Here’s the headline, though: Automatic pet-food dispensers are no substitute for human interaction. 1 gadgets pet owners ask me about are programmable pet-food dispensers that will feed their pets when they’re not around. As Wirecutter’s pets writer, however, I’ve found that the No. (It should be noted that cat owners are three times as likely as dog owners to leave their pets home alone while they travel, according to the American Pet Products Association’s annual pet ownership survey.) They set up cheap security cameras to keep a close watch on their pets, and they buy automatic litter boxes (which we don’t recommend) to scoop away excrement. When in a bind, I’ve followed her advice-and I’m not alone.įor some pet owners, the process of leaving a pet to their own devices when they head out of town has gotten more sophisticated than what my mom recommends. Twenty-odd years later, my mom still suggests that I leave a big bowl of kibble out for my cat when there’s a last-minute trip and my pet sitter is otherwise committed. We’d always return home to find the food mostly gone and Shaka no worse for wear. When I was growing up, my parents would set out large mixing bowls full of cat food and water for our dilute tortoiseshell, Shaka, before we raced out of town for a family emergency or a long weekend away.

Gravity feeder dog