We bought a Petnet automatic feeder about four years ago and it generally worked well. It spoiled us and our cat. The problem is Petnet apparently went out of business and when they shut down their servers it appears their feeders stop working. After automatic feeding our cat for four years, manual feeding was not working well. 

We decided to buy a Petsafe Smart Feed and it works perfectly. Our cat is back on his 6-12-6-12 eating schedule and he is very happy and no longer begging for food. 

If there is a better automatic feeder out there we are not aware of it. 

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED