Pet feeders

An animal feeder having a housing comprising an aperture for a food bowl and having a door for covering the aperture, the feeder comprising a door mechanism to control movement of the door over the aperture, wherein the feeder comprises:

• an antenna for reading an RFID tag of an animal, wherein a first identification code is associated with the RFID tag;
• a processor for detecting authorisation of the animal based on the read RFID tag;
• a first communications interface configured to allow the feeder to provide status information to a user or remote location;
• and
• the food bowl for placement within the aperture, wherein the food bowl comprises a second communication interface configured to transmit a second identification code associated with the food bowl to the first communications interface, wherein the second identification code is different to the first identification code, and wherein the second identification code identifies one or more characteristics pre-associated with the food bowl, wherein the feeder is configured to provide status information to the user or remote location based on the second identification code;
• wherein in a closed position the door restricts access of the animal to the food bowl, and wherein the door mechanism is configured to control the door to at least partially uncover the aperture based on said authorisation detection and on the second identification code;
• wherein the first communications interface is configured to receive instructions from the user or the remote location;
• and
• the door mechanism is configured to move the door between the closed position and an open position in response to the instructions, wherein the animal feeder comprises a front end for providing access by the animal to the food bowl and wherein moving the door between the closed position and the open position comprises moving an end of the door parallel to the aperture and away from the front end.