Ok..2 years later update.. Mine has been on a cord w batteries for backup for 2 years!.. Ive never changed batteries yet..Its Never missed a meal!Its easier than me fillin bowl and keeps a smaller fresher amt!Ive changed settings over time no probNow in last month we lost 2 kitties so now crazy kitty is alone upstairsAnd my moms 2 ladies still have their own apt downstairs ( psycho doesntLike anyone she wasnt raised with.. And shes a fattie so now that we dont have a kd cat i can again downsize her portions and hopefully downsize her!I just bought the ladies one.. Now its 99 not 140 so im very pleased!I again primed it and it worked perfectly on first meal..My fav thing other than convenience is thatIts sturdy.. It handles mixed textures ( bnb have a blend of 3.. All diff shape n size)..you can purchase a cord or use batteries.. Its portable.. And you can do tiny portions up to 12 times ( i like 4-5 small meals best!..Its not very loud.. No one has tipped it though i have it up against something..Very happy.. Ordered on prime..here in one day Yay!😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸Update 5 monthsStill love it.. and thats sayin somethin cuz our male cat is in kidney failure and lost weight so because of that we have to keep a bowl full all the time ( and for a cat that doesnt want to eat his bowl hasta b full cuz he doesnt wanna chase an eigth of a cup around wich is great for the fatties!) so it makess the timed thing kinda pointless but prior it did help them all lose weight!It dispenses exactly the right amt every time, on time and although he has an endlessly filled bowl nearby the ladies like the tall bowl i set up with this and since it holds so much i can forget about it and just make sure his is full.. So now that i dont really have a reason to have a timed feeder, am i sorry i got it? Nope, its still a nice way to store and dispence the majority of food.. We keep b buf aging/ reg in it and just aging in the boys bowl.. hadta take urinary out cuz it is too acidic for a kd cat This unit worked great with big fat kidney food as well as tiny bbResetting was Easy.. id hilighted steps that matter Its a lot of up or down and right like settin an alarm clock When i got to meals i only had to scroll thru till amt cuz i kept same times... and the blank meals i just scrolled thru leaving unchangedThen hit enter button 5 seconds and good to go!Its really much easier than i expected from reviews!Cats seem fine with less food since its not really empty and theres multiple feed times..I will update again : )-------------------------------Negatives*Price!!*A little daunting to program at first but read directions then go back through and should be fine( i highlighted key parts so next time i can go through faster)* if someone barrels into it at high speed its possible it could tip ( id suggest next to a cabinet or something if your worried about that)* it is annoying it doesnt have a reset and that you have to take batteries out to do that..😓😓😓IM AN IDIOT AND SOOO BELIEVED THIS BECAUSE ID READ IT SO MANY TIMES IN REVIEWS, THAT I FAILED TO READ ALLLL THE INSTRUCTIONS.. SO FOR 2 YEARS IVE BEEN USING MY PATENTED COUNTERTOP TRICK TO KEEP UPRIGHT AND POP OUT BATTERIES TO MAKE CHANGES WHEN IT TELLS YOU RIGHT THERE IN BLACK N WHITE HOW TO RESET..UGGGHHHH.. SO ITS TOTALLY EASY TO CHANGE TIME AND FEEDINGS!!------------------------------Positives!* although directions seemed confusing i followed them and it was fine ( wasnt sure if i could skip setting the remaining 9 meals so i just followed directions.. left them all as 12 am default and with no amt selected and its fine)* it works as promised*it allows me to keep a small amount of food in bowl so no one freaks out that its empty*its fun to watch their faces when it dispenses---------------------------why i chose it..* cat with uti prob ( i did get an antibiotic in case, not that im a fan of them but it was my one chance with this wild beast and we couldnt afford ( and she wouldnt allow)extraction /cultures .. so we xrayed to be sure no blocks.. gave antibiotic shot that lasts 2-3 weeks ( no pills yay) and because we saw faint grit in bladder are pretty sure has some crystals so instead of splitting a small can once a day and a whole bowl of kibble around.. they now split 2 large cans twice a day and i purchased this to keep her from gorging or from freaking at a empty bowl.. I also used uromaxx here on amazon wich i highly recommend.. although the vet wasnt familiar with it we went over ingredients and decided that it should be able to acidify her urine like the rx food would ( a better option for me because 1- she likes it in wet food and 2- its not recommended for the other cats to be on that food unless they too have crystals 3- at under 30 a bottle, more economical)* i chose this one because after reaing thousands of reviews i liked that it proportionately had the least negative / i can do up to 12- 1/8 cup feedings / it holds a good amt / it has a power cord available to purchase and battery backup / its black so it goes with the decor of kitchen----------------------------some things ive noticed..* with 3 cats sharing the canned food.. my setting of 3/8 3 times a day is a little more than i need Since they get canned twice-----------------------------final thoughtsYOU HAVE TO FOLLOW DIRECTION TO PRIME IT . . I hit the buttons they said till i heard it run then i decided since it didnt run very long that it might take 2 days of cycles to work but to my surprise it worked very first timed feed!YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE TO REALLY FOLLOW DIRECTIONS AND DONT SELECT default dog or cat!*it wont do slow on 1/8 setting since each cup in conveyer is an eigth ( though ive noticed they dont really run n gobble since theres always food in bowl and they eat canned)* MY PERSONAL FAVE IS THE NITPICKY COMPLAINTS about holding a meal or getting next meal soonerIT TAKES 2 SECONDS TO OPEN THE TOP SO YOU CAN GRAB A HANDFUL OUT.. OR DUMP EXCESS FOOD BACK IN !! ( in fact since i chose an amount thats too high ive been dumping some back in till i get it how i want it-------------------------------i currently use blue buffalo chicken rice although i am starting to mix in science diet active after having a tech tell me that they have several bb users with crystals wich bummed me out.. i may go to a blend of that and a uti preventative food ( i could be wrong but i think the way it works is the rx food dissolves crystals and isnt to be used in cats who dont have the problem but the non rx ut formulas may slowly dissolve but at least dont cause them.. i think this could be ok but since im not sure im thinking a mix of science diet and some uti preventative might work for all.. I DID READ THAT YOU SHOULDNT REALLY USE AN ACIDIFYER WITH RX CUZ IT MIGHT BE TOO MUCH ACIDIFICATION but i did see in reviews that many were able to use it with the otc ut maintenance or reg foods instead of rx.. I talked a long time with the company that makes uromaxx and im now thinking if i had dosed her higher right away i might have avoided all the vet madness but 1- i was worried shed detect too much of it in the food 2- i though she was 11 lb but shes 16! So if i had it to do over i would give her 2 ml a day wheras i was barely using 1 ( up to 10 lb is 1.. 10-15 is 1.5 .. over 16 is 2.5 .. so the guy i talked to said to give her 2. And my go to to be sure she gets it all is tuna juice ( people kind).. so while not good to give all the time i would give her that at least 5 days straight to be sure she was dosed.. right now since shes been ok i do that about every third day.. and in between if she doesnt finish all her canned food in am i bump her next meal dose a little to compensate..* i will always use canned food and in bigger amts ( the dry is low in moisture and all the plant material in it creates alkaline urine wich promotes crystals)* ill always add in a few drops of water to canned to add extra moisture* ill ALWAYS KEEP UROMAXX AND SOME TUNA on hand* most cats dont like water near food.. we put bowls all over house.. they also like something plastic floating in it so they can judge depth* stress ( in our case a relative passed and we made a downstairs apt for his cats) can actually cause cystitis in high strung cats and can help form crystals!.. so feliway ( also on amazon) helps a lot.. they make a diffuser but i like to spray it on multiple clothy surfaces like right now our tablecloth and i hang a towel on basement door.. ive used it off n on for years.. i think my mistake was thinking she was handling it ok and waiting to use it ( btw dont use near food water or litter)SO RIGHT NOW IM VERY PLEASED WITH MY PURCHASE AND HOPING IT LASTS A LONG TIME AND I THINK WHEN WE GO AWAY I MAY BUY A SECOND ONE SO IF SOMETHING BIZARRE HAPPENED THE OTHER WOULD BE OK ( we do have people check on m every few days too)I will definitely update!!