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Advice about Automatic Litter Boxes
I would love to make the task of cleaning the cat's litter box easier, but I'm not sure how.
I am confused about all of the choices there are for self-cleaning litter boxes. And some are very expensive.
Does anybody have any experience with automatic litter boxes? Like LitterMaid, and those kinds? Are some better than others?
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Want to answer more questions in the Domesticity category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Pets?
Actually I've never used an automatic litter box.
But I watched my neightbors cats for a few days and they had great method. ( I had to clean there litter box) They used a net thing (idk what its called but its like a beach toy) and they would shake it out and the good litter would go down and the clumps would stay on top.
Hope I helped.
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There are actually a lot of different self-cleaning litter boxes these days, and more are being developed.
For the last couple of years, we have been using an Omega Paw self-cleaning litter box. (sometimes called the roll away litter box) Though it's not actually automatic, it does help. At least you don't have to scoop! The Omega Paw litterbox is made so that you roll the box over on it's top, and as it's rolled, the litter is sifted through a grate, and the clumps are deposited into a "drawer". Then you can just pull out the drawer and empty it.
It comes in 2 sizes, and I recommend getting the "large" size, as the grate in the box takes up quite a bit of space, and even the large isn't that large. Our 15+ pound cat can use it, but I know he would rather it were larger. The small size can be found in many pet store chains, but the large size is harder to find, and you may have to order it online like we did.
It's not perfect, and you do still have to do it yourself, but it's much better than bending over and searching for buried treasure. Also, you need to use clumping litter for this box to work. Here is a picture of the box, to give you an idea: [Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
The main thing is that compared to other self-cleaning litter boxes, this box is cheap. I see the smalls range from $25-$29 and the larges from $33-$39.
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I have not tried a Littermaid, though we have been tempted to try it. Every time I am tempted, I start reading information and reviews about it and decide it's a bad idea. The vast majority of the reviews I read are bad. The tines rust and the waste gets stuck to them... The motor isn't strong enough to do a very good job, etc. That's the sort of thing I read about. And considering it isn't cheap and you have to buy the waste receptacles, that sounds like too much trouble for the money. And yes, those bad reviews are even including the new Litter Maid Elite.
If you want to read about it yourself, check out these discussions: [Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
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And speaking of money... If we had the money, I can tell you right now which litterbox I would want. It's called the Litter Robot.
In a way, it's kind of like the rolling litter box. It's a big globe that sits on a base, and the globe turns and sifts the waste and clumps into a compartment. All of this is automated... It detects when the cat is in the box, and then waits a certain amount of time and then turns on. It doesn't require any special receptacles, you can just use small sized trash bags in the bottom to catch the waste.
I've heard tons and tons of good reviews about the LitterRobot. And the makers stand behind their product 100%. They offer a warranty that's transferrable, and I've heard of people who have called their support to get a replacement part for an older unit, and have the part shipped to them free, even though they were willing to pay for it because the unit was older and they were the second owner. The makers really seem to go out of their way to help their customers.
The down side? It's really expensive!!! It's $329.00 plus shipping! And even the ones that sell on eBay (and I have new litter-robot auctions mailed to me whenever one gets listed) sell for $250+ used! And that's because it actually works, and the makers stand behind their product.
Find out more about the Litter Robot here: [Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
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The other litter boxes that I have heard of, I don't know as much about... But here is a short list:
LitterFree (now known as CatGenie): [Link](Mouse over link to see full location) Uses special washable granules instead of regular litter. Requires that you hook it up to a water source. It's a kitty "toilet". They're offering an introductory price of $300.
LitterSweep (aka Litter Roundup, aka Stylette Litter Sweep Ultra): [Link](Mouse over link to see full location) I see this one in discount stores sometimes. It's a round shaped box instead of rectangle, and has a rake system rather like the Litter Maid. It hasn't gotten the best reviews in the world, but it's relatively cheap around the $60 to $80 range.
Petmate Purrforma: [Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
Works similar to the Littermaid with the rake system, and like the Littermaid, gets some underwhelming reviews. Not cheap, between $160 - $200+ depending on size.
ScoopFree: [Link](Mouse over link to see full location) Designed to be used with only Fresh Step crystals, not regular clumping litter. It still uses a rake system, but doesn't have to move clumps. It only rakes the solids, the liquids apparently get "locked" inside of the crystals. Requires cartridges, but supposedly you only have to change it about once a month per cat. The box itself is about $140.00 not including a hood. The part where they get you is the cartridges. It's $50 for a pack of 3 cartridges. So if you have one cat, and they are telling the truth that you can go 1 month between changing the cartridges, that's $200 a year in cartridges. Still, I guess clumping litter isn't exactly cheap... And it's possible that $50 for 3 months isn't that out-of-line, compared to what one would have spent on litter... It just seems that way to me for some reason.
Litter Revolution: [Link](Mouse over link to see full location) This one is more like the Litter Robot, in that it has a moving globe-like top on a static base, and the waste drops down into the base. It's not available yet, but it's supposed to give the LitterRobot a run for it's money when it comes out. I have no idea what it will cost, but if it's not much cheaper than the Litter Robot they may have trouble finding buyers, as the robot is already a very good product, just expensive.
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And finally, reviews and discussions of all these products can be found at Automatic Litterbox Central: [Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
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I don't have one, but my teacher does, and she loves it.
But if you don't feel like buying one yet, try using the liners. You can find them almost anywhere, and cleanup is much faster.
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