Petmate Le Bistro Automatic Waterer And Feeder

October 29, 2010 8:59 am | By Zootoo Editor Kelly B.

The most notable thing about the 12” high Le Bistro Auto Feeder is its unmistakable resemblance to a water cooler. But, unlike a water cooler, you can easily refill this feeder though the top. Oh, and beware, the blue tinted food jug inspires many jokes involving “cubical cats” convening around the water cooler.

The Auto Feeder offers a continuous flow of dry foods for your pet, which is great for us pet owners who wish to be a bit more lazy, for those of us who need to leave our pets alone for (reasonably) extended periods of time, or for elderly or disabled pet lovers.

For those of us worried about microbes in the plastic, the feeder is manufactured with a built-in antimicrobial, Microban, a fact emphasized by two colorful packaging stickers. The Microban fights against “stain and odor causing bacteria, mold and mildew” so you can breathe a sigh of relief that your pets are only feasting on the cornucopia of dry food you leave out.

If your cats are used to eating on a schedule, it may take them a bit of time to figure out that food is now always available. Our tester cats continued to wake me up in the morning just so I could walk them to the kitchen and point them towards the food that was already there. My cats then stared up at me, as if to say “Lady please, you think this contraption will you get out of waking up to feed us… hahaha!”

A few times, the bowl was empty because the food had gotten stuck and the feeder needed to a soft tap to release the kibblely chow… totally justifying my cats’ haughtiness. But eventually the cats learned to shake out their own food if the bowl was empty. Thus this feeder has proven to be a time saver and stress reliever for me and my cats.

Pros: Easy to use and clean, no more worrying about your pet running out of food.

Cons: Not aesthetically pleasing; food can get stuck occasionally.