PETLIBRO Automatic Cat Feeder, 4L Auto Pet Dry Food Dispenser with Clog-Free Design, Low Food LED Indication, 0-50 Portion Control for 1-6 Meals Daily, 10s Voice Recorder for Small & Medium Pets

The overall product seems like great quality and came as advertised. We have used it for about one week and while the cats still need more time to get used to it, it has worked perfectly set up to our schedule. The instructions were easy to follow and we were able to set up our feeding schedule in minutes. The voice recording feature is cute but can't say that our cats really respond to it yet. We have noticed that the hopper fullness/dish fullness sensitivity sets off the warning on the screen very easily, but it is not too hard to fix that to make the alarm go away. The brightness of the light on front (blue or red depending on status) is really strong and I wish there was a way to turn it down or make it less bright. It only functions as an alert feature for humans and not pets and it seems like its right at eye level for our cats - I do wonder if it bothers them. The portion size is good and you might have to test with your pet food to see exactly how much comes out. The hopper full of food does not actually lock and is really just a cover, but it fits snugly enough that our mischievous cat hasn't figured out how to get it off. Overall I'm satisfied and I hope this product lasts us a long time.

UPDATE: One of the problems I initially noticed was that the dispenser and dish weren’t at a steep enough angle for more than 1/8th cup portion, so the food backs up and won’t dispense until it’s moved. It also stopped dispensing at the scheduled times despite being plugged in and full. However, the customer service is very helpful and professional, and resolved the issue quickly. I got one of these for my three cats. It fits one 3.5 pound bag of cat food and lasts them about a week. I like that you can program up to six meals, and even though the portion sizes don’t make sense, there is a helpful chart that comes in the instructions to tell you how many portions equals a 1/2 cup, cup etc. I wish the battery size was a little more common, but overall it was extremely easy to set up and start using. The directions were much clearer than other devices I’ve ordered on Amazon. The only major downside is that the hole that dispenses the food isn’t high enough, so any portion larger than a half cup doesn’t get fully dispensed to the bowl until the food is moved forward, either by you or your pet. Not a big deal, but 1) if you program an audio recording this plays pretty much constantly until the portion has been fully dispensed and 2) the dispensing action is pretty loud so it scares my cats if they’re in the middle of eating and it decides to finish dispensing the portion. I like that you can program meals while also still manually delivering different portions any time you want. The lid fits nicely so no matter how much my cats try to open it, it stays put. Overall, I’m super happy with this.

So we purchased this item because we were going to be away for a couple of days and needed an auto feeder. On the second day, the food dispenser did not feed on the scheduled time. We found this out because we were monitoring the entire thing through an indoor security camera. I figured that it was human error and once I got back home we literally adjusted all of the feeding times and portions. Around a week ago the feeder started to dispense food at a very odd time which was NOT part of the programming. We have it set up to dispense food three times a day last feeding at 11 PM but now for no apparent reason, it is dispensing food at 3:00 AM! Once again I assumed that it was a "user error" and went to check every single feeding time against the military time conversion and NO, there is absolutely no feeding schedule for 3:00 AM. At this point, I decided to remove backup batteries and unplug from electric power to reset the entire unit. Once that was done I replaced batteries and connected to electricity and started the reprogramming procedure. The first night there was no feeding at 3:00 AM but since then for the last 2 nights, we've had what I am calling "phantom feedings" at 3:00 AM. So at this point either we have a malfunctioning feeder or some paranormal situation is going on that feeds my cat at 3:00 AM when he is sleeping. Id like to add that the actual programming of the unit is a bit..... of a pain and I am pretty damn good at these things, but I finally figured it out unfortunately the instructions are pretty difficult. Just go to youtube and watch a tutorial.

I've been using this feeder for a little while now and overall I say it's not a bad purchase. It has had a few problems for me and I feel like worth mentioning to anyone my want to buy it. I have a little 6 &1/2 lb cat that has easily figured out that if she jiggles the feeder or even knocks it over the food will come out. This has led her to claw and bite the plastic all over to get the feeder to fall. I ended up building a small box to surround the feeder so that she couldn't get into it, but all of that effort really feels stupid when the feeder should just stay secured. I've run into a recent problem that prompted me to write a review and look for other feeders in that the food does not stay sealed inside the feeder. This has led to small ants getting inside multiple times. I've had to take apart the thing to completely clean it and it's not easy to take it apart. The food holder does not separate from the bottom portion like I know other feeders do, so properly cleaning it is impossible. If you like to keep things clean then this thing will not be your friend. My cat's food like many others has fat in it that attract bugs and if it's not in a secured environment that causes problems. It has served me very well for my first automatic cat feeder, but I don't think it's something worth purchasing. I think spending a little bit more money on something nicer is advisable.

Ok, first the negatives. 1. The directions are worthless. I had to look at two videos and ask my "ex" to help me set the machine up. It was a hassle. It's hard to input the portions, the time, and the voice message. 2. Once completed, you can't easily see the clock (the bright blue light hinders that). 3. You also can't easily see how to deliver a manual portion -- again b/c of the bright blue light. 4. It's hard to know what portion to set b/c there isn't a teaspoon or oz equivalent. It took me several tries before I could give my cat the correct amount. She eats 1/2 5. The lock is almost human lock proof. I had a hard time opening it to refill it with cat food 6. Easy to clean is relative. The drying time is more of an inconvenience than a true complaint. You have to make sure that the container is COMPLETELY dry or you'll have problems. Positives 1. The bowl is an excellent size -- portions don't flow over it; my cat easily eats from it. 2. It WORKS well -- the cat hears my voice and gets her food at 5:30 am with no problem at all. This makes things super easy. 3. It's not loud so my scaredy-cat is unafraid 4. It looks really good (mine is black); 5. I use the USB cord to charge mine, and I have the 3-D batteries for backup so I have ease of mind with a power shortage This machine is worth it; I would buy it again! Hopefully, I won't have to b/c this one will last forever (smile)