Automatic Litter Boxes

nellyshelly

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I'm sure you guys have been asked this a billion times, but do those litter boxes that automatically scoop poop actually work or is it better to stick to being the pooper scooper yourself
?
 

catsallover

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I agree! I have a Litter Robot, too (a reconditioned one from the manufacturer- a bit cheaper
) and I absolutely love it! My finicky cat uses it all the time- she used to want to go outside to potty, but I just realized this week that now she is going potty first, and then going outside!


When I ordered it, I also didn't realize how easy it was to empty of the old litter and refill with the new- piece of cake.
It's easy to wash, too- you can touch up the dome with a rag or clorox wipe, and you can take it outside and hose it out if you need too.

I read around here and realized that I couldn't use a littermaid, since I have a cat who always pees right in the front of the box (sticks and breaks the tines, apparently), but a little piece of plastic across the bottom of the Littermaid opening (to catch the run off), and those issues are gone, too.

www.litterboxcentral.com is a good place to read about automatic litterboxes and compare (especially the forums, if they don't pop right up).
 

rone

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We also own a reconditioned Litter Robot. My friend has a litter box that needs scoop 2x a day with 2 cats. Now when catsit for him I realize how spoiled I am with the convenience of Litter Robot.

Litter Robot offers a payment plan and 60 day money back guaranteed.
 

kuntrykitty

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[font= "Comic Sans MS"]I really don't get these, I mean, honestly. Are we seriously so lazy that we can't take 2-4 minutes a day to scoop the litterbox? We go to the extremes of ordering special food online, over-seas, and yet we cannot scoop a litterbox. I just think it promotes laziness.
I mean, if somebody gave it to me as a gift, I may use it but you have to find a convenient area for it where you have access to an electric socket, which would be difficult for myself seeing that our house is 100 years old and there are few electric sockets and in inconvenient places. I don't see the problem with plain old scooping, really, is it that horrid? I just don't want to spend the money I guess- there are more important things I need to put my $$$ towards. But I have heard that they work well, though my concern is that they could easily break and may be difficult to fix. (Have you noticed I'm against anything I can't work manually, with my own hands?
) But if you have the money, go for it![/font]
 

nekochan

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Well, I have a cat who will go outside the litterbox (on the hardwood floor...) if her litterbox is not up to her standards of perfectly clean.... So, an automatic litterbox would be a very good thing and possibly save me thousands of dollars cost of repairing or replacing the hardwood floors...
 

bnwalker2

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I used to have an automatic litter box... it was several years ago, and one that I got at Wal-mart so probably wasn't the greatest quality. I HATED it! The "comb" had to be cleaned 5-6 times a day because it would get clogged up. It took more time to clean the comb out than it would to actually just scoop the litter the "old fasioned way"
 

pee-cleaner

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YES, it IS that horrid to scoop a box when you have 3 cats who all like a very clean box, a busy life and a special needs daughter who requires a lot of attention. Add in some chronic health problems in myself as well as just preferring not to deal with daily poo and pee and voila, the Litter Robot is my friend. Go ahead, call me lazy...whatevva!

ps--I'm sure you'd LOVE to hear about the custom made cabinet I had made to HOUSE my Litter Robot as well. Guess that's make me SPOILED as well as LAZY.
 

tiger1206

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Originally Posted by KuntryKitty

[font= "Comic Sans MS"]I really don't get these, I mean, honestly. Are we seriously so lazy that we can't take 2-4 minutes a day to scoop the litterbox? We go to the extremes of ordering special food online, over-seas, and yet we cannot scoop a litterbox. I just think it promotes laziness.
I mean, if somebody gave it to me as a gift, I may use it but you have to find a convenient area for it where you have access to an electric socket, which would be difficult for myself seeing that our house is 100 years old and there are few electric sockets and in inconvenient places. I don't see the problem with plain old scooping, really, is it that horrid? I just don't want to spend the money I guess- there are more important things I need to put my $$$ towards. But I have heard that they work well, though my concern is that they could easily break and may be difficult to fix. (Have you noticed I'm against anything I can't work manually, with my own hands?
) But if you have the money, go for it![/font]
Yikes, no comment
 

kuntrykitty

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[font= "Comic Sans MS"]Yikes, pee-cleaner, you don't have to get all up in arms about it, everybody has an opinion. Ya'll were voicing yours, I think I have the right to put in my two cents.
Of course a cat likes a clean litterbox, and 3 cats is alot, but really, it takes all of 5-7 minutes a day to clean even 2 or 3 litterboxes. I was just saying, I think that America has gotten pretty spoiled with everybody catering our every need and want, and now we won't even take the time to scoop a litterbox. I just personally believe that there are better ways to spend your money. We don't have alot, and I have to put every cent left towards college, gas, car payments, insurance, not to mention Zoey's food, vet bills, etc. It's alot of money for a machine that does something you can do on your own perfectly well. Just subtract 5 minutes from your computer time to clean it, is all I do.
Also, actually, I think a cabinet is a nice idea because it keeps the litterbox out of sight and out of mind.

And I'm sure not one person on here has a relaxing life- I'm every bit as busy as you are, I assure you.
Prayers and good thoughts on the way for your daughter and yourself... I pray both of your health improves.
[/font]
 

laureen227

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i have 3 littermaids, & am planning to get a 4th [5 cats!] & i love mine. yes, they're not perfect, but during the school year, when i'm gone for 8+ hours, i like coming home to boxes that don't have to be heavily scooped, just checked, maybe some minor scooping. i think it really helps keep down odor, as well. wal-mart has them for under $100.
 

nekochan

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Originally Posted by KuntryKitty

[font= "Comic Sans MS"]Yikes, pee-cleaner, you don't have to get all up in arms about it, everybody has an opinion. Ya'll were voicing yours, I think I have the right to put in my two cents.
Of course a cat likes a clean litterbox, and 3 cats is alot, but really, it takes all of 5-7 minutes a day to clean even 2 or 3 litterboxes. [/font]
Well, I'm not home 24/7 to be able to keep checking the litterbox constantly to make sure it's up to my cat's standard of clean, and when it's not she uses the hardwood floor. I don't think it's laziness that I can't be on constant litter-box-scooping-duty-- I do need to sleep some time, and make money somehow... It's either an automatic litterbox or what I had been doing, which was cover as much of the floor with plastic shower curtains as possible and hope she doesn't find the areas that aren't covered. I am getting one for $40 so I don't think it is that big an investment, again MUCH MUCH cheaper than replacing the hardwood floors.
 

isisbaby

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I am thinking of getting one because me and hubby are trying to become pregnant and I have read about toxoplasmosis, a parasite carried by cats and is passed in their feces. Here is what the CDC says about it:

Pregnant women need to be aware that toxoplasmosis (TOX-so-plaz-MO-sis) can cause problems with pregnancy, including abortion. Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. This parasite is carried by cats and is passed in their feces (stool). However, people are more likely to get toxoplasmosis from eating undercooked meat or gardening than from contact with pet cats. By following simple safety tips, pregnant women can reduce the risk of getting toxoplasmosis from cats.

If you own a cat, have a non-pregnant person change the litter box every day. If there is no one else to change the litter box, wear gloves and wash hands with soap and running water after changing the litter.

Risk may be reduced if the litter box is changed every day.

Keep cats indoors.

Avoid adopting or handling stray cats.

Feed cats only canned or dried commercial cat food, never undercooked or raw meat.

Do not bring a new cat into your house that might have been an outdoor cat or might have been fed raw meat.

Link: http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/pregnant.htm
 

erinca7821

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I had the Littermaid, threw it out and converted to the old fashioned way... when I first got it, Seamus was 4 months old and it was already getting stuck, as he got older and went more, I tried to just turn it on a few times a day and go for it that way, but it became a hassle to clean and he would dig to the bottom and pee there no matter what... he prefers the litter deep I guess... but if it works for you, great, I sometimes wish I had it that easy, but I threw it out and felt like I wasted my money.
 

catsallover

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I also got one for the reasons mentioned- I have an elderly cat who wants a clean litterbox everytime these days (this was a behavioral change that coincided with her hypothyroidism) or else she goes on the bathroom rugs. This saves me money on Dreft (to wash the rugs) and Out! enzyme cleaner (to clean the floor).

I also have Cystic Fibrosis (genetic lung disease), so sticking my head in the 3-4 litterboxes I needed for 4 geriatric cats, 2-3 times a day is not the best option for me if I can avoid it; plus I can avoid the dust from filling/emptying with the Litter Robot.

I also think I will be saving $ on litter, as it seems to be lasting longer, getting "scooped" each time. If I use even 2 less buckets a year with the one Litter Robot vs. 4 regular litterboxes, it will pay for itself shortly...

Plus, cleaner box= healthier cats. No worrying about forgetting to clean it when life gets hectic.

I am a coupon clipping, sale hunting, price matching devotee; however, all these things considered, it was a good buy for us, and will actually save us money in the long run.
Don't assume that because we spent "so much money" on an automated box we are lazy, etc. It's a one time buy for the next several years, with a 60 day "you and your cat's satisfaction" $ back guarantee, an 18 month warranty, and apparently excellent customer service and response to feedback.

I certainly did not go into spending this money lightly. I did my research. I am thrilled with it, and yes, so is my husband, who is left to clean it when I am sick or out of town, and works a difficult job with long hours.

So while I do agree that on the whole, people think they "need" alot more than they actually do
, I don't think that this is necessarily a bad thing to spend money on, and I'm glad someone invented it.
 

rone

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I admit it's pricey, and I agree with what everyone said here. I want to add that one of my friend's cat (she has three) would not use a litter box if the other cats used it first. After we got her the Litter Robot her cat no longer has this problem.
 

nekochan

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The other reason I wanted an automatic litterbox is because of the dogs... I had to put a litterbox on the first floor because the cat would otherwise use the bathtub on that floor as a litterbox instead of going upstairs to the other box, but there is no place where I could put the litterbox that the dogs couldn't find a way to reach it, and the dogs have now discovered the joys of 'litterbox crunchies' (yuck...) My cat is older and not very agile, and one of my dogs (terrier) is only a little larger than the cat and more agile, making it nearly impossible to block a litterbox from the dogs but still be accessible to the cat.
The automatic litterbox means I don't have to worry about them eating out of the dirty litterbox when I'm not there to immediately scoop it, and I don't have to worry about kitty litter blocking their digestive tracts (or have the pleasures of kitty-litter-breath!)
 
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