nibbleMate 🐱

A smart cat feeder management system that helps you create, manage, and schedule feeding for your cats through connected smart feeders.

Overview

nibbleMate is a comprehensive mobile and web application that allows you to:

• Create and manage smart feeders with different food brands
• Add cats to your household with detailed profiles
• Link cats to specific feeders for personalized feeding
• Schedule automatic feeding based on your cats' needs
• Monitor feeding history and track your cats' health
• Manually trigger feeding when needed

How It Works

1. Create a Smart Feeder 🍽️

Start by creating a smart feeder in your account:

• Choose from a variety of food brands (Purina, Royal Canin, Science Diet, etc.)
• The system automatically generates a unique name for your feeder
• Each feeder gets a unique hardware ID for physical device connection
• Feeders can be linked to specific cats or remain unassigned

Navigation: Main Page → "Create Feeder" button

2. Add Your Cats 🐈

Create detailed profiles for each cat in your household:

• Basic Information: Name, breed, age, weight, length, sex
• Feeder Assignment: Link to a specific smart feeder (optional)
• Health Tracking: Monitor weight and feeding patterns over time
• Microchip Integration: Automatic microchip detection when available

Navigation: Main Page → "Add Cat" button

3. Link Cats to Feeders 🔗

Connect your cats to their designated feeders:

• One-to-One Relationship: Each cat can be linked to one feeder
• Hardware ID Linking: Enter the 12-digit hardware ID from your physical feeder
• Automatic Detection: System validates hardware IDs and prevents duplicates
• Easy Management: Unlink and reassign feeders as needed

Navigation: Profile Page → "Link Feeder" section

4. Schedule Feeding ⏰

Set up automated feeding schedules for each cat:

• Custom Schedules: Set multiple feeding times per day
• Portion Control: Specify exact calorie amounts per feeding
• Flexible Timing: Different schedules for weekdays vs weekends
• Manual Override: Trigger immediate feeding when needed

Navigation: Main Page → Select a feeder → "Schedule" button

5. Monitor and Manage 📊

Keep track of your cats' feeding and health:

• Feeding History: View detailed logs of all feeding events
• Health Charts: Track weight changes and feeding patterns
• Feeder Status: Monitor battery levels and connectivity
• Quick Actions: Manual feeding, schedule adjustments, and more

Key Features

🔐 Secure Authentication

• User registration and login system
• Session management with automatic token refresh
• Secure API communication with your smart feeders

📱 Cross-Platform Support

• Mobile Apps: iOS and Android via React Native
• Web Interface: Full-featured web application
• Responsive Design: Optimized for all screen sizes

🎯 Smart Feeder Management

• Support for multiple feeder brands and models
• Real-time connectivity monitoring
• Automatic feeder discovery and setup
• Hardware ID validation and management

🐱 Comprehensive Cat Profiles

• Detailed health and feeding information
• Breed-specific recommendations
• Weight and growth tracking
• Microchip integration support

⏰ Advanced Scheduling

• Multiple daily feeding times
• Custom portion sizes
• Weekend vs weekday schedules
• Manual feeding override

📈 Analytics and Monitoring

• Feeding history and patterns
• Health trend analysis
• Feeder performance metrics
• Export capabilities for veterinary records

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v16 or higher)
• npm or yarn package manager
• Expo CLI (for mobile development)
• Smart feeder hardware with 12-digit hardware ID

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd nibbleMate

2. Install dependencies

   npm install

3. Start the development server

   npx expo start

4. Run on your preferred platform

   • Web: Press w in the terminal or visit the provided URL
   • iOS Simulator: Press i in the terminal
   • Android Emulator: Press a in the terminal
   • Physical Device: Scan the QR code with Expo Go app

Backend Setup

NibbleMate requires a backend server for full functionality. See the /server directory for backend setup instructions.

Deployment

Building for Production

1. Configure Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the root directory with your production settings:

# Supabase Configuration
SUPABASE_URL=your_supabase_project_url
SUPABASE_ANON_KEY=your_supabase_anon_key

# API Configuration
API_BASE_URL=your_backend_api_url

2. Build for Web

# Install dependencies (if not already done)
npm install

# Build for web production
npx expo export:web

# The built files will be in the `web-build/` directory
# Deploy this directory to your web hosting service (Netlify, Vercel, etc.)

3. Build for Mobile (iOS/Android)

For iOS:

# Build for iOS
npx expo build:ios

# Or for development builds
npx expo run:ios

For Android:

# Build for Android
npx expo build:android

# Or for development builds
npx expo run:android

4. EAS Build (Recommended for Production)

Install EAS CLI:

npm install -g @expo/eas-cli

Login to your Expo account:

eas login

Configure EAS Build:

eas build:configure

Build for production:

# Build for iOS App Store
eas build --platform ios

# Build for Google Play Store
eas build --platform android

# Build for both platforms
eas build --platform all

5. Publishing Updates

For over-the-air updates (without app store submission):

# Publish update
npx expo publish

# Or with EAS
eas update --branch production --message "Bug fixes and improvements"

Deployment Platforms

Web Deployment

• Netlify: Connect your GitHub repo and set build command to npx expo export:web
• Vercel: Import your project and configure for static export
• Firebase Hosting: Deploy the web-build/ directory

Mobile App Stores

• iOS App Store: Use EAS Build to generate .ipa files
• Google Play Store: Use EAS Build to generate .aab files
• TestFlight/Internal Testing: Use EAS Build with appropriate profiles

Environment Configuration

Development vs Production

• Development: Uses local backend and development Supabase project
• Production: Uses production backend and production Supabase project

App Configuration

Update app.json for production:

{
  "expo": {
    "name": "NibbleMate",
    "slug": "nibblemate",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "platforms": ["ios", "android", "web"],
    "ios": {
      "bundleIdentifier": "com.yourcompany.nibblemate"
    },
    "android": {
      "package": "com.yourcompany.nibblemate"
    }
  }
}

Project Structure

nibbleMate/
├── app/                    # Main application code
│   ├── (auth)/            # Authentication screens
│   ├── (home)/            # Home and navigation
│   ├── screens/           # Main application screens
│   │   ├── MainPage.tsx   # Dashboard with feeders
│   │   ├── CreateFeeder.tsx
│   │   ├── CreateCatPage.tsx
│   │   ├── ProfilePage.tsx
│   │   ├── Scheduler.tsx
│   │   └── ...
│   ├── components/        # Reusable UI components
│   └── utils/            # Utilities and API hooks
├── assets/               # Images, fonts, and static files
└── server/              # Backend API server

Technology Stack

• Frontend: React Native with Expo
• Backend: FastAPI (Python)
• Database: Supabase (PostgreSQL)
• Authentication: Supabase Auth
• Real-time: WebSocket connections
• Deployment: Cross-platform (iOS, Android, Web)

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Support

For support and questions:

• Check the documentation in the /server directory
• Review the DEBUG.md file for troubleshooting
• Open an issue on GitHub

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NibbleMate - Making cat care smarter, one feeding at a time! 🐱❤️