Help! What is the best automatic cat litter box? Littermaid?
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free skin care · Mon Feb 20, 2006 12:30 pm

Ok, I know its not about beauty, but I HATE TO SCOOP CAT POOP!!

I have been looking at cat boxes and Target has the littermaid LM700 for 89.00. Has anyone had good/bad experiences with littermaids? What about litter round up? Anyone have the litter robot?

I figure I've learned so much from everyone here that I'd see what the consense is about cat doodle. Laughing

I can't stand my regular box and want something that can make living with my kitty better. Any ideas?

Thank you everyone!!

free skin care · Tue Feb 21, 2006 10:16 am

ok, I caved. I bought the LM700 last night. For those of you who may not know what it is - the Littermaid cleans the cat 'presents' ten minutes after they visit the litter box using an automatic rake. I've never been a cat person (dogs rock!), but I've fallen for this overly affectionate cat. I just hate the litter box! Which is why I have only had dogs since I was a kid, but when my husband brought home Roosevelt (with a respitory infection and who turned out to be more like a dog -he likes his belly scratched and licks your face, etc.) I refused to send him back to the pound. The deal struck was the litter was now my chore since he is now MY cat....doesn't matter who brought him home...but I digress...

It is day one and WOW!! I kinda love it. I'm not saying it is possible to actually be IN love with a litter box, but hey, some chick married a dolphin so anything is possible, right? Laughing

Ok, it came with everything in the box and very simple set up instructions (suprisingly). It looks like there will be a daily maintence thing with with visually checking it to be sure all is good (litter level, no lumps behind the rake, etc), but I'm ok with that. Anything to keep me from raking is a bonus in my book. Smile

So far, I am fascinated. Yes, it is a little loud, but not horrible (I wouldn't keep it in the bedroom, but I don't do that anyway!).

I believe I will develop a pavlovian (?) response to the motor noise in time. Everytime I hear it I'll start to drool....from happiness because its not me face first next to cat cr%@. Very Happy

I haven't had it long enough to see how hard it is to clean, but I'll report back later.

Oh, the 'presents' are dumped into a platic container that pops out and can be thrown away. The rake sweeps the box and then the plastic bin opens to have the clumps deposited and then the lid closes again. It keeps the smell down. I've read how it gets expensive (12 pack for $13-14), but I'm going to extend the life of them by lining the new ones with those plastic grocery bags. I figure that should double the life of those. I've read people dump the plastic boxes 1-2 a week depending on how many cats. I figure I can get the boxes that came with the box to last a good month. This will give me time to see if I like it. I WILL NOT be washing them out to reuse like many folks on the internet. That would defeat the purpose of as little contact between me an cat excrement as possible not to mention I'm lazy. It even comes with carbon filters to help with the smell in the plastic bins. I don't know if I will purchase those when I run out.

I bought this at Target for $99.00 and the Fresh Step litter for $8.49 (25 pd). Target has a 90 return window (I checked in case this was junk if I can return it. No problem-o).

I have a little kid running around and the idea of the contents of my cat box coming into contact with her eating surfaces is just gross (who doesn't have a cat who jumps on every table?? not to mention walking on the beds, etc. ICK!)

FYI: No matter what I promise myself at each cat box change-I still leave it until it is so gross I just dump the whole thing and wash it out. I always swear I'm not going to do it again, but it is so out of the way I never remember until I smell it again...then I put it off longer because I want my husband to do it...and, really, the list of excuses could go on and on.

Now it looks like my quest for a cleaner house and my inherent lazy nature may have just found a happy balance.

We'll see.

free skin care · Tue Feb 21, 2006 10:55 am

Now you make me want one... Mad

free skin care · Tue Feb 21, 2006 10:56 am

I toyed with the idea of getting one of those boxes Deanne, but at the time they were MUCH more expensive - close to $200 from memory Shock

Back then I was using the "normal" litter - since then I've started using the clumping litter, which is far easier to clean, and doesn't leave a smell. My only reservation still with the kind you have, is that the noise of the motor (even though its 10 mins. later) would put them off using it.
Did your cat start using it immediately?

Anya

Tue Feb 21, 2006 3:47 pm

Wow. And I thought that I'd spent a lot on Casper's new (affectionally-named) doodle-box, at $35. She needed a bigger one,as she is a big cat, and had to stick her head out of the opening, evey time she'd get in! Now, she has a BIG one, which is wider, deeper, and taller. There is a flap on the door, and the charcoal filters keep any smell at-bay. Which is good, because though I usually keep her litterbox on my porch, we've had so much miserable rain this year, that it makes life very unpleasant for Miss. Casper. As soon as the weather improves, and warms-up, my patio door will be open, 24/7 again for Casper's use. (no worries, people, as I live on the 3rd floor, and top of the building.)

I'd looked at those automatic litter boxes, but could not justify such an expense. Plus, it likely wouldn't be deep enough for Casper.

free skin care · Wed Feb 22, 2006 3:01 am

We have just had to get a cat litter for Josie, before she would only ever go outside but now oh nooo she likes to use her cat litter at least twice a day.
Yes I have to clean it out every day....we have underfloor heating so it has to be cleaned!!

I understand the cleaning of the poop bit but what about when our dear cat piddles?
Josie likes to wee twice a day at the moment I never even knew she drank that much either!! Rolling Eyes

free skin care · Wed Feb 22, 2006 6:14 am

rosebud wrote:

We have just had to get a cat litter for Josie, before she would only ever go outside but now oh nooo she likes to use her cat litter at least twice a day.
Yes I have to clean it out every day....we have underfloor heating so it has to be cleaned!!

I understand the cleaning of the poop bit but what about when our dear cat piddles?
Josie likes to wee twice a day at the moment I never even knew she drank that much either!! Rolling Eyes

Doesn’t any “clumps” get swept by the rake, regardless of whether they are solid “matter” or mere clumps of liquid?

I have five house cats -- I'm thinking they'd wear out the poor littermaid in less than three months!!

But I also want to know: weren't the cats freaked by the sound?

ETA: Oh, and Kate, I saw in a cat catalog that they have a new, wider and deeper version of the Litter Maid now, so it should be deep enough to satisy any cat’s desire to dig his or her way down to China!

free skin care · Wed Feb 22, 2006 8:57 am

Ah I see, so more salvaging the good litter and throwing the bad. Shock

Oh I hate it, especially having to clean the tray every day!!!!

Carekate you have 5 cats!!!! I bet it is like a war zone at times in your house.
Josie is always tormenting the poor dog.

free skin care · Wed Feb 22, 2006 8:57 am

If you do some research on the Littermaid, you will indeed find that the rake gets quite gunked up from the refuse. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the right automatic unit to get for my two Birman kittens and I finally decided on forking over significant $ for a Litter Robot.

I have to say that it has been worth every penny of the close the $300 I spent on it, I swear! It looks like Kenny's head from Southpark and has a globe that rotates and rolls the clumps until they fall through a hole and into a drawer. I change it about 2-3x a week and sprinkle baking soda when I replace the bags. It doesn't smell and other than the noise, is completely innocuous. My kittens took to it within moments but I do know that older cats can take some time getting accustomed to it.

I had friends over for dinner and one who hasn't been to my apartment before, had no idea that there was a litter robot in the dining room! Eeek! I have it placed behind a screen in the corner of my dining room because that's the only place I had room for it. Consequently, it was IMPERATIVE that there be no odor AT ALL. She was pretty surprised that my house had no cat hair, as well (my Birman's are semi-long hairs) - I'm a bit OCD for keeping things neat and pretty - that's why the LR ultimately works for me so well.

It's been fantastic and the company is super when it comes to customer service. I am very pleased.

free skin care · Thu Feb 23, 2006 1:56 pm

Anya--No, the motor didn't bother him at all. When I first set it up I thought it would because he seemed put off by the whole thing...then I added the litter and he kept coming over to look at it.

I set it up in the living room to a) see how he took to it. b) how loud is it and if I find it too annoying. c) I didn't move his old litter out yet and I read to keep both for a bit. Cats like clean litter and having the choice of the old litter and clean litter it is suppose to encourage him to the new box.

Well, I did question his IQ initially because he seemed to think it was a sand box (like a kid). He kept digging in the new litter and just seemed SO HAPPY! Plus he curled up and took a nap in it?!! (I felt like the worst cat mommy ever BTW....he must really have hated his old box! Confused

). I kept watch fearing the motor would start and scare the cr@# out of him as he slept and then he'd never use it, but it didn't. The thing has sensors and won't go off with a cat in there. If he goes back in then the timer resets to another 10 minutes. (an improvement from older models). He groomed himself in it and after a couple of hours it went off. It was pretty loud while it smoothed the litter back out, but now I don't even notice it.

I am happy to annouce he no longer uses it to nap in and hasn't touched his old litter since I set it up. My dog has finally stopped trying to protect us from it and we are happily ignoring the whole process (which is the point, yes?) Very Happy

I changed the litter depository today. This morning was a little unpleasant as I learned it is NOT good to have TOO LITTLE litter in it. It hadn't gotten to the 'add litter' level yet, but apparently for HIM it wasn't enough. After three days it dropped enough to have him fling litter out the front (which is the only low side on it).

Not to big a deal. I have my dust buster and cleaned it right up. At least there wasn't any odor and I added a bit more to the box. For good measure I dumped my poo bag even though it could probably have gone another day. He really pees ALOT more than I thought cats did.

I find I am more conscience of the litter ( I moved it to under a desk that is more ornamental-and by that I mean a clutter magnet- and it is still in the main living area, but not really noticable. My husband wants to move it, but since it is MY chore I told him I'll keep it up if I see it. I really like it. I use the little brush to dust down the tracks and I spend less than 30 seconds a day on it. If there is litter spray I use the dust buster and the sides do a good job of keeping it in.

CaspersMum---I still can't rationalize it. Very Happy

I actually took it back to the shelves 3x before I finally bought it. I kept freakin on the sticker. The clicher for me was that a) I can return it. b) I am just too lazy to clean it out. I had a honest moment with myself. I was looking into the Omega Paw self cleaner (on sale for 32 on Amazon). We liked this one, but the they only sold the small ones at PETCO ages ago and our cat is just too big. The amazon was is the Large one and on sale. I am still going to get it if this thing breaks. Smile

The Omega is the one that you can clean by rolling it.

Rosebud--the clumping litter gets both the poo and piddle. All of it goes in the plastic bin. I've read where the cheaper clumping litters fall apart with the urine. So far so good on this littermaid. Smile

Carekate--mine itsn't freaked out by the noise, but I've read where multiple house families have 2-3 littermaids. I've heard that for multiple cats the litter robot is the way to go, but I couldn't handle the price. $300!

Shock

Scalawaggirl--ohhh, you have the robot!! <paying homage>. I wish I could. I'm new to the automatic litter world. Keep up posted on how long it lasts!!! I'm intrigued, but still poor. bahahahah!

free skin care · Fri Feb 24, 2006 5:43 am

deanne123 wrote:

The Omega is the one that you can clean by rolling it.

If you are talking about the type of litterbox I think, then that bloody thing is a complete waste of money. Rolling the litterbox (manually) isn't as easy or as clean as it sounds....I need to take a look and see if the Omega is the rolling litterbox I'm thinking of, though, just to be sure I'm not pooh-poohing the wrong product!

free skin care · Fri Feb 24, 2006 5:45 am

carekate wrote:

deanne123 wrote:

The Omega is the one that you can clean by rolling it.

If you are talking about the type of litterbox I think, then that bloody thing is a complete waste of money. Rolling the litterbox (manually) isn't as easy or as clean as it sounds....I need to take a look and see if the Omega is the rolling litterbox I'm thinking of, though, just to be sure I'm not pooh-poohing the wrong product!

Oh, yeah, that’s the one. I can’t tell you what I mess I had to clean up when the damn thing disassembled itself when I tried to roll it for the first time!

free skin care · Fri Feb 24, 2006 5:19 pm

Ewww! What a mess.

Ours worked fine, but we didn't use it long. We had the little one and he grew out of it pronto! I didn't know they even made a large Omega until I started searching on the internet about the littermaid.

They did have a disposable litter at target. Citrus-something. It is completely bio-degradable (litter and box) and basically you just throw it away every two weeks. They were on sale for $3.99 (norm 6.99). I was thinking about it, but that would just be one step above what I already had. I would rather the poo NOT be in the box. Smile

free skin care · Sat Feb 25, 2006 9:17 am

Deanne123, I'll keep you informed on how long the robot lasts, which should be a good experiment because my kitten, GiGi, takes great pleasure in stopping the cycle while it's going...every chance she gets! I'm going to lock out the buttons, since it's like crack to her...she just can't help herself!

free skin care · Fri Mar 03, 2006 10:29 am

Hello all!

This is my two week update/review on the littermaid...ok, almost two weeks. Very Happy

I love it and will never go back to a normal cat litter box!!! My cat is happier, my household is happier, and I am happier!

Now for the downside.....there always is one, isn't there? Cool

How should I organize this....as oppose to my normal ramblings...ok, pros and cons:

Pros:
***Roosevelt has a clean litter box each and every time he goes to use it. He is much happier (he still comes for lovin' every time...sweet, but annoying).

***I don't have to clean the litter and smell the nasty cat hinney deposits.

*** I think we are much more sanitary over all. He uses clean litter which results in less cat coodies in my house!

***There is no odor. I have used the carbon filters that came with the box and without. Overall, the littermaid keeps the nasty-ness of the litter at bay even without the filters. FYI: Even when I clean around it I have gotten used to holding my breath. It is a weird habit and I find I need to remind myself it is ok to breath around the littermaid. I am still amazed that it doesn't smell. Shock

***Pooper-Scooper. It came with its own scooper that is modified for the littermaid. This is to help with any bits too small for the rake and there are teeth on the end to help keep the rake clean. Very handy and easy. The teeth also double to help you keep the litter level right. By inserting the scooper in the litter, the teeth should disappear. If you have too much litter you can tell by how far up the scooper it goes when you put it in.

Cons:
***If I don't keep the litter level close to perfect (slightly below the litter level line in the littermaid) then Sir-picky lets me know in the subtle way cats have....litter flung out the front....mess!

***If I add too much (or it drops to little for him...he will pile it all on one side) it causes the littermaid to freak a little. If too much is in the box and the rake can't rest against the back...it will repeat the cycle up to 5 times trying to clean the box. The same thing occurs if he piles all the litter on one side...the rake can't get back to the start position. All that happens is it will go throw multiple cycles trying to fix the obstruction. Not really a horrible thing,but something one should be aware of. This model will shut down after five trys. Older models would burn themselves out trying to get back to the start position.

***Daily maintenance. Maybe this shouldn't be a con, but it could be a pro. I don't know. I never really did any daily cleaning and now I do. The reasons I avoided the box...namely odor and ICK factor are pretty much gone for me. I don't mind the litter anymore...not on my favorite hobby list, but not a dreaded chore now. I do it without much thought which is I guess could be a pro. If you hate EVER going near a box...then the disposable litter would be the way to go.

***Duster Buster required! I have my dust buster (which is a MUST as far as I'm concerned for the littermaid). If I had to drag out my vaccum or sweep with a broom then it just would start to be more work and make me unhappy. As it is, my dust buster cleans up the litter spray and ramp so quick and easy plus I can empty it right in the trash. I spend about 30 secs-1 1/2 minute daily on the litterbox. Mostly it is the mornings. I just smooth the litter out (if it seems piled on one side or the other) and dust down the sensors and tracks with the little brush that comes with it.

***This model came with a pooper scooper modified for the littermaid. I really like it, but my only complaint is there is no where to put it. (FYI: The little brush has a spot on the box to hang it. Keeps it handy, but out of the way). Not so with the scooper. My fix was using one of the Ziplock disposible tupperware sandwhich things. I have it next to the litter box and the scooper layes right in it. I also use it to scoop the little bits out and then easliy dump it in the trash. This plastic bin (without the blue lid) keeps my scooper off my floor and the handle in the air.

***Cat is turning into a diva. I'm afraid he is getting spoiled. If this thing breaks, he better not get angry if I don't clean it right after he uses it. Smile

Overall, I love this and give it a thumbs up. I would have a dust buster or similar device handy to make clean up easier. This is not maintenance free and you couldn't leave on vacation and hope the box will work perfectly. (I saw many complaints on the internet with people leaving for a couple days and having a littermaid mess/motor burn out). With a little oversight, this thing is a gem.

Oh, the rake got dirty once and I ran the cycle to see if the poo would come off. It didn't but it was covered with litter. I left it to dry up a bit and I would come at it with the scooper. If I tried cleaning it immediately it would have been a poo-y mess. I forgot about it and the next cleaning cycle dislodge the dried doodle and it cleaned itself!! I didn't have to go a thing. The rake is 'clean' now and I haven't had any issues. I think the litter I bought is the key on this one. Also, on a cleaning note. I am on my second plastic bin. I used the grocery bags which work, but that is the only problems I have had. I did get sprayed with a small amount of litter (in the face and that is a first...a very icky and gross first), but to be fair I was trying to hurry and with the grocery bags on the bin I couldn't un hook it as easily. It wasn't soiled litter per say, but really any amount of litter in the box after a cat has used it is unacceptable anywhere near my face! When I do just like I'm suppose to (pop the lid down THEN remove the whole bin) I don't smell anything, touch anything, or importantly get sprayed. Laughing

free skin care · Sat Mar 04, 2006 8:21 pm

Can get 'litter quitter' over here which teaches kitty to use human bathroom...unsure if it is worth it never having to clean litter tray again but having to find cat 'gifts' in own toilet. I don't have a cat but a friend of mine is trialling this. Is same as 'meet the parents'

free skin care · Mon Mar 06, 2006 5:26 am

maddy wrote:

Can get 'litter quitter' over here which teaches kitty to use human bathroom...unsure if it is worth it never having to clean litter tray again but having to find cat 'gifts' in own toilet. I don't have a cat but a friend of mine is trialling this. Is same as 'meet the parents'

I taught one of my cat's to use the toilet to do his business back when I was a teenager, but never was able to get him to flush the toilet afterward! Wink

Seriously, what we did was take a bit of an old window screen and nail it onto a small frame that would fit under the toilet seat, then we put litter on top of the screen and Tino would go. Gradually, we removed the litter till he was going directly on the screen, then we cut a hole in the screen itself and gradually made it bigger and bigger until we finally removed it altogether once he was balancing himself on the rim like an old pro!

free skin care · Mon Mar 06, 2006 9:36 am

I've thought about teaching my cat to use a toilet, but I'm afraid she'll pee off of it and make a mess.

Carrie - Did this ever happen with your cat?

free skin care · Mon Mar 06, 2006 9:40 am

TAMgirl99 wrote:

I've thought about teaching my cat to use a toilet, but I'm afraid she'll pee off of it and make a mess.

Carrie - Did this ever happen with your cat?

Nope.

Tue Mar 07, 2006 1:54 am

carekate wrote:

I taught one of my cat's to use the toilet to do his business back when I was a teenager, but never was able to get him to flush the toilet afterward! Wink

Seriously, what we did was take a bit of an old window screen and nail it onto a small frame that would fit under the toilet seat, then we put litter on top of the screen and Tino would go. Gradually, we removed the litter till he was going directly on the screen, then we cut a hole in the screen itself and gradually made it bigger and bigger until we finally removed it altogether once he was balancing himself on the rim like an old pro!

How cool! I'm getting visions of Mr Jinx from Meet The Parents Smile

free skin care · Sun Mar 12, 2006 2:40 am

wow! going to tell her it works.

Very Happy

Thu Mar 16, 2006 3:18 pm

I've had two littermaids. Never knew there were other brands. The sensors on the first one stopped working, so I replaced it after awhile.

My cat likes having a clean litter box when she steps in it. At times she seems frustrated with the low litter level and kicks it around too much. Her ears always perk up with interest when the rake goes off ten minutes after her visit. The sound is noticeable, but it's not loudly obnoxious.

When I put new litter in, half the time it ends up being too much, after the rake starts leveling it out, then I have to remove some to get the rake to stop. My cat uses one side of the litterbox more than the other so the litter container fills-up faster.

It's better than a manual litter box, but it's still a messy process. Litter gets scattered around the carpet, when I empty the container, and litter that's been trapped in grooves near the container falls out. I'll have to try lining the waste container with a bag that sounds like a good idea.

My cat is small, but at times the box looks too small as she positions herself to do her business.

Over-all it's better than a manual one, but I wish there were more alternatives. I'll probably check-out the Litter Robot when I have to buy another one. It sounds more owner friendly.

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