Wooh! Got an automatic cat feeder, used it daily for a month, and now it’s stinking, right? 🤢? You opened the lid and saw a few kibbles stuck inside, and your kitty was not eating food from that dispenser. Don’t worry, it’s very common among people who have an automatic cat feeder.
When you don’t clean the cat feeder bowl, it builds up bacteria and a foul smell. So, in this article, we are going to learn how to clean the automatic feeder perfectly, which is essential when you own one.
Why Cleaning Your Automatic Cat Feeder Is Important?
- Hygiene: After being a cat parent, you know cats are super hygienic animals, and when it comes to eating food, they need their eating area well cleaned. Otherwise, they won’t eat, which ultimately concerns the cat’s health.
- Health: Now, above, we have discussed hygiene and how health issues can be avoided. Obviously, if you don’t clean your cat’s automatic feeder, then your cat may have some problems like gastrointestinal issues or food poisoning. One of my cats got a skin infection in her chin area because of bacteria in a dirty food bowl; this is what my vet said to me.
- Longevity: There is also a major advantage of regular cleaning: your feeder lasts longer and functions properly.
- Smell: It is one of the main problems, and I have been the victim. This is the main reason behind cleaning the automatic feeder daily, especially the bowl. Otherwise, your home will be the permanent address of an unpleasant odor.
Common Cleaning Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
- Not Cleaning Your Feeder Regularly—I have seen people not cleaning their automatic feeder for 6 months and afterwards facing issues back to back in their feeder. It is recommended that your cat’s automatic feeder be deeply cleaned for at least a month. Yes, the eating part would definitely need to be cleaned more often.
- Using Harsh Chemicals for Cleaning – Chemicals like ammonia or undiluted bleach can leave harmful residues that might contaminate your cat’s food. It can even degrade plastic components, leading to cracks or discoloration.
- Leaving Dish Soap Residue on the Feeder After Cleaning—Cleaning with dish soap is a great way to clean your automatic feeder, but leaving its residue can change your cat’s food taste, which is not good for the cat’s experience.
- Not allowing parts to dry completely—Whenever you clean the feeder parts by soaking them in dish soap water, please ensure you clean the water thoroughly.
Signs Your Feeder Needs Immediate Cleaning
This will happen at least once in your lifetime with your automatic cat feeder, and it will require maintenance before your scheduled time, and how you can notice before it makes noise:
- Visible Food Residue: That’s obvious. If you pour food inside a container, some residue will be left inside the container, and it won’t be fresh anymore. So, there is a famous saying, “Don’t let the bad apple spoil the rest.”
- Unpleasant Odors: Leftover foods create a terrible, unpleasant smell because of bacterial or mold growth inside the feeder.
- Mold Growth: You can easily spot black or green mold growth on food boxes. This is not good for your cat, and it is not even suitable for any domestic pet.
- Food Jams: Leftover kibbles can jam your rotor, and food will not be dispensed properly.
- Cat’s Refusal to Eat: Cats are particular about cleanliness, and if their eating bowl smells bad, they will not eat.
- Pest Infestation: You will notice ants, flies, or insects around the feeder that signal your feeder needs cleaning.
DIY Cleaning Solutions
Here are some of my favorite DIY cleaning solutions that you can make at home using household products:
- Vinegar + Baking Soda: Add 60 ml vinegar and 1 tsp baking soda.
- Lemon—Cut the lemon into pieces and scrub.
How to Clean an Automatic Cat Feeder: A Step-by-Step Guide
Tip:
- Automatic cat food dispenser’s stainless steel bowls are suitable for dishwashers.
- Do not soak or wash the main machine in water.
- The appearance of the infrared sensor should be cleaned.
- Replace the desiccant after every 2 weeks.
PETLIBRO
Almost all the Petlibro automatic feeders disassemble in the same way. If you have trouble disassembling them, then you can read the manual or contact customer care.
- Press and hold the top lid release button to open the lid.
- Open the lock of the food tank.
- Remove the food tank and empty the food tank.
- Rotate the rotor cover clockwise and remove the rotor cover after hearing a clicking sound.
- Hold the two plastic pieces at the bottom of the rotor and press down to take out the vane and the plastic rotor.
- Clean the top lid, rotor, vane, rotor cover, and food tank.
- Wipe the inside of the base and the food outlet with a soft cloth.
- Dry the top lid, rotor, vane, rotor cover, and food tank completely.
- Now, the way you disassemble it is the same way you just assemble it.
Toozy
- Turn off the machine and take out the batteries.
- Now, unlock the top lid and take out the desiccant pack.
- Unlock the feeder box from both sides.
- Lift up the button and rotate; it will get off.
- Wash the stainless steel bowl, bowl holder, rotary vane, and grain bucket.
- Clean the inside and outside of the machine with a damp-dry cloth.
- Now, reverse the disassembling process.
- Done!
Note: The above parts can be soaked in soapy water or a dishwasher.
WoPet
The Wopet automatic cleaner has the same cleaning steps as PETLIBRO.
SureFeeder
I have seen a lot of queries regarding the SureFeeder automatic feeder, which is difficult to clean. It is not difficult, but it is not as easy as cleaning other feeders.
You have to disassemble the SureFeeder using a screwdriver to remove the handle. Plus, you cannot submerge the machine into water as it contains the electronic parts.
It would be difficult for me to explain how to do it, but I found a tutorial video on cleaning SureFeeder.
Here it is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMbra9bau-Q.
Tools/Materials that You Can Use for Cleaning
- Handheld Vacuum—Suck out all of the kibbles and dry out wet food.
- Antibacterial wipes—These are for regular cleaning, like cleaning a feeder bowl or food box.
- Dish Liquid—For cleaning
- Dry Cloth—Before assembling, clean it at the end
- Tool Kit—This is required to open the feeder if needed. Like Surefeeder.
FAQs
Q1. How often should I clean my automatic cat feeder?
Ans. Ideally, you should clean the feeding bowl daily after every other fill. So, one day, you don’t feel a heavy task. Consider it as a regular container. You can do deep cleaning once a month.
Q2. Can I put the feeder’s parts in the dishwasher?
Ans. Yes, you can put clean parts in the dishwasher, just like I do.
Q3. What cleaning products are safe to use?
Ans. You can use any dish cleaning products, but do not forget to rinse them well with water after applying them.
Q4. What if my feeder smells even after cleaning?
Ans. It only happens when you don’t clean it well or use some light, cheap cleaning product. You can use Ajax, Dawn Ultra, or vinegar.
Q5. Can dirty feeders harm my cat?
Ans. If you haven’t cleaned the feeder for a long time, it can make your cat sick. But before that, your cat will stop eating from that feeder because it could have started smelling.
Conclusion
Cleaning the automatic feeder is a small task but essential. I do deep cleaning once a month and regular cleaning of food bowls. Please read this article thoroughly, as I have shared some of my tips plus the necessary stuff that is required for cleaning.
Do let me know how you guys clean your automatic feeder box and any tips that I forgot to mention. Remember, a clean feeder is a happy feeder—and a happy feeder means a happy cat!