I am going to be adopting 2 kittens soon. I took care of my previous cat for 17 years and scooped the litter everyday. Seeing as I will be living alone with these new cats, i was wondering if there was an automatic litter box someone would recommend for when the cats get a bit older. Pro's and Con's of people's experiance with this type of litter box would be appreciated. Thanks!
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Automatic Litter Boxes
- Thread starter shadda
- Start Date
I use to have a littermaid... I hated it... It would get stuck all the time if the cats peed a large amount. The clumps fell to pieces all the time, which meant I had to scoop it regularly also. The litter would fall all over the floor where the scooper thing met the little disposable trays... and the trays were so flimsy that I'd wind up spilling cat litter every where. The little rake thing would also get caked in used cat litter so I was constantly cleaning it so it could work properly...
I've had mine since September and so far I really like the littermaid...but I have never had just a regular litter box to compare them too!
I just scrap the stuff off the bottom if there is anything then run the littermaid, then dump the pan...and I have a little broom and dust pan handy to sweep up any loose cat litter that fall out.
Then around once a month I dump all the litter and clean it real good.
I just scrap the stuff off the bottom if there is anything then run the littermaid, then dump the pan...and I have a little broom and dust pan handy to sweep up any loose cat litter that fall out.
Then around once a month I dump all the litter and clean it real good.
I don't like them. Some cats are afraid to use them. IMO its not hard to scoop once or twice a day.
ive never heard of these before, does any one have any links?
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- Jan 6, 2006
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I have (and love) a litter robot. www.litter-robot.com I would highly recommend this. My 3 cats keep it busy and it's been trouble-free.
Cally
Cally
thank you for the link, love the user name by the way
I'd be interested in the litter robot except for the price tag. That and Kahn has fairly large clumps.
The self-cleaner I have is a litter maid. You do get some stuff sticking to the rake, but I've found if you keep the litter filled to just below the line, but above the minimum line.. you don't get as much jamming. Also, some litters work much better than others. Any litter has to be a clumping litter though. I've learned to cut down on the expense of the liners by lining them with grocery store bags.. one box of liners will now last us over a year... I just change it every time I pass by before it gets really full and I've had no real issues with it. I do have litter on the floor, but.. you know, I have litter on the floor naer all the litter boxes so I don't really see that as a problem. It does tend to stack up, though, by falling through that crevice.
The self-cleaner I have is a litter maid. You do get some stuff sticking to the rake, but I've found if you keep the litter filled to just below the line, but above the minimum line.. you don't get as much jamming. Also, some litters work much better than others. Any litter has to be a clumping litter though. I've learned to cut down on the expense of the liners by lining them with grocery store bags.. one box of liners will now last us over a year... I just change it every time I pass by before it gets really full and I've had no real issues with it. I do have litter on the floor, but.. you know, I have litter on the floor naer all the litter boxes so I don't really see that as a problem. It does tend to stack up, though, by falling through that crevice.
in the pictures it looks really small!??? i dont know if mine would know what to do with it lol
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If you are saying the Litter Robot looks small, you are mistaken. It's HUGE.
I had a Littermaid and ended up hating it! My cat likes to pee in the corners and it would get in the track where the rake runs. It was difficult to fully clean, the rake would get caked litter on it, and the thing wouldn't scoop everything into the container. Since I couldn't get it entirely clean, it smelled all the time like urine. When we moved, it got tossed out.
Stephanie
Stephanie
yes, it looks small in the pictures but for the price im guessing its not
I got my first automatic one this Christmas and it was a hassle. I don't remember the name of it but it was dark gray and moved in a circular motion and didn't work at all. I just exchanged it for a LIttermaid and it's been working a lot better. I still have to scoop it when the cats pee a lot but it's IMO it's better than a regular one.
I hated the Littermaid, and after struggling with it for about 6 months I went back to the old fashioned litterboxes. There is a constant expense of buying the little waste receptacles, and when you have a box of waste sitting there filling up, the odor is just horrible. I was cleaning that auto box more than I ever cleaned the old one!
Now I'm trying to toilet train my two cats. You might want to consider that if you are getting kittens, I've heard it's easier to do when they are young.
Good luck!
Now I'm trying to toilet train my two cats. You might want to consider that if you are getting kittens, I've heard it's easier to do when they are young.
Good luck!
I also have a Litter Maid and have had similar experiences. I really like mine but it isn't fool-proof. I also line mine with grocery bags which I pull out and dump about every other day. I keep a cheap rug under mine that I can throw in the wash from time to time. The higher quality the cat litter the better the box works. Also, I find that the costs even out as my litter tends to last much longer and I use less of it.
