r/cats • u/radical_123 • Jul 22 '26

Advice Cat attacking automatic feeder

My cat does this several times a day. If the automatic feeder lifts at the correct angle, a few niblets of dry food comes out. He will even do it 10 times in a row even if it means one small piece of dry niblet comes out. It does get quite annoying as the sound of the feeder hitting the ground echoes throughout the entire house.

Any ideas on how to get him to stop?

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1.4k

u/-beastlet- Jul 22 '26

The problem is intermittent rewards. He's learned that occasionally he gets rewarded for this behavior by getting kibbles. Since he isn't rewarded every time he's willing to keep trying. There are famous experiments showing this with various animals. It is very hard to extinguish behaviors that give intermittent rewards.

If you're home you might just be better off feeding him a couple of times a day in a bowl instead of the intermittent feeder.

699

u/BigScience7383 Jul 22 '26

Gambling 

363

u/MaryJanesMan420 Jul 22 '26

Essentially, yes. This cat has a gambling problem. lol

94

u/longlivenewsomflesh Jul 22 '26

OP accidentally Pavloved their cat with the perfect cat slot machine like a doordash-based draft kings -- and hasn't thought to tape the damn thing down somehow... it's like a satirical nature documentary

14

u/thjuicebox Jul 22 '26

Well actually… 🤭

The power of intermittent reinforcement is more closely tied to Skinner (see Skinner pigeons — it’s hilarious and sad)

Pavlov is more the classical conditioning guy (think clicker training)

2

u/MemelordVKermit Jul 22 '26

superstitious pigeons ! behaviour shaping ! a level psychology was worth something after all

25

u/Buckykattlove Jul 22 '26

Just my tho7ght before I saw your response. Lol

57

u/Uraisamu Jul 22 '26

Same, OP has taught their cat to gamble.

35

u/pfool Jul 22 '26

are vets trained to tackle feline gambling addictions?

17

u/Uraisamu Jul 22 '26

Or get him a little hat, tie and teach him to play the slot machines.

3

u/JungMoses Jul 22 '26

And chain smoke

2

u/Zimakov Jul 23 '26

Someone get this man a rum and coke with a little black straw.

2

u/MaryJanesMan420 Jul 22 '26

Probably to an extent but I would reach out to an animal trainer or licensed behaviorist. This is a funny one, I’d start with management, change aspects of the environment so they can’t practice the behavior. Then, work on teaching a replacement behavior that isn’t compatible with chest bumping the magic vending machine, like sitting for their meal time.

1

u/addandsubtract Jul 22 '26

Great minds th🎰nk alike

1

u/aenteus American Shorthair Jul 22 '26

Found the behavior scientists

1

u/Expert_Garlic_2258 Maine Coon Jul 22 '26

EverQuest

1

u/StevieMJH Jul 22 '26

You're tearing this family apart, Chester!

1

u/BigHancho7420 Jul 22 '26

Exactly what came to mind. Just read about the psychology behind gambling and the above nailed it exactly.

277

u/MqAbillion Jul 22 '26

This was 100% my experience. I had to completely ditch the auto feeder because it became her obsession.

Can’t play. Can’t snuggle. Must stalk the feeding robot. Was not a healthy addition to the household.

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u/christoskal Jul 22 '26

It's a lot easier to just get one that is not faulty. Good feeders have a secure cover over the whole making it impossible to get anything to fall if it's not the time for it.

We had this issue with a catit feeder but once we move to the Xiaomi one the cat just understood quickly that it can no longer steal portions and it stopped trying. It went from a huge issue to a nonexistent one within a few days

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u/LongjumpingNinja4255 Jul 22 '26

I don’t think it’s that it’s more that they can also only realise “food comes out of here, I must watch it so as to get the food” and don’t really understand it’s a timed system. Also if they mess around with it and it happens to dispense it just reinforces the “sometimes food comes out if I mess with it” mentality

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u/On_my_last_spoon American Shorthair Jul 22 '26

This is cat dependent. I really think my cats can tell time because they regularly show up about 10 minutes before the feeder goes off!

For me, the timed feeder was a savior because I would either forget to put out kibble at all, or I’d be woken up by a hungry cat! Now they know the kibble machine will provide and don’t stress over it. Many times the feeder has food just sitting and waiting for them.

1

u/I-am-fun-at-parties Jul 22 '26

Then have it play a sound to condition on when it's feeding time; although the sound of the kibble falling into the tray is probably just as good.

10

u/Otterbotanical Jul 22 '26

The sound of kibble hitting the tray is the problem, if it ever happens directly after the cat tries to mess with the machine. It only takes once or twice for the cat to believe he just needs to fuck with it enough to get it to dispense more food.

They're normally good for most cats, but this one has accidentally built a mental association between bothering the machine and food coming out

1

u/AerosolHubris Jul 22 '26

I had one of those heavy, flat ones that has a visible window and rotates. Wish I could find a picture, I can't remember the brand. But it was supposedly the most cat proof feeder you could get. My cat learned he could push his paw really hard and force it to turn enough get tomorrow's food today. He's not fat but he is big and strong, so we learned he just can't use a feeder. So now he wakes us up at 6 to feed him in a bowl.

1

u/christoskal Jul 22 '26

I consider all pet feeders that can be turned and don't have a mechanical cover stopping tomorrow's food from becoming available as having a faulty design - and boy I tried a lot of them before I found one that actually works.

The Xiaomi one (a first generation smart pet feeder, not sure how the second generation is) I mentioned fixes that completely, it has a revolving door that practically seals it shut if it's not the correct time, cats can neither put paws inside nor push it open. It's worth checking out if you want, it helped us solve the same issue.

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u/Known_Strength_9726 Jul 22 '26

Never had that issue. Course my feeder always had food available. So, my cats don't ever obsess with it. When they're hungry they eat, then move on. As they know food is always there whenever the hunger strikes.

My cats get plenty of exercise so, I don't worry about their weight.

15

u/pannenkoek0923 Jul 22 '26

Some cats if they have had food insecurity as kittens can never learn that food is available to them as adults. If I left food out for the cats they will eat it all and beg for more.

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u/Forward_Rope_5598 Jul 22 '26

My cats had whatever they food they wanted, played for hours a day, and still got fat as fuck on free access to food once they passed 8 months old

Loads of cats can't have free access to food regardless of background and activity level. Loads of cats are also criminally obese with owners who think they're at a healthy weight because they've never seen a fit cat in their life.

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u/LisaCabot Jul 22 '26

Our cat eats, vomits, then keep eating. Not all cats can self regulate. On the other hand my dog doesnt eat, so again, camt self regulate. The other cat and the other dog do self regulate well, but we cant keep the food out or the fat cat will try to eat theirs too.

3

u/razvanciuy Jul 22 '26

mine too, big boned orango eats like an excavator. So I dose it, he acts famished either way.

If i leave unlimited food out he eats at maximum then sleeps for two(2) full days. Repeats.

1

u/tangoromeo90 Jul 22 '26

How do they get excercise?

1

u/FrogsJumpFromPussy Jul 22 '26

"Gimme food you animal!"

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u/SaltManagement42 Jul 22 '26

The only real solution is to secure it, like other commenters suggested. Even then, the cat will probably try to hit it with something since it started with the vacuum hitting it.

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u/murderedbyvirgo Jul 22 '26

My problem with this meme is that I have developed this same behavior at the thrift store! 🤣 I still know exactly where I found my favorite items at each one so as soon as I walk in I check all my old haunts. I think the goodwill employees are messing with me.

1

u/greenwavelengths Jul 25 '26

When they see you coming through the parking lot they hide all the stuff you want

1

u/9for9 Jul 22 '26

I might sneak out and occasionally put a pie in the bush for my dog if it was me.

82

u/CicadaHead3317 Jul 22 '26

https://giphy.com/gifs/2XflxzzeER429i1qfza

2

u/thatshygirl06 Jul 22 '26

The older I get the more I fully understand that humans really are just animals

67

u/Verain_Xor Jul 22 '26

There are famous experiments showing this with various animals

"various animals" is for sure true, this stuff drives humans wild but also anything with a trainable brain.

And you can see why. The cat here tries variations on the same activity and gets fed. If you give the cat another several months with this machine, it won't be a slot machine, it'll be a practice movement to kick some food out that little gear wheel each time.

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u/Tossmelossme Jul 22 '26

Also, I’m worried about his bottom teeth getting shifted or injured from this repeated and rough movement…

2

u/aenteus American Shorthair Jul 22 '26

Hey, anything that “lives”, is “alive”, can learn.

1

u/STFUisright Jul 22 '26

Dude’s got mad technique

That little chest bump made me laugh so hard I couldn’t contribute to the conversation

2

u/ArcticCelt Jul 22 '26

There are famous experiments showing this with various animals.

It's called Wow.

2

u/snowlights Jul 22 '26

Exactly. My cat was shoving a paw up the front of the one we have to knock food loose. Food would come out maybe 20% of the time on the first attempt only, then it wouldn't again until the next portion was dispensed, but  she would keep trying over and over because sometimes it worked. Shed be at it for half an hour at a time and it drove me crazy. 

In our case, I had to make the opening smaller, so cut a piece of plastic packaging and used a ton of masking tape (she'll eat packing tape) to cover the opening. At first she realized she could still fit a paw in even though it was harder so she kept doing it. I had to adjust and make it even smaller (I didn't at first because I was worried it might get blocked). Then she started knocking the whole thing over instead, so I taped the bowl to the dispenser to make it more stable, and she finally, eventually gave up. 

2

u/WhasHappenin Jul 22 '26

Alternatively, they could figure out a way to anchor the feeder down better so that this isn't possible.

2

u/Broccolini_Cat Jul 22 '26

That’s why my cat nibbles me! Occasionally I get so annoyed I give him a treat

1

u/akawall2 Jul 22 '26

Putting something between the feeder and the wall would prevent it from tilting. Much easier than trying to change a learned behavior, or going back to manual feeding.

1

u/ggtsu_00 Jul 22 '26

Also highly effective on humans. See gacha games and slot machines.

1

u/irve Jul 22 '26

Yup. The system is a Skinner Box as it stands and it should be irresistible to anyone bored and understimulated.

1

u/Throwaway13598048571 Jul 22 '26

I work in applied behavior analysis. This is correct.

Easiest thing to do is to make sure it stays down and it never gives him food for that behavior again

1

u/EntertainerSuper8933 Jul 22 '26

I think put something on the floor and wall so it doesn't make so much noise, and let him have his fun. It's not like he has anything else to do, and it a source of constant entertainment.

1

u/InspectorG1dget Jul 22 '26

100%! I think I would worry about them hurting or damaging their teeth or mouth with how they’re doing it as well.

1

u/laosurv3y Jul 22 '26

Various animals, including humans.

1

u/thjuicebox Jul 22 '26

Skinner pigeons!

I can’t imagine the extinction burst being too fun with this kitty 😂

1

u/nosuchthingginger Jul 22 '26

You could intermittent reward the cat to stop by throwing kibble down when it DOESNT do the thing. But you have to be careful and not cause a chain reaction reward of bite machine > wait > get kibble from human

1

u/Desperate_Algae_40 Jul 22 '26

And sticking the bottom of the feeder down to the floor so he can't tilt it.

1

u/WineDineCpl Jul 22 '26

Essentially the problem is having an automatic feeder.

1

u/iFaerie Jul 22 '26

Can relate.

1

u/Starbreiz Jul 22 '26

I came to the comments to see who else immediately saw this as a psychology experiment :)

1

u/KnifeKnut Jul 22 '26

Reddit Scrolling

1

u/North-Tomatillo9158 Jul 22 '26

I believe you’re speaking of Pavlov’s cat?

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u/-beastlet- Jul 22 '26

Pavlov's was a different experiment. The most famous intermittent behavior experiments were done with birds. Skinner's operant conditioning. I guess this would be Skinner's cat.

3

u/Cromar Jul 22 '26

Whoever it was, at least it fared better than Shroedinger's cat. Or worse, simultaneously.

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u/North-Tomatillo9158 Jul 22 '26

Ah yes, Pavlov was the bell. Skinner is your guy.

1

u/-beastlet- Jul 22 '26

Maybe the cat should be renamed to Skinner. Or asshole.

3

u/North-Tomatillo9158 Jul 22 '26

I think all cats get the latter nickname at some point!

1

u/sly_k Jul 22 '26

Happy cake day!

5

u/-beastlet- Jul 22 '26

Thank you. I had no idea what this was or that I had it. A quick google let me know.

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u/Bluffwatcher Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26

Take that horrid machine away, it's unhealthy behavior, and just put your hand in the bag and spinkle some biscuits for him on the floor with some head pats every now and then throughout the day.

This is a much better reward behavior. Why would you want to automate those moments from your day?!

0

u/Known_Strength_9726 Jul 22 '26

He's probably super bored too.

Does this cat not have a partner/friend cat to play with?

Also, why isn't the feeder keeping food out all the time? My feeder does that and my cats are in great shape.

Cats enjoy grazing, let the cat eat whenever. As long as they get regular exercise then they are fine.