Ding, ding, ding! Dinner is served. Fresh out of the cold tin can.
Petlibro, a pet tech startup that designs automatic food and water dispensers for cats, launched its first refrigerated smart feeder on Thursday. The company’s new “Polar Wet Food Feeder” aims to solve a widely known problem among pet owners: how to keep their cat’s wet food fresh while they’re away.
While dry cat food can stay out for longer, scientists have theorized that cats favor wet food because it’s similar to their natural diets. Also, some pet parents stray from dry kibble due to the high carbohydrates. Leaving wet food out while out of town, however, can lead to bacterial growth and spoilage. Owners can now ditch the ice packs and be assured that their pampered cats are being given fresh food that won’t make them sick.
“The value of incorporating wet food into a cat’s diet cannot be underestimated, especially when it comes to weight management, digestion, urinary tract health and more,” Christie Long, chief medical officer at Modern Animal, said in a statement. “What Petlibro has developed in Polar makes a world of difference for cats and pet parents alike.”
Polar has three compartments and can hold up to 22.2 ounces of food (7.4 oz per portion), allowing owners to be away for up to 72 hours without the need for a pet sitter. Using semiconductor cool technology, the device keeps the food nice and cool (30-50°F). Additionally, the bowl trays are BPA-free plastic and dishwasher safe.
The accompanying mobile app allows owners to control the Wi-Fi-enabled smart feeder via iOS and Android devices. They can customize their pet’s feeding schedule and be notified when the cat starts eating, thanks to motion detection technology. It should also be noted that if a user’s Wi-Fi ever goes out while they’re out of town, the app will notify them that the device is offline. If there’s a power outage, Polar will keep the food cold for 12 hours.
During a week of testing, we found that the app was reliable and never missed a feeding time. The device isn’t too loud, only emitting a low humming noise that can be easily ignored while sleeping at night. One drawback is the three compartments, which could be a problem for owners who feed their pets multiple times a day. Similar products we found on Indiegogo — Catsomat and Happy Llama Tech — have double the number of compartments.
Polar costs $129.99 and is available for purchase on petlibro.com and Amazon.
The first time-controlled feeding device for pets dates back to the 1940s, and an automatic feeder for horses was invented in 1997. Decades later, it’s about time modern tech companies came up with advanced refrigerated devices for cats.
With a large portion of cat owners buying wet food, Petlibro’s new product addresses a growing market. The wet pet food industry reached approximately $35 billion in 2023 (cat food makes up 61% of the total market). According to Petlibro’s own data, customers highly requested an automated refrigerated feeder. Out of more than 900 survey participants, 56% of cat parents said the biggest downside of using wet food is maintaining freshness.
“When we look into the pet tech industry, there’s not much innovation happening,” Petlibro founder and CEO York Wu told TechCrunch. “We spent a couple of years refining the concept [of Polar], developing the product with tests to make sure it was safe … I think this is a game changer for the way people are feeding their pets.”
Since selling its first product in late 2022, Petlibro has sold more than 3 million devices. The company sold more than 1 million units in 2023 alone.
Comment