Petivity’s facial recognition cat feeder aims to revolutionise multi-cat care with health monitoring features

Petivity launches a $149.99 smart cat feeder with facial recognition, designed to track meal patterns and identify health issues in multi-cat households, amidst a competitive pet-tech market demanding more data-led care despite limited consumer evidence.

Petivity has launched a cat feeder that uses facial recognition and a built-in camera to track meal patterns in multi-cat homes, pitching the device as a tool for spotting changes that may signal health issues. The product enters a crowded pet-tech market where owners are being asked to pay for more data-led care, even as the evidence base for consumer devices remains uneven.

The company said the Smart Feeder for Cats can identify up to five animals, monitor portion intake and feeding frequency, and link with its app for remote scheduling and live checks. Petivity also said the feeder is designed with a shallow bowl to reduce whisker fatigue and a dishwasher-safe food container.

Purina, Petivity’s parent, said the system was trained on more than 21,000 feeding sessions and over 1,400 hours of video. In development, the company said 99.5% of cats accepted the feeder.

To promote the launch, Petivity will stage a “Press to Feed” event in New York on October 6, where a button press will trigger a meal for shelter cats at partner organisations in Atlanta, Oregon and Chicago. The feeder is priced at $149.99 and is on sale through Amazon, Chewy and Petivity’s own website.