I've had this item for about a month and so far, it's great. I have it set to offer a carefully measured portion of dry food every 6 hours to my cat who likes to overeat. This item keeps his portions under control and on a schedule, and keeps me from having to stop and feed him throughout the day. Since I have it set for every 6 hours, I reload the trays once a day to make sure he doesn't miss any meals.