Automatic Litterbox Central

Thank you very much. Yes: cleaning is easy. It's larger than a typical litter box and allows for a deeper layer of litter, so that calls for a different kind of "scoop." I am hoping to be able to package it with (or offer as a separate purchase) a larger, sturdier, metal "shovel" than you'd find in stores now. No more scooping with a tiny little thing with a 4-inch handle that strains under the weight of the litter and waste. It's all about efficiency, really. I'd like for people to buy it once and never look back... never have to replace anything.

Thanks so much for the compliment. As an inventor, I've been a little surprised how difficult it is to get something from my head to store shelves! I'm working on it, though!

dfs1 wrote:Thank you very much. Yes: cleaning is easy. It's larger than a typical litter box and allows for a deeper layer of litter, so that calls for a different kind of "scoop." I am hoping to be able to package it with (or offer as a separate purchase) a larger, sturdier, metal "shovel" than you'd find in stores now. No more scooping with a tiny little thing with a 4-inch handle that strains under the weight of the litter and waste. It's all about efficiency, really. I'd like for people to buy it once and never look back... never have to replace anything.

Thanks so much for the compliment. As an inventor, I've been a little surprised how difficult it is to get something from my head to store shelves! I'm working on it, though!

You've pretty much described the "Litter Lifter" scoop which can be found at PetSmart or online. Except it's not metal, but it's very big and very sturdy. Believe it or not, it makes cleaning a regular litter box A LOT easier.

I've seen it and have had one. It's definitely one of the better scoops for indoor boxes, I'll say that. I'm also going to say, though: I'd love to talk to them or any manufacturer about scoops and opening the door (pun intended) to the litter box market.

There's something bigger on the other side of the wall!

Thanks to everyone showing interest. There are a fast-growing number of you out there!

David

OutdoorLitterbox@gmail.com

This is an interesting idea. However I can see two problems with it... First, not really a problem with the box but if it is not cleaned as often some cats will balk at using it. I bought my cat a Littermaid because if the litterbox is not cleaned VERY often my cat will start to use the floor as a litterbox.
Second, I live in Chicago where it is below freezing all winter and often gets below zero. I can't see my cat going "outside" in below zero weather to use a litterbox. I think she'd be very likely to just find a good spot on the floor, again..

I grew up in the Midwest, so I know what you are talking. But... every cat I've ever owned has this amazing fur coat! They love the cold--especially when they can go out into it, safely, and return to the warmth of the house.

As for the cleaning issue: It's true that every litter box needs to be cleaned. If you don't dump the storage containers on the automatic boxes, then you have problems, too. The perfect marriage might be the Outdoor Litterbox for Indoor Cats with an automatic scooping function. I have a good idea for it if one of the auto-scoop manufacturers wants to consider it.

Thanks for looking and for writing.

David

I have used a littermaid cat box for several years which has recently broke down. Having to use a "normal" litter box has reminded me how much of a hassle this is, so I was online looking at the new advances in automatic litter boxes and found your site. I found your outdoor litterbox which is very ingenous. I wondered how often you have to clean yours and what cleaning consists of? Going outside once a week to dump the litterbox would not be a big deal to me if it can be done very quickly and easily. Does the lid open easily from outside and you lift and dump the contents of the litterbox into a garbage bag? We don't get a lot of snow where we live in CT but do occasionally and being close to the water can get a lot of ice. I wondered about the difficulties of getting in and out of the box. I wish my cats didn't go outside but one of them thinks he's a dog and wants to go outside to use the sandy beach as a bathroom. Your invention sounds like a good solution to keeping him inside.

I also was also thinking of another possible application for your "tunnel". Many people like myself have dogs and cats that go outside. Dogs, especially older ones like my lab can have difficulty waiting to go outside until we get home from work. Since she is restricted to the yard, a door is a great solution. I have had several pet doors even buying some of the best I could find and they all have issues with letting in cold air. A tunnel extension with flaps for a dog or cat door would be a great way to reduce the heat loss and allow pets to go in and out. I would think this might be a fairly extensive market. You gave me the idea to try and add something for my dog. The problem I see would be in finding a tunnel material that would be big enough for her to go through. Thoughts on this?

We currently have three cats in the house, using two Outdoor Litterboxes. I usually clean twice a week, although one of the boxes is less used and probably doesn't need cleaning that often. The boxes do open from the outside and cleaning, for me, consists of a couple of minutes of scooping with a larger "hand shovel" with slots and holes in it. Since the boxes are larger and deeper than a typical litter box, there's more litter for the cats to use. That does mean there's more to scoop, of course... but it can be done less frequently. The final version will be easily detachable from the tunnel by the owner so you could unhook it, dump the contents, and refill it with fresh litter rather than shoveling/scooping.

Addressing your question about your dog... it's difficult to find the corrugated accordion plastic in larger sizes. It's nearly impossible to find it in a rectangular shape which would adapt for your use. It would be tough for me without seeing it to come up with a good alternative since that might be affected by the size of the door and dog, as well as the height of the door above grade. The solution probably depends on how much of your problem is due to wind or air flow vs. the simple fact that it's cold outside.

I would probably build some sort of tunnel or wind break around the exterior of the pet door using stacked bricks and/or wood (or Trex) and see if that reduces the problem. Obviously, you have to be careful that it's sturdy enough that the dog can't just bump it and cause it to collapse. If it's secure enough, though, that'll give you some protection from the air flow outside. Before that, I'd probably try to find a pretty heavy-duty box and cut a hole in it to use as a trial run just to see if it helps. You might need to "weatherize" it somehow... or just use a plastic box or plastic panels that are adapted. I'm seeing more double-paned, insulated pet doors these days, too. Some of them look like they'd be much better than the typical pet door in terms of insulation.

I hope that helps. Thanks for the encouragement regarding The Outdoor Litterbox.

David
http://www.outdoorlitterbox.com