This New Auto-Pet Feeder Is Basically an Instant Pot for Cats

Automatic pet feeders aren’t new, but most are limited to dispensing dry food. Strolling a press preview ahead of IFA 2026 in Berlin, I spotted a wild new take on the handy pet parent helper, and it’s basically an Instant Pot for cats. OK, maybe it doesn’t pressure cook, sauté and steam like most multicookers, but it does churn out fresh meals on demand for your feline friend. Like an Instant Pot, all you have to do is add two ingredients, set it and forget it. The Best Tech, All Tested by CNET Editors 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. 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. 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 Rika holds enough food for 7 days of meals.David Watsky/CNET 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 lives in Brooklyn where he's spent more than a decade covering all things edible, including meal kit services, food subscriptions, kitchen tools and cooking tips. David earned his BA from Northeastern and has toiled in nearly every aspect of the food business, including as a line cook in Rhode Island where he once made a steak sandwich for Lamar Odom. Right now he's likely somewhere stress-testing a blender or tinkering with a toaster. Anything with sesame is his all-time favorite food this week. See full bio