Automatic Litterbox Central

We have had our litter robot for a few months, and my 5 kitties love it. I am thinking of getting another one to replace the Litter Maid. I am glad we bought it. It took a while for the kitties to get used to it.

wow... I am so surprised that LiterRobot is 1) still around and 2) so well liked!

I first purchased one of these... hmm... in 2000 I guess?

May have been the first or second run of them? I know that eventually after replacing the main board in the bot maybe 3 times, I spoke with someone who seemed to me may have been the owner? He was talking about sourcing the boards, parts problems, etc... turned out that the original design/ maybe just the supply run had not taken into account the ammonia etching into the board and killing it!

The thing was very cool, relatively easy to clean (at least compared to others on market at time)... but after having to fix it repeatedly... and having spent $300 for it... I was quite soured on it.

Eventually I pitched it into a dumpster, along with the half dozen replacement boards that I'd been sent by the company.

It was an interesting design... I guess I'm happy that it kept improving, but still bitter over having wasted so much money and time!

Later, I purchased Litter Maid which died a horrible stinky death... terrible thing to clean... now I'm into a Cat Genie. Anyway... just a comment on my experience with the thing.

wow... I am so surprised that LiterRobot is 1) still around and 2) so well liked!

I would hate to have your early experiences with the LR misinterpreted by other readers thus, will add some comments. I've had the LR for two plus years and have had no mechanical problems with it so far. Its one of the highest rated electronic litter boxes by Amazon buyers. So, there you go, things change particularly when the company developing a product is determined to get it right (not just screw people out of their money).

Hope the Cat Genie works out for you.

It sounds like the LR has come a long way -- with improvements and all.

I have a LR for about 1 1/2 years. Initially only one of my two cats used it; fast forward some months and now both cats are using the same LR -- which I am just loving!

I have nothing but great comments to say about the LR.

Barbara

LR 2 is working great for my 2 kitties.
I'm almost at 2 years.
I'm a huge fan.
This thing is a genius invention.
I think I'm about down to eight cents per scoop now.

It is one year since I purchased the LR for my two cats. ONLY one of them used it at first; however, after 4 or 5 months of the 2nd kitty "watching" the thing turn, move, etc. she decided to poke her head in and voila -- she's a devoted LR user now, too.

Not sure how far the LR would last, work for two cats I purchased another one (as a backup). I am happy to say I have NOT had to put that one into service.

I can relate to the previous poster's comments and history regard her experience in 2000 with the LR, I have had a similar experience with the Litter Maid. Purchased one for my daughter's 1 cat. Didn't even last a year - burned out. Company wasn't cooperative at all. Therefore, I bit the bullet and purchased a replacement Litter Maid (it was the only popular automated litter box out at the time). You guessed it -- didn't last a year!

So AFTER two expensive purchases, my daughter has reverted to "manual" labor when scooping out the litter box.

She's not in a position to afford to purchase a Litter Robot but I'm considering a gift of a LR for her/her two cats.

I think it is highway robbery by some of these companies when people spend GOOD $ and get "crappy" product (no pun intended -- with the word crappy )

earlyadopterrr wrote:wow... I am so surprised that LiterRobot is 1) still around and 2) so well liked!

The original LR wasn't a perfect design, that's for sure. The liner wasn't the best material and often started to leak where the weights were connected to it. The way it attached to the globe around the entrance was very weak and often leaked there. And what was just below it? Why just the sensitive circuit board that was crudely duct-taped to the inside of the base. The guts of the noisy motor were also exposed so a single drop of water could short the motor out, blowing a fuse that was (and probably still is) soldered right to the board. And it was tempting to aggressively clean the base because the corrugated shape (which gave it some strength) collected used cat litter until it stunk.

The amazing thing is the Pet Innovations actually fixed nearly all of the design problems with the LR2. The base was completely redesigned so that even I couldn't break it. They did make one mistake: they still put the circuit board in an unsealed compartment where urine can get to it.