Ding Ding ding! Food is served. Fresh from the cold tin can.
Petlibro, a pet technology startup that develops 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 well-known problem among pet owners: how to keep their cat’s wet food fresh while they are away.
While dry cat food can stay out longer, scientists have theorized that cats prefer wet food because it is similar to their natural diet. In addition, some pet owners avoid dry food due to the high carbohydrate values. However, leaving out wet food outside of town can lead to bacterial growth and spoilage. Owners can now skip the ice packs and be confident that their pampered cats are getting 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 control, digestion, urinary tract health and more,” Christie Long, chief medical officer at Modern Animal, said in a statement. “What Petlibro has developed at Polar makes a big difference for cats and pet parents alike.”
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Polar features three compartments and can hold up to 22.2 ounces of food (7.4 ounces per serving), allowing owners to go for up to 72 hours without the need for a pet sitter. Using semiconductor cooling technology, the device keeps food comfortably cool (30-50°F). In addition, the bowl shells are made of BPA-free plastic and are dishwasher safe.
With the accompanying mobile app, owners can control the WiFi-enabled smart feeder via iOS and Android devices. You can adjust your 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 goes down while they are out of town, the app will inform them that the device is offline. In the event of a power outage, Polar keeps food cold for 12 hours.
During a week of testing, we found the app to be reliable and not miss any feeding time. Fortunately, the device is not too loud and only emits a quiet hum that can easily be ignored when sleeping at night. One downside is the three compartments, which can be a problem for owners who feed their pets more than twice 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 at petlibro.com and Amazon.
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The first timed pet feeding device dates back to the 1940s. Meanwhile, an automatic horse feeder was invented in 1997. Decades later, it’s time for modern technology companies to develop advanced cooling devices for cats.
Since a large proportion of cat owners buy wet food, Petlibro is addressing a growing market with its new product. The wet pet food industry reached approximately $35 billion in 2023 (cat food accounts for 61% of the total market). According to Petlibro, customer demand for an automatic refrigerated food dispenser was very high. Out of over 900 survey respondents, 56% of cat parents said the biggest downside to using wet food was maintaining freshness.
“When we look at the pet tech industry, there isn’t a lot of innovation,” York Wu, founder and CEO of Petlibro, told TechCrunch. “We spent a few years refining the concept [of Polar]We have developed the product with testing to ensure it is safe. I think this will fundamentally change the way people feed their pets.”
Since selling its first product in late 2022, Petlibro has sold over three million devices. The company sold more than a million units in 2023 alone.