Petmate Le Bistro Electronic Portion-Control Automatic Pet Feeder, Black | 
| Brand: Petmate
List Price: $59.99
Buy New: $44.99 (On sale from $52.99)
You Save: $8.00 (15%)
New (10) from $44.99
Rating:  335 reviews
Sales Rank: 136
Color: Black
Media: Tools & Hardware
Shipping Weight (lbs): 5
Dimensions (in): 15 x 9.4 x 9.3
MPN: 24230
Model: 24230
UPC: 029695242304
EAN: 0029695242304
ASIN: B000BVWVUA
Release Date: July 1, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Fully automatic electronic pet feeder with tough plastic base | | • | Food reservoir holds 4-1/5 pounds of dry food for food "on demand" | | • | Dispenses portions from 1/4 to 2 cups at 3 selected times per day | | • | Great for cats and dogs; does not replace human care; batteries not included | | • | Measures 14-1/2 by 8-7/8 by 15-1/8 inches; 1-year limited warranty |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Portion control feeding system that saves time for the owner and insures the pet regular controlled feedings for improved health. Dispenses portions from 1/4 cup to 2 cups at 3 selected times per day. Simple programmable electronics hopper holds 4 pounds of food. Battery operated (not included). Black only. Measures 14 1/2 in. x 8.9 in. x 15 in..
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| Customer Reviews: Read 330 more reviews...
 Returned it twice May 15, 2006
WorldlyOne
143 out of 161 found this review helpful
This thing is a piece of junk - and I do not use that word lightly. Like the other reviewer, I went through two units with display problems, but even had the dispaly worked correctly, there were pleanty of other problems with the fundemental design of the thing to send it back. A few of the "highlights"
1) Increadibly silly and difficult programming. The instructions are not only unclear, but in some cases, flat out wrong. AND, if you're finally successful in programming it, the program is erased when you remove the batteries.
2) Impossible to clean the mechanism's interior and the bowl can not be removed to clean at the sink.
3) The minimum amount it dispenses at a time is too much in the case of our cat. AND he was able to dislodge food by getting his paw up in the dispensing chute! So much for diet control! And a little dangerous, I fear.
There were other silly things, but those are what come to mind. It's obnoxious that a company would put something like this on the market. Hopefully the time I've taken in writing this will save others the frustration.
 Does good job December 26, 2006
R. Mardis (Texas)
107 out of 109 found this review helpful
I like many have read the poor reviews and had to think out whether the judgment of these dissappointed buyers was valid. It appeared to me that all of the complaints were oriented towards the interface involved in programing the thing and such.
I bought it. Amazon shipped it incredibly fast. It only works on batteries (3 D's) That's really a plus since it provides maximum flexiblity on placement and it's not tied to commercial power, so pwr outages don't mean that cat goes hungry!
I'll say this. The programming is counter-intuitive and you have to work at figuring out what they want you to do. You must read the instructions and you'd better keep for when the batteries die, because I read the settings go with the juice.
I set it up to work in under 20 minutes. Feeds my cat twice a day without a hitch now in two weeks. You adjust the volume and how many feedings you want. Common sense is only dry kibble will really work best with this setup. I can see how soft kibble might gum up the works, due to the physics of gravity. The food sits in the bottle, upended over a paddle wheel that slowly rotates to allow kibble to flow. So soft food would probably tend to clump up in there.
I'm very pleased so far. It has solved a feeding problem for me and I am most satisfied. If the maker could install a watch battery backup thing to hold the settings between D battery changes that would be great and the simplicity of the setup could be better, BUT If that added too much money to the cost, it probably wouldn't sell.
UPDATE: a little over two months of use and I'm really a big fan now. This thing works well. The main thing is... my fat cat is losing weight and she eats twice a day, same time, everyday, thus perfect routine for her. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to any cat owner that would like routine for their pet's eating or has a pet with a weight problem.
Piece of Junk May 3, 2006
Susan R. Strait (Dripping Springs, TX USA)
68 out of 81 found this review helpful
The first one worked for 2 days, then the display went out; I exchanged it for a new one, and the display would not light at all. I made sure I used new, charged batteries. When I called the company, they said they were very sorry, and recommended I either exchange it again, or send them pieces from the non-working one with a copy of the receipt, and they would send a new one. Am so aggravated, am returning it for a refund.
The CHEAT SHEET! May 17, 2007
GP (NY, NY)
30 out of 30 found this review helpful
We just got it set up so I can't give a full review as of yet, but - as expected b/c of reviews here - I did have problems programming it. Got this "Cheat Sheet" from PetMate. If you still can't get it, call them. The rep walked us through it on the phone (it didn't sound like there was much rhyme or reason to the method) and then emailed the cheat sheet afterwards. (I hope these instructions work for you - and us when we need to reprogram). Good Luck!
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Cheat Sheet for Programming Lebistro Portion Control Feeder
Press and hold program button, press and hold + button let go of both at the same time. Unit should go to meal time.
Press + and unit moves to meal size
Press + and unit moves to current time.
Press set.
AM will be flashing, if you need PM press + then press set
First number will be flashing
Pressing program moves to the next number
+ changes the number
When the time is correct press set
Unit will go to meal time, press set
Breakfast will be flashing, press program unit will move to the first number
To change the number press +
To move to the next number press program
Do this until the time is set, Press program one more time and the number in the right upper corner will be flashing
1 means yes I want to feed this meal
0 means no I do not want to feed this meal
Select 1 or 0 and press set
Unit will go to meal time press set
Unit will go to Breakfast, press + and it will move to lunch
***to set 12:00 you will need to set 00:00 unit will NOT set 12***
Press program and the first number will start to flash--set the time in the same manner you set Breakfast
Set 1 or 0 to feed or not to feed then press set
Unit will go back to meal time, press set
Unit will go to breakfast, press + will go to lunch press + again and unit will move to dinner
Press program and first number will start to flash, set time in the same manner you set breakfast and lunch.
Set 1 or 0 to feed or not to feed then press set
Unit will go back to meal time, press +
Unit will go to meal size
Press set
1 in the right upper corner will start to flash
1=1/4 cup
2=1/2 cup
3=3/4 cup...etc
Select amount you want to feed.
**** Unit will feed the same amount for each meal***
Press set and unit will go back to meal time
Press and hold program button, press and hold set button let go of both at the same time.
Unit should have the correct time, the amount you selected to feed in the upper right hand corner and the meals you select on the left side.
***00 in the bottom right corner is the number of meals fed***
***To manual feed press set and hold, press + and hold, let go of both buttons at the same time. Unit will feed until you press set and + again
Great product -- if your cats aren't clever February 24, 2008
J. Thimsen (Seattle, WA USA)
15 out of 15 found this review helpful
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R22C3UVAAUTF5R This product worked fantastic for about 6 months -- our cats lost weight, were more healthy, and it prevented them from waking us up at 6:00 in the morning for feedings.
One slight issue is that, as it turns out, cats are relatively smart. Our cat Huascar, after studying our Petmate intensely for several months, finally figured out a way to get all that food that was suspended in air in front of him into the dish. Your mileage may vary, but Huascar has definitely figured out the secret to a midnight snack.
I think the Petmate is still an excellent tool for portion control -- it is such a hassle for Huascar to snack that he usually grabs a few morsels and then heads off to cause more chaos throughout our house. He has remained his svelte, yet troublemaking, self.
Watch the video to find out.
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