Closer Pets MiBowl Automatic Selective Microchip Feeder, Up to 340g, Black

**EDIT** Now April 2025 time, and current updates on how the microchip feeder is doing. The microchip reader I can confirm works without the collar and recognises Jinx's chip. No issues with it, been using it everyday without fail. Only thing I took off the plastic "defence" guards as jinx didn't like it so much, so they are permanently removed. Moonie still can't access it so I'm pleased overall with the product. ------ I originally brought this to help my first cat (Jinx) who is a natural grazer help get her food as normal, without my other chonky cat (Moonie) trying to steal it. (He was adopted in the streets originally and takes any opportunity to get food including human food if he can find it. He still healthy and monitored by the vet before internet cat warriors mention about his weight in the photos.) So I have been trying to find a way to keep him out of Jinx's food but hard when you live in a one bedroom flat and have so little wiggle room to prevent him without him getting smart about it. I did find another similar product on Amazon but smaller and minimalistic design but costed over £100+. So I thought I would try it and see if it works out and test run it as nearly £80 wouldn't be as bad as over £100+. If the product would work with my cats. So far it's worth it's money. However I wasn't suspecting Jinx to take to the food bowl so quickly and learned quickly how to use it (She also 8 years old). I tested as recommended on the book to put treats in the bowl and she went in with confidence. So I tried registering her microchip (without the tag first) it did flash to registering her microchip. (Also did it with the tag and working okay with the tag better so far still early stages of testing it out.) As you can also see in the photos Moonie the culprit of stealing food isn't able to access it!! Woo hoo 🎉 The product itself is an okay size, it's not too bulky and the instructions were simple enough to follow. I did find it more troubling to find C batteries in shops for the product but got some in the end!🤣 Still trying to test out if the scan by just her microchip along without the tag as it mentions in the book. The product itself is a sturdy quality the noise is very minimal, little robotic sounds for the opening and closing so it's a bonus, didn't freak out jinx much , more confusion than anything 😂 The tray is easy to take out the food bowl and clean as it's plastic. I'm cautious of the side clear parts to take apart as it's still a bit stiff at the moment and I dinnae want to break the plastic. (I should also mention Jinx is used to wearing a collar/ harness which helped a lot for wearing the tag on the collar. But to folk who might have indoor cats that's not used to wear a collar often or at all to try and practice run or get used to a collar with a tag shape before trying the product out, just incase they hate the collar altogether)

First of all I need to mention that I have 3 cats and one of them is very shy and nervous around strangers. I've purchased this feeder as I'm going to be going away in a few months time and a friend (who is a stranger to my cats) will be feeding them. I am concerned as the shy cat will definitely hide away whilst my friend is at my house and the other more outgoing cats will eat all the food that is put down. I am a cat sitter and I am familiar with the Sureflap automatic feeder as some of my clients have one, but felt it had a flaw in that it is vulnerable to attack from other cats as the eating area is exposed. I purchased this MiBowl purely because it cannot be attacked from the back or the sides. If you have a very jumpy cat you will need to train them gradually to use this. It was easy to program my cat's microchip, but she was initially very scared of the noise of the closing mechanism. It's not loud, but it is noise and might freak your cat out. I initially left mine in the open position and just put some tasty treats in it. After a few days of this, I put her meals in, still with the lid up. Eventually I did it with the lid closed. My cat would be at first run off when the lid raised, but eventually over a period of about 2 weeks got used to it. It takes a lot of patience with a more nervous cat, but if you take it slowly and steadily and entice them with favourite foods you should get there in the end. In case you a wondering, the Sureflap feeder also makes a noise when opening (this one is about the same in sound level) but the side and back protection is definitely helpful as my other two cats have not stolen anything despite coveting the contents of the feeder. I've read in some reviews that the batteries don;t last long. but mine have been in for 16 weeks now and there's no sign of them needing to be changed yet. Just buy good quality batteries instead of pound shop ones.

Really pleased with this. Cat already used to other microchip feeder so this was easy. Pretty sure it will definitely keep the greedy boy cat away from his sister’s food as he can’t get his head in like he could with the other feeder. Bonus as her food makes him ill. Good price too, cheaper than other websites. Would definitely buy again, great little feeder. One gripe is could do with 2 bowls in package as you have to keep washing before the next meal is served and the poor cat is impatient!

We have two cats and a dog, all with wildly different feeding needs and routines. None of them wear a collar inside (indoor-only cats), so we wanted a microchip option, which there aren't a lot of! These work very well (and also come with tags for collars you can use if your pets aren't microchipped), and we're very pleased with how much easier it's become to feed them and not worry about someone eating something they shouldn't. These are also fairly easy to keep clean I'd say - they come apart easily. There are two drawbacks I've noticed, neither of which make me regret my purchase (we really don't have a lot of options), but which I've deducted one star for. - The sensor isn't amazing - it can be very difficult for particularly my larger cat and dog to activate it, during which they can get very frustrated. We've permanently turned on training mode for them, which helps. It's a bit easier for our tiny cat, I think because she can fully put her head in. - The set-up is a narrow but deep bowl. This is meant to be space-saving, but it definitely isn't perfect for our tiny, flat-faced cat, who can actually struggle to breathe sometimes. It can also cause whisker fatigue.

Has so far thwarted efforts by our other cat and our spaniel to break into it, so I'm very pleased! Simple to use and the high sides prevent theft by the sibling while the cat with the prescription diet is eating. It needed a bit of training for her to get used to the noise of the door opening but it has now stopped her pestering me in the night - wish I'd bought it sooner! Note: order some C batteries at the same time as it doesn't come with them.

Bought 2 for cats with different needs. Paired both with their own chips, but both either fail to open or close whilst they're eating if they do open. Still awaiting response from seller. Re set them, still don't work. Very expensive if they don't work. If they do not contact me in the next 24hrs, I will be returning.

My cat eats specialised, expensive food because of a medical condition - he can’t eat anything else as it makes him really ill so I have to feed him separately. Also he has to eat a little and often as his stomach can’t cope with a big meal so he throws it back up! I’ve now started a new job which means I’m out more hours. Bought this feeder so he can graze all day long without my other 2 cats eating it too. He was a bit dubious the first 2 days and I had to keep encouraging him to approach it and take him to it. We are on our 5th day now and he approaches it like a pro! The other cats have stopped trying to muscle in because there’s just no room. So easy to set up - i’m a technophobe so if I can do it, anyone can! Well worth the money in my opinion. No regrets!

One of my cats is on a prescription diet crunchies and I needed her to be able to access ad lib crunchies without the other cat being able to eat them. This works brilliantly. It was the cheapest one I found to try and what I especially like is it works from her microchip and not a tag on a collar, that would get lost. She learned how to use it in a couple of weeks and now comes in, waits for it to open eats her crunchies and it closes as she moves away.

Muy buen funcionamiento con el chip, y bastante compacto para que otros gatos dejen comer al michi, por desgracia mi gata le pillo miedo, y no se le va, así que recomiendo mucho hacer caso a las instrucciones y hacer poco a poco el modo entrenamiento

Nourrir 2 chats, un très goulu qui dévore sa gamelle et s'attaque à celle de l'autre plus timide et qui ne mange que quand il a faim, etait un vrai challenge. Problème résolu avec cet appareil facile à monter et à utiliser. Le chat timide s'y est adapté tout de suite et le goulu a essayé de s'attaquer à l'appareil sans succès. Seul bémol, un bol de petite contenance, donc autonomie limitée à 2 ou 3 jours selon l'appétit du chat.

Fonctionne très bie, facile à mettre en oeuvre et à programmer pour le chat concerné. A recommander

Update 3/17/25 - bought a second one! Saving up for a third! First one still works great! Door will still open for a while even after the battery light starts blinking btw! Really happy with this. If you’re looking for a locking food bowl that opens for a microchip, there are really only two options. This is the ‘cheaper’ one but it works great and the other cats can’t sneak around the back to steal food while the feeder is open. My cats chip is a little further back on her body, so she has to step in a little further to get it to open, but she figured it out right away. The bowl is quiet and a perfect size for what we needed. I could see this bowl being too small for a 15-20 pound cat with a chip between the shoulder blades, but the tag that comes with it should work well in that case. My girl is ~7 pounds and this works great for her. She likes to graze and starts eating socks and other naughty things when she can’t get a human to give her food. Someone commented that they felt the product was ‘cheaply made’ and the buttons were flimsy. I honestly don’t agree, I think for the price and what the product needs to do, it is quite well made. Something much sturdier would obviously increase the price of the product significantly. My dog could pick this thing up and throw it around/break it open if she wanted to, but that’s why we need to keep it up on a counter.

Mi ha risolto un problema enorme. Il mio primo gatto mangia di tutto con molta foga in determinati momenti della giornata tramite feeder automatico temporizzato, mentre il secondo tende a mangiare poco e spesso durante il giorno. Ovviamente non avrei mai potuto lasciare una ciotola di cibo aperta con libero accesso altrimenti il primo avrebbe divorato tutto senza lasciare niente al secondo. Con questo feeder c'è stata la svolta: una volta microchippato, il gatto mangia senza disturbi quando vuole. Non abbiamo nemmeno dovuto utilizzare la modalità traning in quanto si è abituata molto velocemente. A differenza di altri dispenser, anche più costosi, questo impedisce agli altri gatti di accedere al cibo lateralmente e da dietro. Se le due barriere rendono il buco molto stretto se ne può usare solo una come faccio io. TOP. GRAZIE!!!