I wanted to get the Petkit feeder at first because it’s a well-known brand. But their feeders and accessories are expensive. So I gave the Papifeed a try. I’ve been using it for a few months, and here’s my review.
Pros
- Affordable, and the shelf is also affordable compared to Petkit
- Pretty, small, lightweight
- Easy to set up
- You can schedule feeding times and the feeder is reliable
- The camera is clear enough to observe your pet; you can record or take screenshots
- Camera angle is adjustable manually on the machine itself
- The speaker is clear. My cat can hear me. I can hear her.
Cons
- Sometimes, the feeder pushes out 2 portions when I press the manual button. Not sure if it’s the feeder or user error, but I mostly use the app so it’s no big deal to me.
- No way to dispense a half-portion; it’s either 1 or 2.
- The app is unreliable: email/password login never works (had to use Gmail), and there was one alarming network error that made me reset the feeder for nothing. It fixed itself by morning. This only happened once, but still.
- Schedule changes made too close to feeding time may not apply.
- The lid has no latch and the velcro safety lock looks cheap. My cat doesn’t mess with it lmao, so I leave it, but if you have a jumpy cat you’ll need to secure it somehow.
- The instruction manual is only in Chinese.
- The camera is not for night use.
My setup
I bought an anti-ant pad and a shelf to keep ants away. The Papifeed shelf is cute! Wires are tied neatly so they don’t touch the wall or the floor, and ants can’t climb up this way.
So…?
It’s reliable enough for a 1-week trip (me confirmed). It’s affordable. Unless you need precise portion control and a good app, or you have a naughty cat who likes to knock things over, this one is good enough.