In-depth review
Cat Mate C500 Review
Research review of the Cat Mate C500: the timed wet-food feeder with ice packs, its limits, and who needs it.
Cat Mate Cat Mate C500 Automatic Feeder
The only timed feeder worth buying for wet food.
Our verdict
The C500 is the only product in its category worth buying because it is the only timed feeder that handles wet food at all. The trade-off is everything else: five meals maximum, no app, cat-sized compartments, and a lid that determined cats can defeat. It is a simple machine that does one job well. If your cat eats wet food and you are away for long days, there is no substitute.
What we like
- Five compartments with twin ice packs keep wet food fresh for hours, solving the problem every dry-food feeder ignores.
- Three digital timers are simple and reliable; no app, no Wi-Fi, nothing to go wrong.
- Battery operation means it works during power outages and can sit anywhere.
What to watch out for
- Only 5 meals total before refilling, so it covers about two days for most cats.
- Compartments are cat-sized; too small for medium or large dogs.
- Clever cats can learn to pry the lid early; it is not Fort Knox.
Who it is for
Cat owners feeding wet food who work long hours or travel overnight, and anyone wanting timed meals without any smart-home involvement.
The ice pack system
Two ice packs sit under the five food compartments, keeping wet food fresh for hours. In practice, this covers a workday: load it in the morning, and the evening meal is still safe. It does not cover multi-day absences; for those, you need a pet sitter regardless. The packs refreeze overnight, so the system is sustainable indefinitely.
Timer simplicity
Three digital timers rotate the compartments on schedule. There is no app to configure, no Wi-Fi to drop, and a single AA battery lasts about a year. This simplicity is the product's strength: the failure modes of smart feeders (dead apps, bricked firmware, lost connections) do not exist here. The weakness is inflexibility: five meals, fixed compartments, no remote changes.
The break-in problem
The honest limitation: clever cats learn to nose the lid around to reach unopened compartments early. The lid is not locking. Most cats never figure this out, but the ones that do will do it consistently. If your cat is a known puzzle-solver, test with supervision before trusting it for a full day away.
How it stacks up
Against the PETLIBRO Granary and other dispenser feeders, there is no comparison for wet food: dispensers cannot handle it at all, so the C500 wins by default. Against the PetSafe Simply Feed, the C500 loses on every dry-food metric (capacity, meals, precision) but is the only option if wet food is non-negotiable. Many wet-food cat owners end up with both: C500 for wet meals, a dispenser for dry.
What owners report
Commonly praised
- Simple to program without an app
- Handles wet food with ice packs to keep it fresh
- Reliable, timely opening of each compartment
Common complaints
- Determined cats can sometimes break in
- Ice packs do not keep food cool for long stretches
- The timer can be fiddly to change
Recurring themes from owner reviews on retailers and forums, summarised by our editors. Updated October 2026.
Key specifications
- Capacity
- 5 compartments
- Meals
- Up to 5 timed meals
- Power
- 1 AA battery (lasts ~12 months)
- Food type
- Wet or dry food
- Extras
- Twin ice packs included, dishwasher-safe bowls
Also consider
PETLIBRO PETLIBRO Granary Automatic Pet Feeder
The jam-proof dispenser design.
- Capacity: 5 liters (about 21 cups)
- Meals: Up to 10 meals per day, 1/12-cup increments
PetSafe PetSafe Healthy Pet Simply Feed
The portion-control workhorse.
- Capacity: 24 cups of dry food
- Meals: Up to 12 meals per day, 1/8-cup to 4-cup portions
Research-based assessment. ThePickLedger has not hands-on tested this product; this evaluation synthesizes manufacturer specifications, retailer documentation, and published expert reviews.
Questions, answered
How long does wet food stay fresh in the C500?
With frozen ice packs, wet food stays safe for roughly 8 to 12 hours depending on room temperature. In hot rooms without air conditioning, shorten that estimate.
Can dogs use the C500?
Only very small dogs. The compartments are cat-sized, and medium or large dogs will find the portions laughably small and may damage the unit trying to get more.
Are the bowls dishwasher safe?
Yes, the compartment tray and lids are dishwasher safe, which matters because wet food residue builds up fast. The base unit with the timer should never be submerged.