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Some cats will eat anything, including wallpaper. Others, knowing that they are the true lords and ladies of the manor, insist on wet food and will go hungry rather than lowering themselves to eating dry pellets.
The trouble is that cats have great difficulty opening tins themselves, and there aren’t many reliable canned cat food dispensers. If you spend a lot of time away from home, what you really need is something like this Catit Pixi smart feeder. It can not only keep your cat’s food refrigerated until it’s time to eat; it also allows you to regulate the size and timing of the meals fed to a kitty who needs to go on a diet.
The Catit Pixi 6 Automatic Cat Feeder at a Glance
Unlike many automatic cat feeders, this one doesn’t resemble a miniature grain silo. On the one hand, this means that a frustrated, hungry cat can’t knock it over, leaving them without food until you get home. On the other hand, while many cat food dispensers can hold enough food for two weeks or so, this Catit product is only meant to keep your cat fed for over 24 hours.
Its main advantage over its competitors is that it’s a wet cat food dispenser and isn’t restricted only to kibble pellets. To this end, it’s also a kind of refrigerator. It doesn’t cool itself down electrically, though; instead, it comes with two removable inserts you’re supposed to leave in the freezer for several hours prior to placing them in this machine.
Its main advantage over its competitors is that it’s a wet cat food dispenser and isn’t restricted only to kibble pellets. To this end, it’s also a kind of refrigerator. It doesn’t cool itself down electrically, though; instead, it comes with two removable inserts you’re supposed to leave in the freezer for several hours prior to placing them in this machine.
Rather than allowing each meal to drop into a bowl from above, the Pixi has a wheel with six different bowls. Each time it rotates, a new segment ends up under the opening, exposing a new serving.
Like with any new gadget, it may take a little while for cats to understand and accept it. My little Faust, for instance, has a highly tuned nose and zero impulse control. She immediately assumed that this was some kind of puzzle feeder and started pawing at it, trying to get at the fish scraps he could smell but not see. After a few days, however, he’s made his peace with the machine and now just visits it periodically to see if new treats have emerged from it.
What makes a cat feeder ‘smart’?
The “smart” part of the Catit Pixi smart cat food dispenser seems to refer to the fact that it communicates using wifi. The same phone app also talks to other Pixi products. Unfortunately, in my experience, the feeder’s connectivity is pretty wonky.
Also, the only thing it really allows you to do is program feeding times. You can also accomplish this using the small LCD display, though the process is a little like playing sudoku and requires you to pay attention. The app also sends you notifications every time a meal is served, but I’m not sure this is all that useful: wouldn’t it make more sense to warn you only if something’s gone wrong and your cat may be mewling for dinner?
Should something like a cat toy get stuck in the Pixi’s opening, for instance, it will refuse to turn further. This is a safety feature intended to keep your kitty’s paws from getting hurt, but it can also stop the whole thing from working until a human comes around to fix it.
Now, I admire technology as much as the next person, but I also feel that its capabilities should be matched to the problem it solves, not just tagged on because it seems cool. An automatic cat feeder with streaming video and two-way voice communication, for instance, needs wi-fi and an app. In the case of this canned cat food dispenser, it just drives up the price slightly without adding all that much value.
Catit Pixi 6 Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Product Type | Automatic cat feeder for wet food |
| Design | Compact design with a rotating wheel and six bowls |
| Capacity | Holds enough food for 24 hours; each compartment can hold about ½ a cup of food |
| Cooling Method | Uses removable ice packs (pre-frozen in a freezer) to keep wet food fresh |
| Feeding Mechanism | Rotating wheel exposes a new serving with each turn |
| App Connectivity | Wi-Fi enabled; allows scheduling of feeding times via app, but connectivity may be unreliable |
| Manual Control | Small LCD display for programming feeding times manually |
| Portion Control | Helps prevent overeating by dividing food into six separate servings |
| Battery Backup | Ensures continued operation during power outages |
| Safety Feature | Stops rotating if an object (e.g., a cat toy) gets stuck, preventing potential injury |
| Recommended Use | Ideal for single-cat households or short periods away from home |
| Limitations | Not suitable for trips longer than 24 hours; limited capacity for multiple cats or large, active cats |
| Additional Accessories | Additional ice packs recommended for continuous use; a set costs under £10 |
| Maintenance and Care | Requires periodic refreezing of ice packs and cleaning of food compartments |
| Customer Experience | Some cats may take time to get used to the feeder; app notifications for feeding events, though more useful notifications (e.g., errors) are preferred |
| Price Consideration | Slightly higher due to Wi-Fi and app connectivity features that add limited value |
What’s It Like Owning a Catit Pixi 6 Smart Feeder?
Catit has been in business for over 20 years now. The company has made quite a name for itself by offering innovative, cute products that take the needs of cats into account as much as those of their owners.
Chilling wet food using ice packs previously frozen in the freezer compartment of your fridge seems like a genius idea. It certainly helps to keep kitty’s food fresh for several hours, but I wouldn’t bet my cat’s health on this for more than a day. It’s probably a good idea to place this canned cat food dispenser in a cool place where direct sunlight won’t reach it.
I also can’t figure out how to program it for more than 24 hours in advance, so this cat feeder won’t be of much use when you’re going on longer trips. In addition, unlike most automatic cat feeders, the Pixi’s capacity is quite limited. Each of the six compartments holds roughly ½ cup of food. For a large, active cat, that’s sufficient for one day; two or more cats won’t be satisfied with this amount.
You will also want to buy additional ice packs so one can be left in the freezer while the other is chilling your cat’s meals for the day. A set of these costs under £10, so you may as well order them along with this wet cat food dispenser.
This rotating wheel system is great for portion control, though, and prevents your cat from gobbling up a whole day’s ration all at once and feeling hungry the rest of the time. It’s also suitable for cats on special diets, including those you prepare yourself. Whether this is worth the effort remains an open question, though I personally know several cat owners who swear by homecooked cat food and only keep cans or kibble around as a backup.
All in all, the Catit Pixi 6 and its battery backup give you the reassurance that your cat is being taken care of while you’re at work. It’s pretty much your go-to option if your cat prefers canned food, but not very useful if you have to leave your cat home alone for days at a time.