Selective Bowl Feeder

Product Description

WonderBowl Selective Pet Feeder Station The Problem Pets love to eat. Parents of multiple pets know it can be difficult to make sure each pet eats only his or her own food. Keeping dogs out of cats’ food (and vice-versa) can be a challenge, and if a pet is on a special diet, it’s important to ensure the right pet is eating the right food. The Solution The scientifically-developed WonderBowl opens only for the pet wearing the unique tag (included). Ideal for multi-pet households and pets on special diets, it is designed to prevent children and other pets from eating from the food bowl. Simply attach the tag to your pet’s collar and enjoy worry-free selective feeding! How It Works The WonderBowl uses infrared technology to detect when your pet is near the food bowl. When the pet wearing the unique tag is in range, the lid will open, granting access only to the pet you choose. About WonderBowl WonderBowl’s sturdy design prevents slipping and sliding on floors, and its tag and base are water resistant. The hygienic stainless steel bowl insert is dishwasher safe (top shelf) and can be easily removed for cleaning. (AC Adapter sold separately) More Information Includes one pet collar tag Bowl holds up to 1.5 cups of dry food Water resistant tag and base Sturdy design prevents slipping and sliding Tag features low battery indicator 1 year limited warranty 3 “D” batteries not included AC adapter and additional tags sold separately

Features

• Perfect for multi-pet homes (small cats and dogs)
• Keeps food fresh
• Prevents kids and unwanted pets from getting into pet's food
• D Batteries not included, AC adaptor sold separately, Kindly refer to manual and video for reference.
• Tag takes CR2032 battery, battery lasts 30.78 days; Bowl takes 3 D batteries that last 43.77 days.

Top Reviews

Battery and tag clip issues- easy to resolve.
by Britt (3 out of 5 stars)
August 4, 2015

Batteries that they come with do not last long or work well. One arrived dead. Inserted new batteries as they work great.

We ordered this product because one of our cats is on expensive prescription food and other two aren't. We have two bowls on different codes and LOVE them!! I'll never go back to having to supervise meals multiple times a day. These bowls save a great deal of time and headache!

Update: ordered a new set of tags and they did not come with the clips on the back like the first set did. (Our cat lost a tag outside, not an issue with the product). This only left the option to hang them with the identification tags. Other users commented that this dipped them in the water dish and quickly broke them.

Instead, I opened the tag and removed the black foam pad behind the battery. I drilled two small holes with a 1/8" bit and ran lighter over the back of the plastic to melt the pointed edges. I then used a zip tie to attach the back of the tag to the collar and replaced the foam pad. I then screwed the front cover/battery back on. Seems to be working like a charm!

We also found that a generic 5v DC adaptor cord works and was far less expensive than the one advertised to work with this item. We've been using it for several months now with no issue.
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Started out fine... then I grew tired of it.
by L. Ellis (3 out of 5 stars)
August 19, 2013

**updated May 28, 2015**

I have moved on to a different product, and downgraded to 3 stars. I found that the batteries in the tag needed to be replaced way too often (which sometimes meant that the cat couldn't eat until I noticed she couldn't get in.) Also, the Velcro solution for the tag turned out to be not so perfect. The tag has a rounded back, so it never really quite fit properly on a collar that is rounded in the opposite direction. That means the edges would pull up and get fuzz and dirt in them, making the whole attachment a little precarious.

The product (Wireless Whiskers) I'm now using works better for me - I can use it for all of the cats in the house, each gets a personalized amount of food per day, and the default cover position is "open" for all of them, which avoids any skittishness. AND the tag does not have any batteries.
*****

I had seen reviews for this product in other places, with complaints that when the tag is hanging into the bowl, which it will naturally do when the animal is eating, the cover shuts. I found this to be true. However, I followed the advice of another person who overcame the problem by sewing the tag onto the collar. Instead of sewing, I simply got some double-stick Velcro, sewed half to the collar, and stuck the other half on the tag. Sticking it directly to the collar means that the front of the tag is always pointing "enough" toward the sensor to keep the cover open.

The other thing I noticed when the tag was hanging, was that it would ding musically against the cat's glass water bowl, and then dangle into the water. I'm thinking that repeated dunking is probably not so great for the electronics, which also makes me think that the product might not work so well for an outdoor cat.

Once the tag situation was under control, it only took the cat, who is actually pretty skittish, a couple days to get used to the opening and closing. At first, she would grab a bite and pull it out of the bowl, and of course the cover would close, scaring her a bit. But she'd keep going back for more. Eventually (and fairly quickly) she built up enough confidence to keep her head in the bowl and eat until she was done.

This bowl has solved the problem I bought it for: Skinny Cat is skittish and only eats a little at a time, so I try to leave her bowl out all day long. Pudgy Cat finishes her own food in one go, then goes to Skinny Cat's bowl looking for dessert, or a midnight snack. Now, Pudge is limited to her own food, while Skinny can have as much as she wants. I think that Pudge may have already lost a few ounces in 2 weeks and Skinny Cat seems content.

If WonderBowl made the tag for the product so that it would slide along, or clamp onto the collar rather than dangling, it would definitely get 5 stars from me.
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Warning and Tips that could help you. SEE UPDATE after earlier review.
by Annie (5 out of 5 stars)
December 16, 2013

FIRST --and important if you are new to the high-tech cat bowl game: There is a difference between automatic feeders that just open when the pet walks up to them and ones like this that open when a given pet goes up to them and then close when that pet leaves. The second kind, which is what Wonderbowl is, require a collar fob (transmitter), so if the bowl doesn't come with this (and most don't), it just has a built-in motion sensor and anybody nearby will open it (even you and the neighbor's cat). Don't even dream of leaving a motion-sensor bowl out on your porch!

UPDATE 5/12/16: I had a problem with the new collar fob I ordered months ago but just now used. Called the company and they are sending a new fob right out. No charge. That's service!

UPDATE 9/12:

Unless you read the troubleshooting tips in tiny print at the end of the user's guide, you won't know that the fobs will tell you when they are getting low on battery! What a great feature. But, because I didn't know this I wondered why I could see Sammy coming at me from across the patio on a dark night. The fobs start to flash red for a couple days and then they stay red (I'm sure until the batteries run out). So, after a few weeks keep checking for a flashing light. My Energizer battery lasted about 90 days. See note about batteries right below. Oh, and by the way...the bowls have been working flawlessly! I told my vet about these and he was so impressed. He said Wonderbowl will solve the problems of at least two dozens clients.

UPDATE 7/14:

The second bowl was working fine until I suddenly became aware that my littlest kitty was getting thin (!) and then I realized his fob wasn't opening the dish! Tried a new battery and it didn't work, but luckily I had an extra fob from what I bought in December, so I swapped out the front plate (with the circuit) board and put in the new battery. Worked fine until a week later when it stopped working again. I mean, I take it off my kitty and try everything and it doesn't work. So I figure it's a nasty intermittant defect and am about to call the company after the holiday but what to do in the meantime? So I went out and bought a new Eveready battery and wouldn't you know it? It worked! I'm thinking these NIC batteries that come with the fobs aren't good and I went out and bought a whole card of the Evereadys (for about $3!) on Amazon and I'll replace my other kitty's when they get here. This could have been the reason the fobs didn't work back in December. So..word to the wise, dump the NICs and get good batteries right from the start so you don't risk your kitty going without food. The bowl works so well (when it's working) that I kind of forgot about it except to fill it.

Oh yeah...I decided to get the plug-in adapters for both of the bowls so there won't be a risk of the bowls running out of battery power (but that doesn't stop the fobs from running out). The batteries are there for backup in case the power is out.

UPDATE 6/14:

I've now had my second Wonderbowl (see below for what happened to the first one) over a month and both skinny cats are delighted with it. One opens and closes it just for the fun of watching. It has even taught one of the Skinnies to stop taking a mouthful of kibble, dropping it on the floor, eating a few pieces and going back for more. When he tried that with Wonderbowl he got gently bopped on the head and now he eats like a normal cat. Fat cat has given up even trying to gobble their food and I'm about to order a second Wonderbowl so both Skinnies will have one. I bought the Petsafe auto feeder for Fat Cat and she is thrilled to get 6 small meals a day instead of just 2 big ones. Joy and peace in my home!

But please read the warning below:

A SERIOUS WARNING and TIPS THAT COULD HELP YOU

WARNING I followed the advice of other reviewers and sewed this to his collar because Maxxy is so little it would hang too low and bang into him. It is one of those nylon adjustable collars with breakaway. A couple hours later I found him lying on his side on the floor and sort of swimming his front legs. I thought he was just stretching, but then he kept doing it. On investigation I found that he had gotten his lower jaw down under the top band of the collar and it was stuck in this teeth!!! I got him loose and tightened the collar. Two days later the same thing happened except this time one of his lower canines had punctured the front band of the collar and sort of twisted it so the bottom was almost at the top. I realized then that the problem was that I needed to sew all the way through both layers of the collar so that the weight of the fob didn't pull the front band forward and down where he could get his jaw under it. I also sewed the two layers of the collar together all the way across the top and bottom so there was no way it could separate. Since then, no problem, but I have his collar on just a little tighter than I normally would (doesn't seem to bother him and he doesn't try to chew on it like he did before). I could have glued both layers together with Gorilla glue--it would have to be glued right to the edges, though, so he couldn't work his teeth into the layers. Of course, now the collar isn't adjustable and if he grows I'll have to buy a new one. I did go looking for a breakaway collar in leather or something that was all one layer but the only one I found that would fit him was just too cumbersome with its big buckle and overlapping strap, so the current solution is better. Poor Maxxy. What trauma! This could have been really serious and I am lucky he didn't get hurt.

Personally, I think this bowl should either come with its own collar that has a little connector for the fob and people could specify small, medium or large.

Sidebar: this same thing happened a long time ago to my fat cat when put a flea collar on her (something I never would do now because of the chemicals in them). I found Tessa under the bed covered in her own saliva and given the size of the puddle she was lying in, she had been there for hours. Lucky I found her when I did. So...this is a very serious warning about all types of collars.

UPDATE 7/14--Since I fixed the collars, I've had no problems with either kitty getting his jaw stuck.

TIP: Problem many reviewers mentioned the bowl closing on their cat's head. This happened to Maxxy once and I discovered that the reason was that his food had gotten really low and when he reached his head in and down to eat, the fob fell inside the bowl and below the sensors, shutting it off. He backed up suddenly and the bowl opened all the way again. Solution: I now make sure the bowl is always at least half full and fill it to the brim with his kibble. My other cat who wears the fob came and ate while the bowl was open and he's one of those cats that takes a few kibbles, drops them on the floor, eats a few of them and goes back for more. I was really worried the bowl would shut during this process, but since he learned to keep the kibbles close to the bowl, it stays open the whole time. Luckily both of them can free-feed without getting fat.

TIP: Problem: bowl lid gets stuck a little open and gears make a grinding sound. Luckily I was there or the gears might have stripped themselves. I discovered one little bit of kibble had fallen under the hinge on the back of the bowl, keeping it from going down all the way. Solution: If this happens, don't push the round opener button (which I did because I though it was stuck trying to open but that made the grinding worse.) Turn the bowl off with the switch and then back on and the lid will open fully so you can inspect/clear. I am now careful when I fill the bowl. I have found kibbles in the trough between the lid and the bowl, dropped there by my kitties, but they haven't affected lid operation.

UPDATE 5/14

The situation that led me to buy this bowl in the first place worsened to the point that my little 3-legged cat was starving. After seeing recent reviews here, I decided to give it another try. It has been 10 days and so far so good! Maxxy learned to open it within 3 days, though he is skittish and still cringes at the sound. When it closes, it stops him dead in his tracks. I praise him extravagantly when the bowl closes so now I think he thinks he is actually doing it. Oddly, my bravest cat also has a fob and he won't go near it unless it is already open, but he doesn't have to because his dish is up high where Fat Cat can't get it.

This bowl is the perfect solution to my food war problem. I bought the Crestuff programmable 6-meal feeder for Fat Cat and it had such serious design limitations (see site for my review) that I then bought the PetSafe one and it has been working perfectly! It has taught Tessa how to tell time and now she arrives at the bowl precisely 2 hours and 50 minutes in, to wait for it to open every 3 hours (for 6 feedings). No more bugging me or my other cats for food! now that she is calmer I can toss healthy treats down the hall and she gallops to get them, skidding into the walls and having so much fun. She is already losing some weight.

Review from 12/13

Ugh! I got this bowl plus two tags and the power adaptor and have spent 2 weeks getting my older cat and the 1-y/o, 3-legged kitten used to the bowl and to wearing collars. Today was the big day: I was going to get the tags sewn on the collars (thanks for that advice, fellow Reviewer) and give it a whirl because I'm going out of town in 7 days.
#1 Getting the backs off these tags isn't fun. Several screws spun around without coming out. Tried 3 different-sized Phillips screwdrivers and finally after 20 or so minutes managed to get one of the backs off. The other one wasn't as hard.
#2 Once I finally got the backs off I saw that one of them had a broken contact plate (little silver thing). Of course, the one that didn't have a broken plate is the one with the bad screw holes!
#3 I made sure the code was the same as on the unit and tried to reassemble the second tag (both came with the code A-1, so that was easy). While I was doing it the bowl opened and closed. Yay! Kept going but once the back was all the way on nothing would make it open the bowl.
#4 Now I had to get the screws out of the back to try to see if maybe I had the battery in wrong (but why would it have worked in the first place). A tortuous 25 minutes to get one of the screws out while fearing I would break the back with the pressure I had to use.
#5 I tried simply pressing the battery against the circuit board and moving the tag closer to the bowl. It opened and then presently closed (by the way, this isn't noisy and I don't think my cats will mind the little whirring sound--it closes virtually silently.). Tried again and it didn't work but maybe my pressure wasn't enough...sooo back and forth I went and sometimes it would work, sometimes not, mostly not.
#6 Another half hour trying to get the back off.
#7 Retested with the other battery which, apparently, is dead as I couldn't make it work at all.
#8 Gave up and called the company and they have not returned my call. It is unacceptable, folks, to have an answering machine that says they will call you back before their closing time the FOLLOWING day!

So...after all this I have one broken tag, one tag that has bad threads, no working tags and I am running out of time on my Amazon return period. If they don't call tomorrow this whole thing is going back.

What a huge disappointment!

PS: If I finally get one of the tags to work and I learn anything about why it wasn't working, I promise to update this. No update, it didn't happen.

UPDATE

I called the company 3 times leaving messages of accelerating upsetness, including telling them if they didn't call me back I would return the unit. They haven't, so I am.
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Great, if it keeps working! Which it didn't.
by Ken D. (1 out of 5 stars)
February 3, 2017

I purchased two of these bowls. I was ready to sing their praises from the hillside! But one of my bowls' lids quit closing and opening completely, and sometimes resumes closing or opening while my cat is eating. He finally got used to the bowl and now it's acting up on him! If not for this malfunction, I would rate 5 stars. And, of course, it is 2/3/17... and my return window closed on 1/31/17. Go figure.

UPDATE 2/13/17: Ten days later... I put WD40 on the broken bowl's lid and let it air out for the weekend. That solved most of the issues. But the lid now seems to close much harder. But it worked. Then, tonight, I noticed my "fat cat" eating out of the kittens bowl. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. That cats fob was opening both bowls, and I'd set them to different frequencies. To be sure a family member hadn't bothered the switches, I opened the bowl and the fobs. The fat cat's fob had this green goo in it. It still worked; too good. I changed the switches, it still opened both bowls. So I just put away one bowl and let the fat cat eat on the counter again. At least the kitten food is locked away. For now. Downgrading to one star. This isn't a deal, it's a waste of money. Go for a newer option that's been tested and proven. Wish I would've done the same.
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Good idea spoiled by poor quality control.
by Agrippina Frogbottom (3 out of 5 stars)
April 12, 2017

I have two cats, one of whom eats an expensive prescription diet. When these bowls work, they work well to keep the cats from eating each others' food. However, after a month or so, one bowl started opening only halfway. Luckily, it was the small cat's bowl, and she was still able to get her head in to eat. Now, however, it has started responding to the tag only intermittently. When I press the button on the back, it opens halfway; sometimes, if I press the button again, it opens the rest of the way. Replacing the batteries did not affect the problem. The "troubleshooting" section of the manual suggested that there might be food trapped around the base of the lid. There wasn't.

Also, when I first got the bowl, I had to buy a new tag because the one that was packaged with the bowl was glued shut. The socket that holds one of the very tiny screws that hold the tag closed was glued so carelessly that the screw was glued in to the socket. I managed to pry the tag open, which is how I discovered what the problem was, but since the only way to get the tag open was to dislodge the socket and the glued-in screw, there was no way to keep the tag closed again. I e-mailed customer service at OurPets but received no response, so I bought a new tag, which was fine.

Now that the bowl itself has stopped functioning reliably, I phoned OurPets and left a message on their customer service line. I would like to get a response this time. Replacing the tag was cheap, although annoying. Replacing the bowl will not be cheap.
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WonderBowl is WONDERFUL
by BarbaraB (5 out of 5 stars)
April 9, 2016

UPDATE 12/8/16 - It's now been a while since I bought this and I'm changing my review to 5 stars. I've had no problem since they replaced the bowl and my cat gets to eat her own food without the other 2 pushing her away. I adopted another cat a few months ago (now I have 4) and my original 2 were pushing her away from her food. So I got another bowl. It's from a 3rd party here (not Amazon) and it was an old model and almost started a fire. Battery compartment was so hot I couldn't touch it. I contacted Ourpets and they immediately sent me a new bowl at no charge. It was the newer model and fob that works better. Their customer service is Superb so if you have problems, let them know. They really stand behind their product. Now I'm still training my new cat but don't anticipate any problems. I found that if you CLIP the fob to their collar it works better. Older fobs don't have a clip.

UPDATE 5/7/16 - Ourpets.com contacted me and send me a replacement bowl. I returned the old one. This one is working fine. I notice that it's empty every morning. I guess my little one loves it now and I haven't seen it bop her in the head. One note, I bought new batteries and did not use the one they gave me with the new bowl after reading other reviews. So check you battery if it's not working right. I've changed my rating from 2 stars to 4.

ORIGINAL REVIEW

I bought one of these to try with one cat first. I wanted this so they could have access to their own dry food throughout the day without the other cats eating it. So I put the sensor on my bravest cat and put treats in the bowl. It does have two more sensors one on each side near the hinge but if the cat comes at it from the side, it opens and bops her in the face as it opens. It needs to sense it from a little greater distance. My cat has to be right at the bowl, almost on top of the front sensor for it to open. No range at all. When she stuck her head in to eat when the bowl was almost empty, it would close and bop her in the head again. She's getting terrified of this. I tightened her collar so she has a choice - choke from the collar or eat her food. Another cat has watched this and is terrified of the noise it makes when opening/closing. Another was curious so I put the sensor on her, but she jumped when it opened too. And she's the one I want to keep out of the others food, so I really don't see getting one for her. Unless I heard they have adjusted the sensor, or make it so you can adjust it, I doubt if I will be buying any more. I'll have to find another way to let this little cat get more of the food.
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It really does work, have patience and don't believe all of the bad reviews
by Izi Barrett (4 out of 5 stars)
December 6, 2017

This product gets such a bad wrap. I have two of these for my smaller dogs, because they like to graze. My bigger dog used to try to steal their food. You can set different frequencies so they cannot open each others bowls either. They actually work, and your dog will adjust, because yes, they aren't perfect and sometimes my dogs have to move their heads around to get it to open. Really my only complaint is the tag batteries don't last long enough. Aside from that, these are perfect for my house and I can't imagine life without them. They have been a total lifesaver for my pets. If you are considering it, get one and try it for a while. It does take some adjusting.. I have the AC adapter so I don't deal with batteries for the bowls.
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Works the way out should
by JK (4 out of 5 stars)
July 23, 2017

I ordered two of these bowls for my cats. I have one cat on a prescription diet and a kitten so important they don't eat each other's food. So far I'm pretty happy with them. My number one complaint though is that the picture makes it seem like it comes with the plug. It does not after I got the bowls I had to order the plugs because I didn't want to deal with batteries. I hope they correct the picture. Other then that they have been good.

At first my cats were a little nervous with the top opening but they desire for food won out in like seconds and now they aren't nervous at all.

Each bowl works as it should only opening for the correct tag and had helped so much in getting my cats to eat the correct food and is much easier to sew how much each is eating. Of course they aren't perfect my cats have learned to push the other out of the way and stick their head in. Cats are smart nothing is going to be perfect but I think this is add close as I can get.

It does say it holds a cup and a half of food i get about half that in at a time which is great for my cats but may not be enough for you. Also the bowl is a little high for my kitten she had to rally climb up on it to easy but it doesn't seem to bother her. I put something next to it for her to step up on and she had no problem.
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So far so good, although my fat cat may disagree!
by Jen (4 out of 5 stars)
January 11, 2019

I bough one of these bowls a few months ago with the intent of using it for our second cat so my baby who is a little fat would stop eating her food and lose the weight the vets keep mentioning. However, I lost motivation and never set it up. I moved about a year after I bought the first one and decided that it is time for my fat cat to lose his extra weight, so I bought a second bowl. My vet specifically recommended these bowls as she uses them and likes them.

I was happy to find out that the battery from the first tag is still good so I didn't need new batteries! I got the AC adapter for both bowls because I don't want to go through that many D batteries. It's been about a week since both cats have started using these bowls and they're working great! I used the clip on the back of the tag to attach to the collars so the tag won't dip in the water (I also have a fountain so I wasn't super concerns anyway). The tags open the bowls when the cats walk up, but allows them to only eat their food. My second cat actually has food throughout the day now and no longer meows at me to feed her! My big baby still meows at me for food, and I imagine he's more hungry now since he's not eating two cats worth of food :P

I did 4 instead of 5 starts because I think the tags are unnecessarily large and the cats clearly don't like them on their collars. They were also a little finicky; if you screw them shut too tightly or too loose they don't work.
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Works as advertised, with a little effort
by Holly C (5 out of 5 stars)
May 26, 2019

I bought the automatic bowl from Chewy.com, and the AC adapter from Amazon. The system is easy to set up however it's pretty obvious that it's flimsy and prone to breakage if you're not careful. The IR chip is not properly sealed due to the shape of the plastic housing so you have to make sure that the gasket ring is placed correctly. I wasn't careful at first and my cat dipped his in his water bowl every time he took a drink and it stopped working. I dried it out and fixed it and I've had no problems since.

Been using this for about a month now. The noise of the bowl opening and closing alarmed him at first, but once he realized the noise meant food, he got over it. Not sure what the battery life (3 D batteries, not incl) of the main unit is because I switched to the AC adapter right away. The battery in the collar chip (that came with it) died within a week. Buy your own coin cell batteries!

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