| Petmate Le Bistro Portion-Control Automatic Pet Feeder, 5-Pound Capacity, Black | 
| Brand: Petmate
Category: Pet Products
List Price: $79.99
Buy New: $44.49
You Save: $35.50 (44%)
New (12) Used (1) from $39.99
Rating:  488 reviews
Sales Rank: 118
Color: Black
Media: Tools & Hardware
Shipping Weight (lbs): 5
Dimensions (in): 10 x 14 x 15
MPN: 24230
Model: 24233
UPC: 029695242304
EAN: 0029695242335
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 2 cups per feeding | | • | Food reservoir holds up to 5 pounds of food |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 483 more reviews...
 Frustrating to program, and my cat can empty it of food... November 20, 2008
Fanshawe (SC, USA)
We have only gone out of town once since getting our cats earlier this year. We left them alone for a weekend. One of my cats is obsessed with food and ate nearly all of the food we left out for them (not a small amount). He resembled a basketball when we returned home.
I saw this item in a catalog and decided to give it a try. Upon receiving it, I found it *extremely* difficult to program. After about 20 minutes of trying to break the code, I managed to get the thing to dispense the appropriate amount of food at a specific time. Wonderful!
Well, not so wonderful after Kitty realized that he could, by poking with a paw, dispense more food. And more. And more.
The dispenser mechanism has soft, flexible plastic "fingers" that hold the food before tossing it in the bowl at a given time. A few well placed paw pokes let food fall into the bowl. Endlessly fascinating my cat, who already has a weight problem...
I found that he would spend long periods of time lying in front of it, gazing and occasionally poking. The food level went down, down down...
So. We have not gone out of town again. I am afraid that if we leave him with this, he will eat all the food again.
No, we do not have someone we trust to pet-sit. However, it's looking like we may have to go that route next time.
I think that perhaps it did not have the design flaw of the soft dispensing mechanism it might actually work. But, the difficulty in programming it also took a star off.
Perhaps someone with a different sort of pet might find it useful. My other cat was not interested in poking it, nor were my dogs. A great idea that just didn't work for us.
Frees up your schedule November 19, 2008
BeccaS (New york, NY)
We purchased the Le Bistro because our cat was waking us up hours before normal feeding time each morning. Le Bistro was fairly easy to program once we got the hang of it and feeds her exactly 1/4 cup each morning and evening at the exact time we programmed.
While this does exactly what it says it will, our cat still wakes us up in the morning to get fed. I don't think she understands that we don't really feed her anymore!
Pros:
-Frees up your schedule
-Feeds correct amount(helps with weight loss)
-Reliable
Cons:
-Cat can get food out using her paws or just knocking the machine
-Battery powered
-Cat is still waking us up :(
 A little confusing to program, but a great product. November 19, 2008
Lisa M. Kilpatrick (crestview, fl)
I really like the feeder. At first it was a little hard to get used to, trying to program it, but once you get the hang of it, it's awesome. My cats love it. When they hear the feeder dispense food they run to the laundry room to get it!
Good product, GREAT service November 13, 2008
Mom (IN)
We also experienced a problem with the digital display within the first month. Amazon was GREAT....I just notified them and they immediately shipped out a replacement BEFORE I returned the defective one. We had it within 2-3 days. Amazon not only had the best price but the best service.
We also agree with other reports that small kibble is dispensed at quantity greater than requested. However, it is such a great device to wean kitty off of human feedings. She waits for sound of machine dispensing food and does not "ask" to be fed. Also great when kitty is left home alone for a few days!
I can now sleep in on Saturday November 12, 2008
Pumpkin Z (NE FL, FL United States)
I've had it for a month. So far no problems. I will most likly always need to pull out the directions when I need to program the thing. Sometimes I still dont get it with the directions in hand. Day 1 I though my cat was going to paw at the food in the clear container but he let it be when he realized he couldnt get at it. He goes running to it every time he hears the food come pouring out. No longer is he waking me up for food.
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