Programmable Pet Feeder

Product Description

With three simple buttons, the Aspen Pet Lebistro Programmable Food Dispenser allows pet parents to program unique meal plans for pets. The auto dog feeder includes a built-in "meal counter," delivering set portions of meals at different times of the day, ideal for busy pet parents. These cat and dog feeders feature a transparent food hopper, making it easy to monitor food levels. The feeder's twist-lock lid helps keep dry food crunchy and flavorful and prevents pets from accessing stored food. The bowl of the auto pet feeder is easily removable for easy cleaning and can be safely placed in the top rack of a dishwasher. Available in 18-cup and 30-cup capacities, this automatic pet feeder accommodates pets of all sizes. With a "brushed nickel" finish, the Aspen Pet Lebistro complements any room of the home.

Features

• AUTOMATIC REFILLS: Automatic pet feeder releases scheduled portions of pet food, ideal for busy pet parents
• FOOD STORAGE: Twist-lock lid helps keep stored food crunchy and flavorful in the automatic cat feeder and is easy to remove for convenient refills
• EASY TO PROGRAM: Automatic dog feeder features a large LCD screen makes it simple for pet parents to schedule meals and set portion sizes
• EASY CLEANING: Bowl detaches from the dog and cat automatic feeder for convenient hand washing
• STABLE & SAFE FOOD STATION: Bowl locks safely into stand to guard stability; twist-lock lid guards pets from accessing the stored food
• 30-CUP CAPACITY: Timed cat feeder available in a 30-cup capacity to store larger volume of food as needed
• BATTERY OPERATED: Auto cat feeder runs on three 'D' cell alkaline batteries, not included with purchase
• Age Range Description: All ages
• Included Components: 1X - Owner's Manual

Top Reviews

Good Product for stupid cats.
by E Veilleux (4 out of 5 stars)
February 5, 2010

I had no problem getting this product to work as it was supposed to. The timer clock remained in sync day after day unlike the reviews I read from other customers. You have the option to feed your cats 1-3 times a day, with varying portion sizes.

The major problem I had was that my cats learned to get food out of the feeder whenever they pleased. The portions are dished out by a flimsy plastic rotary wheel and my cats first figured out to simply paw up the feeder to release more food. I solved this problem by duct taping some cardboard at the back of the dish to stop them from reaching up inside. This just gave them another way to release food as one of my cats would bite the cardboard and shake the feeder around the floor until food came out.

Finally I decided to use my gigantic human brain and I placed the feeder on a shelf about 6 feet off the ground. I fashioned a funnel from cardboard and duct tape and attached the feeder to a cheap PVC pipe that went to the ground into the detachable feeder bowl. Problem solved, cats outsmarted. I'll upload an image of my solution to the product page.
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I want to like it, but can't trust it
by cacalazani (4 out of 5 stars)
December 30, 2012

I have a farm cat which lives out in the barn. The cat is old (15 years +) and sometimes has other critters visiting to sample the wares in the continuous feeder that she has. Some visitors (raccoons) are bad guests and will attack the feeder to spill out all the cat food. And then they leave parting gifts (poop) around the barn as a thank you. We feed the cat rather expensive senior cat food, so we needed to control how much food got left out (and discourage the raccoons).

Enter the Petmate Le Bistro feeder. Now I can control how much food gets dispensed for the cat, but not so much that the raccoons get a feast. Hopefully this will discourage them from coming. To prevent them from getting at the feeder, I have made an enclosure out of a kitchen cabinet with a PVC pipe coming out the bottom (see my picture in the product gallery).

In testing the Le Bistro, I did notice that the portion sizes were not consistent (am feeding 1/4" kibble), so I reversed the wires going to the motor like another reviewer did. That made the portion sizes consistent (just about a 1/4 cup each cycle), and reduced jamming. When it did jam, it took a few feeding cycle attempts to clear the jam on its own; so this is why I say I haven't passed judgment on it yet (again, I want to like it). UPDATE 2/4/13: It still jams occasionally, and I have to remove the hopper and clear the kibble caught between the plastic fingers and the housing. So I can't trust it completely.

I read the instructions to program the unit for the first time, but the interface is intuitive enough that I have not had to refer back to them for subsequent changes to the feeding schedule.

One thing I really liked about the Le Bistro is that is has a jack for an AC adapter. It will run off the adapter alone, or you can install 3 D-cell batteries as backup in case of a power failure. For an AC adapter, I purchased the "PowerLine 600mA Universal AC Adapter with Compatibility Tips 0900-91" also sold by Amazon. Set it for 4.5 volts, and use the tip plug that has the center as the "+". Even if you lose both AC power and the batteries die, the only programming you will lose is the time - the feeding schedule is retained in memory. When power is restored, the clock will go back to "12:00" and run from there; so the unit will still feed, although the feeding times will be off.

In summary, I would say that it is a better automatic feeder than most in this price range, but I would suggest to purchasers that you keep an eye on it for a few days after setting it up to make sure it dispenses consistently for the dry food you are feeding.
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2 broken feeders. One lasted 6 months, the other a year.
by Nomad,Top Contributor: Pets (1 out of 5 stars)
January 20, 2017

This helps us from accidentally over feeding the dog.

Sometimes we work different schedules and were not able to communicate in time to figure out if someone had already fed the dog that morning or evening.

This solves that problem, you can set it to give up to 3 or 4 cups a server at a time, up to 3x a day (we have ours at 2 cups a serving 2x a day.

The dog no longer grazes all day long and will actually wake up from whatever part of the house he is in when he hears the food drop and eat it all right away.

The storage bin holds about 30 cups of food, so this is perfect for a 50lb dog's diet... but I could see being annoying if you had a bigger dog... but the feeding bin would be huge if it held entire bags of dog food....

Battery life seems so good so far as its been running for about a month with no problems.

EDIT: This product has died after 6 months and the rotating brushes have a hard time turning... even when empty.

I would expect something to last more than 6 months for 50 bucks.

EDIT 2: Star added RMA simple with proof of purchase.

EDIT 3: The new feeder from the RMA broke a year later. The motor is unable to handle years of use.
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Life saver!
by Piixiipants (5 out of 5 stars)
November 4, 2016

I never have to worry about feeding my cat!!! This has made my life so much easier! I can be gone for few days at a time and my cat's just fine on her own ---I have monitored her via a webcam And no need for a sitter! The amount of the food can also be adjusted 1/4 of cup to 1 cup if I remember correctly.
!Product designer please take note!!!!

the feeder can use some upgrades. I'm willing to pay more for an upgraded higher quality version of this.
- the bottom is narrower than the top which makes it prone to tipping over! I have a wire wrapped around it and nailed to the wall so my cat doesn't push it over.
- the lid is on the flimsy side and can easily come off even in the 'lock' position. I have taped it down so if in case the feeder tips over, all the food doesn't get spilled all over.
- the tray doesn't fit quite right and somehow prevents the food from dispensing at times. I have removed it and haven't had any problems with food getting stuck ever since.

This feeder is great idea! The issues that I mentioned can be remedied with some creativity till there is a higher quality/design on the market.
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LeBistro pet feeder works as advertised without problems.
by N. Jay (4 out of 5 stars)
February 11, 2016

I have used the LeBistro pet feeder for a year. It worked very well but has one minor problem. The feed chute does not drop all the food into the middle of the food tray. I fixed this problem by putting a paperback book partially under the back of the device opposite the feed tray. The food drops down and slides completely into the front of the tray. As for the people who have problems with the device settings. Remember touching the enter button is accepting whatever you chose to do. Follow the setting instruction sequences and you shouldn't have a problem. Also avoid selecting NO as it may mess up later meal selections. Once you use the device it will keep your selections after you turn it off which makes it easy to use it again. All you have to do is reset the current time. Set up the device one day before you need it to ensure it works as you want it to when you leave your house or apartment. Note the meal counter total when you set it up so you will know the feeder is working later.
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Poor design, many flaws
by C. Bauer (1 out of 5 stars)
November 2, 2015

It's a terrible design. It uses flimsy plastic to rotate the food into the bowl, which doesn't hold the food in when it is moved or struck. Our cats figured out that they could hit the reservoir and get more food whenever they want, so that eliminated the portion control mechanism, which is the whole damn point of this model. There are plenty of non-electronic feeders out there that would do just as well. Our cats are overweight and need strict portion control for us to have any chance of preventing diabetes, but this model isn't doing anything to help that, and I don't think the vendor could care less.

Also, the way the bowl connects to the base is just terrible. It doesn't snap into place or securely fasten to the base, it just hangs on to it. This creates the potential for a gap to occur between the feeder and the bowl, which means some of the food will fall behind the bowl.

Bottom line, find another feeder, this one is awful.
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It's wired wrong from the manufacturer
by Jeff L. Tjernagel (1 out of 5 stars)
April 6, 2014

I really wanted this feeder to work. When I first received the unit I performed my own tests which are documented on the attached video. If the feeder is set to dispense too many cups, depending upon the size of your food, the feeder will back up when it's dispensing the food and the amount of food dispensed is not consistent.

Following the advice of other customers I opened the unit up and reversed the wiring to the motor. That helped. I am completely convinced the manufacturer is wiring this motor wrong. It works like a windmill wheel. With it wired the way the manufacturer does it the "flaps" the food is not routed to the tray but is pushed more up towards the storage bin. I hope that makes sense... When you switch the polarity on the motor the food naturally follows the trap down to the bowl.

I rated it as a 1 star because the customer shouldn't have re-wire the feeder to get it to work. I would only recommend this feeder to people who are willing to open it up and rewire it (unless the manufacturer corrects the wiring).

Update: I'd give it a zero star if that was possible. It quit working after about 6 months for no reason. I've ordered a different manufacturers feeder.
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Convenient! I just wish they made it with a metal bowl option.
by V. Heart,Top Contributor: Pets (5 out of 5 stars)
March 17, 2017

So far I am impressed with this brand. I bought a previous one which after 10 months stopped working. So I contacted he company and they mailed a me a refund check. With it I purchased this one, which is larger than my previous one. My one complaint is that I wish they had a metal option for the bowl. My cat has skin allergies, in particular a plastic allergy, so he can't eat out of a plastic bowl. So I have this proped up on a box, with a ceremic bowl below, so that the food falls into it.

Also, I fill the bowl half way with water, so when the food falls in, it gets hydrated. Cats need WAY more moisture. So this method has worked, so they can have food throughout the day, or if I go on a trip, I just need to have someone add the bowl of water under the food, so that it drops in the morning. This feeder has made my life simpler and I'm grateful for that.

If they make a metal bowl option, I'll be the first in line to purchase it!
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Do not buy this unless you're feeding a tiny pet
by Christopher Williams (1 out of 5 stars)
June 21, 2015

This product is terrible. We had the original version of the Le Bistro, and it worked great for three years. But finally gave up the ghost so I bought one of the "new" ones at the local pet store. They only had the 5 lb model. It had a tiny hopper and tiny dish. It can barely manage the 1-1/2 cups we feed our dog before the food backs up the dispenser. I'm quite sure it's not dispensing the 1-1/2 cups. The original had a nice large dish, but this dish is so small it can't handle the output. There is NO way this can dispense the "three cups" the vendor claims.

Furthermore, the hopper is tiny. So I bought the 10lb one here, hoping to get the larger hopper and maybe a larger dish. It arrived DOA. Would flash "dinner" and never spin. And it's the exact same item with a bigger hopper, same size dish. So I just put the bigger hopper on the one that worked. Still has too small a dish, I'm sure our dog is getting underfed.

Then I found the original listed on a site advertised here. I thought "great, I can get the one that works". It just showed up. It's this same pile of garbage shown here. So it's being returned.

Why do companies ruin products that work? This thing is absolutely worthless for any feeding amount bigger than a cup. Do not buy it.
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So Disappointed
by P. LeBlanc (1 out of 5 stars)
June 16, 2019

Had an older version that lasted 3 years and eventually the plastic flaps inside broke making it useless. Got his as a replacement and have been disappointed since. The biggest flaw is that it does NOT deliver food at the scheduled times. It goes off whenever it feels like it. I use it to feed my cat morning and night and I can hear the food spitting out sometimes 6 times a day. Since my cat has a weight problem, this is terrible as a defect. We have had to stop using the product because of this, making it a useless and expensive waste. Want to love it, loved the last. Wish I could return

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