Best Automatic Litter Box?

So... I've noticed that my local wal-mart carries the litter maid. 

I had one years ago and I LOVED this thing, but I'm wondering how well they've held up over time. I've read some reviews that say that the motors aren't as good as they used to be.

I looked into the Omega Paw box and was going to order one, but my husband is really wanting an automatic box. He's tried to talk me into the scoop free several times. I'm going to end up having to choose one of these automatic boxes, or he'll come home with the one that I really did not want.

So which one is the best?

Thanks!

This website really helped me out a lot:

http://www.litterbox-central.com/litter-box/

I am also looking into buying an automatic litter box because my husband is pushing for it.

From my research it appears that scoopfree works the best over a long period of time. It was advised that you coat the rake in clear enamel to prevent rusting. The only thing that I am worried about with it is that it uses crystal litter (some cats don't like this), though I have heard that people have had some success with finer grain scoopable litter (you just end up cleaning it more often). I also think that this one is quieter based on the videos. There is also an option of a disposable tray or one that lasts forever. There's also a cheaper manual version of this called the scoopfree slide.


The problem with littermaids seems to be that the motor stops working after a number of months. In some versions, I also noticed that the space the cat can use to go to the bathroom is very small. The older model seems to work better than the newer models.


(this is another model, you might want to skip the first couple of seconds though...more than you want to see)

The Omega Paw kinda scares me, to be honest. After seeing this, it looks like litter will end up all over the floor.

I remember seeing an episode of Jackson Galaxie's show and they had the Omega Paw and he was not impressed.  His words were "whoever invented that thing" and he had them replace it.  He said when you flip it over the scent gets allover it so when the kitty goes in it they are surrounded by the smell.

Oh... that does make sense, I bet the odor does get everywhere. Cat pee is one of my least favorite smells, I can't imagine Porter liking it any more than I do. 

Have you tried the sifting litter boxes? The kind you lift the sifting pan out of and the clean litter falls through? Those look like they might be worth it. I wonder if I could convince my husband that one of those is a better choice because at least you don't have to get your hands in the litter when you scoop. It looks like all of them are not what I want. What I want is the old litter maid that I had 8 years ago. That thing was awesome... and they don't make that box anymore. It's such a bummer. 

I have not tried the sifting ones, but it does look like they work pretty well and are not overly expensive. I would just make sure that whichever one you get doesn't have high sides so that it's easier to stick in a bag. The one problem though is that poop could stick to the sifter itself.

(this one is for bunnies, but shows the problem)

You might get around this by using liners with holes in them and putting the kitty litter on top of that. Then all you would have to do was lift the bag out and dump it.

Apparently wal-mart also carries sifting cat pan liners. For 3$... that's worth it to find out if they work or not! Thanks for all your help! I'll start there and try to talk hubby out of the automatic box. I really want to stick with the litter I'm using now.

I personally like the omega paw self cleaning litter box. I have 5 cat and since purchasing 3 of them you would never know I had cats in my house!

Click here to see where I bought it from. 

The absolutely best automatic litter box is the Litter Robot. I have tried all the others, most jam sooner or later, are hard to clean, have very short warranties, make a mess on the floor, are noisy, scare the cat and/or you cannot return them. None of this is true with the Litter Robot. It also uses less litter and you have to use clumping litter.  Available on-line only, just google Litter Robot. It's also available at Amazon. It is pricey but you get what you pay for.

I have had mine for about 10 years now, it has NEVER jammed, there is only one moving part, a gear on which the Litter Robot turns.

There is NO rake, no special bags etc are required, just a regular 13 gallon trashbag which I, with two cats using it, empty once a week.

Floor space needed is about the same as a medium litter pan.

Warranty is for 18 months and if you or your cat doesn't like it, you can return it within 90 days.

It comes in two parts, where the litter goes you can wash out with a garden hose or shower head, the other part has the electronics in it. It is made and serviced in the US, beige or black and if you get a grey one it's made from recycled material.

Help is also available via phone or Internet, they will actually walk you through something you can take care of yourself and or send you pictures. Mine developed a bump noise and I had to send it back for repair within one year, the company paid for the repair and the shipping both ways and had Federal Express pick it up from my house, all I had to do was get a box.

One "problem" and it's not with the box but with the cat. If you have one that does not like a covered box it may not take to it. Then again, with patience it might.

I had one (Panthera) who did not want to use it and he was 5 years old when I adopted him. (I had other cats before him who used the Robot, some have passed) When I got tired of him only using a flat box I put it next to the Robot and let it  get really messy, it stank! There was no place for him to put his feet without stepping on something nasty. So he climbed into the Robot and he has been in love ever since.  I got rid of the flat box. Then I got another cat who so far will not use the Robot either so there is a new flat box in the house but Panthera will not use that, he loves his Robot! I wish I owned stock in that company.

I read a lot of complains about the Robot on the Amazon website and I don't understand any of those, my almost 10 year old one is working perfectly.

I've had the ScoopFree for 10 years now with no problems, except the rake did rust and I got a new one.... so thanks for the tip on the enamel!!!  I use a combination (1/2 and 1/2) of Fresh Step Crystals and Fresh Step clay.  I found just using the crystals resulted in liquid pee on the bottom, so the clay takes care of that. But any clay litter (non scoopable) will work.  I just like to add the Fresh Step crystals as it seems to really absorb odor as I never smell the kitty litter.   I got the plastic tray for $49 and fill that rather than using the disposable trays as they become really expensive.  I replace the litter every 1 1/2 weeks with a 7lb and 12lb Persian on raw food.  2 weeks is pushing it with 2 cats.

Oh, BTW, the one I just got was from Bed Bath and Beyond.  I used the 20% off coupon and free shipping.  Was a little over $100 so very reasonably priced there.

Daniel RIchardson said:

Sorry for digging up an old thread but has anyone used the litter robot 3? I've been reading some reviews which all seem to suggest it is the bees knees, such as here; Best Self Cleaning Litter Boxes for your Cat – Reviews & Buyers Guide 2017 – Tuxedo Cat however I'm not convinced it's worth the colossal expense, any help would be great!

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YES! i mean it when i say it's life changing. i cringed when i bought it, it's definitely a big hit to the wallet, but this is the epitome of "why didn't i buy one sooner?". also i rarely have to buy litter now and no longer have to use litter liners, i truly believe the cost of the robot is offset in a year. not to mention my own time having to scoop it.

i say all this when i only had one cat--still worth it! now that i have a kitten it's double worth it. the thing is putting in some serious work for me. absolutely an amazing purchase. assume you'll spend at least 50% less on litter after you buy one (for me it's like 70% though), it makes the price tag a lot less harsh after a year.

those aren't even in the same league as the litter robot. do some math, if you find that you might save $200 a yr in litter/liners (which is totally possible) that really eases the blow on the litter robot's price tag!

denice said:

I remember seeing an episode of Jackson Galaxie's show and they had the Omega Paw and he was not impressed. His words were "whoever invented that thing" and he had them replace it. He said when you flip it over the scent gets allover it so when the kitty goes in it they are surrounded by the smell.

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Lydia hated that Omega Paw. I loved it and it was so easy to use, but she abandoned the litter boxes soon after introducing it. Went back to a regular box and problem solved. When I saw that Jackson Galaxy episode it clicked for me as to why!

mizzely said:

Lydia hated that Omega Paw. I loved it and it was so easy to use, but she abandoned the litter boxes soon after introducing it. Went back to a regular box and problem solved. When I saw that Jackson Galaxy episode it clicked for me as to why!

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I have an Omega Paw too and it will be the next box that gets replaced. I found that LOTS of clean litter was ending up in the tray when I rolled it. I ended up taking the tray out and it is used as a standard litter box now. It gets scooped. There is more room in the box now too.

~ I would never even think about using a "self cleaning" litter box . Just the thought seems ridiculous .
Makes as much sense as a self cleaning toilet ! ` I have talked to a few cat people who tried them and they told me not to bother.
I have a lot of cats and the house has 4 litter boxes that get scooped twice a day - automatically by me.

~

jamescalifornia said:

Makes as much sense as a self cleaning toilet ! `

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i doubt any of us are scooping the poop out of our toilets manually... maybe not the best comparison

kttn ~ `
~ I understand some cats are trained to use the people toilet ?