Automatic Litterbox Central

I'm a previous owner of littermaids, and while they work ok, they do suffer from the problems listed by many others...they are noisy, get stuck, make a mess, are a mess to try to clean, and have expensive waste containers. I even remember a time where I was trying to get containers from them for almost 3 months. Seemed they were having problems with their supplier in Hong Kong if I remember correctly. Still, it was better than the old methods in many ways.

The Litterfree seemed to offer the ideal solution...on paper, that is. Yet most users report that even if they get their cats to use it, it has a lot of problems. In fact, it sounds like more of a pain in the you know what than the Littermaid.

Litter Robot sounds like the best product on the market...at the moment. If you go to their website and look at the testimonials, there is at least one link to a magazine reviewer that compared the item to his Littermaid...favorably too.

What I think best sums it up is the classifieds. It is no surprise there are a lot of Littermaids for sale, new and used, as they have been around for many years now. Litterfree units and Litter Robots have been around for approximately 2 years, and while you can find Litterfree units for sale used (usually with an explanation that a cat refused to use it), there isn't a single Litter Robot available. Check ebay. I think I'm going to try the Litter Robot.

Comparing the number of classified articles is no indication of which cat box is better. That is a red herring.

Too many other variables go into the number of Littermaids/LitterFrees/LitterRobots in the Classifieds to conclude that it is simply a matter of "less classifieds listings=better product":

For example:
1) Littermaid has been available more widely and longer:therefore there are more littermaids in the world:therefore, all else being equal, there would be more available for resale

2) LitterRobot and LitterFree are very expensive units compared to the Littermaid: therefore, there is more of an incentive to return them to their company of origin for a refund or not purchase them: this could easily affect the number of units available for resale

3) LitterRobot is almost unheard of compared to the LitterMaid (available at most pet stores) and the LitterFree (advertised in all sorts of home automation catalogs): therefore (marketing students ) fewer know the product exists: therefore fewer people purchase the LitterRobot: therefore there are fewer available for resale

I know for a fact that LitterRobot is a small manufaturer. This is not a negative thing, but it does mean there are fewer units on the market and fewer available for resale. That may change if the product is a good product in its niche - we certainly hope that it is. That would solve a great deal of catbox issues for us and hopefully for our readers.

We are, as you all know, STILL WAITING for our unit's arrival for testing by the reviewer on this site. Harley, Shadow, and Lily stand at the ready - our brave cat volunteers.

Once this unit arrives, we will be doing a thorough review of the actual workings of the LitterRobot, as we have with the LitterFree: we know you guys need the real information about our experiences and we promise to provide them as soon as possible.

Please stay tuned and read the other reviews in the meantime on the Litter Robot - those seem to be more indepth than the "classifieds article" anyway.

While you have some valid points, you will notice that I pointed out a few of them myself in my post. To review and add a bit...

1) I know Littermaid has been around longer and they are everywhere
2) I am also aware that the other two are recent start-ups, and they are not identical in how they have been able to get their product into the mainstream.
3) Classifieds don't tell the only story, as the few Litterfree units available used are being snapped up at prices that compare to new

Truthfully, I based my decision on several factors...the first of which is that I KNOW the Littermaid, and it has not changed so I am not interested in getting another. I want better.

Therefore it was between the Litterfree and Litter Robot. I could not find a single review done by anyone other than customers. Add to that 75% of those found it not useable for one reason or another, and many had an absolute miserable experience in the process.

So that leaves the Litter Robot...which did have a magazine review comparing it to the writer's Littermaid favorably. Take that review any way you like, but almost all of the reviews (again by purchasers) I could find were positive.

Finally there is my experience, which includes almost 20 years of resale experience in general merchandise and antiques...the last 5 years online. The classifieds really do tell me a lot, and I do weight what they tell me with facts like those you mentioned in your reply.

I trust my instincts, and while I am a gambler by nature I usually make educated bets. I would bet money that when you receive your Litter Robot, as long as it is not a defective unit, you will find that it works better than the other two. Good luck and I will watch your forum to see the outcome.

The paragraph beginning with, "Therefore it was between the Litterfree and Litter Robot." goes on to talk about some specifics...

I forgot to mention I was referring to the Litterfree. Sorry.

Please, I am very sorry that you feel that I take issue with your decision, I don't. I think I was a little over-eager in my last post and I apologize.

Please read my other posts - I, personally, have had no luck with LitterFree (although many others had different experiences). As a matter of fact, we are now patiently awaiting the arrival of the LitterRobot for probably the same reasons you are. (There's the idea that the litter may just make this mechanized unit acceptable to the cats. We are hoping so.)

I think that you and I agree on most of the merits and problems with these various units. I just don't agree with using the number of classified ads or the Ebay listings as an indicator of these systems' merits. That's all. Altough, I shouldn't have said anything in hindsight.

So write and tell us what you think when you get your unit. (It does take a long time. You will be on a list for about six weeks or longer.) But, please get one. We're waiting to know more about it. Not too many people own them and so we don't have a lot of feedback: negative or positive.

Everyone is of course entitled to their opinion, and I am certainly not always right. I can take criticism...and my wife says I can dish it out too...lol.

I just would not put out the money for the Litterfree after seeing the reviews and looking at how it works.

I will tell you that you can probably get most of your money back on the Litterfree by listing it on ebay...even being totally honest in your description with why it did not work for you. That is if you haven't found a buyer already.

As for my Litter Robot order...I will be delaying it for a month or so, as I am presently in the caribbean attending medical school and don't think it is worth the bother to have it shipped out here for the few months I have left in school. I can order it and even with the back-order it should be there when I get home.

A mid-life change in career was in order, so all the pets have been enjoying the tropical sun for the last few years...but I think all of us will be glad to get back to the good old USA and things like a real vet and pet stores that have all the goodies.

Again, best of luck with your order and I'll be tuning in to see what happens.

Greetings fellow feline fans. Glad to have found you all here in this wonderfully informative forum. I've come in search of information about the LitterFree company, it's demise, and it's future. Glad to have found the most recent news from you all here, and thanks for renewing my faith.

On the subject at hand (LitterMaid vs. LitterFree): I am largely pleased with my LitterFree. I bought the unit for my two boys, Oscar & Oswald (two Seal-point Siamese, each under age 3 and under 10 lbs) about a year ago. The first one leaked fresh water from within the processing mechanism. I took it back right away (PetSmart), and they graciously exchanged it for the one that has been in service ever since.

The LitterMaid Mega that we had for the two-and-a-half years prior was just always a mess. The producers of that thing made a whole bunch of glorious claims that never panned out...if you'll pardon the pun. I got it before Oswald came around, and my little Oscar had no trouble filling up a waist container all by himself in as little as three days. In the process the rake was always pushing excess sand over the edges of the container and onto the floor. And, the rake was constantly getting gummed up. The process of cleaning the whole thing on a monthly basis was a real pain in the neck. The biggest problem with the design was that the boys, naturally, would kick the sand up onto the rake rails while they were digging. This sand would get cought up into the teeth, and ultimately caused the gear mechanism to break. That was the end of that.

Now, while I will add my suggestions for design improvements to the LitterFree (many of which have already been suggested), I am completely sold on it. So much so, that I've remodeled the boy's bathroom in my house to accomodate the permanant installation of the unit (hard-wired into the plumbing and electrical under the sink)! I'm anxious for them to implement the suggested design changes, and I'll be first in line to buy another.

Yes, the cleaning solution is a considerable expense, but was reordering three at a time from them until they disappeared. I'll be watching your postings for healthy alternatives. And, I simply sweep up the granuals every couple of days and put them back in the box, I've only replaced the granuals once in the last year.

Again, I say it has not been without it's familier glitches (noise, smell, and limitted schedule). But, for my money LitterFree is has been the smartest purchase I've made since I bought stock in Microsoft! Hey, how do I buy stock in LitterFree?

Thanks for inviting me to join,

Tom