Our blog is reader-supported, if you purchase any products through the links below we may receive a small commission. Learn more
If you lead a busy hectic lifestyle it can often be difficult to feed your cat at their desired eating times.
Of course, you can leave a bowl of dry food out throughout the day but this isn’t always the ideal solution, especially if you have more than one cat or you have a cat that has specific dietary requirements.
This is where automatic pet feeders come in and PetSafe has an interesting option in the Healthy Pet Simply Feed.
Do You Need An Automatic Cat Feeder?
Automatic cat feeders are very useful and have a place in most cat owner’s households, however, they aren’t necessary in my opinion.
They are very nice to have but if you spend most of your time at home or someone is at your house throughout the day then you may not need one.
OK, just to clear that up as I don’t want this blog to become a resource for every cat product out there and stating that you must buy them in order to enjoy cat ownership. Most of these new automated pet products are great to have and really are beneficial but you need to consider whether or not you want your house littered (pun intended) with lots of cat items that do take up space.
So, the answer to the above question would be it depends on a few factors as discussed above.
What Is The PetSafe Healthy Pet Simply Feed?
The PetSafe Healthy Pet Simply Feed is an automatic pet feeder that can feed either a cat or dog.
The good thing about this pet feeder is the fact that it’s digitally programmable and you can schedule up to 12 meals per day.
Some of the features that are unique to this product make it quite a market leader in my opinion.
One of the first things that first jumped out at me when looking at pet feeders were that most of them don’t have a large storage capacity which for me would be one of the most important features of an automatic pet feeder.
The PetSafe Healthy Pet Simply Feed comes with a 24 cup (5,678 ml) capacity which is huge, to say the least, and ideal if you have multiple cats or you spend long periods of time away from home.
The other main benefit is the digitally programmable meals which allow you to determine the portion size of each meal and the time of the meals.
The feeder holds dry and semi-dry food and it’s contained in a chamber with a locking lid that’s said to retain the freshness of food.
What’s In The Box?
- PetSafe Healthy Simply Feed Unit
- Large stainless steel feeding bowl
- Instruction manual
- Requires 4 x D-cell batteries which aren’t included
PetSafe Healthy Pet Simply Feed Features
- Fully programmable
- Schedule up to 12 meals per day
- Control portion sizes
- Easy to use LCD digital display
- Pet-proof dispenser
- Ideal for both cats and dogs
- Slow dispensing option
- Locking lid keeps freshness
- Holds 24 cups (5,678 ml) of dry food
- Easy to clean and disassemble
Dimensions 18.5 x 8.7 x 12.4 inches
Weight 4.6 pounds
What’s The PetSafe Healthy Pet Simply Feed Like?
Overall it is a nicely built sturdy unit. Due to it being designed for both cats and dogs it means that it’s been designed to be able to withstand a dog trying to open the lid or move the feeder around. As result, it does feel like it will be safe from attacks from your feline friends!
It’s very easy to set up and use, also the instruction manual is quite in depth which is good.
Of course, the pet feeder market is quite saturated with many different options out there so it can sometimes be difficult to cut through the noise and find a product that does fit your needs.
There are plenty of smaller feeders that are on the market and they are quite a bit cheaper (as the PetSafe healthy pet simply feed isn’t cheap) but they generally just feel a bit well.. cheap and flimsy!
Disadvantages
There aren’t really many disadvantages to this feeder, overall it is an effective solution that does more than most feeders out there don’t do.
Something I’d like to see is a feeder that can dispense both dry and wet food and keep the wet food in a cold, fresh, refrigerated fashion. This for me would be the “ultimate” pet feeder. I know there are some smaller pet feeders that can dispense small wet food meal but none can dispense say 8-12 meals and keep the food in a nice fresh state.
This product doesn’t really claim to be that kind of feeder really and I’m not really sure what constitutes to “semi-wet food”.
The main disadvantage that will put some people off this feeder is the price, it isn’t cheap and there are definitely cheaper options out there. However, I’m a firm believer you get what you pay for.. and with PetSafe products (in my own experience) I’ve found them to be well-built and provide good customer service which, of course, does have a price.
Personally, when buying pet products I like to buy a brand I know and trust and it just as though happens that I like PetSafe products and my personal experience of them has been good so far. As a result, they tend to be my first port of call when looking for anything pet related that’s automated.
There is some noise when the food is dispensed so be aware of this as some cats can get a little jumpy at first until they get used it. I wouldn’t say the feeder is noisy as such but then again I wouldn’t want it in my bedroom at night. So you do need to be aware of this before you decide where it will be situated in your house.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a good solid pet feeder than you can’t go wrong with the PetSafe Healthy Pet Simply Feeder in my opinion. There’s a reason that it’s a best seller on retailer sites. The build quality is good and it seems like it’s built to last.
If you can get your head around the expensive price tag and see it as more of an investment that will save you time and effort and improve your cats eating habits then it could be defined as a bargain to some. If you can’t then there are many cheaper feeders on the market.