This microchip-triggered pet feeder is good for tracking your pet's diet, but it took a while for my cat to warm up to it

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

• Over the last six weeks, the SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder Connect has successfully protected the food of one of my cats from being stolen by the other.
• The SureFeed identifies a cat or small dog by their microchip or an RFID chip and its lid only opens when they are present.
• The automatic pet feeder works with an ethernet-connected hub and a mobile app that tracks how much and how often my pet eats.
• Sensitive or fearful cats and dogs may struggle with the sudden movement of the SureFeed's lid.

In most multipet households, the struggle to keep one pet out of the food of another is real. Over the years, I've had dogs obsessed with the cat kibble and vice versa. I was never sure if each pet was getting the nutrition they required.

Our current food struggle is between my two cats, Phoebe and Osito. They both eat the same kibble during the day and the same wet food in the evening, but Phoebe's is mixed with medication which, despite its added chicken flavor, apparently does not taste like chicken. She is forever swooping in to gobble up Osito's medicine-free dinner before reluctantly turning to her own.

The geniuses at Sure Petcare have come up with a solution for just this sort of problem. They sent me a sample of their SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder Connect, an electronic feeder that's triggered to open only for a specific pet's microchip or tracking tag. When that pet isn't present, a clear plastic lid over the food dish remains tightly closed.

Design and specs

There are three parts to the SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder Connect. First, there's the hub, a small round device a few inches in diameter that connects through ethernet to a home modem. The hub's cat-like ears light up to indicate its connectivity status.

Next, you have the feeder which is 9 inches wide by about 12.5 inches deep and has a nearly 8-inch-high arch embedded with sensors to detect your pet's microchip or radio frequency identification (RFID) tag. One tag is included with your purchase. 

Inside the feeder is a space for placing dry or wet food, or both, in either a single bowl about 4-by-5 inches or in two half-size bowls. Weighing arms under the bowl(s) measure how much food you add and how much your pet eats per visit. A clear, plastic lid protects the food from other pets and folds open accordion-style when the right one approaches. To refill or clean the bowl, there is an open/close button at the back of the machine. 

The SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder Connect is backed by a three-year warranty and comes in white with grey bowls and a removable grey food mat. Bowls ($16) and mats ($12) are also available in pink, green, and blue, or you can get a set of stainless steel bowls ($37, currently out of stock) to fit inside the feeder. The dishes and mat lift out easily to refill and clean, but neither is dishwasher or microwave safe. 

The third part of the SureFeed is the Sure Petcare mobile app. Once downloaded and set up, the app delivers information via Bluetooth each time your pet eats, including how much they consumed, how long it took them, and how much food remains in the dish. 

Setup

In order for the feeder to connect to the hub, the two must be placed within about 30 feet of each other. To set it up, all you need is an ethernet cable, a power source, and a surface at least 3 feet off the ground. 

The feeder, which runs on four C cell batteries, is quick and easy to get working but connecting it to the app requires slightly more effort. After downloading, the app takes you through the feeder's setup, including options to add your pet's microchip or RFID tag. It can store up to 32 different identities altogether.

Portion indicator lights at the front of the feeder turn green as you fill its dish(es) to the correct weight. If you overfill a dish, they turn red. Portions can be adjusted through the app. 

What it's like to use 

While I was immediately impressed by the SureFeed, Osito wasn't so sure. The folding lid lifted whenever he got close enough to the machine, startling him, and he was initially reluctant to eat from the feeder. Sure Petcare anticipated this issue and designed a training mode that allows you to leave the lid open until your pet is used to it, slowly introducing the opening-and-closing lid. It took Osito, a relatively confident cat, about two weeks to be fully comfortable with the device.

Osito is a bit overweight so I found the data collected by the Sure Petcare app a helpful guide to identify how much he eats at any one sitting, how frequently he goes to the food bowl, and how to adjust his meals to get his weight under better control. Above all, the SureFeed did what I hoped it would in the first place: It kept Phoebe from snarfing down Osito's wet food before he got a chance. 

What makes it stand out

While there are a number of high-quality automatic pet feeders on the market, this is one of the few that allows you to program access for particular pets while keeping others away. And while I was initially intimidated by the hoops I had to jump through to set the thing up, in the end it took less than 15 minutes to get the hub, feeder, and app functioning. 

The cons

There are a few problems with the SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder Connect. The first and most important is that sensitive cats and dogs will struggle with the sudden movement of the lid. Although this feeder is excellent for most cats and small dogs around 10 to 15 pounds, it can't be used with larger pets.

I was disappointed that the lid doesn't completely seal the food which, in our case, resulted in an ant swarm on a particularly hot day. Because the hub can only be about 30 feet from the feeder to connect, some households may find themselves needing to place it in an unusual location.

We also had a couple of mishaps with the RFID tag which Osito lost twice (along with his collar) over the last six weeks. Replacement tags cost $15 for a set of two. 

The bottom line

The SureFeed Connect isn't perfect, but it's an innovative device that makes feeding cats and small dogs who require special diets or who struggle to get their share of food stress-free. It is ideal for keeping one or more pets from stealing the food of another. While the folding lid alarmed my cat at first, once he got used to it he was able to eat whenever he wanted without losing a bite to my other cat. 

The feeder's hub and mobile app were easy to set up and allow you to closely supervise when and how much your pet is eating. But if you aren't looking to track your pet's serving sizes and feeding frequency, you can also buy the older version of the Microchip Pet Feeder ($149.99) which does not include the hub and app compatibility.

Pros: Ideal for multipet households, reliably senses microchip or RFID tag, app accurately tracks portions and feeding frequency, easy to clean, three-year warranty

Cons: Food is not completely sealed when not in use, some pets may be startled by the automatic lid, hub and feeder must be within 30 feet of each other, will not accommodate larger pets