Automatic Litterbox Central

It looks like a LitterMaid knock-off. It's made by Petmate, and is called the 'Purrforma'. Here's the press release: <snicker>

http://www.petmate.com/Catalog.plx?Page=PR&RID=10

I wonder how it compares to the others. Too bad I just bought a littermaid

-e.

I allready have a littermaid and with two kittens that have very soft stool I end up having to clean the darn thing more then a normal box! I am going to purchase the PetMate PurrForma and see if it is any better. I'll make sure and let you guys know.

Well after a few days of using the petmate performa I have found it to be slightly disapointing and in some ways feel that my littermaid LM900 works better.
My first issue with the petmate product is that the sensors are to far apart and both require activation for a period of greater then 15 seconds. Since my cats are small they rarely set off both of them and so the cycle is not started. In my opinion it should go off when just one set of sensors goes of...more then likely if a cat is in the litter box it is doing its stuff and the box cycle should begin afterwards. Also why wait 15 seconds? I really don't think my cat sit in front of a sensor for that long. Most of the time they dont' set off the sensor...This is my main concern about the petmate product.
My second complaint is the rake (althugh very easy to remove) sometimes will cut rather then rake. In these situtaition I actually have to clean the unit.
Besides that the unit is quiter then the LM900, much easier to clean, and much frienlier when it comes tiem to dispose waste. Althouth the compartment size for waste is about the same for both units the bags that the petmate using are much easier to deal with & cheaper then the boxes that the LM900 uses. Also I find the Petmate product to hide odors better as the seal to the waste unit seems better.
No final verdict on which one is better yet....I am going to give both a fair try.

And while I dont have any gripes with the rake or anything, the sensors just plain dont work.

I saw some people talking about tech support (which is crazy for a litterbox) and I will be calling them first thing tomorrow morning.

Hopefully they can resolve it, otherwise back to the store it goes (always save the recipt)

One thing I noticed is that my box says "performa" while it seems like the newer ones are being called purrforma.

I will keep the group posted.

Yeah the sensors just stink. Both of the sensors have to be triggered for 15 seconds. If you want to test and see if they are working simply hold a long sheet of paper covering both sensors....in about 15seconds the light in the back should start flashing green, then depending on how you set the timer, it will go off in x minutes. If you think you would be better of with just one sensor simply cover one up with a post it (under the plastic lining). I tried this on mine and it still did not do the trick. IMHO it should it be an "OR" and not an "AND" for he sensors. If senorOne OR sensorTwo is set off (even for just 1 second) then it should trigger the rake to go off according to the timer. I wonder if they even tried this thing with real cats or if they just desinged it in autocad or something and sent it off to the factory. Although the litter made has a slighly older design, is noiser, and get dirtier faster...it is still better the the pet mate performa. I returned mine a week ago and am now using a littermaid LM900 with WBCL (worlds best cat litter).
Now if i could only train one of my cats to stop digging to the bottom...he enjoys clearing out the litter then going potty...then tossing stuff over his "leftovers". Oh well!

OH...one more note on the name...If you look at the videos they actually mention it as the PURRFORMA....however the box is labeled performa...i don't believe there is a New model of this unit..i don't think they have made any revisions...so its probably just a legal thing...i bet someone ones the name Purrforma.

You are right, you have to have both sensors covered for like 20 seconds...I have three kittens and there is no way they are going to be long enough to cover both sensors for that long...

I have heard so many bad things about the LM900 though, Im kinda concerned about what I am going to replace it with.

Looks like I am going to return the Purrforma, they really need to do some more testing before sending it out to the public....

The suggested covering one of the sets of sensors where the cats dont go.

I suggested that they give me a call (their address is about 45 min away from me) and look at changing the sensor from 15 seconds obscure to a half a second.

The logic behind this is that in a hooded box, if anything trips the sensors, chances are that it isint me or anything else but a cat. The thing is going to want to cycle anyway if a cat is in there, and there is no sense in a delay of 15 seconds.

I also think you are right to propse a OR switch as opposed to an AND switch. Many cats are too small to trip both (its a big box).

Finally, I did notice that the rake pushes some of the poo to the back of the box (the rake goes past the poo, but on the return pass pushes it back.

Not sure how to defeat that...any suggestions for the engineers?

be capable of making anything that work erreally well or an:evil: I'm really pissed! I've had Littermaids from their inception. The motors last nine to twelve months then die. I wouldn't even think of calling Littermaid for support. I bought the Litter Robot (cement mixer) and one of my two cats was terrified of the unit. Also, it is very hard to clean manually and the globe gets cover with urine and stinks. I sent the Robot back. I bought a LM900 and then two weeks later the Petmate Performa comes out. So I return the LM900 and bought the Performa at Pet Smart for $160. Like everyone else's experience here, the box seldom triggers and I have two cats. They enter the box, spin around once or twice, cover up, kick litter around and the box doesn't notice. I started with Swheat and then went back to Petco's brand of litter. The rake skims over the wet clumps and small terds are left behind. Now, to add insult to injury, the rake motor is dying! Cripes! It 's a really simple concept. No one seems to be capable of making anything that work really well or even, works at all, reliably. I am an engineer. I am serious considering creating an automatic litter box that really works. I would? make it programmable so that user feedback could be incorporated into its operation and then sent out to upgrade the unit. ?build in an ionizer to deodorize the litter that is not removed. ?dump the waste into a grocery store plastic bag so there is no need for proprietary supplies. Sure, we?ll sell you the litter box then keep you coming back for supplies. ?scrape the Teflon coated bottom clean. ?not use a bleepin? rake ?all at a fair price, etc, etc. Lookout guys! I?m going to put all of you out of business!

I did a cut and paste and the text was corrupted.

llofthou... When you make that perfect litter box, let me know... I'll be the first in line to buy it! LOL Meanwhile, I'll stick with my LR.

As far as your problems with the Litter Robot, maybe you were using the wrong type of litter or something.... cuz I've been using it for about 2 months now, and I don't have any problems with the globe smelling like urine. If I don't empty the drawer each day, it starts to smell... but the globe or litter itself never has any odor once I empty the drawer. No you can't manually clean it, but I wouldn't want to manually clean any litter box by hand.... YUCK! I always take mine outside and hose it off with soap and water, and the LR is very easy to clean that way.

You can actually use a grocery store bag in the LR drawer, or any type of trash bag... there's no proprietary supplies needed at all to maintain the LR. Of course there's always room for improvement with anything, but I think it's the best automated box on the market so far.

Hi Sage.... Right now I use Arm & Hammer UNSCENTED, and I also mix a lil regular baking soda into the litter each day.

I saw in one of your other posts you're using Swheat Scoop... I tried that and hated it. It stuck like gum all inside my Litter Robot. And I thought it smelled bad after the urine came in contact with it too.

I think all of the scented brands have a strong perfumey ammonia smell after they come into contact with cat urine... so I only buy the unscented brands now, and I have no odor at all...

I took mine back after 3 days and switched to the Omega Paws roll and sift. I have written many things about this box and the problems it has. I will simply leave it at 5 tails down for the not so Purrfect Petmate kitty box, and 5 tails up for the Omega Paws roll and sift.