Self cleaning Litter Box
 

I am debating whether or not to get a self-cleaning litter box for my two Maine coon cats. The main reason is because no matter how often I clean/scoop the litter boxes Cozy (yorkie) still finds whistles (poop) to play with. I have tried using baby gates to keep her out but you can only jump a gate for so long before you want to through the gate against a wall. Also, so people refuse to put the baby gate back up after taking it down. I keep one box on each level of my home- 1 in basement, 1 in main floor bathroom, and 1 in upstairs bathroom. She only generally gets into the main floor's bathroom's litterbox which is the one the cats primarily use.

Before I spend an excess of $100 on a litterbox I what to know how well they work and if anyone else has any experience with them. I know petstore will tell you almost anything to sell them, so I want honest opinions. I have been treasure hunters since I was little so I don't mind continueing the hunt. I just don't think poop is healthy to eat or play with.

Thanks for the help.

Wouldn't she still eat the litter? I'd be worried about that..

I've never really heard anything good about automatic litter boxes, especially the cheaper end ones. While I personally have never had one, I have heard they are very finicky- you can't have to much or to little litter, waste gets stuck in the teeth/blades.

I'm sure if you Google the particular one you are looking at, you'll find plenty of reviews for that brand/model.

I've always had an automatic one for my cat. We had the old version of the Littermaid and it was awesome, until it finally broke after 5 years. my ex bf got the newer version of the littermaid and it sucks. So i wouldn't recommend getting that one. For my cat we now have the litter robot which is amazing, but pricey. http://www.litter-robot.com/

i wouldn't have it any other way.

I got a Littermaid one about 7 years ago. It lasted about three years I think. It was really great while I had it. I don't remember really having any problems - just had to remember to dump the waste recepticles. I was in highschool then so I remember the waste recepticles being kindof expensive. It was really convenient though. You just have to use a clumping litter (I use Nature's Miracle now - it's a nonclay litter), and I believe there is a line that shows you how full to fill the box. I'd love to have one again but just don't want to spend that much money on one right now. I guess I can't really recommend one over the other though since I haven't had one in a few years.

I LOVE my self cleaning litter box and wouldnt be without it!! I am not sure what brand mine is but it slowly turns all day long and is just great!!

Dawn

You read my mind girl, I was thinking about posting a thread just like this one last night because I'm about done with my littermaid. Don't get me wrong I don't have a problem with it, but I've had this one for about 4 years and I'm ready for a new one. I don't like buying the receptacles that by the way are still pricey, then it's not seal very well between the receptacles and the actual box and litter gets underneat the receptacles. I'm ready for a new one that uses plastic bags. I'm still doing my research. I'm not in a hurry to buy one(:rolleyes: , yeah right) that is what I tell my husband and he is the only one who believes me:p , but whatever you buy is going to be much better than the manual litter box. I don't go back to cleaning those, no way!!!

I also have a litter robot--------I love the thing and don't regtret a single penny spent on it!

LOL you don't have to keep buying the plastic bins. you can use one plastic bin and cover it with a plastic bag or a small garbage can bag. litter goes in the bag and when its full just pull it out and put a new one on. :) problem solved.

We have the one they sell at walmart!! We are actually on our 2nd one, but we LOVE it!!

I have 4 cats and have used automated litter boxes for years. I suppose you can consider me an expert? Littermaid: Don't buy one. I had two. Each one died the day after the warranty expired. The thing is hard to clean as well.
I also tried a knock off of the Littermaid. I can't remember the brand. It had the same issues. With either one, you have to buy special collection containers. They can get pricey to operate.

Litter Roundup. I have this one now. It is OK but not totally automatic. The human has to press the button for it to cycle. Again, you need special bags to put in the collection area. Overall though, it is a pretty good product.

With either the Littermaid or Litter Roundup, you can get covers for them. My cats would not use them with covers.

Litter Robot: My favorite. I found it difficult to get it adjusted to cycle, but once I did, it was great. It died a few months after I got it. The company was great, sent me a replacement part which was easy to install, and no further problems. You can use cheapo kitchen trash bags in the collection area, which is very large. You can use cheapo litter which you cannot do with Littermaid. My only complaint really is that once the collection container gets sort of full, or, if a cat gets rambunctious and knocks the globe off kilter, it won't cycle. Or, it will cycle part way then stop. With this box, if it stops mid-cycle, there is no place for kitty to go until the human fixes it. I always kept an old fashioned box near by just in case. The cats loved the litter robot. I finally got rid of it when the cats scratched a hole in the rubber liner. I have been tempted to buy the new and improved model, but they are pricey. I hear the new model has a stronger motor and is less likely to stop mid-cycle or fail to cycle.

Any questions, just ask!

so far we haven't had that problem with our robot. we got it in the beginning of the year and no problems so far what so ever. :)

Helloooo!! where have I been??? I never thought about that:embarasse Thanks for the tip;)

We had a Littermaid that didn't last even a year. I wouldn't buy another one!!

I tried that but to make it work, need to have the edges of the bag hang out. I have a cat that shreds plastic so that was a no go for us. I did stretch the plastic bin over two weeks by dumping it out in-between, but after two weeks the odor was really bad.

bailey chews on plastic too. i take a plastic grocery bag and wrap it around the bin. then i tie it in a knot on the bottom and = tuck all the plastic inside when i place the bin back in the box so the least amount of plastic is sticking out where he can get to it.

*snort* :rolleyes: heheh your welcome;)

I am less than impressed with the auto kitty bx -- it seems to get stuck all the time - I've spent more time trying to get it to work, making sure I didn't add too much litter, etc. than it takes time to clean out a traditional litter box.

Does your cat(s) need a litter box on every floor of the house - wouldn't it just be easier for the cats to go up/down the stairs then you don't have to worry about the yorkie in the box? Just an idea.

I just bought the most wonderful litter product last week at the Great Iowa Pet Expo - It's called LitterMate and it really cuts down on traditional cat box concerns - here's a link to their website - maybe this would help you - definitely a money saver! www.littermate.com

that litter mate sounds very interesting:thinking: makes me want to order it.

My BIL has one. I actually have a regular one and don't have any problems with Lulu and it. My BIL did say it was really good but the refills are a bit expensive. I do also remember reading about a few cats that had gotten hurt when the sensor went wacky.

If I were you I would get the First Years step on baby gates. They are pressure gates and there is pedal that you step on to open the gate. They are about $60 each but last forever and a day. The only way I wouldn't recommend you getting them is if you have a tiny. I know that Lulu would be able to slip through the bars and she is 3 lbs. Not sure how big your baby is...so it's a thought to ponder.

Good luck. I can imagine how frustrating that is to deal with.

(I live with my parents so the house I live in is pretty large. Trying to find home of my own.)

I have tried having only one litterbox in the house but I has never worked out for me. My grandfather who lives also lives with me will close the door if the box has poop in it rather than clean it so in essence the cats no longer have a bathroom. Hence a litter box in each level. Just a box in the basement doesn't work because the furnace in the winter freaks the one cat out. The only way I can keep the cats waste matter contained is to have multiple box.

Also my grandfather will not put the baby gates back which is how the dog gets to the box. I have tried my gates and he has flat out said he will not deal with the point end of subject.

Cozy (yorkie) does not eat the litter. She plays with the poop. Vet said the cat poop has a high protein count so it must sell good to Cozy.

Cozy really only gets into the one box on the main level of the house because that is where she is most of the day.

I just wish I could find a self clean box that would definately work. Also the cats will not use litter boxes that are covered. Both of my cats are pretty big in the 12-14 pound range so they don't seem to like to be cramped inside a litterbox.

My easiest solution would be to get rid of grandpa but I know that is never going to happen.

Litter box
 

I just gave my self cleaning litter box away last week to my daughter. The puppy Brandy was in it twice digging and carring poop out so it is gone for good. Went back to conventional covered litter box, some makers have a deeper bottom so a Yorkie would have to really reach up to hop inside. But years ago i had to put litter box up on top of cheapo table in laundry room to keep german shepherd out of it. Gross subject but you can't have them eating the stuff-yuk!!!

LOL i don't think your parents will let you get rid of grandpa but that would solve the problem.

The litter robot is out because its smallish and covered. If you can find an old version of the littermaid i'd recommend that. sometimes you can find them on amazon.

my pup used to go into the litter box at my BF's house. i would stand by with a squirt bottle for when she did and she's get it right in the butt. problem solved :D lol

During my research I came across this puppy check it out!
http://www.catgenie.com/?R=cf
It is pricey, but looks like it would work wonders:D . I would get it in a heartbeat but hubby already warned me. I don't want things hook up to the toilett pipes.:rolleyes:

That is on m y list of things for the new house!:thumbup:

I know that this topic is very old, but maybe my answer will help someone in the future since I spent a lot of time to find the right information.I have had a Littermaid for about 3 years now. You are correct that the box does not turn on & clean out the clumps until long after the cat leaves the box. My 2 cats appeared to be a big freaked out by it the first day or so that we had it, but the calmed down & got used to it pretty quickly. Neither of them has ever been afraid to use it or anything. We have one Litter Maid https://petapproves.com/best-self-cleaning-litter-box/ & one standard litter box.

Overall I like the Litter Maid because I H-A-T-E cleaning out litter boxes (this, IMO, is the ONLY downside to owning a cat), so it's nice that it scoops out the clumps into the recepticle & closes it off so that I can empty it every few days or so.

The only complaint I have is that my Litter Maid is not exactly maintenance-free. No matter what brand of clumping litter I buy, the rake often seems to get stuck at clumps that are stuck to the bottom of the box. It tries a few times to get through the clump, & eventually it gives up & stops with the rake halfway down the box until I come reset it & manually scoop the clump. It also has a tendancy to scoop the litter up on one end or into a corner occasionally, which also causes the rake to get stuck (even if there are no actual clumps in it, just loose litter piled up too high for the rake to get through).

Wouldn't she still eat the litter? I'd be worried about that..

I've never really heard anything good about automatic litter boxes, especially the cheaper end ones. While I personally have never had one, I have heard they are very finicky- you can't have to much or to little litter, waste gets stuck in the teeth/blades.

I'm sure if you Google the particular one you are looking at, you'll find plenty of reviews for that brand/model.