Aspen PetLebistro Programmable Cat & Dog Feeder 2 Sizes Black (24232), 18 Cups

I currently have two of these. I bought my first one from Pet Smart because that was where I first saw it. Having tried a variety of automatic feeders I found this one to be unique. It allowed me to program portion dispensing. My one concern was that I have a cat that is finicky about stale food, literally he will ignore it if it sits out for a few hours. So I always gave him very small amounts and he was happy to nibble. To keep the kibble fresh in the hopper I took a piece of saran wrap and placed it between the lid of the hopper and hopper body. As finicky as my guys are it has worked perfectly, low tech wins. I travel a lot, and I also work in an industry that exposes me to a lot of information related to production flaws. I bought this product and tested it out in preparation for a a trip away from home. I buy Naturals food for my cats which is small pellet. I tested it out and the 1/4 actually seemed incredibly small when it dispensed which is a contradiction to everyone else who seems to complain of more than programmed dispensing.Once I opened it up I realized it was battery operated which I think is a plus because I can place it anywhere in the house. I powered it up, set up the test times. It worked fine, I made minor adjustments for amount dispensed for the cats. (I have 2) It ran for two weeks before I left. It has worked very well for the past 5 weeks including while I was on vacation, although I had friends stop by to check on them just in case.I love this product because I program it for 3 meals a day (before I couldn't feed them in the middle of day because of work) which I think is much healthier for them. It took them some time to realize I did not have to be in the room for them to fed. Now it is hilarious to watch one of them bound through the house when the food dispenses to the bowl. I bought a second feeder because one of my cats was being forced to wait for the other when the food dispensed. So with separate bowls they can eat at the same time. After the road testing of the first one I felt comfortable enough to buy the second one.I have read a lot of reviews on this product and often the little motor or pieces fail or the programing. From experience I will say these failures are most likely a result of workmanship from countries like China. For anyone experiencing these issues it is really important you contact the company to let them know. Just recently I had a problem with a Wii remote, based on many other tidbits of information I realized the failure was the supplier in China and it had been massive in recalls for the company, it wasn't the company's quality of product but the suppliers manufacturing to the specifications the company required that was lacking. But the companies have to know when the supplier is failing them so they can determine when the cost savings of doing business there is eliminated by the expenses from flaws. Don't just give up if you have a problem with your product contact the manufacturer with your experience directly and include specific information on your product so they can trace the lots and address the situation.I am still using these pet feeders and they have made an international relocation with me. They are going strong and working perfectly after 5 years use. I have bought some other models for temporary use and they have all failed miserably. Hands down this item is completely worth the cost and will provide an acceptable return on investment of you buy it.Updated July 2016I just wanted to provide an update that these feeders are still going strong after almost 6 years of use. I have had no problems and I am very happy with it. I upgraded my rating to a 5. I also purchased the newer model while I was in the US in May and carried it back with me. It works very well, it is a more streamlined version of the originals that I bought. I think this is the best automated feeder product line available.

I'm going to be gracious and give this feeder 5 stars, even though I had to modify it quite a lot before I was satisfied with it. but I think it is really quite brilliant! I’ll explain. As I say, I like the unit very much!, but it did have a couple of issues that I wanted to address. (only one issue was related to the design of the machine) and that one issue is that food doesn’t fall very far, so, if my cat didn’t eat all of the food, the food would pile up directly in front of the exit door. This may or may not cause a problem, I don't know... (thus the 5 stars) but I decided to elevate the machine about 2” higher above the bowl.The unrelated problem is that I live in an area, where, in the Summer, thousands of ants will infest any food source, (making it impossible to leave the machine on the floor or anywhere for that matter) so I added a pedestal with the purpose of creating an ant barrier. I’ll include some photos, in case anyone else is interested. Now... I believe the automatic feeder is really great! (6 Stars)Photo 1 shows the unit complete after the modification.Photo 2 shows a side view of the 3 plywood levels: The ant barrier (Tree Tanglefoot Insect Barrier goop) will be applied around the ¾” wooden block/ pedestal on the lowest plywood, which will make ant travel to the unit and food impossible. The 2nd plywood level holds the bowl and the 2 ¼” elevated 3rd plywood, which supports the elevated machine.Photo 3 shows a close up view of the wooden base levels.Photo 4 shows the bowl on the 2nd ply level.Photo 5 shows a very curious cat (bowl is not placed at this time)Photo 6 shows the Tree Tanglefoot goop around the bottom wood pedestal.Photo 7 shows the base assembled again after applying the Tree Tanglefoot goop.I used scrap wood and a shop full of power tools to help build it, but if you are clever, with this guide, I’m sure the concept could be achieved more simply. The Tree Tanglefoot Insect Barrier is only $7/tube and can be found at certain garden stores. I believe it to be pet safe as the ingredients are 25% natural gum resins, and 75% castor oil and carnauba wax, however, it goes without saying that you want to isolate the sticky "goop" to eliminate the possibility of any animal getting into it. IT'S VERY STICKY!As for the unit itself; it really operates well! The programming is very intuitive and not only tells you how many servings have been made... but even when it's time to change the batteries! As I say, the only thing that concerned me was that I was afraid that the food could tend to sit in front of the "drop door." But, I don't know if it would be a problem or not..... Now, with my modifications... I'd give it 6 Stars!