How it started

My cat Gordo is on a diet, which means I've been paying closer attention to how much he eats and whether he's actually losing weight.

I already had an automatic feeder, but its companion app was painfully slow. Even simple things like checking the feeding schedule or dispensing food took longer than they should.

So I decided to build my own.

Making it

I built Dechonk using Next.js, React, and TypeScript, with Codex helping me turn my designs into a working application.

What started as a simple alternative to my feeder's slow app became something more ambitious: a place to manage feeding schedules, dispense food, track both cats' weight, and see their progress over time.

Connecting to a physical feeder

The most interesting part was discovering that I could connect my feeder to the Tuya Developer Platform.

After setting up a developer account and getting access to the API, I was able to control the feeder directly from Dechonk. Suddenly, I wasn't just designing an interface. I was building something that could interact with a real device in my home.

That also came with challenges I hadn't considered before. Sending a command doesn't necessarily mean the feeder has completed it, so I had to think carefully about how the interface communicates what's happening, what's confirmed, and what might have gone wrong.

Making daily care easier

I also wanted the app to help me stay consistent with weighing my cats.

I built a notification system that checks whether I've recorded their weight that day and only reminds me if I haven't. A small detail, but one that makes the reminder genuinely useful.

Each cat has their own weight history and target, so I can follow their progress without juggling notes or spreadsheets.

Adding a little personality

I didn't want Dechonk to feel like another generic pet-management app.

I illustrated Gordo and Princesa myself, added subtle animations, and even created a little boxing animation to track how many times Gordo attacks the feeder.

It doesn't make the app more functional, but it certainly makes it more fun to use.

The result

Dechonk is now a working, installable web app connected to my actual automatic feeder.

It brings feeding controls, weight tracking, and reminders together in one interface designed around how I care for my cats.

I built the first version in roughly five hours, combining my design skills with AI-assisted development.

What started as a practical solution to a frustrating app became an opportunity to explore APIs, hardware integration, and building software beyond the interface.