Alright, so I decided to dive into the world of automatic pet feeders, and the one I ended up wrestling with was this ipettie gadget. My cat, Whiskers, he’s a creature of habit, you know? And my schedule, well, it’s been all over the place. So, something had to give, and it wasn’t going to be Whiskers missing a meal, not on my watch.
Getting Started with this Thing
So, the box arrived. Nothing fancy, just your standard cardboard affair. I pulled everything out. The main unit, the bowl, the power adapter, and a little instruction booklet that looked like it was written by someone who’d only heard about pets in theory. First impression? It felt a bit plasticky, but not super cheap, if that makes sense. Tolerable.
Assembly wasn’t exactly rocket science, thankfully. I just had to snap the food bowl onto the front of the dispenser. It clicked in easy enough. Then I popped open the lid on top where the food goes. Seemed straightforward. I gave all the food-touching parts a quick wash first, just common sense, right?
Figuring Out the Settings
This was where things got a little… interesting. I plugged the feeder in. The display lit up. Then I had to set the current time. The buttons were a bit small for my liking, and I probably fat-fingered it a couple of times. Then came the meal programming. You gotta decide:
- How many meals per day.
- What time for each meal.
- How much food for each meal – this was the fiddly bit.
The “portion size” is a bit abstract. It’s like “1 portion,” “2 portions.” I had to dispense a few test portions into a measuring cup to figure out what a “portion” actually meant in terms of kibble for Whiskers. Took a bit of trial and error. I even tried the voice recording thing. Recorded myself saying “Whiskers, dinner time!” Felt a bit daft doing it, but hey, maybe it’d make him feel better.
The Real Test – Food and Furball
Okay, settings locked in, or so I hoped. I poured a load of Whiskers’ favorite kibble into the hopper. Closed the lid, making sure it was secure because, you know, cats can be ninjas when they want to be. I did a manual dispense first, just to see it work. The little motor whirred, and out came the food. Looked about right.
Then came Whiskers. He heard the noise, obviously. He approached this new plastic overlord with extreme caution. Sniffed it. Gave it a suspicious glare. When the food came out, he jumped back a bit. Then, slowly, he crept forward and started eating. Success, I guess? He wasn’t exactly thanking me, but he ate.
Living With It Day to Day
So, we’ve been using this ipettie feeder for a while now. Reliability? It’s been pretty decent, actually. Hasn’t jammed on me yet, which was a big worry. The food level window is handy, so I know when it’s time to refill. The voice recording plays, and Whiskers now associates my disembodied voice with food appearing, which is mildly amusing.
Cleaning isn’t too bad. The bowl and the hopper come apart easily enough to wash them out. I try to do that regularly because old food bits can get nasty. I also put batteries in it, just in case the power goes out. Haven’t had to test that feature yet, thankfully, but it’s good peace of mind.
One thing I noticed is that Whiskers sometimes sits and stares at it, willing it to dispense food ahead of schedule. It’s quite the standoff. He hasn’t managed to break into it, though, so the lid is doing its job. Strong lid, gotta give it that.
So, What’s the Verdict?
Honestly, this ipettie automatic feeder has been a pretty solid bit of kit. It took a bit of fiddling to get the portions just right, and the buttons could be better, but it does what it says on the tin. It feeds the cat on time, every time, whether I’m home or not. Takes a load off my mind.
If your schedule is unpredictable, or you just want to make sure your furry overlord gets fed consistently, yeah, I’d say it’s worth a look. It’s not perfect, nothing ever is, but it’s made my life, and probably Whiskers’ life, a little bit easier. And that’s not a bad thing at all.
