Automatic Feeder recommendations?

Hi there

After many years of struggle I think I have finally found a solution to a huge kitty problem!!!  Chester has had behavioural problems related to cat food for as long as I've had him. He screams, bites, trips you, gets in your face, etc for at least 2 hours before every feeding (usually closer to 4 hours).

He is also obese and has heart problems that require him to be on medication, which means he needs to loose weight.

Last weekend I pulled out an automatic feeder I bought a couple years ago for when we were out of the house.  It's one of those ones that look like a UFO and rotate.  It can provide up to 5 meals.  It doesn't negate the problem, but makes it MUCH better.

So I'm thinking of investing in an automatic feeder, the kind with a timer and a drop down feeder.  The problem is that the one they sell at Petsmart (Le Bistro) has some seriously bad reviews.  I thought that I'd ask here to see if there are any other brands that people would recommend, or if you would recommend the Bistro regardless of the reviews.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

This is the best reviewed one I've found.   Its actually a fish-feeder adapted for use with cats:


+++ The advantage is that its customizable to make it extremely accurate with the amount of kibble it feeds, regardless of the size or shape of the kibble.

- - - The downside is that its very expensive and from the looks of it is also a pain to program and setup... quite finicky.  

I personally actually do like the Petmate Le Bistro, at least the 10lb version if that is the one Petsmart has.   


+++The advantage is that its inexpensive and brain-dead easy to use after reading the instructions.

- - -The downside is that many have issues with the amount of kibble dispersed, as there is no fine tuning for different size/shape kibbles.   The one trick people have is the "pillow method" which blocks off some of the scoops on the scooper, so that it requires extra rotations to pick up the kibble, which allows you to feed in much smaller increments than normal.    So if you block off half the scoops, then instead of being able to adjust the feeding in 1/4cup increments you can do it in 1/8th cup increments.  

I actually bought two to go off simultaneously, so that each of my cats would have their own bowl and for redundancy so that I know even if one were to break while I was on vacation or even just at work, they would be on "half rations":

The negative reviews on the bistro really have swayed me away from it.  I've been looking at the Feedster:

http://automatedpetfeeder.com/

But I can't find many reviews on it.

I find the super feeder (the one that is from a fish feeder) to be unattractive, but if it's the best thing out there, I might be swayed.

Decisions Decsions...

Features look good:

I agree, and the unit appears to be sturdy.

I guess I just need to figure out if that one is worth the $250 or if I would be happy with the super feeder at $150.

Oh, wow, yeah I didn't realize it was $250. 

But why stop there when you can spend $500: http://www.perfectpetfeeder.com/  

BTW, I know its ruled out, but just thought I'd share real quick for others reading along.  If the concern was defeating the user mechanism or the aesthetics of the Petmate, this was an interesting mod for the $50-60 feeder, which could be hidden in attractive Ikea furniture (rather than the ugly shelf/funnel) and is definitely theft proof.   The power chord is optional since it goes at least six months on batteries, and you only need to fill the big one at least every 3-4 months.   Can even replace the bottom bowl with a pretty glass one.

Right, but the feeder is $60-$80 here...dang Canadian pricing!

And it isn't the looks that throws me off, not even really the fact that cat burglers like it, it's that there are a lot of reviews that simply state that it doesn't work, or worked and then broke 6 months later.  I actually kind of like the looks of the bistro

Still debating...truth be told:  I want the $250 model but the practical side of me is shaking it's finger violently and pointing towards the $150 model....on the other hand, $250 is worth every penny if it reliably works and solves an 8 year problem.

I feel so close to relief I can almost taste it!

Hi hi!  I know it's been awhile, but I thought I'd add an update, in case anyone is doing a search and looking for information.
I did buy the Pet Feedster after all.

I decided on it because of the higher capacity of kibble, and quite frankly, the looks.  It's not georgeous, but it's not as ... unique as the fish feeder one.

It has absolutely helped with our morning feeding issues.  I haven't been woken up in a long time!  It's so nice to not have the cats harass me first thing in the morning.  I still hear about it through most of the day mind you, but at least he's not waking me up.

The Feedster itself has been good.  It programs up to 5 times a day (we do it twice), and you can adjust how much kibble you want pretty easily.  The inside mechanism can be a bit finicky to adjust at first but it's not terrible, and if you stay with the same brand you wont have to do it more than once.

I have only had one problem with the unit since I first got it, and that was that my "hopper" - inside mechanism piece cracked because I didn't make the hole big enough for my new kibble. A part replacement and it works like new!  

A note on the customer service:  I ordered around Christmas time, and my order got mixed up with some other orders.  Getting a hold of them via email was hard, but they returned my phone call quickly. It appears it's a mom and pop business (and in my books that's a good thing).  They are great with trouble shooting, and are easy to talk to/quick to get back to phone calls made.  I had to pay for the shipping for my part, but that was because I'm in Canada, if I had been in the states they would have shipped it for free (darn you customs!).  I like being able to buy parts and fix my unit instead of having to buy a whole new unit.  

So that's my follow up.  I hope it helps someone someday.

Thank you for the follow-up, which will probably be of use to several people with cats who like to wake them up in the wee hours.

Hi.

As this is an old thread I realize my question may go unanswered, but I'll try anyway.

Is your PetFeedster still working after all this time?
The reviews on Amazon are split just like they are for all automated feeders I found.

I live in Brazil and I'm looking to buy an automated feeder so I can go on vacation without worries, just asking someone to check on the two cats once or twice while I'm out. But if buying a US product in Canada is tough enough, can you imagine what's like in Brazil? I know it'll be a hassle and very expensive if I need replacement parts shipped for any model I chose, so I'm trying to make the right decision. And the base price is an important factor as well, since our conversion rate to dollars is not so great.

I'll be in the US in June for work and I'll try to make a decision by then so I that I can have it shipped to the hotel. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi.
The unfortunate answer is not really. The internal mechanism called the hopper has broken twice while I was adjusting it. Email contact has been impossible but I've had some luck with phoning them. When the unit works it is reliable and precise. It has only broken while I was fiddling with it.

Well, personally I'd keep using the one you're using and just top it up every couple days or whatever you need. 

I think we have the same one, large round, with 5 slots, 4 of which are hidden.  It's battery operated which I think is a huge plus.  You're not going to lose the current time of day or programmed times as per...well, just about all the other auto. feeders which ac powered. If the power goes out, even briefly - you're sol.    

I've had mine for 4 months and it seems fine. I've used it on the occasions I'm not going to be home right at 6:00 p.m. for his evening meal. 

Unless of course you want to drop big bucks on the Super...., I saw that before and just couldn't justify the price, but whatever works for you. 

I also don't see any harm in buying the LeBistro from PetSmart. You can always return it within 30 days, if you don't like it? 

Just chiming in here on the Pet Feedster.  I got one a couple months ago prior to a week long out of town trip, to feed a couple of my cats several small meals a day to keep them occupied in between visits from the sitter.  I bought it via Amazon, and it was the one designated as the "cat version".  When it arrived there was a slip inside that said if I had any trouble with it jamming, let them know and they would send a new prototype of one part (I forget what the part is called).  I emailed them because I was in a time crunch and couldn't really take a chance on it jamming while I was gone.  Literally within an hour of my email to them, they had (1) emailed me back; (2) called me (I had left work already but they left a message on my voicemail); AND (3) shipped the prototype part via Priority Mail.  I got the part in plenty of time, within 2 or 3 days.  In the meantime I went ahead and tested it with the original part and I have to say it worked flawlessly and I probably would've been fine with the original version of the part (but of course I had no way of knowing that at the time).

Anyway, I couldn't be happier, both with the level of customer service I received, and with the unit itself.  I've gone through so many automatic feeders over the years, I don't even remember what all I've tried.  Regardless, the Pet Feedster outperforms them all by far.  The only down side to it is the price really, but I am so glad I went ahead and did it.  It (along with an inexpensive IP camera so I could keep my eye on them) gave me complete peace of mind while I had to be out of town.

I am both jealous of your luck with email contact- something I've tried a number of times in a number of occasions; and excited about the new part. It might help with my breakage issues.

The part that they have the prototype for is the skinny stick thing with the disk where you can adjust for kibble size.  The prototype they sent me appears to be a hand made version, the stick part is the same, but instead of the dark flexible plastic disk with the sizes printed on it, the disk is made of clear flexible plastic and is not adjustable (I suspect to accommodate even goofy X shaped cat foods and such without jamming).  I'm guessing that once they are through the prototype phase, this part will be mass produced and included with the cat version.

The person I contacted is named "Sunny" and although his English is very difficult to understand, he really could not possibly have been more helpful and responsive to my situation, for which I am grateful. 

I hope you're able to get your situation resolved too!

Thank you all for your answers. I'm almost giving up hope of finding a feeder that won't jam (('ve seen people complaining about jamming on every model, so even if it doesn't happen for everyone, it seems to be a common issue across all the models). *sigh*
Now the question is whether I'm willing to bet on my luck.

By the way, on the PetFeedster support, I did e-mail them asking a couple of questions about the products and they never answered, so I guess you got lucky with their prompt and very thorough support, but I wouldn't consider it standard.

I did notice on the Amazon reviews that they were kind of hit-or-miss on responses to problems.  Some people were lucky like me, others not so much.

FWIW, mine hasn't jammed at all so far, with either verison of the part.

I also have never had a jam...just the plastic little bit breaking when I fiddle with it.

I was also looking for an automatic feeder when I was planning a short vacation, read so many reviews till I was just so confused and overwhelmed. I ended up buying a gravity feeder since its cheap and for just a 3day vacation, it should suffice, but at the end of the day, the vacation was cancelled, so I haven't a chance to try out the gravity feeder. I will be going on a week's vacation this time and I'm not sure if it is still a good idea to use a gravity feeder,considering there is no portion control.

I planned on getting an automatic ones and have looked at a couple, the 6 trays UFO round ones and lebistro. I kinda prefer the UFO cos I can easily put in correct portion, but it has only 6 trays and when it has finished running its round, I'm afraid the system will make it too complicated for the sitter to refill and reset the time for the next couple days and as she won't be coming in daily.

I had the Petmate round one.  I had major trouble with the tray rotating.  It would rotate only part of the amount it was supposed to and stop, so access to the food was still blocked.  Also, I really wanted the ability to program multiple small meals per day. 

I also had the LeBistro that kinda looks like a water cooler (but for food).  It seemed like it would've been okay, but the one time I tried it, at the time my dog was still alive and she beat the crap out of it probably as soon as we stepped out the door, so it was unable to function.  (FWIW though, it actually didn't pop open which would've allowed the dog to eat all the food...just came apart and knocked it on its side, and since when the chute opens it relies on gravity for the food to exit the hopper, the food never came out.  So kudos for the hopper not popping open anyway.)  I think that one would've worked fine at the time, if not for the dog.  This time, since I was feeding a special needs cat (urinary issues) and a kitten, I wanted something that couldn't be knocked over, plus the Pet Feedster allows more flexibility as far as number of feedings per day and amount of food dispensed per feeding.  Watching the IP camera that we set up, I watched our kitten jump on top of the Pet Feedster hopper, stand on it, play on it, etc., and it didn't budge.