I have had these feeders for 2 years now, and I still trust them. They are excellent for weight loss in those cats that cry for food all the time (eventually kitty learns that you don't give food, the feeders do!). They are fairly loud (which actually turns out to be good because they call the cats to eat). I have 2 and they stay in sync just enough to let them eat at the same time (and so 1 cat doesn't get all the food and the other gets none.)