Self Cleaning cat litter boxes?

augustwest

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Hey there.

We have a Bengal boy cat and will be receiving a F2 Savannah girl next week and are interested in possibly purchasing a self cleaning litter box. Any suggestions on the best ones????
 

vampcow

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I had a Litter Maid self-cleaning box...I got rid of it after a year or so because my cats did not like it and it ended up being very hard to clean. (stuff would get stuck in the prongs of the rake looking thing that sweeps out the box) PLUS my kitten was TERRIFIED of it since its noisy.

I switched back to normal littler boxes and everything went back to normal.
 

enuja

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What do you want out of a self-cleaning box? Do you dislike scooping feces, or urine, or both? Is it the dusty clumping clay litter that bothers you?

There is an automatic litter box forum that I've found has useful information.

(I don't mind scooping at all, but was looking for dust-free options. I ended up with The Breeze, which isn't automatic at all. You scoop the feces, and change urine pads.)
 

cats4sky

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i thought it was going to be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but the cats were terrified of it and i eventually had to go back to normal boxes.
 

laureen227

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i like mine just fine... but i was looking for a way for the boxes to be scooped when i wasn't home, had long days/late nights, was on trips, etc. they work ok for that. smell will really be powerful when emptying the stored waste, tho - if ammonia fumes are a problem for you, better to find another method.
that said - i've heard really good things about the litter-robot - it's 3 times the price of the littermaids, but sounds like its TONS better, both in ease of use/receptacles & performance. i'll probably get one the next time i have to replace one of the 4 littermaids i currently have... altho it'll probably be a while since none of them are terribly old [actually, 3 are quite new].
 
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augustwest

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Originally Posted by Enuja

What do you want out of a self-cleaning box? Do you dislike scooping feces, or urine, or both? Is it the dusty clumping clay litter that bothers you?

There is an automatic litter box forum that I've found has useful information.

(I don't mind scooping at all, but was looking for dust-free options. I ended up with The Breeze, which isn't automatic at all. You scoop the feces, and change urine pads.)
YES to all of your questions above Enuja. The job is actually reserved for our 3 lovely ducklings to perform, every-other day....but often gets put on the back burner....you know how kids can be!

Thank you for the link. UNREAL that their is an entire website dedicated to cat litter boxes! Ahhhh the power of the web. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all.
 

catmom2wires

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I'm a big fan of my Litter Robot. Not sure about a Savannah cat fitting in it, tho.

Cally
 

twstychik

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Originally Posted by CatMom2Wires

I'm a big fan of my Litter Robot. Not sure about a Savannah cat fitting in it, tho.

Cally
An F2 Savannah is a pretty sizable cat. I'd buy a box the same size (but not automated) to see how she fits into it and if she'll even use it and go from there.

On a side note, if the kids aren't cleaning the box frequently enough then you really should be picking up the slack. The last thing you want is an out of box experience. Bad liter box habits are hard to break.
 

howtoholdacat

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I've had 2 different types of auto-boxes. I've had Littermaid in the past and the boxes worked fairly well for us but weren't really all they were advertised to be (I know, you're shocked.) They're just ok and after the motors went out I didn't replace them.

I currently have a Litter Robot but literally just set it up today so I can't really say how it stands the test of time. It was a Christmas present. I did a lot of research on auto boxes before I selected it and found it had the most praise of the boxes currently on the market. It's much quieter than my old Littermaids and the cats didn't pay it much attention the first time it moved, of course, I was feeding them bits of steak but I made them get it right off the step and the globe was moving at the same time but still, they didn't even look at it. It does specify that they are designed for cats between 5 and 15 pounds. My biggest cat will have to adjust to the space and he's about 14 pounds. He's really great about boxes though so I don't anticipate any trouble with him. The only one of my 4 who might give some trouble will have no problem fitting inside! I found the box very easy to set up and so far it works as promised. (We did a test run with a scoop from their normal box.) No cats have gone in yet so we're still waiting to see how that part goes but so far I'm delighted. I also like that it can use almost any type of litter you like that's a clumping litter. It also uses crystals so you can use almost any litter out there that both you and your cat/s like.

As a professional pet sitter I get to live vicariously through my clients. One has the version of the Littermaid that uses crystals and she SWEARS by it. I've only sat for them once but in the course of the sit I had no trouble with the box and see how it works better than the kind that uses clumping litter. Also, my oldest friend in the world has the one that hooks to a toilet and she loves it but some of the reviews I saw online made me think it might not be the one for me.
 
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