1. If your cat is overweight
Get a feeder with a timer: if your cat is fat, you probably have a feeding schedule for your pet, so you need to get a feeder that has a timer so you can set a schedule depending on how many times a day you want your cat to eat - for example, at 9 am, 2 pm and 7 pm.
Get a feeder with minimal food dispensing capabilities: it has to have a food dispensing system that allows you to dispense very small amounts of food at a time. The reason for this is that if you want your cat to eat a total amount of 90 grs of food daily, for example, and you want to feed it 3 times a day, the dispenser has to be able to dispense 30 grs of food each time.
Get a feeder with a good, protected nozzle system: this is because fat cats are usually obsessed with food and it probably wouldn't be too hard for them to figure out a way to prise more food out of the feeder with their paws if the nozzle isn't well protected.
2. If your cat eats too fast
You have to get a feeder with a special food dispensing system that releases one pellet at a time, in other words, a toy feeder. These feeders were created especially for cats that have the bad habit of eating too fast. These feeders are not automatic solutions, but you can use them if you want to get your cat to start eating slowly.
These feeders are the ball-feeder type. You put the dry cat food in the ball-feeder and adjust the feeder outlet to allow it to easily dispense one pellet of the cat food at a time. If you want it to dispense more than one pellet at a time, you can adjust the feeder outlet to a larger size. As your cat chases and bats the toy-feeder around the room, it will dispense one or more pellets at a time. This activity of chasing the ball, or pushing it with its nose, gives your cat hours of stimulating play and allows you to control how fast it eats.
3. If your cat is the "locksmith" type of cat
Get a food dispenser with a protected nozzle system: if your cat is smart enough to outsmart most feeder safety systems, you have to purchase an automatic feeder that has very good nozzle protection so your cat can't violate it. There are very good feeders specially designed for these kinds of cats.
These tips will help you to get the right automatic feeder for your type of cat. Good luck!
