Gravity Pet Feeder Using PVC Pipes

Me and my wife love cats. We've had cats before as pets and love them dearly.

But due to several reasons of our place of living we don't have any.

But around our house we have several stray cats that make our house theirs.

Since I have a soft spot for these cute little bundle of joys, I feed them daily.

To the extent that these cats are hanging around my house all the time for the free food.

No that I mind though.

But sometimes I go on week long trips for family or for work reasons.

During these circumstances I tend to worry about the cats that rely on the food that I provide them.

So I decided to make a feeder that is capable to feed them for at least 4-5 days.

Supplies

• 1 x Meter of 3 inch PVC pipe
• 1 x 90 degree fitting
• 2 x End Cap fittings
• PVC glue

Step 1: Planning & Figuring Out the Mechanism

I have made a similar concept pet feeder before.

That one ended in utter failure.

The previous feeder I used PET bottles. Hey, I wanted to be cost effective.

Due to the restrictive nature of the bottle head, the pet food got stuck at the neck and the cats were hungry by the 2nd day of me being away.

So I decided not to be stingy this time and proceed on using PVC pipes.

Step 2: Purchase

Make sure you have a list of what you need to buy so you wont need to go to the hardware store multiple times.

I bought the items at a local hardware store, not from a big brand hardware mall because I like to support the little guys trying to make an honest living.

The store keeper/owner even gave me a discount after listening my little stray cat pet feeder initiative as she also love cats.

Nice to know other people support the cause too.

Step 3: Assembling the Parts

It cant be more simple,

You have 5 parts,

• Top end cap
• Long Pipe
• 90 degree fitting
• Short Pipe
• Lower end cap

For the short pipe you need to cut 50mm or 2 inches from the original pipe to make a joiner pipe between the 90 degree fitting and the lower end cap.

Glue the three parts together.

Important Reminder!!!

You need to glue the three last part together with PVC glue because we are cutting them apart after gluing to make the feeder mouth.

You don't need to glue the long pipe and the top end cap for ease of cleaning in the future.

But if you want, you can glue the long pipe to the 90 degree fitting.

NEVER glue the TOP END CAP, that is where you are going to fill the pet food.

Make sure the glue is set (usually 4-5 minutes) before proceeding to the next step.

Then, make a 90 degree cut like in the picture using a saw to make the mouth of the pet feeder.

Make sure to de burr the edges which you made the cut so the excess PVC plastic wont be eaten by the cats.

Step 4: Fill

Pro Tip - Fill the lower part first, then fill the top until you think appropriate.

I found out the hard way when I filled the feeder from the top first, cat food flew out and spilled everywhere.

After my last week long trip, I found the feeder empty and the cats were pretty happy to see me.

Well, it works.

I've posted this project on social media and several people are interested on doing this project with me to feed the strays around their communities.

It would be great if this simple method be expanded as is.

Hope you guys enjoyed the instructable!