Petmate Portion Right Programmable Pet Feeder

I ordered this feeder so that we could be comfortable leaving our cat for a long weekend. Once we received the feeder, I programmed it and adjusted it to try to get the required 1/4 cup to dispense, which was NOT easy nor consistent. Unfortunately, our cat QUICKLY figured out that he could dispense more feed at will by easily and gently putting his paw into the opening. THIS FEEDER IS NOT RELIABLE. Very disappointed!

Whether this product works for you might depend on what type of cat you have. First of all, I was skeptical of automatic feeders, but for two days it did everything it was supposed to do perfectly: easy to put together, solid construction, fed the correct amount for each meal, timer worked to the minute, etc. I was surprisingly 100% satisfied. However, I have two cats, and after 48 hours one of them had figured out how to stick his paw up the chute and get food whenever he wanted it. I could have given my other cat fifty years and she wouldn’t have figured it out. It’s not exactly about intelligence, since that 2nd cat has been trained to ring a bell when she sees the treats out, while the cat Whether this product works for you might depend on what type of cat you have. First of all, I was skeptical of automatic feeders, but for two days it did everything it was supposed to do perfectly: easy to put together, solid construction, fed the correct amount for each meal, timer worked to the minute, etc. I was surprisingly 100% satisfied. However, I have two cats, and after 48 hours one of them had figured out how to stick his paw up the chute and get food whenever he wanted it. I could have given my other cat fifty years and she wouldn’t have figured it out. It’s not exactly about intelligence, since that 2nd cat has been trained to ring a bell when she sees the treats out, while the cat who figured out this feeder wants nothing to do with that “ring the bell” game.” So if you have a patient, methodical, intelligent cat, he or she will break into this feeder quickly. If your cat is more laidback and compliant, it will probably work for you. I was bummed when I saw my cat stealing food because it had really made my life easier and I wanted to keep it. Instead, it’s getting returned tomorrow. … more

My cats have ballooned out because the feeder keeps dispensing. I purchased two 2 years ago. I programmed for both cats the exact same time and amount. Today, One shows 58 feedings and the other shows 82 feedings. And now, for no reason, it’ll dump out a portion of food that isn’t programmed. I changed batteries and that didn’t help. Not sure if I can recommend something that has to be replaced already.

I actually bought this several years ago, found it in storage when i bought my new kitten home and it still works like a charm. He gets dry food in the afternoon while I’m at work, auto programmed gives him just what he needs until dinner.

I was using this brand feeder for many years - first for my two cats; bought this particular model for my dog couple of years ago and it started to work very funky after a year; It dispenses food only if not fully filled up (about 3/4 max), pretty often it skips the meals completely of gives only a little bit. Changing batteries didn’t help. Pretty disappointed overall, do not recommend

I have an older version of this feeder that works great. This newer version has a weight limit on how much food you can put in the hopper. Apparently cat food is heavy so I can only put in about 3 cups of food otherwise the dispenser won't rotate to release any food. Sort of defeats the purpose of a dispenser - I have to refill it much more often than the older version.

I bought two programmable feeders for my two labs. In less than one day they were destroyed. I bought the 18 cup and 36 cup. These are not durable against bigger dogs.

This works well for the money. My cat is smart and he figured out he could reach up inside to get more to come out in between feedings. However, I simply put a couple pieces of packing tape in the way so he can’t reach up there and it has worked great. He now gets his preset amount and that’s it!

It does not release the food at the schedule time when you do it only dropped 10 pallets of food I am very disappointed

My cats would knock it over multiple times a day to dislodge the lid or to unlock the holder from bowl, giving them access to the food. The fat one did this the most. So I duct taped the holder, bowl, and stand together to make it more stable. They weren't able to knock it over anymore But then.. I noticed my fat cat wasn't losing any weight. In fact, he seemed fatter. But my other cats weren't begging for more food, I knew he wasn't stealing their portions. I caught his fat butt shoving his paw up the dispenser and turning the wheel inside to get him a lil snack. He did this so much, it messed up the mechanism and it eventually started dispensing more food than what I had programmed.