How to Choose the Right Feeder and Water Fountain for Your Pet

Have you ever missed feeding your pet? Or missed feeding time? When owners are busy, don't have time, or are on vacation it can be a cause for concern over you and especially your pets. A great solution is a pet automatic feeder. These products are perfect and reliable for those unpredictable schedules and work great for the elderly or handicapped. It's a great way to develop and train a regular eating schedule and it helps maintain your pet's healthy diet. Automatic pet feeders can be designed for specific functions, which mean there are many types available.

Types of pet automatic feeders

Pet Automatic feeders are available in many different colors and sizes based on their weight, but there are two types of feeding styles. Self-replenishing gravity feeders are a great alternative to open bowl sitters. The main purpose is to have a constant supply of available food which is evenly dispensed and distributed by gravity as the dry food shifts onto an opened tray. Many are designed to hold enough to last for a week or two depending on the size of your cat or dog. This isn't recommended for pets that have a tendency to overeat or are on a strict diet. Be sure your pet is a responsible eater before choosing this option.

Electronic automatic feeders are just as convenient, but have the ability to precisely control each food portion. They are designed with a built in digital timer and a closed container for the food. Most digital pet food dispensers can be designed to release or hold specific amounts of dried /wet foods and are programmed for feeding intervals throughout an entire day. These electronic indoor feeders are ideal for precise feeding portions, extremely easy to operate and very are versatile.

We can't forget about our other house pets such as birds, ferrets, reptiles, rodents, and even fish. There are automatic feeders for them as well. For the most part the pet automatic feeders for these guys are electronic as well. The main difference being that they are designed for wired cages, glass cages, and outdoor environments such as a pond. They enable you to provide your pets with a preset quantity of food at the precise time throughout the day.

Pet Water Fountains

How to choose the right water fountain for your pet Like us humans, pets require much more water than food. As a general rule, the daily intake of water for dogs and cats is directly related to the daily energy requirement. Providing our active pets with the correct amount of water is critical to their health and being.

Here's a great online calculator to estimate how much water your pet should be drinking daily.

A great way to ensure your pet is getting its recommended daily amount of water intake is a pet fountain or waterer. Similar to a pet automatic feeder, they provide enough water for your pet, but compared to leaving a bowl of sitting water, the water fountain has a built in filter which acts like our own home water filtration system. The water consistently flows with a built in pump, ensuring the filtration system is constantly removing any deposits, while the continuous flow of moving water encourages pets to drink more water. This ensures fresh water is always available for them to drink from.

Most electronic water fountains are easy to clean and allow replacement of the filters and pumps. They even allow you to control the flow of the water from a silent flow to a calm trickling flow with reduced water splashing.

Other similar water fountain devices include an outdoor pet drinking fountain for dogs. This system is an automatic drinking fountain that hooks up to your outdoor faucet. A sonar-based proximity sensor triggers the device and turns on when your pet approaches, and turns off when your pet leaves.

Many owners who have busy schedules or just have a busy life in general can be less worrisome now that technology has assured our best friends the quality health and care they deserve while the owners are away at times.