DesertDweller
Posts:2549
 | | 11/30/2007 1:38 PM |
 Alert | Which one should I buy? I have seen an ad for the Litter Robot. Kinda pricey - $299. I want to make sure that if I part with that kind of cash, I get something that's going to make everyone happy.
We have five indoor cats. Anyone have any experience with multiple cats using these things? | |
Stupid should hurt!
Desert Dweller - Senior Member - Posts: 2982 - Joined: Feb 2006 | |
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flygrl
Posts:59
| | 11/30/2007 3:04 PM |
Alert | I have the Scoopfree automatic litter box. Here is their website.
http://www.scoopfree.com/
I bought mine from Petsmart next to Cost Plus in Ahwatukee/Chandler. I really like it and have had no problems with it. I think I have had it for about 2 or 3 years and I have 3 cats so it's been put to good use. Once the sensors were dirty and it stopped working so I contacted their help desk and they got back to me with the fix right away. I have not tried the others but this one works fine. I also have 2 other regular litterboxes for my cats to use but they like the Scoopfree. They must think its magic, LOL.
edited to add that you can also buy a cover for it so the cats have privacy while they are doing their business. LOL | | | |
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Pet Social Worker
Posts:0
| | 11/30/2007 4:40 PM |
Alert | I researched for about 6 mos. & talked to other Litter Robot owners before I invested the $300. It is worth EVERY SINGLE PENNY!!!
I LOVE it. Haven't scooped litter for my cats in many months now. I just open up the drawer at the bottom 1x/week, grab out the bag & toss it in the trash.
Personally, I don't like the raking kind. The "solids" sometimes get stuck & if there is any sort of mushy or wet piles, then the rake gets all gunked up & you have to scoop it out anyway AND scrape the poo off the rake & sides. YUM! I'd actually rather use a top entry litter box than the raking kind.
Tigg has a Litter Robot too. Maybe she'll chime in on her toughts.
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babytamtam
Posts:211
| | 11/30/2007 5:24 PM |
Alert | I completly agree with Pet Social Worker! I have had number automatic litters with the rakes and they suck! I have only 2 cats but I have a bengal who is huge (about 20 pds) and they fill it up quick. It was always getting stuck or rusting. They all eventually stopped working. I returned some to the manufacturer or bought another one. I have paid in excess of $300 for something I didnt have to scoop.
After 2 years of fighting with different brands I am back to a box with the huge dome that lookes like an igloo with stairs. It has no mess and I can't smell anything. I do hate scooping a whole bag every garabage day but honestly it's worth it cause the automatic thing wasn't working for me. Good Luck! | | | |
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DesertDweller
Posts:2549
| | 11/30/2007 6:11 PM |
Alert | That's what I needed to know. The robot sounds like the best one. I wish they would feature on on woot.com for just a day  Maybe if I charge my cats a dime each time they use it, I could pay it off in about a month.
My biggest concern is the odor. The litter box is in our utility room, which is right off the kitchen. It never fails - get ready to sit down at the kitchen table and someone has to use the litter box. I have even considered adding a screened sun porch out back with pet door access so that this wouldn't be such a problem. I think I will try the robot first. I see them online - is that the only place they're sold?
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Stupid should hurt!
Desert Dweller - Senior Member - Posts: 2982 - Joined: Feb 2006 | |
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Pet Social Worker
Posts:0
| | 11/30/2007 6:59 PM |
Alert | We have 2 cats & only empty the robot 1x/week. No odor at all. We actually have it in our masterbedroom closet if you can believe that! We used to have our litterbox in the laundryroom but the robot is bigger & didn't really fit well in there because the top of the dryer door hit it.
I do recommend that you follow the directions for getting your cat used to it. I just took it out of the box, popped some litter in it & threw away the old litter box. BAD IDEA. Our cats said "heck no, we're not going in that bizarre dome shaped thing" and started to poop in our bathtub & in my sons bed! They recommend you set it up next to your old one, then you slowly transfer litter from old to new slowly so they get used to it. That is a very good idea, but I was so excited about having it I just set it up willy nilly w/ out reading the recommended instructions. | | | |
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stinkerbell2
Posts:0
| | 11/30/2007 7:30 PM |
Alert | | I had one of those and well lets just say my dog thought it was an all-you-can-eat-buffet. She figured out how to Flip the top and voila Buffet OPEN for business!!! TMI? BUT I loved it and wish I could have another one!!! | | | |
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babytamtam
Posts:211
| | 11/30/2007 10:42 PM |
Alert | So I just looked at the website to see this litter robot. It looks really neat! I don't get how the ball spins all the way around and the litter dosen't fall out? In the Q & A sections it says if you have a larger cat the clumps may be to big to fit down the hole? How wide is it? When my cat goes #1 its about the size of my fist. I wonder if that's to big?
Desert Dweller if you get it let us know how it works out. I may try again one more time if so many people like it! | | | |
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stinkerbell2
Posts:0
| | 11/30/2007 11:38 PM |
Alert | This thing does look cool!! But it is recommended for cats up to 15lbs...I have a 21lb'er...I dont know if his fat tushy will fit!!!
btw hes NOT fat...hes big boned...the Cartman's of cats if you will!!! | | | |
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DesertDweller
Posts:2549
| | 12/01/2007 12:11 AM |
Alert | Oh - I hadn't thought of that. This is Big Boy. He weighed in at over 25 lbs. on his last vet visit.
Stinkerbell, you got me laughing so hard on that all-you-can-eat buffet comment that I woke up half the house. Now they want to know what kind of site I'm logged on to. | |
Stupid should hurt!
Desert Dweller - Senior Member - Posts: 2982 - Joined: Feb 2006 | |
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babytamtam
Posts:211
| | 12/01/2007 7:40 AM |
Alert | | That is a beautiful cat! How do you manage all that hair! LOL | | | |
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Pet Social Worker
Posts:0
| | 12/01/2007 9:41 AM |
Alert | My male is about 18lbs & he fits just fine. My girl is tiny, so no problem for her. The openings that the clumps & solid waste fits through are about 5 or 6 inches square. There are 2 of them.
I guess a dog could stick it's head in & get a poop-snack before it spins. I think ours spins about 5 min. or so after the cats exit. | | | |
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JillyBean
Posts:375
| | 12/01/2007 11:19 AM |
Alert | There's also the cat genie.. it scoop, washes and flushes the waste away.
http://www.catgenie.com/ | |
Tens of THOUSANDS of pure-bred dogs are killed in shelters in the Us EVERY YEAR!
Do your part
~Spay or Neuter your pets
~DON'T buy animals from irresponsible breeders..
~There is an adoption group for every breed of dog.. | |
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wolfpack..
Posts:228
| | 12/01/2007 3:08 PM |
Alert | | Dear God DD what do you feed that cat!?!!?!? | |
Senior Member
406 posts
Joined May 2005 | |
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DesertDweller
Posts:2549
| | 12/01/2007 3:26 PM |
Alert | We used to live near a nuclear power plant
Actually, Big Boy was rescued from a feral colony about four years ago. We had about a dozen ferals that would show up for breakfast each morning. This guy wasn't feral, but he was stray and hung out with the colony. He was more of the "alpha cat" because he would eat and when he was finished he would let the other cats have what was left. We called that bunch the Breakfast Club and Big Boy was the President and CEO.
When we started doing trap and release to spay/neuter the ferals, we would set out traps, which the county provided to us. We baited them with sardines. It usually took two or three tries to catch a feral because Big Boy would walk into the trap and scarf down the food.
When our house was finished, we brought Big Boy with us, and now he's pretty much a house cat. He's a Scottish Fold according to the vet who has him on steroids because of his asthma. Like he needs steroids | |
Stupid should hurt!
Desert Dweller - Senior Member - Posts: 2982 - Joined: Feb 2006 | |
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Tigg
Posts:549
| | 12/01/2007 6:18 PM |
Alert | | I have the Litter Robot too and love it! I think Stinkerbell has it confused with the Littermaid - the Littermaid has a fliptop cookie-jar lid. The Litter Robot has a doorway, then the waste is stored below the dome in a drawer - any dog that could get into that drawer, would deserve a 'treat'. I dump the drawer about 1x per week with room to spare with my two cats. You definitly want to transition slowly, it's a big change from the other litterboxes. If your cat is too big or they just don't use it, they have I think a 6 month return policy, so all it would cost you would be the shipping if you have to return it. I think it was worth the $300, even though it took a while for my cats to adjust and they went on the floor around the Litter Robot for a while before they started using it regularly. | | | |
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stinkerbell2
Posts:0
| | 12/01/2007 11:59 PM |
Alert | Tigg I was talking about the Littermaid...I had not seen the robot thingy until my second post... Right now I have the ole fashion litter box with a lid ON TOP OF THE DOG kennel...cus she is still going for the "tootsie rolls"!!!
DD tell your family I am sorry for waking them up...
If I knew how to post pictures I would put our big guy on here...He is a Siamese/Snow shoe mix and he is a crack up...He has OCD(vet diagnosed too!) and is suppose to be on Prozac... But if anyone is going on Prozac in my house its ME!!! | | | |
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DesertDweller
Posts:2549
| | 12/02/2007 6:13 AM |
Alert | | E-mail me his picture and I will put it up for you. desert.dweller@wildblue.net | |
Stupid should hurt!
Desert Dweller - Senior Member - Posts: 2982 - Joined: Feb 2006 | |
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robinlynn
Posts:133
| | 12/03/2007 11:12 AM |
Alert | | I didn't know cats could have OCD ! So that's why they keep washing themselves over and over. LOL I went thru about 3 of the automatic litterboxes. We tried the Littermaid and Purrforma Plus. Each one more expensive than the last. They were either too large or too loud. They all had the rake thing which is useless. All the wet litter goes down in the box and the rake just goes over them, it doesn't get the wet spots, only the stuff on top of the box. I am curious about the Litter Robot tho, I haven't tried that one. I ended up returning my last one which was around $250.00 and huge! I have 4 cats but that thing was massive, It took up our whole guest room floor! I decided I'd rather have a couple smaller ones I clean out daily myself. But let us know what happens with the Litter Robot.! | | | |
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Tigg
Posts:549
| | 12/03/2007 12:06 PM |
Alert | Robinlynn - the Litter Robot is not small by any means. It's the biggest litterbox I've ever seen - it's approx 2ft x2ft x2ft. When I bought it, I wasn't sure how I was going to fit it anywhere, but again, it's worth it.
I don't have to find a way to keep the dog out of the holding area because it's a drawer that can't be opened without opposable thumbs (and my cats can open most drawers, but not this one), I don't have to scoop it, I don't have to unclog the rakes since there aren't any rakes, I've never seen it miss a clump because the way it's designed, it can't miss a clump (as long as the clump isn't larger than the 'trap doors.' With my 2 cats I can easily go a week (and could probably go 2 weeks, but that'd get rather ripe) without touching it. When the whole thing needs to be cleaned, I can take the globe and drawer outside and just hose them down and let them dry in the sun because all of the motorized parts are in the 3rd piece whice doesn't get really messy and can be wiped down with a cloth. | | | |
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