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- Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.
We never want our cats to miss a meal—but schedules shift, and once in a while we’re not home in time for dinner. That’s where an automatic feeder can come in handy: making sure your kitty gets their regular portion at their regular time, no matter how hectic life gets.
Enter the PETLIBRO Granary Dual Automatic Feeder. Setting itself apart from other automatic pet feeders, the PETLIBRO Dual Automatic Feeder boasts not one but two feeder trays with a splitter capable of serving up two different portions of kibble into each tray. We couldn’t resist reviewing and putting this multi-cat automatic feeder to the test.
The PETLIBRO Granary Dual Automatic Feeder: Key Features
This plug-in feeder with battery backup can hold up to five liters of kibble (that’s just over 21 cups!) and dispense up to ten meals a day. Thanks to a built-in and replaceable desiccant bag, all 21 cups of kibble stay fresh.
Here are other key features of the PETLIBRO Granary:
- Secure twist-lock lid
- Infrared safety system
- Dual stainless steel feeding trays
- Wi-Fi functionality and companion PETLIBRO app
- Built-in 1080p, 145° wide-angle camera
- One- to ten-meal capability per 24 hours
- 50 feeding portion sizes from 10 grams to 500 grams
There’s also a bright display panel, and you can talk to your pet in real-time or pre-record a message to tell them it’s time to eat. If you’re running late and didn’t set the feeding schedule at home, you can use the PETLIBRO app to tweak portion sizes and schedules.
The unit comes in two colors—black or white—and the tech features can be scaled down to meet your needs and budget. We selected the dual feeder with a camera and Wi-Fi enabled, but you can opt for no camera with Wi-Fi enabled, or a no-frills feeder without the camera or Wi-Fi. If you have one pet at home, the dual feeder tray can be swapped for a single feeder tray.
Testing the PETLIBRO Granary Dual Automatic Feeder
Setup
Like other online reviewers, we experienced some bugs getting the feeder up and running. While the tech features are in place to make life easier, the unit proved difficult to connect to our home network. After some troubleshooting including unplugging and re-plugging the unit back in, we were up and running.
Note: We ordered a second PETLIBRO Granary as a single cat feeder and didn’t experience any connectivity issues. More on two single feeders versus a multi-cat set-up later.
Programming
Programming the feeder is as simple as opening the PETLIBRO app and selecting the days, times, and portions for each planned meal, toggling on and off as needed. While in the app, you can also access the live-stream camera, manual feeding selection, and a history log of past meals.
Programming the PETLIBRO Granary Dual Automatic Feeder is a breeze.
Kitty-proof
Our cats waited in anticipation as we filled the slender silo-like feeder. Because the portions can be as little as a tablespoon, we treated them to a small snack for helping us set up the unit. Of course, they wanted more. But to my cats’ dismay, the screw-on locking lid won’t budge under a cat’s paw—a huge improvement from our last automatic feeder swaddled in layers of ugly cat-proof tape.
Camera
The PETLIBRO Granary we selected boasts a built-in 1080p, 145° wide-angle camera. The quality of the picture both day and night was on-par with our tried-and-true pet camera. Is there anything better than a picture-perfect view of your pet happily munching while you’re away? I think not.
PETLIBRO has a built-in wide-angle camera that makes mealtime even cuter. Taken via PETLIBRO Granary with single bowl attachment.
Note: The camera is capable of recording and saving video with a separate purchase of an SD card. With no SD card inserted, the camera is only available for live-stream video. The camera can take and save pictures without an SD card.
Usability
The feeder is made to dispense dry food only (2-15mm). So we continued our regular wet food feedings throughout the day and set the feeder to give our cats their nightly kibble snack. We loved that the feeder has so many portion settings, accommodating everything from small snacks to large meals—a feature other automatic feeders we’ve tried missed the mark on.
The feeder itself can’t be programmed to give two separate amounts of kibble in each bowl. Instead, manually move the built-in splitter towards one bowl or the other to dispense a roughly larger amount of kibble in one bowl and a smaller amount in the other.
Right away, we noticed that one cat would sit back and watch our other cat enjoy her snack. With a little verbal encouragement, our second cat would join the meal at her designated bowl, separated from her littermate by mere inches.
With doubt in mind that both cats would eat at the same time without our help, we left for vacation. A cat sitter continued regular wet meals in the morning and evening, and the PETLIBRO Granary took over feedings at lunch and dispensed their late-night snack.
PETLIBRO Granary Dual Automatic Feeder camera provides a clear picture day or night. Taken via PETLIBRO Granary with dual bowl attachment.
Monitoring real-time through the PETLIBRIO camera or watching saved recordings via our in-house pet cams, our suspicions were correct. Our more dominant kitty was hogging the feeder and eating more than her share.
The PETLIBRO app makes it a breeze to tweak feedings and portion sizes when away from home. So we resorted to dispensing a portion of food at odd times in the hope of attracting our second cat, or manually dispensing a serving when we spotted her lounging near the feeder. Luckily, our Rover sitter was also available to adjust the portion sizes of their other meals—ensuring no one would go to bed hungry.
Pros: There’s no denying that this feeder has all the high-quality gadgets, accessories, and settings a pet parent could want.
- High-quality camera
- Great portion size options
- Easy-to-adjust portion sizes and feedings at home or on the go
- Stainless steel bowls
- Friendly price-point with options to scale-down tech for budget
It also doesn’t hurt that while the feeder holds a lot of food, it’s sleek and takes up less room than other automatic feeders we’ve tried. Plus, our determined cats couldn’t break in.
Considerations: If you’re worried about your cat’s weight and want specific portions for each cat, the splitter isn’t going to be 100% accurate. As for our cats preferring not to eat side-by-side, this could take trial-and-error in your own home. Luckily, PETLIBRO offers a 30-day money-back guarantee (and it’s available on Amazon for easy returns).
Is the PETLIBRO Granary Dual Automatic Feeder Recommended for Multi-Cat Households?
Would I recommend purchasing the PETLIBRO Granary Dual Automatic Feeder for your multi-cat household? Maybe. The build, features, and mechanical functionally of the PETLIBRO Granary were impressive and what I look for in an automatic cat feeder. If you’re shopping for a multi- or single-cat automatic feeder, PETLIBRO has a wide selection of budget-friendly choices with all the properly functioning bells and whistles you could want.
But I wanted to learn more about our cats’ behaviors when it came to sharing a meal from a multi-cat automatic feeder—any multi-cat automatic feeder. So, I spoke to Dr. Mikel Delgado, a Rover Dog People panelist and cat behavior expert at Feline Minds.
The PETLIBRO Granary Dual Automatic Feeder ensures both your cats are fed on time every time—but will they share? Taken via PETLIBRO Granary with dual bowl attachment.
The golden rule to feeding a clowder of cats is to separate their bowls by a few feet, Dr. Delgado says. If cats in the same household are competitive, pet parents might even want to consider serving meals in separate rooms.
“Cats are not naturally family-styled eaters like we are,” Dr. Delgado says. “Cats get along better when resources in the home are spaced. A cat who is uncomfortable eating around other cats may feel stressed and even become sick from chronic stress. Rather than fight over food access, a cat may choose to avoid the other cat by walking away from the food bowl, even if they are hungry.”
Because the feeding trays can be purchased separately and are interchangeable on the PETLIBRO hopper, we swapped the dual feeding tray for a single tray. Then, we ordered a second PETLIBRO Granary with a single feeding tray—placing them a few feet away from one another.
Our takeaway? The dual tray system is a nice idea and will undoubtedly work in some cat households, but it isn’t the norm and requires careful monitoring to make sure both cats are getting the right amount of food. We prefer the PETLIBRO with a single feeding tray and give it high marks for customizability, effectiveness, and maximum convenience.
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