Automatic pet feeders aren’t new, but most are limited to dispensing dry food. Strolling through a press preview at IFA 2026 in Berlin, I spotted a wild new take on the handy pet-parent helper, designed for busy cat owners whose feline friends prefer wet food.
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Riko, the latest release from Neakasa, is a self-contained smart wet-food maker that prepares meals on demand — or whenever you schedule them via the app — and serves them to your cat at mealtime.
As strange as it may sound, this one makes great sense for busy or forgetful owners of cats that prefer wet food. While it’s not advertised for dogs, we can’t see why this system wouldn’t work for small canines.
The Riko feeder holds enough food for seven days of meals.David Watsky/CNET
The unit, which is about the size of an average drip coffee maker, houses a compartment for freeze-dried food and a water reservoir. When activated, it rehydrates and mixes the cat food for a gourmet autonomous feeding experience.
The Shenzhen-based brand is known for its self-cleaning litter boxes and automatic feeders. Until now, it didn’t have an answer for owners who feed their cats wet grub. Wet food feeders from other brands rely on refrigeration to keep preloaded meals cold until chow time, and most are limited to two or three meals. This is the first one we’ve seen that whips up your cat’s lunch in real time.
Rico retails for $200 and is available on Neakasa’s website.
Editors’ note: David Watsky’s travel costs for the IFA conference were covered by IFA. The judgments and opinions of CNET are our own.
David Watsky
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