Cat Mate C300 Automatic Pet Feeder Review

Cat Mate C300 is an automatic feeder that allows you to feed your cat up to 3 meals per day, one meal served at present time by default. This means you can program two meals that will get locked and will be dispensed automatically. One food compartment (as you see in the picture) is open and it’s meant to feed the cat right away.

If you need to program more than 2 meals per day, the Cat Mate C500 is suitable to feed up to 5 meals per day, 4 meals being programmable and one meal is open by default.

I decided to make a review of this automatic feeder because I thought it was a good solution to feed the cat before we leave for work and the other 2 meals later while we are away from home.

Features of Cat Mate C300

• Programmable automatic feeder
• LCD display
• Easy to clean with removable dishwasher-safe lid and tray
• Feeding tray has 3 food compartments
• Dispenses 3 meals, 2 programmed and one it’s served at present time
• Each food compartment holds 11.5 ounces (¾ lbs) wet food (or equal volume of dry food).
• Includes ice pack to keep food fresh
• Can be secured fastened to a wooden board for extra stability
• Battery operated 24-hr digital timer
• Clock format in 12-hr or 24-hr
• Powered with 3 x AA batteries (not included) that last up to 12 months.
• BPA-free plastic
• Ice pack available as spare
• 3 year guarantee

Dimensions

• General: 9.1” x 9.5” x 3.6”
• Food compartment: 8″ W at the middle x 3-3/4″ L from front to back. Sides are 3-1/2″ long. Depth: 1.75″ at the back and 1-1/2″ deep at the front.

How it works

After programming the feeder you put wet or dry food in each compartment. The top lid covers two meals out of 3, leaving one food compartment exposed by default for the cat to eat at the present moment. When it’s time for the cat to eat the second meal, the feeding tray will rotate, exposing the next food compartment for your cat to eat. The same with the third meal. The ice pack sits under the rotating tray to keep the food fresh.

How the timer works

The feeder features a 24-hour digital timer that allows you to program two meals within 24 hours or two meals in 48 hours.

The LCD panel displays Meal #1 and Meal #2. If you want a 24-hr feeding schedule of 2 meals p/day you must program the Meal #1 and Meal #2. If you want a 2-day feeding schedule of one meal p/day you must program only the Meal #1 and cancel Meal #2. Just follow the instructions how to cancel Meal #2 on the User Manual.

How to program the meals

Once you set the master clock you are ready to program the meals, as following:

1. Press UP or DOWN button to highlight Meal #1
2. To set the hour, press and hold ADJ/SET button for 3-seconds until Meal #1 flashes. Set the hour by pressing UP or DOWN button. To save the hour press ADJ/SET
3. To set the minutes, press ADJ/SET until the minute figures flashes. Set the minutes by pressing UP or DOWN button. Press ADJ/SET to save the minutes chosen.

If you want to set 2 meals per day

Repeat the same above steps with Meal #2

One meal per day for 2 days

Just program Meal #1 according to the steps described above and follow the instructions to cancel Meal #2. DO NOT program Meal #2.

Considerations when programming the Cat Mate C300

• The meal times can be programmed only in 10 minutes
• The meals display in chronological order. The next meal will be served at the next set meal time. For example, if you are programming the feeder in the morning and you want the first meal to dispense the next morning and the second meal in the evening, the feeder will dispense the first meal in the evening of the day you are programming the unit. Try to program the unit at night for the next day.
• You need to program the feeder only once and this schedule will repeat everyday. When changing batteries make sure to do it within 30-60 seconds to keep the settings.

What are the pros & cons of the Cat Mate C300?

The following pros and cons provide you with details that you won’t find anywhere else. This will help you to make a well informed decision:

PROS

• BPA-free plastic
• Unit is easy to setup
• You can feed your cat up to 3 meals per day, first meal is uncovered and it’s eaten at present time.
• Ability to dispense 2 meals within 48 hours
• Allows you to feed your cat wet and dry food
• Good capacity on each food compartment
• Low battery indicator
• Not clicking typical of quartz timers
• Ice packs keep food fresh
• The extra weight provided by the ice packs keeps the cats from sliding the unit around.
• Feeder can be attached to a wooden board to secure it in place.
• Availability to buy extra ice packs as backup

CONS

• Only 2 meals are locked and can be programmed.
• The feeder is loud when rotating
• Energetic cats can violate the feeder by flipping it upside down (if your cat is food-aggressive you must secure the feeder to a wooden board)
• Low-battery warning can’t be seen at a glance
• Food compartment is not wide enough for two cats to eat from the same opening.

Tips & Recommendations

• If the lid opening doesn’t align well and it’s in between two food slots simply press the ADJ/SET and UP arrow buttons together for 3 seconds to achieve alignment.
• To keep the food fresh it’s recommended to keep the feeder away from direct sunlight and from humidity.
• This feeder is not suitable to use outdoors.
• Make sure always to keep backup batteries in case you overlook the battery life indicator showing low. The batteries usually die within hours after noticing the indicator.
• If you set the feeder to dispense twice a day the batteries may last less than feeding your feline only once per day. Consider this point to check the battery indicator before 12 months.
• If you want to keep the canned food fresh for longer, freeze the can and put the food in the tray without spreading it too much.

Suggestions if you travel

• Put new batteries in case you need to travel for the weekend. It’s safer since you know the feeder will be working. Getting back home you can keep using the older batteries and keep the new ones for later.
• Make sure to fasten the feeder to a wooden board if you can’t check the feeder for more than a day.

My final thoughts about this feeder

Cat Mate C300 offers the option to feed the cat right away before leaving for work and then the next two meals will be dispensed automatically.

My bottom line

The Cat Mate C300 is excellent to feed cats dry or wet food. Ideal for 3-meal-per-day feeding schedules. If you have a highly energetic cat or a food-driven kitty, I recommend using this unit if you fasten it to a wooden board to make it cat-proof. Also, I don’t suggest leaving wet food for 2 days, unless you leave the feeder at a cool temperature and freeze the wet food.

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