Ergo - 2000GM - Automatic Pet Feeder - Light Gray - Medium

I have a blind dog who developed an eatting disorder.As she lives at our office , I had a lot of issues since I was supposed to stay there ate least 3 times a day (even on weekend!) and she gained a lot of weight and she was always looking for more food.After buying that auto pet feeder , I setup the timer for 8 small portions distributed along the day.I must tell you that my dog lost a lot of weight and now she is healthier than ever , stay calm most time since she knows she'll have her food frequently and I don't need to lose my weekends anymore.Great purchase!

I should preface this with saying that I bought this unit like 8 years ago, so this is probably a newer version. However the design looks the same. In principal it works great - heavy duty, reliable, etc. But they apparently didn't try it out on a cat like mine. The unit dispenses the food inside and it falls into a horizontal auger, that slowly turns, moving the food out, until it spills into the bowl. Well, it didnt take my cat long to realize that there was always some food still in the auger that didn't quite make it to the opening. So she'd get her paw up in there and swipe whatever she could. Ok.... I'm smarter than her, right? So I went and got some PVC pipe and braces and wood, and basically put the feeder on a platform and had the PVC pipe covering the opening so that the food would go down the pipe into the bowl. Now that my cat couldn't reach the opening, she realized that if she just pulled really hard on the end of the PVC pipe and then let it go, it would jerk the feeder enough that some of the food would come out. ERGGG!!!!! So after getting sick of the sound of her jerking the unit every 5 minutes, I gave up. I think the only way to have outwitted her would have been to put the unit up really high, and then have a PVC pipe running down the wall, but not connect the PVC pipe to the unit - have it a few inches below with maybe a funnel to catch the food dropping.So in summary, for anyone with a cat like mine, you'll need to do some considerable redesign to outwit your cat. :-(

It broke after several months

This is the third automatic feeder I've purchased for my cat, and seems to *finally* be the winner! It relieves us of his INCESSANT meowing, which used to start an hour or two before his meal time.He is too smart for these feeders and always figures out how to steal food. Other reviewers have said the spout/cover on this model prevents their pets from tampering with it, but not mine... He still gets his fuzzy little paw up into the food waiting in the auger. Unlike  Petmate LeBistro Portion Control Automatic Pet Feeder, Bleached Linen, 5 Pounds  it is tolerable for the following reasons:1. The food theft is not as loud. With LeBistro the tap-tap-tapping at the trap door of the machine was so annoying. When the kitty steals food from the Ergo all you hear is the food falling into the bowl.2. With the LeBistro the smallest food amount was 1/4 cup; with the food stealing my cat was dramatically overeating. The Ergo is not programmed by the amount of food, but rather the amount of time the machine distributes, allowing you to adjust it down to a single morsel. When we realized the kitty would be helping himself to snacks, we simply adjusted the amount from 15 seconds twice a day, to 10 seconds.* The timer has been totally reliable.* I love that this feeder plugs into the wall, plus has a battery backup, so we won't have to worry about it when we leave town.* I worried my cat would be less affectionate once he realized I was no longer the giver of the food; that has NOT been the case. Of course, he sits in front of the machine an hour before it distributes but still hangs out with me the rest of the time. :)My one and only criticism is the look. I really wish it came in black. Oh, and the lid is difficult to get on and off, but since it holds 10 pounds, that won't be something I deal with often.

get it setup and the drop time settings for the animal and you can forget it for weeks at a time. it will work

I bought this to feed my dog on a schedule and to regulate her food when I left for a couple of days. It only worked for about 2 weeks. The auger in the bottom of it broke. Called Brookstone who carries the product and they would not warranty it or give me my money back. I then called the company, who I had a hard time understanding, and they is sending in a entire new base the I have to install myself. I would not purchase another product from a company that does not stand behind it.

This is a great addition to our home. Now we can leave the house for a couple of days, knowing our two cats will get their three divided meals per day, right on time. They are both such little pigs, that if we leave a big bowl of food they'll eat it all at once, then think they need to eat again a few hours later. This is also helping us ration just how much they get with each feeding. The timer was easy to program too. We got the medium size, and it holds lots of food. I used to have a battery-operated feeder, but there's always the worry that the batteries will run out of juice. My only concern with this feeder is if the power goes out at the house. But that rarely happens. Plus we wouldn't leave for more than 48 hours without having someone check on them, so I guess there's not too much to worry about. In general we are very, very pleased with this electric feeder, and definitely think it was worth what we paid.

I've had this auto pet feeder for close to seven years now - running continuously. It's performed like a trooper. I have two kitties who have the time schedule memorized and patiently wait next to the machine when it's close to feeding time - instead of begging at my feet. One of my cats had problems with kidney stones. With this unit I'm able to control his prescription cat food delivery and spread it out over 4 daily feedings. No more kidney stones. My other cat has figured out how to reach up and retrieve any kibble that is left in the dispensing augur, but there's only a few kibbles left in there. He can't reach into the area where the kibble is stored as the augur prevents that. I couldn't be more pleased with it's dependability, ease of use and the over-ride when I want to give them a special treat.