I bought the Omega boxes

[sherry526]

I ordered my Omega litter boxes and I can't wait to get them!

I compared Petco to amazon, and even with the Petco sale and the shipping deal, I found amazon to be $7.00 cheaper. So, I went with amazon.

I ordered 3 large boxes. I probably could get away with 2 boxes for 3 cats, but I got the third one just in case....hehe

....just in case some day in the future another stray will somehow come into my life.

I'm not looking actively and never have, but if it happens organically that a stray finds his/her way to me, at least I'll have enough great litter boxes.

I cannot get over the tons of awesome reviews for these boxes. The way it works seems so simple that I can't believe someone didn't invent it decades ago and boy don't we wish that were the case!!!

I'm going out tomorrow to get the Worlds Best litter so I'll be ready for the boxes to arrive, supposedly around the end of the month. I did google reviews on clumping litter, and Worlds Best seems to be THE clumping litter to get. So, between you all telling me about using it, and the many great reviews, I'm gonna go with it.

I can't wait....wow I need a life don't I. Getting excited over new litter boxes.

 

[ducman69]

I actually got FOUR of them for two kitties, heh.

Set them up in two closets with kitty doors at the base, two in each closet, and a small flat extension cord in each to hold a night light. I also went to lowes and got one of their cheap giant coarse welcome mats. This helps catch any litter that might be stuck to paws, and preserves the carpet.

BTW, one option too that you might consider is mixing world's greatest and swheat scoop multicat together.

The combination gets the best of both world's, and they are both toilet flushable which is really convenient.

One thing I have to research is if there is ever a need to completely throw out the litter versus just topping it off. Usually you have to throw out litter because its very obvious that it just plain stinks. With the WG/Swheat combo, it never gets stinky, just needs topping off.

 

[sherry526]

Ducman69, how ironic that only minutes prior to reading your post, I was talking to DH about considering getting one big "welcome rubber mat" instead of the small, individual ones I have now sitting at the opening of each litter box!

Telepathic, eh?

Well, the boxes arrived today! I'm surprised they came this early. I'm hoping that this will actually save money in the long run by throwing out just the clumps. I guess I'll see how good the litter is versus how messy my cats' business is--if it really clumps well, I can't see completely replacing more than occasionally.

I did read some reviews on other brands of clumping litter though, and that little pieces of the feces or pee will break off from the main clump. So if that happens, I could imagine the remaining litter getting gross after awhile, and needing to be thrown out and replace with fresh.

Thanks for the ideas!

Side note: Duckman69, your kitties are in heaven at your place with 4 litter boxes and the yard. Did you post pics of the yard yet? I'd love to see what you built for them.

 

[agentzero]

I got one for my kitty too. We initially had just a regular open litter box but she was kicking litter everywhere, so during our search for a covered box we stumbled upon this Omega one. It sounded like a wonderful idea and it was indeed easy to use.

HOWEVER, when you tilt the box toward the collection box, litter ALWAYS leak out from the side. Since our apartment has carpet, it gets kind of gross. We either have to line the floor with trash bag or vacuum every time I roll the box. It's been such a hassle that I've been just scooping with a regular scoop now

 

[ummm]

Can't wait to hear how you like it!

I don't have problem with litter falling out of the side?

Petsmart has a 15% off printed coupon http://promotions.petsmart.com/landi...ds-and-family/ that'd save with litter as they do sell WBCL.

May have to try mixing with Swheat. I usually have problem with smell only when they don't bury though, not sure if swheat would help?...

 

[ummm]

forgot to say, I do have a scoop to scoop the smaller clumps that fall through the cracks (literally!).

 

[sherry526]

Well, I have a dust buster I can use if anything leaks out to the floor. I figure I can handle a little falling out because the rest of the concept is going to be amazing to work with.

Would tilting the box away from the opening before rolling it help what falls out? I'm thinking about what Agent Zero said. Or do you mean its falling from the cracks where the lid and base are attached? Agent Zero do you have a strong dust buster you could use instead of dragging the big vaccuum cleaner out? Or get a big mat like Ducman mentioned. I think I would get a big mat to set the boxes on, so the leakage wouldn't get stuck deep in the carpet.

I have wooden floors, so the dust buster works, but if it were a carpeted room I would absolutely get a big rubber mat to put the litterboxes on.

Otto, I was going out today but I just didn't have the energy. I spent it vaccuuming, and then my foot was done, in huge pain, and useless the rest of the day. sigh... Am getting litter tomorrow. Can't wait.

 

[agentzero]

The litter falls out through the crack where the top and bottom close. All the latches are closed tightly and I even try to hold the box together but litter still fall out.

We live in a small apartment so getting a giant rubber mat just to roll the litterbox is not for me. Especially since the litterbox is in a crate (we got the crate when we first got our cat, she just had surgery so needed to be confined to a space and we were moving that weekend, it's a large crate and she's comfortable in it and actually prefer to stay in there a lot of the time) so every time when I want to roll it I have to take the litterbox out, that's probably another reason in addition to the falling litter that I decided to just scoop.

I don't have dust buster, we have just one vacuum, since I'm highly allergic to cat dander we use just the vacuum with a HEPA filter. Rubber mat would be good though, if you have space to put it

Best of luck, hope yours does not leak litter. It's apparently a pretty prevalent problem according to internet reviews.

 

[ducman69]

I don't have an issue with litter leaking out the sides, and I have a boatload of em. Make sure the grill insert is fully seated and all the latches firmly closed, and if it still fails must have gotten a defective one which I'd try to warranty.

A proper functioning one should have zero litter falling out. Not a spec.

Originally Posted by Sherry526

I did read some reviews on other brands of clumping litter though, and that little pieces of the feces or pee will break off from the main clump. So if that happens, I could imagine the remaining litter getting gross after awhile, and needing to be thrown out and replace with fresh.

I sprayed mine with pam first, keep level at 3", and don't roll the litter box IMMEDIATELY after they use it (otherwise, the pee lumps won't stay together). Good to invest in a $3 litter scooper though just for when you need to scrape off a lump that does occasionally get stuck if they dig too deep. People say you can just bang it, but I'd rather not stress the plastic and just do a quick scrape (doesn't happen that often).

 

[ducman69]

Originally Posted by Ummm

May have to try mixing with Swheat. I usually have problem with smell only when they don't bury though, not sure if swheat would help?...

Supposedly the wheat has enzymes that help w/ the odor. Could be bogus, but whatever it is it works.

My main complaint with world's greatest though is the smell of the stale cornflakes itself, and the swheat seems to mask it (has its own oatmeal smell, but I don't mind it like I do the WG), heh!

 

[sherry526]

Sounds like I'll be buying a bag of each, WB, and SWheat. Hopefully both are in stock tomorrow (well later today) at Petco.

I remember one review on amazon that said to handle the latching with care, that the latches could be a bit sturdier. No matter, I'll be careful.

AgentZero, I'm not nearly as allergic as it sounds like you are, so I can get buy with the dust buster in between major vaccuuming.

I still haven't decided if the big mat would be easier for me than the individual ones I currently have. The thing is, will a big mat really help keep the cats from tracking litter beyond the mat? Because I must say, the individual ones in front of each box certainly do not do the job. I don't know. Then again, a big mat will catch leakage...(I'm debating myself

)

I'll let you all know how it goes when it's set up and the critters feel the need to go. Grace, my dear Rainbow Bridge girl, used to wait for me to clean the boxes so she could immediately initiate one of the boxes. She did it every time, like clockwork. "me first, me me me" Silly girl..sigh..

 

[sherry526]

Whew, finally got them set up. I left one pine shaving box along with the 3 new ones, mostly because I ran out of energy and my foot was on fire with pain. I wanted to get the new ones up, run a mop over the floor which hadn't been done in awhile, and had to get the old boxes out of the room. I was so exhausted, and decided I may as well leave one old box in case I have a stubborn cat who doesn't want to get with the new program. I'll give them a few days or so before I get rid of the last pine shaving box.

Pirate, bless him, has apparently taken Gracie's place for waiting until the new boxes are ready--me me me first!!! He immediately went in and did his business. Then, I rolled the box over, rolled it back, pulled the drawer, and Voila!! YAY!! Awesome!! I LOVE it!

I must admit I had a bit of a time lining up the lid and bottom just right to latch it properly, but I'll just be careful. The same with getting the screen snapped in place. And, a tad bit of litter leaked through the seams, just as you all had reported.

BUT, these are just small things to deal with compared to the ease of cleaning the litter boxes now. Wow, over twenty years of back breaking, messy cleaning....and now it's a breeze. Better late than never!

DH didn't get the SWheat litter, so I only had Worlds Best, so I'll have to go out myself and get an employee to carry it for me, or else send DH for it because of the smell of Worlds Best. Except, if I find that the cats are going in the new boxes with no probs, I may skip getting SWheat. We will see.

So that leaves Herman and Sarah. At least one of them used the old pine shaving litter box. My guess would be Sarah, since I raised her from a stray kitten, with pine shavings. Herman used clumping litter at the animal shelter.

Today, DH put a few handfuls of pine shavings on top the Worlds Best litter, so later on, I'll go see how everything looks.

But, WOW!!!! I would definitely recommend these boxes. Thanks for your reviews and helpful tips--I appreciate it big time!!!!

DH is thanking you too because it's one less thing he has on his plate now while taking care of everything since my "accident" two years ago. He still has to pooper scooper the yard from Harley's business because that is too much yet for me, but he is very glad to hand over the litter box job!

Yay, easy litter box cleaning!!! Yay!!!!

Oooh myyy, I think I need a life.....

 

[otto]

I get excited over things like litter boxes too, but you really ought to do a slow switch, not just a sudden change, or you may end up with problems.

As you might know I am switching to the SmartCatBox system, but doing it very very slowly.

 

[ducman69]

I saw that smart cat box btw, but worried about the urine smell since its not absorbed by anything. I assume the reservoir is air-tight? As otherwise kitty urine has some stank to it, kinda amoniaish (yes thats a word).

Thats the main reason I preferred a covered box like this with very absorbent litter (with supposedly "active enzymes"... marketing gimmick perhaps) which I can just roll and quickly dispose of the "nasties" with minimal interaction.

 

[otto]

Originally Posted by Ducman69

I saw that smart cat box btw, but worried about the urine smell since its not absorbed by anything. I assume the reservoir is air-tight? As otherwise kitty urine has some stank to it, kinda amoniaish (yes thats a word).

Thats the main reason I preferred a covered box like this with very absorbent litter (with supposedly "active enzymes"... marketing gimmick perhaps) which I can just roll and quickly dispose of the "nasties" with minimal interaction.

In my opinion covered boxes hold in odors. And its the poor cat who has to smell the stink, every time s/he uses the box.

And all that dust, just sitting there, for the cat to breathe, every time s/he enters the closed in box. Not for me or my cats.

Clumping clay litter contains sodium bentonite clay. I have never used it, nor will I ever. I did consider WB/corn litter, but after much research decided that kind of stuff (corn, wheat, pine, yesterday's news, crystals, looked into them all) is just not for me and my cats.


The resevoir of the SmartCatBox is not air tight, as it has to have a hole for the pee to go into, and it has a small corner spout for pouring the pee out. Then the lid comes off for cleaning.

I pour and clean the reservoirs of the SCB twice a day, and wipe down the "ramp" which funnels the pee into the reservoir, at the same time. No odor remains. The seeds are non absorbent and do not hold odor.

The saffflower seed does track about as much as clay litter, but I use a door mat that catches all that, and vacuum it a few times a week.

The transition is not complete yet, but will be soon and I can hardly wait!

 

[ummm]

I'm glad you like the Omega box!! Definitely one of my best cat purchase

I only scooped the traditional way for like 5 days while separating the cats (when we adopted the 2nd one), and that was 5 days too long (let alone 20 years

 

[ducman69]

Originally Posted by otto

The seeds are non absorbent and do not hold odor.

The saffflower seed does track about as much as clay litter, but I use a door mat that catches all that, and vacuum it a few times a week.

That sounds pretty cool actually.

Can't track any worse than Swheat which always seems to stick to their feet. Luckily its big bulky heavy stuff though, so while there is a lot in front of the box, it doesn't track more than a few feet so stays on the gigantic Lowes industrial door mat thing I have lining the closet. *whew* Cuz otherwise that stuff sticks to my bare feet too and hurts if you step on tile right after, heh.

 

[sherry526]

Well it's been going well with the boxes, regarding the cats taking to them. I decided to get the SWheat to mix with the Worlds Best due to the smell. I think it Worlds Best works but stinks, and like otto mentioned, the poor cats have to smell the litter box odors too. From what everyone here said about mixing the two litters, it should help.

The cats took to the boxes just fine, even Sarah, my little imp, who never used this type. I've been mixing with the pine shavings for the transition. I think the other day though, I topped off the boxes with too much litter because I was getting a drawer full of litter. So, I think I've got to put less in, so it doesn't overflow into the drawer. Otherwise, it's been great.

One thing I have not seen, happily, is much dust when pouring the litter. That was a big issue when I used this type of litter years ago and had decided to switch to pine shavings. But, I'll remember the tip of scooping it in if I ever get a bag that's full of dust.

Ducman69, you mentioned having a large mat from Lowes. I think I'm going to get one of those too. Although I can sweep or vaccuum the floor, I don't like tramping on the specs of litter when I walk in the room, so maybe a large mat will catch more than the little mats I have in front of each box.

Easy litter box cleaning--who'da thought?!!

 

[otto]

I use the large mat from Lowes too. Actually I got it (same thing) at Home Depot where it was $3 cheaper.

Those mats pick up everything. The only drawback is they have to be vacuumed, they don't shake out.

 

[ducman69]

Originally Posted by otto

I use the large mat from Lowes too. Actually I got it (same thing) at Home Depot where it was $3 cheaper.

Those mats pick up everything. The only drawback is they have to be vacuumed, they don't shake out.

Ah, good point, should have mentioned that. I was mainly just trying to catch the stuff, and my Roomba (with cliff sensors disabled) handles about 95% of the spillage every other day.

Yeah, if you overfill the box, it can't all fit in the "catcher" portion and would spill over.

I kept adding more until I figured out what the max capacity was, then I made a slight scratch mark as a fill line. The next time I washed the box, I took a straight edge and made a proper thick black line with one of those big ol' magic markers.

Easier to eyeball too when its time to top it off.