What litter box?

Right now as I am still technically fostering Sidney the rescued kitten, I have the "loaner" litterbox the shelter gave me.

It is a bit small even for a kitten.

Most of my master bath where it is located is brushed nickel. This would be great to find a litterbox in this finish, as it would be heavier and not look too terrible.

On the other hand, the self-cleaning litter boxes are pretty attractive...any suggestions?

Personally, I believe in function over form. There are some "designer" litterboxes available out there but the costs are WAY over what I would spend.

Lots of TCS members use Rubbermaid boxes with openings cut into the covers - keeps mess to a minimum ad they aren't too expensive. I personally use the Van Ness Extra Large Covered boxes, as two of my kits like to throw litter everywhere.

Originally Posted by GingersMom

Personally, I believe in function over form. There are some "designer" litterboxes available out there but the costs are WAY over what I would spend.

Lots of TCS members use Rubbermaid boxes with openings cut into the covers - keeps mess to a minimum ad they aren't too expensive. I personally use the Van Ness Extra Large Covered boxes, as two of my kits like to throw litter everywhere.

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So no one uses the self-cleaning ones? The money isn't really the issue...

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2002+113307

That is the one I was looking at...

Originally Posted by Matth3w

So no one uses the self-cleaning ones? The money isn't really the issue...

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2002+113307

That is the one I was looking at...

Click to expand...

Some here do, but I just read the other day that some cats will actually poop just outside the front of the self-cleaning boxes - they turn and face the wrong direction.

I scoop 1-2 times a day, and monitoring their "scoops" helps me to keep an eye on their health, so I would never use a self-cleaning box. THat's just me.

Originally Posted by GingersMom

Some here do, but I just read the other day that some cats will actually poop just outside the front of the self-cleaning boxes - they turn and face the wrong direction.

I scoop 1-2 times a day, and monitoring their "scoops" helps me to keep an eye on their health, so I would never use a self-cleaning box. THat's just me.

Click to expand...

I clean up after my kitten every time I notice the mess, usually 3-5 times per day, because it is in the master bathroom. Consequently, I really don't want my whole bedroom smelling like a pile of crap.

One thing I noticed is the link I posted they give it bad reviews. The best one I can find is $300 called the Litter Robot II. That might be a bit expensive for my tastes.

I don't know...I really like to scoop so I can monitor what's going on, like Ginger's Mom said.

Usually that pile of c#ap smell has more to do with what they eat than anything else.

There are some people here who use the auto boxes so hopefully they'll offer more info/advice about those. I use the big rubbermaid tubs.

Personally, I just like a standard plastic litter box. The way I see it is that the more moving parts there are on something, the more of a chance things are going to break. I did a lot of research on self cleaning litter boxes and didn't find any that I was really all that impressed with. I was also worried that a box with moving parts might scare my cats...in which case it would be an expensive mistake that they might refuse to use.

To second what others have said, I also like to scoop so that I can monitor my cats' bowel movements. I've found worms, blood, and most recently a rubber band in their stools. It really helps to be able to see the cat's stool to help monitor their health.

I have a Litter Locker:
http://www.petco.com/product/10496/P...cker-Plus.aspx

You just scoop the "goodies" it...it's kind of like a diaper genie for cat litter I guess. Works nicely, doesn't smell, and reduces the need to make daily trips to the dumpster.

It might be a good idea to check out http://www.epinions.com (if you haven't already) for some reviews on automatic boxes....There are probably some on there. I love that site.