Hedgehog, hell, I couldn't...
Hedgehog, hell, I couldn't figure out how to use it. Unless you put a slice of pizza in there.

We expect way too much of animals.

This is lunacy!
Teach my cat to operate pedals? I'd sooner give whiskey & car keys to teenage boys!

Don't be silly.
One press of the pedal gives the whole game away. That cat will be playing the three-manual+pedal organ in a week.

Of course, not all cats are alike (that's an understatement). Your mileage may vary.

Yes -- that's
the question, isn't it. A cat who would lower the lid when done eating would be a remarkable animal indeed, no ? Yet the alternatives -- the cat has to hold the lid open with its head while eating; the lid closes after a pre-determined number of minutes -- seem unlikely or undesirable.