| Petmate Le Bistro Portion-Control Automatic Pet Feeder, 10-Pound Capacity, Black | 
 enlarge | Brand: Petmate
Category: Pet Products
List Price: $89.99
Buy New: $54.99 (On sale from $59.99)
You Save: $35.00 (39%)
New (10) from $54.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  504 reviews
Sales Rank: 1858
Color: Black
Media: Misc.
Clothing Size: 10 Pound
Size: 10 Pound
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3
Dimensions (in): 9 x 15 x 18
MPN: 029695242403
Model: 24240
UPC: 029695242403
EAN: 0029695242403
ASIN: B000TZ7022
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Fully automatic pet food feeder | | • | Programmable from 1-3 feedings per day | | • | Control the portion per feeding from 1/4 cup up to 3 cups per feeding | | • | Removable bowl for easy cleaning | | • | Food reservoir holds up to 10 pounds of food |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Programmable feeder dispenses meals up to three times daily for better pet health 10-pound holder dispenses portions from 1/4 cup to 2 cups, as programmed Battery-operated unit requires no electricity or interaction to function Some studies have shown that feeding your pet smaller meals over the course of the day can prevent pet obesity and lead to better health. Unfortunately, most working people can`t get home to feed the dog at lunchtime, and many will forget to put out his breakfast in their rush to get out the door in the morning! Make sure your pet is fed regular amounts on a steady feeding schedule with the 10-Pound Portion-Control Feeder, a programmable, automatic pet feeder that dispenses portions from 1/4 cup to 2 cups at up to three selected times per day. The LeBistro Portion-Control Feeder is powered by Three D batteries(sold separately).
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| Customer Reviews: Read 499 more reviews...
 Amazon ships older version December 4, 2008
The title for the product says 5LBS which is the newer version and the picture they have is the newer version. But they ship you the 4.2LBS old version which is much harder to program, doesn't have the option of plugging in a power adapter, the food bowl doesn't detach for cleaning, and cats can stick the paw up the shoot and make it release food. All reasons they discontinued the 4.2LBS version and now have the 5LBS version, the one that amazon has pictured. Classic bait and switch, amazon is a horrible company.
 Need smaller portions? Read on. December 4, 2008
I read all the negative reviews on this feeder and I compared to all the other feeders on the market right now. Hands down, this is the best value for the money, even with its glitches. I used to own a pet sitting company and I have seen every kind of pet feeder there is. I used to wish for someone to create one like this Petmate Le Bistro feeder. Granted, it does need some additional engineering/design work, but until that happens or someone creates a better feeder in this price range, this one gets five stars. Here is the scoop:
The Pros:
1)Will feed 4-5 pounds of food!
2)Will feed three times a day at the exact time you choose.
3)Dispenses the portion you specify.
4)LCD display counts meals so you *know* your furry friend has been fed (even if they act like they haven't)
5)Food is not "hidden" (like some feeders) so you can see it going down
6)Removable bowl for easy cleaning
7)Quiet operation that does not "tip off" other animals in the house if the feeder is meant for a particular furry family member (yes, we have two cats and only one eats from the feeder, the other cat who happens to be a food hog is clueless about it, even after three months of daily early morning feedings to our "special needs cat"). Note: we have a big house with cats that tend to avoid each other unless food is involved, so #7 may not apply in smaller homes/apartments or with pets that are always together in the house.
8) Excellent Customer Service from Petmate.
The Cons:
1) Portion control is not precise (but I created a solution for that, see below and see picture)
2) Battery power can get low enough for the unit to cease dispensing food, yet low battery indicator does not come on and LCD still displays. This happens if you use low voltage D cells (some generic brands are 1.3V each). The unit needs 4.5 volts of power (1.5V per D cell) to operate correctly. Use name brand batteries and it will be fine. To the feeder's credit, the "meal" icon will blink if the unit does not dispense a meal, indicating the unit is clogged or simply under-powered.
3) If the unit were knocked over, it would most certainly spill food everywhere as the lid is not well attached. This unit might not be a good match for rambunctious pets, but fine for all other fur babies.
4) If you take the batteries out, you will have to reprogram some settings. It isn't a big deal, the programming is fairly quick and simple.
The Portion Control Fix! Based on a tip from another Amazon reviewer, I tried all sorts of funnels and plastic cutouts to try to limit the flow of food into the paddle wheel. The funnels/plastic plate/partial covers didn't work, even with the uniform shape and small size of Hill's Prescription diet cat kibble. The food would either get clogged and not drop down to the paddle wheel or it would just continue to fill the paddle wheel as if there was no restriction at all. What I ultimately came up with is what I call "saran wrap pillows" that are secured to the paddle wheel itself. Check out the pic I uploaded to see a detail of the "pillows" I created. You could use another material to "fill" the paddle wheel, maybe cut foam pads or other material. I needed to limit the portion to about 1/8 a cup of food at a time for our kitty. It took about an hour of experimenting (including the various "funnels") to get the right size portions, but I did it and my "pillow" solution has been working great for three months! Here is what you do. Get your saran wrap and a 20 inch piece of string. Start with three pieces of saran wrap that are the same size. Fold each piece into a long strip (to the same width of the paddle wheel compartment) and then gently roll to create your "pillow". If you need to cut your portion from 1/4 to 1/8 like I did, then you will create pillows that will fill about 1/2 of each section of the paddle wheel (each section of the paddle wheel holds approx 1/4 cup). To Adjust the size of the pillows, either trim away some of the strip or wrap another strip of saran wrap to existing pillows. Don't put them into the paddle wheel just yet. Slide one end of your string between the center "fingers" of one of the paddle wheels (this should hold the string in place, but if your string is too thin, you may need to double it or knot it so it stays). Use the manual feed function to rotate the wheel until your string is pulled all the way around the wheel and you are holding both ends again. Now place your first pillow into the paddle wheel and use the manual feed function to rotate the wheel one third. Allow the string to travel with the wheel and wrap around your first pillow. Keep loading your other two pillows in the same manner and then tie the string in a quick knot (that you can undo). Now test! I used a measuring cup to verify the amounts dispensing from all three wheel compartments. Adjust your pillows until you are dispensing the right amount and then tie your string with a strong knot (but don't cinch down or you will flatten your pillows and mess up the portions). It sounds complicated, but isn't so difficult. Once you get a look inside at the paddle wheel, it will make much more sense. Again, check out the picture I uploaded to the product description for a detailed look at my "Le-Bistro paddle wheel pillow". :-) Good luck!
Great feeder December 4, 2008
Like others - I was not fond of the initial programming. But I kinda figured it out. If i didnt have the directions in front of me, it'd take much longer. I'm not fond of having to re-do it when the batteries go.
But more importantly, the feeder does the job very well. Already my cat is eating less. It used to be 1+Cup every day when I get home from work, now its 1/4Cup 3x a day. So now I dont worry if I go out after work, or spend a night elsewhere. I would recommend it to anyone.
Works for my cat, with a slight modification December 3, 2008
I was hesitant to get one of these after reading the other reviews, but decided it was worth a shot for the price.
First, regarding programming the thing - it's true that it's not intuitive, but the directions are accurate. Certainly don't lose them, but I don't see this as a major issue.
Second, regarding cats being able to break into them - I think it depends on the cat. If they do tip it over, the lid will probably come off. If you have an exceptionally clever cat, it's probably not the thing for you. Our cat is on the "slower" side - she did figure out where the food comes out of and could reach her little paw up the opening and manually spin out some more food. So, we had to glue a piece of plastic over half the opening so she can't get her paw up there. That took care of the issue for us. She doesn't try to tip it over but we also placed it between two pieces of furniture on the floor so she doesn't have a lot of opportunity to tip it over either.
Our cat adores this "magic food machine". Literally. She sits about a foot away from it 90 minutes before it goes off and gazes at it lovingly. It took her about 3 weeks before she stopped yowling at us to feed her, and now she just sits there patiently and waits. We've used it for over a month now and are very happy with it.
 not good December 3, 2008
I bought this for my cat. In no time he figured out how to tip it over and get all the food. And the rotating system stopped working the first week with new batteries.
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