Editor’s rating: 4.9 | Avg. rating online: 4.2
UPDATE: THIS PRODUCT IS GOING TO BE AVAILABLE IN DECEMBER, 2021.
I was contacted to make a review of PortionPRO RX, the ultimate selective automatic feeder that has been designed to feed a pet prescription food, allowing the assigned pet to eat and blocking the other pets from getting food. This unit is also a great solution for food theft, when a cat eats the other cat’s food or when you need to stop a dog from eating the cat’s food.
PortionPRO RX Main Features
- A selective feeder that allows the assigned pet to eat while blocking other pets
- It dispenses dry food only
- Food-grade materials that are in contact with the cat food
- Uses a collar tag with RFID technology
- Food bin capacity: 30 cups
- Removable pieces: Food bin, food belt system, and bowl
- Programmable for 2,4 or 6 mealtimes p/day
- Customizable mealtimes, according to the best feeding schedule for your cat
- Daily food amount can be set in 1/8 increments, from ½ cup up to 3 cups p/day or;
in ¼ increments from 3 cups up to 4 cups p/day. - 2-cup capacity ceramic coated stainless food bowl
- Suitable kibble: 5/8” diameter or less
- Cat-proof lid with finger grip tabs to open
- 6-feet cord
- Bottom with rubber feet for more stability
- Liquid crystal LCD display screen
- Dimensions:12.2”Width x 14.3”Length x 13.4” Height
- Weight: 7 pounds
- 1-year warranty
What comes with the PortionPRO RX feeder
√ Main unit
√ Ceramic coated stainless bowl
√ 1 tag
√ AC adapter
√ User manual
Unpacking the PortionPRO RX
(note: I was provided 2 tags to make the review, but the feeder comes with one tag)
How it works
PortionPRO RX features a motorized sliding food door that opens when in contact with the cat’s collar tag, allowing the cat to eat the special food while blocking the other pets from eating.
The feeder features an RFID (radio frequency Identification) technology that senses the programmed “assigned” tag and opens the door when the allowed cat approaches the feeder within a 3-feet distance. Also, you can program a tag as “unassigned” which causes the opposite effect, when the unassigned pet approaches the feeder within 3 feet, the sliding door shuts, blocking the food.
PortionPRO RX feeder comes with 1 tag that you can assign or unassign, depending on the type of settings you want to program the unit, either Open Mode or Close Mode (you can purchase more tags if needed, I was provided 2 tags to make my review).
Selective Feeding Modes
Open Mode: This means the sliding food door will be open at all times so the cat who’s eating the special prescription food (or the cat that is being food bullied) can eat anytime from the feeder without the need of wearing a tag. The pet you want to block will need to use a tag programmed as “unassigned”. When an unassigned pet approaches the feeder, the door will shut, blocking the food. This mode is suitable in case you have a cat that doesn’t want to wear a collar tag.
Close Mode: The food sliding door will be shut at all times and will only open when in contact with the “assigned” cat tag. This setting requires all your pets to wear a collar tag, the allowed cat, and the rest. In this case, you will have to program an “assigned” tag for the cat eating prescription food and the “unassigned” tag for the pet that you want to block from eating. As the “Close Mode” requires the assigned cat to wear a tag, in order to block the other pets you need to purchase extra tags.
Programming Mealtimes & Portions
This feeder is meant to dispense dry food only, and you can program the unit for a cat or a dog. The liquid crystal LCD screen of the control panel makes it easy for you to program the unit.
LCD Panel & Buttons
The control panel features 3 buttons that are all you need to program the unit. The (+) and (-) buttons allow you to scroll up or down the options. The (√) button enters the selected option. If you make a mistake and need to go back, just press the (√) button for 2 seconds and it will take you to the previous step. The programming is easy because the LCD panel automatically shows you step by step what you need to do next.
Programming the PortionPRO RX for a cat
- Select the current time and choose the cat as the assigned pet.
- Program the # of meals you want your cat to eat p/day. The feeder can be programmed to feed 2, 4, or 6 times p/day. If you choose to feed your cat 2 or 3 meals p/day you must program the time for each meal, individually. If you choose 6 meals p/day you only need to program the time for the first meal and the feeder will dispense automatically a meal every 4 hours, starting from the hour you programmed and completing 6 meals in 24 hours.
- Choose the total amount of food p/day, from ½-cup up to 3 cups p/day. (Note: the feeder can also be set to dispense in ¼-cup increments from 3 cups up 4 cups p/day, but you most likely won’t use this setting for your cat).
- Bind the tag with the feeder to “assigned” or “unassigned”. That’s all. The feeder is ready to feed your cat.
It’s important to mention that, unlike most feeders, with PortionPRO RX you don’t need to choose the portions individually for each meal. You only need to program the # of meals, the total cups of food p/day, and the feeder will divide the total amount equally among the # of meals you select.
Examples:
½ cup p/day, 2 meals p/day= your cat will eat ¼ cup per meal.
½ cup p/day, 4 meals p/day= your cat will eat 1/8 cup per meal.
½ cup p/day, 5 meals p/day= your cat will eat 1/10 cup per meal.
¾ cup p/day, 2 meals p/day= your cat will eat 3/8 cup per meal.
2 cups p/day, 2 meals p/day= your cat will eat 1 cup per meal, etc.
As you can see with PortionPRO RX you can feed your cat very small amounts of food at a time and also large amounts of food per meal.
Programming for a dog
The feeder allows you to feed a dog 2 or 3 times p/day. The programming of cups p/day is the same as cats with the difference that dogs can eat up to 6 cups p/day if you choose to feed your pet 3 meals p/day. This makes the PortionPRO RX suitable for small and large dogs since you can feed your dog from ½ cup of food p/day, up to 6 cups of food.
Manual Features
You can trigger a dispensing manually and also open the sliding food door manually as well. To do this, the tag needs to be away at least 3 feet from the feeder. Check my video on how to set up and program the feeder:
PortionPRO RX Set Up & Programming
(note: I was provided 2 tags to make the review, but the feeder comes with one tag)
As you could see in the video, in order for the sliding door to open again to allow the cat to continue to eat, the unassigned pet needs to be at least 3 feet away from the feeder. On the video, I didn’t put the tag far enough so that’s why it took a little longer for the food door to open. When I put the tag further the door opened automatically.
Factory reset
A factory reset allows you to erase all current settings programmed in your feeder and clears the memory of any entered assigned tags. To do this unplug the feeder, hold (-) while plugging the unit back into a power socket. Once the feeder is plugged in, release the (-) button. All the current programmed settings will be deleted and you can reprogram the PortionPRO RX.
What are the Pros & Cons of PortionPRO RX pet feeder?
Here’s the list of pros and cons I found during my experience with this feeder. I found more Pros than Cons, which is good.
Pros
- Sturdy, well-made unit
- Food grade materials that keep the food purity
- Easy to set up & program
- Clear liquid crystal LCD panel
- An effective mechanism of motorized sliding food door to protect the food
- The feeder senses the RFID tag when the unassigned pet is 3-feet away, not allowing the opportunity of food theft.
- Unassigned pet learns over time that the feeder is never opened, stopping them from trying.
- Much easier to program by deciding how much you want your cat to eat p/day in how many meals.
- The feeder allows to you feed your cat very small amounts of food at a time, good for cats that eat too fast.
- Accuracy in portions when dispensing
- Ceramic coated stainless food bowl, hygienic and prevents feline acne
- Easy to program the clock (12-hours am/pm)
- Removable feeding bowl, internal conveyor, and food bin
- Cat-proof lid
- Flap protects the food gate, stopping those mischievous paws from trying to steal food
- The feeder keeps all the settings if unplugged.
Cons
- It doesn’t have a battery compartment as a power backup
- You need to buy extra tags if you need to block more than one pet (with open mode).
- The door doesn’t open or close fast in case you have a cat that reacts quickly.
- Tags are hard to find available and they need to be replaced every 4-5 months.
- High price
Tip
In the beginning, the cat may get scared a little with the noise of the food sliding door. This is normal and he will get used to it.
Update about COVID
Due to the coronavirus outbreak, this product is unavailable. The co-founder of PortionPRO RX sent an email to current customers apologizing for this disruption due to the Covid crisis. He sent me a link for troubleshooting: Please see Err code 2 for power lost – https://portionpro.com/troubleshooting/
Also, he provided a phone number for any questions about the operation of the feeder. I can’t provide this phone number because it was sent to current customers but I can see they are trying really hard to provide customer service and be back in the market as soon as possible.
NEW UPDATE: PortionPRO RX will be available in December 2021.
My conclusion
PortionPRO RX is a high-quality selective RFID automatic feeder that I highly recommend. This feeder works as intended, locking out pets from accessing the food that is meant to be eaten for a specific cat or dog. The motorized food door works efficiently and it doesn’t jam. This unit will be a lifesaver in the following cases:
- To feed a cat (or dog) special RX diet in multi-pet households
- To stop food bullying between pets
- To feed a cat that eats too fast and vomits
- If you want to feed your cat very small portions, up to 6 times p/day
- To put a cat on a diet
- If you want a cat-proof feeder
- If your cat has feline acne
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Check also: SureFeed the selective feeder to feed your cat wet and dry food. |
how do these feeders compare against the rest? I found your review helpful as it was just what I was looking for. Would like to know if there is a reason why it’s not mentioned in your top 15. Thank you, look forward to an answer
Hello Gary, I just made this review and my plan is to add it to the top list, this feeder is relatively new. I highly recommend it, it works well.
How long does the battery last in the RFID tag?
Is the battery in the RFID tag replaceable?
I have 2 cats. One cat is overweight, the other is close to ideal weight. Both cats eat the same food. Do I need 2 feeders?
Hello Dennis, the battery lasts for approximately one year and is not replaceable. New tags would need to be purchased to the manufacturer due to the waterproof nature of the tag and needing to be properly sealed. The feeder will give you an alert when reaching about 10% of the battery life (about 1-2 months before).
The scenario you mentioned has 2 different solutions. Purchase a feeder for the ideal weight cat and manually feed the overweight one but make sure to put an unapproved tag on it. This will ensure the overweight cat can’t steal food and will only have access to the food given by you. The other solution would be to purchase 2 feeders. PortionPRO RX controls when the food is delivered and how much is delivered but once the food is in the bowl any pet that is approved for that feeder can access it. Due to this I only recommend feeders to be used for multiple pets when portion control is not an issue.
My experience (as of today) is that the battery for one of three animals has lasted less than eight months. There was no battery low alert prior. Jjust a “08” warning this morning.
I have a real issue with batteries not being able to be replaced and wish I had paid more attention when I purchased. For the vast majority of animals of the size that can use these feeders, even three feet of water resistance is overkill. A screw into a gasket is a simpler solution and gives the owner the ability to solve the battery problem. Gets wet inside–bummer, then you replace.
Hello Jennifer. The PortionPRO RX is not powered with batteries. Only low voltage AC power adapter.
I have had the same experience, only even shorter battery life issues on the tag (since they didn’t get you meant the tag, not the unit). It’s like selling a battery powered boat that isn’t waterproof and wanting your customers to buy another one when it shorts out. Make your product to work for the circumstances it is made for and stand behind it sounds like a better business model.
I recently purchased this feeder and all I can say is, where has this been all my life??? It has been the perfect solution for my 3 dog, 2 cat household. Can’t give it enough stars.
Thanks for sharing your happy experience Scarlette :)
If 1 assigned tag and 1 unassigned will the door open or stay closed. I have this unit and would like to know this. TY
Hello Mark, if you want the feeder to stay open for the assigned cat to freely eat you need to program the pet you want to stop as unassigned and every time that pet approaches the feeder it will shut. On the contrary, if you want the feeder to stay shut and only open when the assigned pet approaches the feeder you need to program that pet as assigned. It’s one or the other. Hope that helps!
Hi
I have a couple of questions about the feeders.
It was mentioned in a YouTube video describing the product that it doesn’t have a battery backup ( AC power), if the system looses power temporary does it retain its programming? Would I need to reset the clock, pet programing? Is there a period of time before memory is lost? Short power loss, or several hours different impact, I understand the feeder wouldn’t operate without power but the clock and program functions affected?
I’m looking at feeders for 2 cats and thinking about purchasing 2 units, would I need to set them up in 2 separate locations? How far apart without interfering with each other? Separate rooms, 6-10 feet? Thinking both cats feed about the same time, and would be a problem if the units were side by side and each cat locking the other out of the other food dish.
Both of my cats have an injected RFID tag 🏷 for identification, and it allows them access in and out of a cat door. I have stopped using collars because the cats are irritated wearing them and the RFID tags are under the skin. My electronic cat door recognizes those RFID tags, could the pet feeder also recognize these RFID tags too or is the collar tag proprietary coding?
Thanks
Let me know if you need additional clarification on my questions.
Hello Michael, unfortunately due to the coronavirus this Company will be out of business soon. Hence, I would suggest you another feeder, since you may need the help of customer service and guarantee as well. I don’t believe the feeder retains the clock, you would need to reprogram that. Regarding the distance, 6 feet is fine. Just make sure not to put the feeders too close to metals. Regarding the RFID code, I am not sure if this feeder will work with any coding. I sent an email to customer service to know this but they haven’t answered, maybe they have their office closed. Sorry I couldn’t help more.
I bought 2 of these feeders 2 months ago and have had nothing but problems. Now, one of the feeders shows Err 7 which means belt but after cleaning and being sure it’s in place I believe it’s more than that. I have emailed the company 3 times with no response. I understand the circumstances are not good but an email response back from the company would be appropriate after spending $313.00
Hello Brandi, due to the coronavirus outbreak this Company went out of business and they are not offering customer support in case of defective or malfunctioning units. This is so unfortunate because the concept of this feeder was great and it worked very well with my cat, but now I won’t have support in case the feeder stops functioning.
This is the ONLY feeder that worked for my two cats and I have spent hundreds of dollars over the years trying others. I understand the situation now but would love to know if anyone else has tried to use any other RFID disks. Obviously when mine go out, so do these wonderful feeders and I am on my 3rd set of disks. Would love to find a compatible disk. Anyone?????
Darn it, COVID-19! This automatic feeder would have been a perfect answer for my cats’ feeding needs. Happy to know the manufacturer made the choice to stop production to protect employees, and looking forward to their safe return.
Please, Lorena, once it is available again, would you update this review?
I will Shirah, for sure!
I bought two of these feeders a few years ago because one of my cats was over-eating. When I rescued another cat, anytime she went to eat, the older cat would too, regardless of when he last ate. I do like the feeder. It does do exactly what it advertises. However, there are two things I absolutely hate about the feeder. The cats paw at the flap to get more food from the machine. The cats have outsmarted the machine so that they only paw at the flap a little to get the food so the machine does register them doing it. Thus the machine doesn’t shut the door on them. I know that the cat supposedly isn’t getting more food than what I program them to get but it leaves them “short” and hungry at the next feeding. And, it’s really annoying to listen too when they do it so much throughout the day. The second thing I hate is the RFID tag. I understand their claim of waterproofing the tag, however, I also think this is a bit of a scam. They are $25 a piece. I haven’t had an RFID tag last over 8 months, most of them have only lasted 6 months. They should make an option where batteries could be replaced. My cats don’t swim, and they definitely aren’t swimming to a 3m depth. This is why I think it is a bit of a scam. It is a way to keep money flowing into their company by forcing people to purchase new tags about twice a year at $25 each.
Now, they are “out of business” where the company is no longer responding to support requests for existing customers. Even if the owner of the company was responding, albeit slowly, to support requests, that is better than not at all or some generic response. That’s the way you keep the customers that paid for probably the most expensive automatic feeder out there for their pets. Plus, now that COVID-19 has “settled down” for the most part and companies have opened back up around the world, why don’t they have any inventory? So frustrating now that my tags need to be replaced and they can’t be. So I guess it’s a free for all on the food until they get inventory back in.
Hello Cory, thanks for sharing your experience with the PortionPRO RX automatic feeder. As you say, this is a good automatic feeder although I understand that the tag seems a little overpriced, especially if you have two cats and need to buy 4 tags per year. It is very unfortunate that this company went out of business because they did have good customer support. Personally, my cat used this automatic feeder for about 8 months and the tag lasted that time. I only have one cat though and she didn’t mess with the feeder so maybe that made some difference. I gave the feeder to a neighbor that had two cats with eating disputes because my single cat didn’t have food fights since she is the queen at home. I really hope the manufacturer gets back in business soon because I understand how frustrating can be waiting just to replace a tag. Thanks again for sharing!
These are scam. Not user serviceable, no support from the company (RFID tags are not hard to program so long as you know the frequency but the company will not provide it), perpetually extended shipping dates of new RFID tags. They are really fast to cash a check though.
Hello Nick, I am just a reviewer of this automatic feeder. The manufacturer contacted me a long time ago that they were having issues due to Covid but I think they will be back in December 2021. I hope their customer service is back 100% by then. Thanks for sharing your experience with this product, I am sorry it hasn’t been a good one.
DO NOT BUY- UNRELIABLE COMPANY FOR TAGS AND USELESS FOR MULTIPLE PETS
Tags have to be changed easily every 4 months ($$) and the company is always out of stock … meanwhile you can’t use the feeder.
If you have multiple cats also, unfortunately, it takes easily 10 seconds for the door to close so the cat that should be loosing weight can still eat from that feeder. Customer service do not feel guilty whatsoever that their tags are constantly out of stock and that we can’t use the feeder that we bought > $200
Hello Liz, it’s true that the tags are hard to find available. Regarding the sliding food door, with multiple cats, it’s better to put the feeder on open mode, this way any cat that is not supposed to eat from the feeder needs to wear a tag, this way when any of them is 3-feet away from the feeder, the food door will shut. This doesn’t leave time for the cats that are not supposed to eat to steal food from it.