tina
Newbie
Posts: 22
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Post by tina on Oct 9, 2014 2:41:24 GMT
Hi Guys,
I am new to here and I wanted to say hello and also get some feedback on an idea I'm working on. I am going to design an automated feeder for dogs and cats.It can be programmed the meal times and food dispense controlled, and you can check your pets' activities through APP while you are away from home. The selling point is that it can self-clean its food tray, so you don't need to clean the tray every day, even if you left your pets alone for few days, you don't need to worry the smells.
Dears, is it attractive to you? thanks for your comments?
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Post by scallywag on Oct 9, 2014 5:32:53 GMT
I woukd NEVER leave my pet alone for a few days
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tina
Newbie
Posts: 22
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Post by tina on Oct 9, 2014 7:28:43 GMT
I woukd NEVER leave my pet alone for a few days I designed it for everyday use, just in case you have to go out for few days, it can save your worries. How are you feeding your pet now? have you ever bothered to clean the food bowl every day?
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tina
Newbie
Posts: 22
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Post by tina on Oct 9, 2014 7:29:25 GMT
I woukd NEVER leave my pet alone for a few days I designed it for everyday use, just in case you have to go out for few days, it can save your worries. How are you feeding your pet now? have you ever bothered to clean the food bowl every day?
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Post by scallywag on Oct 9, 2014 8:45:02 GMT
I woukd NEVER leave my pet alone for a few days I designed it for everyday use, just in case you have to go out for few days, it can save your worries. How are you feeding your pet now? have you ever bothered to clean the food bowl every day? Like I said I would not go out for a few days leaving my pet alone, also I wash his bowl after every meal as I do with my own dishes
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Post by lizzybizzy on Oct 9, 2014 10:39:02 GMT
Sounds like an ok idea - its not going to work for everyone but some may see the use in it-- HOw many dog owners have you asked about it and their thoughts?
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Post by alfiemummy on Oct 9, 2014 10:42:45 GMT
I wash his food and water bowls every day. I can't think of a reason I would need a machine to feed him as I don't like him eating while I'm not there to supervise.
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Post by barley on Oct 9, 2014 11:07:07 GMT
It may be ok for cats I suppose? But I would never use it for my dog for several reasons:
- I never leave him alone for long enough that he would need a meal whilst I was gone - I'd never ever leave him alone for a couple of days!! - I like to supervise him whilst he eats - I wash his bowl after every meal, just as I do my own dishes
Sorry, but no, it's not a product I would ever use.
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Post by tonib on Oct 9, 2014 13:59:26 GMT
Welcome to the forum tina, hope you enjoy it here. Nice to see that someone is thinking up new ideas to ease the lives of pets & their owners. However I do have some comments, from a cat owners perspective, to make on your idea which are going to sound negative but hopefully will give you thoughts/ideas to improve/market your design. There are a number of feeders out there for cats, some automated at set times, the latest opens for the cats microchip so food access can be controlled in multipet households although is not timed. However I don't think any are designed to be for more than 24 hours. I'm not sure about the self cleaning - what does it use to clean the food bowl with? What type of food is it designed for? Some cats eat dry only but others a combination of, or only, wet food, unlike dogs these are normally served separately. I can see a use but not for more than 24 hours unattended, as cats often don't do well in catteries & prefer their own environment much more than dogs. However I would not want to see a cat left alone for longer than 24 hours & then only in an emergency. Cat sitters/neighbours/relatives can be used in normal situations. Having said that it could help any sitter in making sure that the cat got its right amounts of food at the right time. A timed feeder can be useful for someone who works long hours but these are already available. As to the App for checking your pet' activities, how would that work, or are you just talking about when it eats? If it is for other things then I'm not sure that something that was so multi-purpose would quite find its niche in the market. Sometimes there are reasons why products don't have multi-purposes as they become neither one thing or another. It also sounds like it will need some form of power & probably not battery operated which means that the feeder would have to be located near a power socket, which isn't always feasible. I hope that helps you with your idea & wish you luck with your design.
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Post by zahada on Oct 9, 2014 19:19:59 GMT
Does it clean up their poo and wee if I am away for a few days? LOL.
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Post by scallywag on Oct 9, 2014 19:24:23 GMT
Does it clean up their poo and wee if I am away for a few days? LOL.
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Post by smilesbetter on Oct 9, 2014 19:27:09 GMT
I wouldn't use this sorry, if I was going to be away for a pet mealtime (even if it was just one of their two daily meals) I'd get someone else to come in and feed them. None of my pets eat dry food anyway haha so unless it can keep raw food and/or wet cat meat fresh then it's never gonna be useful for me!
I would never recommend leaving a cat unattended for over 24 hours, as cats can easily get major digestive tract issues from missing eating in 24 hours, and these products can fail. The risk would be too high. Plus I've seen plenty videos of cats tricking automatic feeders online haha. Better to be there for mealtimes or get someone else to pop in.
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Post by caz2golden on Oct 9, 2014 20:11:59 GMT
Hi Tina, welcome to the forum.
Sorry I will be no good for feedback to your product. I would not use one. Simple as that.
I think others have covered most of the points I would.
Leaving dogs home alone IMO should not be encouraged. Dogs are pack animals and should not be left for long periods of time and definitively not day(s) (as is implied by your post)!! (I think the 5hrs max at a time mine have to be left for work is plenty if not pushing that boundary) I never leave my dogs long enough to require a meal in my absence and if there was an emergency then I am sure a friend would feed them for me.
I raw feed so on many levels it would not work, be it storage of raw food that needs chilling, the variation in what I feed from large racks of ribs to green tripe......., the requirement to supervise mealtimes especially where bones are concerned, the high levels of hygiene required (i.e hot water with good dish cleaner for bowls after every meal) etc etc
I also have a multi dog household and such a product would result in one dog having all the food and the other none!
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tina
Newbie
Posts: 22
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Post by tina on Oct 10, 2014 0:59:29 GMT
Sounds like an ok idea - its not going to work for everyone but some may see the use in it-- HOw many dog owners have you asked about it and their thoughts? Thank you. I am collecting dog owners' suggestion now. It would be much appreciated if you could give me more your thoughts.
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tina
Newbie
Posts: 22
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Post by tina on Oct 10, 2014 1:18:30 GMT
I wash his food and water bowls every day. I can't think of a reason I would need a machine to feed him as I don't like him eating while I'm not there to supervise. I guess your pet eat twice every day, before you go to work and after you go back, right? if you can programmed the meal times and dispensed food for each meal, meanwhile, you can see your pet eating through phone APP connected with camera in feeder, how do you think?
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