Opinions on automated litter boxes

[miel]

Hi All,

I haven't noticed any threads that talk about litter box designs. I hope I chose the correct forum to post this question. I'm always looking for a better way to tackle this chore.

Does anybody have any experience with the automated litter boxes or some of the other new litter box designs that make scooping easier? Besides the Littermaid, I've seen a box at the pet store that is a large covered box that you roll over to its side and the clumps collect into a drawer that you pull out. I've also seen boxes with sifters built in.

Carrie

[Anne]

I haven't tried any myself - my husband is very handy for that job (highly recommended )

I have heard people say that Littermaid is good. I've also heard that the sifters in boxes with those, tend to clog after a while and you end up cleaning the sifters instead of scooping.

[Sandie]

I have not tried one myself, but have heard good things about the littermaid. I am afraid I wont have a chance either. With 11 cats, thats a lot of stuff to scoop, the drawers only hold a small amount and I cant afford 5 of them. The manual ones should work the same, which are cheaper but you still have to pull the handle. I tried the sifters, but found it does not clean the litter as well, it tends to break up the clumps and make pebble size ones. I too have found hubby as the best method

[donna]

Hi everybody!

I do like Sandie's method. A husband is quite nice for all the icky jobs around the house. But...I'm without so I have to rely on me.

I've tried many litterboxes. My dad had a littermate (back when they were $200!). They work okay but don't hold alot. Plus you can't fill the box very much either otherwise the rake will jam. I've tried the "lift and sift". That works well, but you have to remember to turn the top layers of the box so the litter won't fall out. I've gone to sift the clumps out and forgot to rotate the top tray and had the whole litterbox dumped on my kitchen floor. not fun. I've stuck with covered boxes for almost 7 years now. My torti, Mollie Rose has a tendency to dig to China when she's in the box. Most of it ended up on the floor. Thank God for covered boxes and closets! Now if I only had a basement.

I had an original, normal-sized Litter Maid, but it is suitable for only one cat. For families with more than one cat you have to get the mega-size. This has proved to be a miracle worker for me! When my cats were kittens, the regular size was fine but as they grew it could not keep up. I got the mega size from someone in my family, and she did not pay any more for it than I paid for the one-cat size. I only wish I had known about the large size sooner. Now I guess if I disinfect the old one someone else can use it. HOWEVER, I was told only today that clumping litter can cause intestinal blockage in kittens. My cats are fine, but, coincidentally, that is the question I was going to present to the forum. If this is unfounded, I would recommend the mega-sized electric litter box highly. Please let me know if you have any information on this. Thanks, Jeanie

[threeleggedkat]

I have the six cats indoors. We use the old-fashioned litter box. I just never really got used to the clumping brand. I am fortunate because I get my litter free from a life-long friend who works for Tidy Kat. I go to their distribution point once a month and bring my own canvas bags I made from heavy duty awning canvas. I keep 4 large size plastic dish pans (but don't put more than 2-3 ins. litter in them at a time or my two twin girls will dig for hours just to watch the dust fly. . . I change them on a rotating basis every other day and rinse them and add a small amount of bleach and rinse again. I have two large walk-in pantries in the ol house I live in and they are for nothing but cat bathrooms and new litter storage bins and also I keep newspapers in there because I use them as liner under the pans about 6 layers thick. Two of my males actually use the toilet in the basement bathroom which is an open utility (stool and sink) in a corner of the laundry room. I never seen any of the girls use the human toilet and I know that the boys also use the litter boxes from time to time. I guess I am really lucky to get away with 4 boxes with the 6 cats, but then a friend of mine said this is possible because all of my kids are related. I don't know about clumping litter and kidney or bladder infections, but I do know for a fact that you should not use disinfectant flecked litter or the kind with any deodorizers in it. If you are using this and have had no problems; it is only a matter of time! My friend Matt (who I referred to earlier: he works for Tidy-Kat said that the deodorizer is added purely for the pleasure of humans and also so that line of litter can sell for more $ $ $ it is not, nor has it ever been, tested or endorsed by any vets(company payroll ones or any others). Look, you have to change the litter at least every other day anyway so why play around with the cats' health! ! ! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Threeleggedkat

[Sandie]

The research I had done on all the litter types revealed the ingredient that can do harm. Apparently they dont have to label the bags with the ingredients. So if people are unsure they can call the manufacturer and ask. The litters with sodium bentonite have properties that expand to 15 times its size when wet. It can cause an impared immune system, respitory distress and irritated bowel syndrome once in the digestive system.
HeHe, you think 6 with 4 boxes is lucky...I am at 13 with 4 and no problems to speak of yet (knocking on wood)

[threeleggedkat]

Do you use the regular old-fashioned litter with your 11 and four boxes? I suspect that you do. I have always wondered what those of you do who have cats near the beach in FL. or CA. do they use the sandy beach as one large litter box? What about ferals in that area? My twins, who love to try to "dig to China" in 3ins. of litter in a 16x16 dishpan would think they had found "scratchers heaven" if I lived near a beach. ==================================Threeleggedkat

[Sandie]

Well, actually I use both. I did not like the dust the clumping kicked up, and I didnt like the regular because with the 11 cats using 4 boxes, it did not mask the smell as well as I had hoped. So we compromised and we use a mix of mostly reg and a little clumping.
As for the CA/FL question. I can only speak from living in CA for 25 years. All my cats were indoors, so they know no difference. The places I have been have mostly feral populations in the rural or wooded areas. They never really had a problem with ferals using the beach as a litter box.
You know...I just thought of something. I wonder....I have had a few questions regarding keeping oudoor cats away from the neighbors house. I wonder if these people built a large sandbox in the backyard, if this would help. They do it for dogs with digging problems all the time. If I had outdoor cats...it would be a great experiment!!