Automatic Cat Litter Boxes

Automatic self cleaning litter boxes save you the trouble of cleaning out the litter pan each day, and for those of us who despise this chore, self cleaning litter pans are heaven sent.

Many find that odor is reduced by the use of these robotic trays, even in homes with lots of cats, however the waste container must be emptied when full or the odor can be quite strong.

Many folks love the fact that they can leave their cats all day, or perhaps for a weekend (with food and water of course,) and come home to a fresh litter box.

There are several brands and models on the market, each have their own features.

Let's take a look at four of them.

When people think of automatic cat litter boxes it is quite probable that it is the LitterMaid that springs to mind. The LitterMaid has been around, in one guise or another, for some time now.

Cat walks up a ramp and into a rectangular litter tray. Cat pees or poops on clumping litter, cat exits the box.

Ten minutes later a rake automatically pushes the poop and clumps of litter into a waste receptacle and seals it. Job done.

The plastic waste receptacle can be dumped when full and a new one put in its place. However, it seems most owners of this self cleaning litter box prefer to line the container with a plastic shopping bag and dump that when full. They simply clean and re-use the receptacle. Makes sense, doing so would save on constant replacement.

The container is not that well made apparently, so replacement now and then is still necessary.

How often you have to empty the waste receptacle naturally depends on the number of cats you have and how frequently they use the box.

You may also not want to wait until the container is full, for example emptying it when you arrive home from being at work all day. Carbon air filters are incorporated into LitterMaid automatic cat litter boxes that go some way in reducing litter box odor.

There are several models of LitterMaid automatic cat litter boxes. The differences between them seem to be size of the tray and the height of the sides. The higher sided models are good if you have a cat that likes to kick out the litter.

Some models feature a sleep timer. You can set this so the box does not operate when you are knocking out the zzzz's. Yes automated litter boxes make a certain amount of noise when operating.

So what do purchasers think of the LitterMaid?

Reviews on Amazon.com are rather mixed. Some reviewers are delighted with the product, say that it does its job as described and their cats are happy to use it.

As can be expected, there are stories of cats that are intimidated by the noise and action of the LitterMaid and so refuse to use it, the same cats could possibly have the same reaction to all automatic cat litter boxes.

Some purchasers complain about the fact that you can only use clumping litter with the L.M. There are reports too, of the product working well for a month or two then struggling to cope with large clumps of litter or poop.

One model, the LitterMaid LME9000 Elite Mega Advanced gets quite a bashing from the reviewers. At the time of writing it has far more thumbs down than thumbs up.

The complaints seem mostly about its poor construction compared to other models. Reviewers say it is made from flimsy plastic, the parts don't fit together well and the rake is liable to get stuck.

Many say that they have owned other LitterMaid models in the past and been quite satisfied with them but were very disappointed with the LME9000 when they tried it as a replacement.

With the other L.M. Models the reviews are more balanced between favorable and unfavorable. Many love the LitterMaid and would not consider any other brand of self clean litter box.

The ScoopFree uses a similar 'rake' type system as the L.M. In this case though the rake operates twenty minutes after your cats have done their business.

However ScoopFree automatic cat litter boxes work with crystal litter, which many folks find combats the litter box odor problem better and cuts out the tracking and dust problems of clumping litter. The rake does not have to work so hard pushing through crystals as it would pushing through clumped litter, so less problems with getting stuck etc.

But that's not all folks, ScoopFree automatic litter boxes use a disposable litter tray. You do not empty a separate waste container, you do not refill the tray with litter. You simply replace the tray with a new one, pre-filled with crystal litter. A cleaner system with less mess and a reduced need to clean the box.

The manufactures recommend to replace the disposable tray once every twenty to thirty days for a single cat, ten to fifteen days for two cats and . . . well you get the idea.

So all in all cleaner, more hands free, automatic cat litter boxes system which should keep everyone happy?

No, unfortunately there is no such thing as something that pleases everyone. Read the user reviews on Amazon.com and you will see that the ScoopFree pleases a lot of cat loving folks, they love, love, love the system. But along with the praise there are a few grumbles.

The biggest downside is the ongoing cost of those disposable trays. The cost of replacement trays depends on the quantity that you buy, ranging from around $15 to $19.

Assuming that one tray last your cat three weeks, that works out at around $260 per year! That's not chicken feed.

Some reviewers complain that the trays don't give them the expected millage. If you've many cats that poop and urinate a lot . . . you are going to be spending and awful amount on trays. Still, there are reviewers that say no matter what the cost of replacement trays, they are so happy with the way the ScoopFree works they wouldn't part with it.

As for the quality of the disposable trays, most seem happy enough with the standard type.

There are alternative trays available, made from recycled cardboard and filled with 'scent free' litter. These alternative trays are not so well liked. Reviewers complain they do not hold their cat's urine so well as the standard trays.

It seems there is, or rather was, a 'permanent' tray available (not made by ScoopFree ) that you could re-fill and reuse. This was known as the Forever tray. Unfortunately at the time of writing it appears that it is not available. That's a shame, a permanent tray could be quite a money saver.

If the ScoopFree system sounds to you like it could be an answer to your litter box problems, have a read of the reviews here - ScoopFree Automatic Cat Litter Boxes - and see if you think the ongoing cost of the replacement trays will be worth it for you.

When is a self cleaning litter box not automatic?

The answer is – when it's an Omega Paw Roll Away Self Cleaning Litter Box.

This litter box does not plug in and it needs no batteries. It removes the clumps and cat's waste and leaves cleaned litter for your cat to use the next time she needs to.

But it is not an automated process, you have to operate it. So if you need a litter box that clears away the waste when you are not at home, the Omega Paw Roll Away does not fit the bill, although it is self cleaning.

However, the Omega does have thousands of raving fans. They love the fact that they do not have to scoop. When their cat uses the toilet they don't need to scoop out the waste or clumped litter. They simply roll the box, yes roll it.

Here's how it works.

The bottom right edge of the Omega is rounded, this makes it easy for you to roll it to the right. When you do, the litter, the clumps and the poop hit a mesh screen. The clean litter can pass through the mesh, the other stuff can't, and gets diverted into a removable tray.

When you allow the box to come back to rest, just move it upward a little to the left and the clean litter falls into the litter tray ready for your cat to use again. You simply slide out the removable waste tray to empty it.

Fans of the Omega Paw Roll Away say that it is easy to clean, the inside only needing the occasional wipe. Be aware that this is a covered litter box, some cats refuse to use covered boxes. Comes in two sizes, most users recommend getting the larger size, even if you have only one cat.

Priced considerably lower than most fully automatic cat litter boxes, the Omega Paw is a self cleaning system that you could become a fan of too.

The robots are coming!

If you are prepared to splash out a little on an automatic litter box for that does it's job effectively, the Litter Robot could be just what you are searching for.

This is another product that has its army of fans. Some of the reviews on Amazon reveal how enthusiastic owners of the Litter Robot are, they write glowing testimonials. Mind you, for the price of this product it ought to be very good, because it certainly is not cheap.

Somewhat like a midget robots, these space age appearing automatic cat litter boxes look like they might say “take me to your leader” at any moment. An unusual design to be sure, could even be quite a conversation piece.

The Litter Robot works in much the same fashion as the Omega Paw, except that the difference is this robotic box is mechanized, the whole rolling thing is automated, so you do not have to be there. This should mean you can leave your cat, or cats, and return to a fresher smelling home.

Your cat enters the globe through the oval entrance and does what every cat has to do.

Seven minutes after your cat leaves, the Litter Robot starts to operate.

The globe rotates and lifts the clumps, lumps of waste and the clean litter upwards where they are separated by a mesh grille. The lumps and clumps fall into the waste receptacle and the clean litter is returned to the litter tray when the globe rotates back downwards. This leaves a nice clean box ready for the next usage.

I have three cats, will they all use the same robot cat box?

The general rule with litter boxes is “One for each cat plus one.” But that guideline is for plain ol' non-automated boxes. Usually, all the cats in a multi cat home will happily use the same automatic cat box. One reason for this could be that as the waste is always cleared away, one cat does not mind using the same box as another cat has used.

Of course there will always be exceptions. It could be that you have an alpha cat who will not let the other kitties near the box. You could have one very nervous cat that will not approach something that looks like an invader from Mars, let alone poop in it!

Many of the most positive reviewers have switched to the Robot after having tried 'rake' type automatic cat litter boxes. They claim the rotating litter cleaning system doesn't give the problems that the rake system did.

The fact that the L.R. Works with most types and brands of litter and can work happily with ordinary trash bags also earns it much praise.

These automatic cat litter boxes do not seem to have any sort of air filtration, but surprisingly reviewers say that they do reduce litter box odor considerably.

Large cats?

Some reviewers with very large cats say that the Litter Robot did not work out for them, the 15 inches headroom, 20 inches width and 15 inches depth, just wasn't enough for their big cats. Restricted movement can be a problem with any covered box. Other reviewers however, say their large cats do not have a problem.

The Litter Robot will not work with a kitten under 5 pounds. It will not work automatically that is, the kitten can use the box to pee or poop, but you have to operate the cleaning cycle.

There are some other complaints by some reviewers, box failing after a few months use, poop sticking to outside of the globe, not working effectively etc. But these are the exceptions, the raving, praising, positive reviews do outweigh the negatives quite heavily.

All in all, purchasers of Litter Robot automatic cat litter boxes seem to be happy bunnies.

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