Automatic Litterbox Central

Hi There,

I was considering purchasing LitterFree, but after reading various reviews, I am more in favour of the Litter-Robot and I am very much looking forward to hearing Jeff's personal review.

During my internet travels I came across another product called KittySuite, found at http://www.kittysuite.com

Any comments on this would be very much appreciated.

I am also looking for something I can use in my car... long story, but the bottom line is that I have a car-loving cat who refuses to let me leave home without him! He has a cat box set up in the back of my Rav 4... I KNOW, I KNOW... I love my cat, what can I say!!!! I am looking for a cat box that will still help me keep my friends though, so any suggestions would be very welcome.

I also found a very interesting and disturbing article on clumping cat litter, it can be found here: http://www.sonic.net/~marina/articles/clump.html

Only after reading the article did I realise that my cat had demonstrated similar reactions on the odd occasion I had used clumping litter. A very worthwhile article and I for one, will not use it again.

Kind Regards,
Angela

The Kittysuite looks interesting but not energy-efficient. I'll look into it more later, as time permits.

Keep in mind that not all clumping litters are the same. I have seen problems with some of them, especially with kittens. For acceptable results with something like the Litter Robot or LitterMaid, you must use clumping litter.

I have had very good results with the Petco house brand, Pet Gold Plus. It is available in 30-lb plastic buckets that you can refill yourself to save a few dollars. It is definitely not the cheapest clumping litter available, but it works better than the other clumping clay litters I have tried. It does not seem to be a problem for kittens, either.

If you are still concerned about clumping clay litter, I suggest you try http://www.worldsbestcatlitter.com/ World's Best Cat Litter. It is a corn product, still good at clumping and hiding odors. I have heard that it works well in both the Robot and the Maid, although I haven't tried it in an automatic box yet. It's available online and in Whole Foods stores. I really like the stuff, and look forward to testing it in the Litter Robot soon.

Regards,

Jeff

Hmmm....it looked pretty energy efficient to me. Looks similar to a computer fan, and at $2.00/year to operate...not bad. But otherwise it is like adding an exhaust fan to your bathroom if you didn't have one already.

Still doesn't get rid of the need to clean your litterbox every day. While you may not smell the box as much because it is being exhausted outside, cats will still refuse to use it if it gets nasty inside. I really want a litterbox that is less work. I too am waiting for Jeff's review of the Litter Robot.

I was pleased to read on the litter-robot website that one can use a variety of litters, including the pearls/beads which I like very much. They say:

Q: Does Litter-Robot™ need special litter?
A: No, in fact Litter-Robot™ works fine with all clay-based clumping litters and also works with a variety of litter alternatives including litter beads and pearls. Litters that do not work are the strictly absorbent clay-based, non-clumping litters.

Keep in mind that they also mentioned there are two different sifters that are available inside the Litter Robot, depending on which type of litter you plan to use. If you can't find that info on the site just call and ask them.

Also, they mention when using those crystals it necessitates an actual litter change after a period of time elapses, as the crystals will absorb urine and yet remain in the unit and not be sifted out.

With clumping type litters the feces is removed AND the clumps that have absorbed urine...leaving behind only clean litter. This allows you to just keep adding small amounts of litter to keep the levels up, and never actually requiring a change of the litter still in the unit.

md2b01 wrote:Hmmm....it looked pretty energy efficient to me. Looks similar to a computer fan, and at $2.00/year to operate...not bad. But otherwise it is like adding an exhaust fan to your bathroom if you didn't have one already.

SInce it vents to the outside, you are losing heating/cooling air. It would be especially bad if you have a drafty house. With a bathroom fan, the vents are closed when the fan is not running. This thing runs all the time. My $0.02.

Regards,

Jeff

You have a point Jeff, though it looks to be a 2 inch or less outlet, and with a constant fan it should not allow cold air in...rather, some of your warm air goes out (to be drawn in from some other point)

Truthfully, it has been a battle for years between the desire to totally insulate a house, and the need for a house to breathe, even in winter. It is not good for a house to be a totally closed air system...even if it is for 6 months at a time. Speaking from a medical standpoint that is.

Of course, not too many folks have to worry about being over-insulated.....lol. Hey, your two cents, my pennies...can we buy anything yet?...lol

Why not make your own version of the Kitty Suite? Just go to Home Depot, buy PVC piping that would fit whatever vent configuration you want, cut a hole in your hooded litter box, then install fan and PVC pipe to vent the smell outside. This would be a cheap alternative to buying another litter box, and I'm thinking of trying it out while I pinch pennies for a Litter Robot.

What you would need (most likely):

1. PVC pipe (Home Depot)
2. Small size computer fan (80mm or something, try Altex or http://www.newegg.com)
3. Battery holder (Radio Shack)
4. Lexan / plastic to make a panel for exit gases, seals up spot under open window (Home Depot)
5. Weather stripping to seal up the window (Home Depot)
6. Paint to make the pipes look pretty (Home Depot)

I'm guessing something like this would cost you about $20 or less to make, even if you want to run pipe all over a room. You could vary the speed on the fan with different voltages based on your battery setup (most computer fans are 12V, but will operate down to 7V) so that your cat(s) aren't disturbed by fan noise, and you could probably substitute an AC fan and rheostat so that you don't have to deal with batteries. Dryer hose might work too, if you don't need the stiff structure of the PVC pipe and don't mind limp flex hose running around your floor.

Just an idea... I'll post pics and a how-to if I ever do this myself. I just can't afford another expensive litter box right now, so this might be a cheap stink eliminating alternative for me.

If you use an AC fan instead of a DC fan, it would be simpler. You can get them from most electronics distributors (i.e. Digi-Key, Mouser, Allied Electronics, maybe even Radio Shack -- all of them have web sites.) A 120V fan can be wired directly into your house electrics. If you're not used to working with high voltages, get a 12V or 24V fan and a power supply from Radio Shack. If you want super-high suction, you could always just get one of the Nutone bathroom vent fans. They cost around $15 and plug directly into an AC line, but they're noisy and probably move way too much air. Over 20cfm (cubic feet per minute) is probably overkill for this type of application.

That's why I was thinking a small computer fan, AC or DC- they come in both flavors. Anything noisy would scare the cat(s) away, so I would want to build something completely silent. I don't think any cat wants to use a litter box in the middle of a noisy tornado.



Maybe the fan could be DC and recharge during the day with solar power? I wonder how much power you could generate with a solar panel, and if it could supply enough juice to recharge batteries while the fan is running during the day, and leave enough to keep it running all night. The idea is to pipe the thing outside anyway, and a window or an outside wall is a perfect place to mount solar panels. Generating a steady stream around 2-3 watts with solar power might be a little cost prohibitive though.