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Cat-proofing a cat feeding machine

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Re: Cat-proofing a cat feeding machine

#191

Post by trhway »

stephenboyd wrote: post #170
vacri wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The eustachian tube is sealed, unless you have a hole in your eardrum.

There's also the nasolacrimal duct to consider. Other than those little details, one of my favorite insights from studying biology is that almost all animals are basically tubes with accessory organs attached, deuterostomes and protostomes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Protovsdeuterostomes.svg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protostome : "In animals at least as complex as earthworms, the embryo forms a dent on one side, the blastopore, which deepens to become the archenteron, the first phase in the growth of the gut. In deuterostomes, the original dent becomes the anus while the gut eventually tunnels through to make another opening, which forms the mouth. The protostomes were so named because it used to be thought that in their embryos the dent formed the mouth while the anus was formed later, at the opening made by the other end of the gut."

Re: Cat-proofing a cat feeding machine

#192

Post by ddebernardy »

JohnJamesRambo wrote: post #9

After about the second failure I would have gotten one of those auto feeders that let out as much as they want and some weight control cat food.

There's no such thing as "weight control" (dry) cat food except on food packaging by the crooked pet food business. The stuff invariably is full of carb, which cats do not metabolize like we do (they get their glucose through gluconeogenesis, from meat) and it's far too dry (cats on a normal diet gets the bulk of their water from "wet" food, and get much less water when on dry food, leading to kidney stones and bladder problems).

Cats are true carnivores. They shouldn't be getting dry food to begin with.

Re: Cat-proofing a cat feeding machine

#193

Post by stcredzero »

Mostly foiled by this copper, she then went back again to the lift-and-drop strategy. This time she figured out she could rotate my hold-down clamp out of the way, and again the machine was free to lift.

Is this an indication of cat cleverness, or tech person's engineering ineffectiveness?

If I ever design a cat feeder, then I'll design one with discrete feeding compartments, and holes tapped in a bottom plate for hold-down screws.

Re: Cat-proofing a cat feeding machine

#194

Post by stcredzero »

civilian wrote: post #125
titanomachy wrote: post #91

The problem-solving abilities of that cat are pretty impressive. I couldn't imagine my cat bracing himself against a table and picking up the whole feeder with his teeth, I wish there had been a video of that. The creativity and versatility of even a "simple" biological intelligence is a humbling reminder of how much work we have ahead for AI research.

Let me Dungeon Master this for you: You're trapped in a few rooms all day, every day. You don't know how to read. Your best friend is gone or asleep for 17 hours a day. You're a little bored, but you're also not very smart, so it's kind of okay. But you do have a lot of time on your paws. There's a weird contraption that feeds you twice a day. And you can see food still up there, on the conveyor belt. How would you l…

This is the most insightful comment I've seen on HN in a couple of days. This is exactly the kind of thinking that UX designers and PMs taking bug reports need to exercise!

Re: Cat-proofing a cat feeding machine

#195

Post by ddebernardy »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #22

Simpler solution? Place cat feeder on top of refrigerator, long tube to direct falling food down to bowl on floor.

There's this joke that goes something like this:

- What's the highest a cat can jump?

- [... no idea or wrong answer ...]

- How high do you store your food?

Vid of a cat jumping over 1m90 high:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw7CURpGRmw

Re: Cat-proofing a cat feeding machine

#196

Post by DonHopkins »

e40 wrote: post #182
massysett wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We tried this with our cat for years. He had a designated feeding time. We never broke it. His internal clock is pretty good but not exact, so he starts to pester for food an hour or two before feeding time. So he would surely wake us up if fed at 7:00am, so one solution is to feed at night. This results in a cat constantly underfoot begging for food for two hours, which is literally a tripping hazard. The solution i…

So, your cat transferred all their respect for you to the machine.

I love the way my cats stare at me worshipfully, and I'd envy the machine.

Re: Cat-proofing a cat feeding machine

#197

Post by DonHopkins »

stcredzero wrote: post #194
civilian wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let me Dungeon Master this for you: You're trapped in a few rooms all day, every day. You don't know how to read. Your best friend is gone or asleep for 17 hours a day. You're a little bored, but you're also not very smart, so it's kind of okay. But you do have a lot of time on your paws. There's a weird contraption that feeds you twice a day. And you can see food still up there, on the conveyor belt. How would you l…

This is the most insightful comment I've seen on HN in a couple of days. This is exactly the kind of thinking that UX designers and PMs taking bug reports need to exercise!

Smartphones, laptops and desktop computers should be able to dispense food to humans as rewards. That would revolutionize UX design and human computer interaction.

Re: Cat-proofing a cat feeding machine

#198

Post by dkonofalski »

jevinskie wrote: post #4

I recently got a SureFeed RFID feeder. It can read your cat's microchip or an RFID collar tag. When an authorized kitty approaches, a flap raises and lets the cat eat. I got it to prevent other family pets from stealing my cat's food. It works well for that purpose and seems well designed. The feeder has clear side "walls" and the flap itself acts as a wall on the rear of the feeder, helping prevent food theft during…

For some reason, based on the OP's article, I'm imagining your other cats holding the "authorized" cat up to the machine by the neck like a shakedown. :-P Kinda like in DooM when you use a dead security guard's torso to open up a locked door.

Re: Cat-proofing a cat feeding machine

#199

Post by dubya »

astral303 wrote: post #26
jevinskie wrote: post #4

I recently got a SureFeed RFID feeder. It can read your cat's microchip or an RFID collar tag. When an authorized kitty approaches, a flap raises and lets the cat eat. I got it to prevent other family pets from stealing my cat's food. It works well for that purpose and seems well designed. The feeder has clear side "walls" and the flap itself acts as a wall on the rear of the feeder, helping prevent food theft during…

Don't feed your cat until 7am no matter what. Ignore all foot rubs and meows. He'll eventually learn and give up. Operant conditioning. Watch out though for that extra-hard last ditch effort he will put out before giving up. Stay strong.

My inlaws have a bird clock, the kind that plays a different bird song at each hour. Cats figure out which birds to listen for.

Re: Cat-proofing a cat feeding machine

#200

Post by palunon »

pryelluw wrote: post #162
jevinskie wrote: post #4

I recently got a SureFeed RFID feeder. It can read your cat's microchip or an RFID collar tag. When an authorized kitty approaches, a flap raises and lets the cat eat. I got it to prevent other family pets from stealing my cat's food. It works well for that purpose and seems well designed. The feeder has clear side "walls" and the flap itself acts as a wall on the rear of the feeder, helping prevent food theft during…

Im not a cat owner and this might seem a bit strange. Why not just out the cat in a cage with food/water/bed before going to sleep?

Cats don't like being in cages, and they are nocturnal animals.

Personally, I just put him with food and water in the garage (and a trapdoor to go outside), but then I live in the countryside.

If I forget, he wakes me up to go outside anyways...

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