth a thousand words, and all that. It seemed pretty straightforward: plug it in, put in batteries (as a backup, which is smart), and program the feeding times.
The Battery Struggle
Speaking of batteries… that was my first hurdle. The manual said it takes C batteries. I thought I had some, but nope. All I could find were AAAs and a couple of lonely AAs. So, off to the store I went. It wasn’t that big a deal, the store is around corner, after coming back, I unscrewed the battery compartment (which, by the way, required a tiny screwdriver I had to hunt for), and popped in the batteries. Finally, some progress!
Programming the Beast
This is where things got a little tricky. The feeder has these buttons on the top, and you have to use them to set the clock and the feeding schedule. It involved a lot of pressing and holding, and I definitely messed it up a few times. The display is pretty small, and my eyesight isn’t what it used to be. After about 15 minutes of fiddling, I think I got it right. I set it to feed Mittens a small portion at 6 AM and another at 6 PM.
The Food Test
Now for the real test. I filled the hopper with Mittens’ dry food. It holds a surprisingly large amount, which is good. I then did a manual feed test, just to make sure the thing actually worked. It whirred, and a small amount of food dropped into the bowl. Success! (Or so I thought…)
Mittens Reaction
I placed one of bowls with food insdie the feeder, and I put the feeder in place. I showed it to Mittens, she sniffed around. She took a tentative bite, then another, and then… she started eating! She seemed a little confused at first, but she definitely approved of the food delivery system.
The 6 AM Wake-Up Call (Or Lack Thereof)
The next morning was the real test. I braced myself for the usual 5 AM meow-fest, but… silence. I checked my watch. 6:15 AM. I peeked into the living room, and there was Mittens, happily munching away at her breakfast. The feeder had worked! I got an extra hour of sleep, and Mittens got her food on time. It was a win-win.
Final Thoughts (For Now)
So far, so good. The Sure Pet Feeder seems to be doing its job. It was a little bit of a pain to set up, especially the programming part, but it wasn’t anything too complicated. The important thing is that it’s keeping Mittens fed and me well-rested. I’ll update this if anything changes, but for now, I’m a happy camper (and a well-slept one, at that!).
