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PETKIT Smart Automatic Pet Feeder Review

Updated: 2:47 am By Lorena Ávila 25 Comments

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Petkit Smart Pet Feeder

Petkit Smart pet feeder is a new automatic feeder that can be programmed and controlled on your smartphone with the Petkit App. The unit offers unique features, such as a dispensing system that doesn’t allow any type of food to get stuck in the feeder. This is possible due to using an oscillating bar, a spring check-board, and silicone impeller internally, which makes this unit dispense up to millions of feedings with no jam.

Petkit smart feeder keeps the food fresh with a desiccant box on top that prevents humidity, hence, mold formation inside the hopper.

FEATURES

  • Smart feeder Petkit App-controlled
  • Customizing portions and schedule, according to your cat’s needs
  • It dispenses up to 10 meal plans per day
  • Individual portions from 20g-400g.
  • With desiccant box to keep food dry and fresh
  • Removable dishwasher-safe food tray
  • Hopper capacity: 6 lb dry food
  • Food indicator
  • Suitable for all size cats
  • Wi-Fi enabled
  • With light to orientate cats at night
  • Dimensions Feeder: 17.5” D (with tray ) x 8.8” W x 19.7” H
  • Dimensions Desiccant box: 10cm x 12cm. (3.93” x 4.72”)
  • Power: AC adapter and backup batteries ( 4-D cell alkaline, not included)
  • Item weight: 11 lbs / 5kg
  • Color: Light Blue and White
  • One year warranty
  • One-month guarantee replacement
Cat next to Petkit Smart Feeder in a living room

Technical Requirements

Operating system: Apple iOS / Android OS
Input voltage: 100-240V
Output voltage: 6 V,1A

What Comes With The Unit:

  • 1 x PETKIT Smart Pet Feeder
  • 1 x AC/DC adapter
  • 1 x User Manual

HOW IT WORKS

Petkit Smart feeder connects to your Wi-Fi so you can manage all the functions of this feeder from your smartphone, using the Petkit App. With the App you can program up to 10 meal plans per day, anytime you choose within 24 hours. The meals can be individually customized from 1-20 portions each, the minimum portion is 20g (approx. ¼ cup) and the maximum portion is 400g. So you can feed your pet from 20g up to 400g at a time.

You can also feed your cat an extra meal at any time by choosing the portion of the “Feed Now” meal or snack, go to the home page, and press + button, at the bottom right. This will display a snack setting, turn on feed now (green), choose quantity and press save.

Once you program one specific feeding schedule, it will repeat every day. The App shows you the time when a meal is dispensed and the portion. If the internet connection or the power fails, it will show an error message on your phone, but the meal will still be dispensed.

Diagram showing functions of Petkit Smart Pet Feeder

The dispensing system of the Petkit Smart Feeder allows you to feed any type of kibble, even air-dried meat-based food. Flat big square-type kibble is not a problem for the Petkit dispensing system. The unit works with kibble sizes from 5mm up to 25mm dia. Also, you can check on the App how much food is left in the feeder so Petkit never runs out of food.

The Petkit keeps the food fresh with a desiccant box inside the feeder that needs to be replaced every 30 days.

The Petkit Smart Feeder works with an AC/DC adapter and battery backup in conjunction which ensures the operation and also retains the programmed master clock.

WHAT MAKES PETKIT SMARTFEEDER DIFFERENT THAN THE REST?

  1. PETKIT smart pet feeder has a 360° food-grade soft silicone ring on both the food outlet door and on the inside of the hopper, on the top lid, sealing the food from oxygen and contaminant agents. This ensures that the kibble won’t get stale or spoiled which is a common problem of automatic feeders when you fill-up the food container to the top.
  2. This unit features a desiccant box inside the feeder which absorbs humidity and keeps the dry food fresh.
  3. The Petkit dispensing system is jam-proof due to its zero stuck self-adaption mechanism, with an oscillating bar, spring check-board, and silicone impeller that is flexible and lets all types of kibble shapes go through towards the food outlet door without getting stuck.
  4. A small door protects the chute from mischievous paws from trying to access the food. The small door opens automatically and the food is dropped out of the chute as the wheel inside the feeder turns. Once the food is dropped, the door goes back into position blocking the chute. In case your cat sticks its paw inside the chute while the door is open, a sensor will keep the door open for several seconds as a safety measure.
Petkit internal and external parts

SET UP & Wi-Fi CONNECTION

As most new Wi-Fi’s have two frequency settings, you need to make sure your phone is connected to your 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network before installing. The device won’t work if you are connected to the 5 GHz setting.

VIDEO HOW TO BIND YOUR PETKIT SMART FEEDER WITH YOUR SMARTPHONE

PROS

  • Nice and sleek design
  • Well constructed
  • Easy to set up, following the instructions
  • The desiccant box inside the feeder keeps the food fresh. You can use the full capacity of this feeder without worrying about the food getting stale or moldy. This means it lasts a long time without the need of refilling.
  • The feeder is fully sealed with a silicone ring on both the food door and top lid.
  • Good capacity of 6 lb dry food
  • Stainless steel inside tray avoids bacteria formation
  • Food indicator on the App to never run out of food in your feeder.
  • It has an anti-jamming internal mechanism that accepts all shapes and kibble sizes, even square flat.
  • The unit is silent when operating. Only one beep at feeding time.
  • The App recommends a daily food intake for your cat based on your pet’s info.
  • The feeding tray is a large, shallow square dish that is removable for easy cleaning. Excellent to feed two cats.
  • Other users can be added to the App
  • Notification of time and portion dispensed

CONS

  • No voice recorder (it makes a “beep” noise)
  • The App doesn’t update automatically its internal time when switching to daylight savings time.
  • Connectivity may be tricky with some Wi-fi points.
  • The food sensor is a little off about 10% (when the feeder is full, it shows about 90% full)
  • The App recommends feeding amounts in different measurements than the feeders. You need to convert the recommended food amount into the feeder’s portions (20g each portion).
  • The footprint is large (length-wise). A “con” if you don’t have room to accommodate this unit.
  • You can’t buy extra trays as spares to have as a backup while you have one in the dishwasher.

TIPS

  • When binding your phone and Petkit feeder with the Wi-Fi home network you won’t be able to do it when connected to 5GHz. A tip is to reset to lower speed Wi-Fi, bind the feeder with the phone, and then put the Wi-Fi back to 5GHz. You will only need to do this once on the initial setup of the feeder.
  • Put the batteries in before filling up the feeder. Once the food hopper is full, it’s almost impossible to put the batteries without emptying the feeder.

CONCLUSION

Petkit Smart Automatic feeder offers unique features that will provide a solution to cat owners that are looking for a jam-proof feeder without worrying about the kibble size and shape of their cat’s food.

The feeder doesn’t have a webcam like some of the smart feeders of this price range but it offers other advantages such as a fully sealed food container, a desiccant box that keeps the kibble fresh, and the automatic chute door that opens only when dispensing and blocks the food once dropped in the tray. Also, the battery backup ensures that this feeder will always operate no matter what.

BOTTOM LINE

UPDATE: It seems like the latest versions of Petkit feeder are very hard to get connected to Wi-Fi. It takes almost an hour or more to get the unit connected. If you don’t have the patience to deal with that, I suggest you get a different unit.

√ I recommend Petkit Smart Feeder if you want a feeder that:

  • Allows you to empty the bag of food in it without the worry of the food getting stale or moldy.
  • Keeps you from having to refill often
  • Stops your stubborn cat from trying to get food from the chute
  • Feeds two cats with enough room on the tray for them to eat.
  • Gives you peace of mind the unit will keep operating even without internet or electric power.

x I wouldn’t suggest this unit if:

  • You want to see your cat on a video when eating
  • You want to take pictures of your cat and share videos of your pet.
  • You have a reduced space to place the unit (from back to front).
  • If you want a unit with accuracy regarding the food indicator

Filed Under: Cat Food Dispensers Reviews

Avatar for Lorena Ávila

About Lorena Ávila

Lorena Avila is a Marketing Engineer, Writer, cat figures collector, cat lover and cat owner, but above all a very passionate investigator of felines. She started investigating cat products 7 years ago when she couldn't find reliable reviews on the internet to buy an automatic feeder for her own cat and since then she has been helping others providing honest information online.
Follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Avatar for Dave UpdegraffDave Updegraff says

    April 11, 2019 at 11:24 pm

    Hi.
    This is very, very helpful, thankyou.

    One observation: I have a google-wifi AP that uses both 5 and 2.4Ghz bands, which other 2.4 Ghz units have no trouble connecting to. Petkit cannot. Also, even after heroically using another AP (set to same SSID/pw) that was limited to 2.4 Ghz only to successfully get set up between unit and phone-app, unit is not able to connect to original mixed-mode AP. So there are some very serious WIFI connectivity issues so far. The technical minutia are perhaps over my head, but at the very least it should be noted that this product will not work AT ALL! on some home wifi access-points. It is NOT! a general compliant WIFI device that will “just work”. It needs a very specific class of wifi Access Point, with a very specific capability of “settings”.

    Someone tried to save a nickel with cheaper wifi radio capabilities.

    Just FYI…

    Reply
    • Avatar for Lorena ÁvilaLorena Ávila says

      April 12, 2019 at 11:28 pm

      The manufacturer updated the software on April 2019 and now the feeder works with no problem regarding connectivity. Thanks for your input Dave!

      Reply
      • Avatar for Cecilia GonzalezCecilia Gonzalez says

        December 16, 2019 at 3:55 pm

        Hi I just purchased this device and I cannot get it to connect to any wifi. I have tried at 2 different houses with different wifi’s
        Any advice?

        Reply
        • Avatar for Lorena ÁvilaLorena Ávila says

          December 16, 2019 at 6:07 pm

          Hello Cecilia you need to connect the feeder using 2.4GHz network, if you don’t it won’t connect. The feeder has the “con” that is hard to connect but you have to keep trying, it will connect.

          Reply
    • Avatar for Louie FranklinLouie Franklin says

      January 23, 2021 at 11:47 pm

      Agree I’m having similar experience. Since purchased a brand new unit to find the same issues.

      Reply
      • Avatar for MattMatt says

        September 15, 2022 at 8:26 am

        Same issue here. Bought three and none of them connect to our network which is set to 2.4 exclusively. Even when the device is sitting next to an AP. There are heaps of reviews on reddit and amazon saying the same thing.

        Reply
        • Avatar for Lorena ÁvilaLorena Ávila says

          September 17, 2022 at 2:46 am

          Thanks for sharing your experience, Matt. As you can see I updated my review long ago warning about this issue with this feeder. I hope you can find a solution to it.

          Reply
  2. Avatar for QuinnQuinn says

    September 13, 2019 at 11:21 pm

    Hi Lorena, is the weight sensor for the feeding bowl? I’m thinking of a situation when I’m away. If it’s still full, will I know not to keep feeding and to stop an overflow?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Lorena ÁvilaLorena Ávila says

      September 17, 2019 at 2:46 am

      Hi Quinn, the feeder features an infrared sensor.

      Reply
  3. Avatar for Louie FranklinLouie Franklin says

    September 22, 2019 at 4:53 pm

    Hi my feeder doesn’t work automatically with app due to saying not enough food. When bin is full. Is it faulty? Been great for about 6 months

    Louie

    Reply
    • Avatar for Lorena ÁvilaLorena Ávila says

      September 23, 2019 at 1:22 am

      Hi Louie, one of the “cons” of this feeder is the sensor that is a little off in about 10% as I state in my review.

      Reply
  4. Avatar for Louie FranklinLouie Franklin says

    September 24, 2019 at 10:13 pm

    ok thanks but even when fill still not registering I have to feed with manual button. defeated the object of the machine. just wondered if it had been an issue before.

    louie

    Reply
    • Avatar for Lorena ÁvilaLorena Ávila says

      September 26, 2019 at 2:55 am

      If the feeder doesn’t dispense automatically, the set up has not been made correctly or the unit is defective. Either way, you need to contact customer service.

      Reply
  5. Avatar for Paulina RadevaPaulina Radeva says

    October 6, 2019 at 4:02 pm

    Hi Lorena,

    thank you for the good review. As I am in a process of searching and I have considered other similar automatic feeders which problem was that they are adapted to the Chinese market only, I would like to ask is this feeder adapted for Europe and does the app support English language? Also, are you aware how the warranty works, i.e. is it applicable for Eastern Europe countries? Thanks.

    Reply
    • Avatar for Lorena ÁvilaLorena Ávila says

      October 6, 2019 at 6:17 pm

      Hello Paulina, The headquarters of this brand is located in China, but there are distributors around the world in several countries. In Europe you can find distributors in England, Spain and Germany. You can contact the English distributor at [email protected]. The input voltage of this feeder is 100-240V.

      Reply
  6. Avatar for RonRon says

    October 14, 2019 at 4:15 am

    Hi Lorena,

    Got the feeder today was able to bind it with my cellphone. Only problem I encounter is, it gives me a notification saying that the device time is not the same as my local time because I live in a different region (Canada). Is there a way to program the device’s time to my local time?

    Thanks,
    Ron

    Reply
    • Avatar for Lorena ÁvilaLorena Ávila says

      October 15, 2019 at 2:34 am

      Hello Ron, you can contact [email protected] and their engineer team will adjust the time zone according to your location.

      Reply
      • Avatar for RonRon says

        October 16, 2019 at 2:07 am

        Ok, thanks Lorena.

        Cheers,
        Ron

        Reply
  7. Avatar for Terry RyanTerry Ryan says

    December 6, 2019 at 4:30 pm

    Lorena, Thanks for doing what you do! Quick question–the feeder works perfectly for us — Just need 1 more hint — I’m looking for the “manual feed button on the app” — Our pet sitter/feeding person will not be able to take care of our cats on Christmas — and we would like to provide 1 or 2 extra “servings” when we are away. BTW, we have resolved the “camera concern” by adding an Arlo camera to our back patio — where our feral cats live! Perfect. Thanks again for pointing me to the manual feed button on the app — & we know where the physical button is on the unit itself!

    Reply
    • Avatar for Lorena ÁvilaLorena Ávila says

      December 6, 2019 at 5:08 pm

      Hello Terry, you can add an extra meal or snacks to the feeding schedule. Just to go to home page and press + button, at the bottom right. This will display a snack setting, turn on feed now (green), choose quantity and press save. This will feed your cats automatically extra meals on Christmas.

      Reply
  8. Avatar for KimKim says

    December 20, 2019 at 7:46 pm

    I can’t get the connection to work. I’ve created a 2,4Ghz network no difference. I tried to connect wit a shared network from two phones, both art 4G, 3G, 2G and all. None of them have 5G. No difference. It doesn’t work. Tried to connect for hours several times. Resetting everything multeple times, log in and out, no power and power, turn on av off, no difference. It just say it’s unable to access wifi and to check it’s not 5G. It’s not 5G.

    Reply
    • Avatar for Lorena ÁvilaLorena Ávila says

      December 20, 2019 at 8:04 pm

      Hello Kim, there is something missing. I suggest you to contact [email protected] and provide the SN of your feeder. They will help you to figure out why the connection can’t be successful with the feeder.

      Reply
  9. Avatar for LKLK says

    July 29, 2020 at 12:59 am

    Connection works, but the 3 lights (food level) only shows 2 lights–and it’s full. Have pressed the reset button twice (many times) but the food levels aren’t “reading.”

    Reply
  10. Avatar for BobbiBobbi says

    January 5, 2022 at 5:03 pm

    I am trying to find out how to clean the inside of the machine where the rotation paddle is.

    Reply
    • Avatar for Lorena ÁvilaLorena Ávila says

      January 9, 2022 at 1:09 am

      Hello Bobbi, the impeller is not easy to reach to clean, You need to disassemble the unit to remove it and I don’t think it’s a good idea. It looks like this feeder was not designed for the impeller to be easily removed to clean. The manufacturer only mentions cleaning the food holder and tray.

      Reply

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