Petmate LeBistro Portion Control Automatic Pet Feeder, Black, 10 Pounds

5 Responses to “Petmate LeBistro Portion Control Automatic Pet Feeder, Black, 10 Pounds”

1. E. Clarke says:

   July 25, 2009 at 12:25 pm

   Review by E. Clarke for Petmate LeBistro Portion Control Automatic Pet Feeder, Black, 10 Pounds
   Rating:
   After looking around for an auto feeder it seemed like they all had some issue, but this had mostly positive reviews so I figured I’d give it a try. I bought two so each of my cats could have one. Unfortunately one of them did not work upon arrival so I sent it back and had a new one sent within a week. A few things to point out based on other reviewers problems.

   1. Programming is quite easy if you just follow the instructions, it took me about 2 minutes to have it set up and ready to go.

   2. If you attach the container and lid on properly your cat will not be able to get into it.

   3. It will only take a day or two for your cat to realize if it sticks its arm up the food chute it can get a piece or two out but it’s probably more of a hassle than your cat will want to deal with after a few tries.

   4. If you are using normal dry cat food (which is smaller than the 1/2″ recommended size on the instructions) the portion control isn’t very accurate. I found I had to just set it 1/4 cup smaller than I actually wanted them to have.

   Once you figure out a few of the quirks of this product it will work without problems. Both of mine have made my life much easier since the cats know I don’t control their food anymore than just sit around until they hear the food being portioned out by the auto feeder.
2. R. Mentink says:

   July 25, 2009 at 1:15 pm

   Review by R. Mentink for Petmate LeBistro Portion Control Automatic Pet Feeder, Black, 10 Pounds
   Rating:
   The product description on amazon.com does not include the description on the box, which says pet food needs to be at least 1/2″ in diameter… so when I tried the machine out, it fed WAY MORE food than required when using the classic, small pellet cat food (~1/4″ diameter). The box photos are misleading… the feeder is filled with small cat food pellets! And you can only get down to 1/4 cup per meal… which means most average size cats could only get 2 meals per day, not more frequently like the box advertises.

   If I had a dog, this feeder would be great. But I have a cat…
3. P-squared says:

   July 25, 2009 at 2:05 pm

   Review by P-squared for Petmate LeBistro Portion Control Automatic Pet Feeder, Black, 10 Pounds
   Rating:
   We purchased this feeder for our small cat. Just received yesterday. It will dispense in 1/4 cup increments up to 2 cups, 3 times per day. It is VERY easy to program, unlike the horror stories in the reviews for the previous LeBistro models. We ran it through several test feedings and it completed this morning’s feeding without a problem. The bowl/chute combo covers the hopper entrance very effectively to prevent a clever cat from accessing the food. A paddle wheel inside rotates to dispense the food, but the paddles are sectioned and made of soft flexible material to prevent jamming. So far so good!
4. Work of Life says:

   July 25, 2009 at 2:48 pm

   Review by Work of Life for Petmate LeBistro Portion Control Automatic Pet Feeder, Black, 10 Pounds
   Rating:
   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.
   
   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!
5. Ben Rhode says:

   July 25, 2009 at 3:12 pm

   Review by Ben Rhode for Petmate LeBistro Portion Control Automatic Pet Feeder, Black, 10 Pounds
   Rating:
   One of my two cats was recently diagnosed with a slew of food allergies. He was also referred to as obese during that vet visit. The result: He now requires expensive cat food at measured intervals and quantities during the day. The problem with that is that my wife and I work long hours and can’t always be there when he needs to be fed, and if we leave out two servings, he demolishes them both instantly, which either leaves him hungry later on or requires that we feed him more than he needs which is hard on his weight and our pocketbook. This feeder has solved all of our problems. Even better, it appears Petmate took the negative reviews of their previous electronic feeder and fixed every common bug. This device is light, portable, VERY easy and intuitive to use, is not easily sabotaged by overly intelligent felines, delivers well measured (not perfect, but close enough) portions when it is needed. The bowl is removable for cleaning and it has an AC port. The only drawback is that the cord is a separately purchased item, but at least it’s an option. I would recommend this to anyone, and for the price, it’s pretty hard to beat.