Automatic Litterbox Central

I can't get my cat to go into the Litter-Robot. I think if I get him in there and he realizes the litter is there, he will probably use it, but so far no go. I have run out of ideas on what to do. I think it really has to do with the enclosed space. Anyone have experience with this or other thoughts?

I put a scoop of old cat litter on top of the new stuff, I even took some poo from the other cat and put it in there (they fought over a previous litter box, so I thought I could use that to my advantage). The other cat is inside/outside so generally goes outside and hasn't used the LR.

I have tried putting treats on the lip to entering.

I have tried putting cat nip there and inside.

I have tried that "Feliway" cat pheremone spray.

He other litter box (a Litter Maid) is filling up (it's unplugged), but he is still going in it.

I even tried removing the LitterMaid and the cat went to pee on the floor, so I returned it.

He has not been used to litter boxes with tops and I think it might be the enclosed space that is a problem.

I even tried picking him up and was going to try and put him inside, but he resisted strongly so I didn't want to force him.

He did see the litter robot cycle when we were first setting it up, but I don't think that is a problem cause he is used to his litter box making noises (we had a Litter Free with mixed success and a Litter Maid that he uses regularly). I have the Litter Robot unplugged, but am beginning to wonder if I should plug it in so he can watch it since he is used to litter boxes making noises?

I can tell that he hasn't set one foot inside the box.

He is curious about it sort of. He will stare at it. Sneak up to it and extend his head to look while keeping his distance, but won't get into it.

I really really really want to keep the LR and get him using it, but I am stuck and out of ideas on what to do. I wish I could take the top half of the globe off for a little while for him to get used to it without a top on it.


Help!! I am desperate!


B

One person posted that she put her cat in the box twice a day. She didn't expect a performance, just put her in it twice a day to get used to the idea. She said that worked.

The LR people suggest placing the box it came in over the unit and cutting a hole for the door. This is supposed to work off of the cat's natural "box curiosity" to get them to go inside.

You might try another version of this where you put the box over their existing litterbox.

Good luck.

Thanks for the reply. I thought about putting him in it, but he resists, like kick's his feet and trys to run while holding him.

The top on the the other box is a good idea.

B

We have three cats and it took a little time for them to figure out that the LR was a catbox. The baby-cat is super curious and brave, so she jumped into this new "toy" right away. She rolled around in it and thought it was fun. Our regular cat took a little longer. He is mildly curious about everything that the "little brat" (his words) does, so he sniffed around it after she got in. But, he wouldn't use it right away. Defecto-cat who is afraid of everything and thinks we're trying to kill him took the longest.

All in all, it took about two weeks for all three cats to get the hang of it. It took a little longer for us to be sure all three were using it. Maybe time will be your solution. We had some seriously gross litter boxes sitting out during the change over, too.

cas

If you try again with placing him inside it, make sure he's calm when you pick him up. Gently hold his front paws in one hand and his back paws in your other, supporting his weight in the crook of your arm.

For your cat, it may help to hold him up to the hole to look inside a few times, before you actually attempt to place him inside -- just hold him in front of the hole, give him a chance to look and sniff inside, and then let him down. After you do that a few times, he won't automatically start struggling when you pick him up and carry him towards the LR, and holding his feet as I suggested will alleviate the problem with him kicking.

I put him in today. I could tell he wanted to "back out". But once he got in he turned around and jumped out. I praised him after he came out. He was much less resistant this time. I will keep trying the putting him in the LR like this once or twice a day and see if he takes to it.

Thanks for all the suggestions.....

*keeping my fingers crossed*

I had similar difficulties with the LitterFree. I had full compliance from one cat, occasional compliance from another, and complete non-compliance from another. For the partially complaint, I found that the usual negative and positive reinforcement supplemented with cat treats worked wonders. The noncompliant however required taking to the box ~2 times a day, physically putting her in the box, and praising for a minute or so. She would of course immediately jump out, and sometimes she would run away, but she was getting the message. She finally got it and now seems to be using it regularly (no more surprise carpet packages or the smell of pee in the house for a while).

The noncompliant has always been skiddish of anything. Heck .. we've had her for ~11 years and she's just warming up to me. Even though we're talking about different boxes, I can only believe that they are both similar in their intimidation factor. From mine and others experiences there IS a breakthrough point. Unfortunately, YMMV and it can be frustrating. Good luck!

I kept putting Taz (short for Tazmanian Devil) in the box. He was really resistant sometimes and would generally hop right back out. Finally I think he had enough of the nasty (and I mean NASTY) other box and went in the LR. I immediately removed the other box (Littermaid) and put the new one in its place.

The LR is in a laundry room with a door on it, so I kept an eye on him and when he had to go, took him in there and sat with him with the door closed. The first time it took him about 30 minutes to finally use it. He eventually got to about 2 mins and now does it on his own. We had 1 poo accident early on, but it looks like he has taken to it good now. I am so glad.

I like the LR much more than the Littermaid and it is so much easier to deal with then the Litterfree which, who knows what is going on with that thing. Thanks to everyone who posted comments. It really helped.

B

That's great news. I'm glad he finally adjusted. Sometimes cats are too smart and stubborn for our good.

Let us know how things go from here.

cas

thanks for your posts, I hadn't seen anything recently about 'putting' or 'forcing' your cat into the LR so I did a search and this string came up. I have two cats and one immediately started using the LR but the other was really wigged out by it and wouldn't go near it. I tried everything - luring her with treats, she loves to chase laser pointers and wouldn't go within 10 feet of the thing, and even lined up all of her toy mouses in front of it but she would have nothing to do with it. After a few accidents my husband put her in there but she immediately jumped right out. I put out an additional litter box right near the LR but that even freaked her out. So, eventually I put a step stool right in front of the LR, put her on the step-stool and gave her a litte push on her rear to see if she would go in and she did. She turned around and I petted and praised her while she was in the LR. I did this several times a day for a few days and eventually removed the extra litter box and we've had no problems since. I did leave the step stool though and also unplugged the thing and ran it a few times a day for several days. So far so good.

Again, thanks for the posts - it helped me to not fear giving some encouragement in a more direct manner.