Automatic Litterbox Central

I have one large fat and very lazy cat a long hair and he will not ever go in a litter box that takes work or has a cover. I wish LR would come out with a new model that somehow we can manually run it by putting a cover on it twice a day. The success rate without the enclosed area would be much higher!

When I got the LR, I was not patient enough to let my cats fill their old litter box until they couldn't stand it any longer and then, some sunshiny day in the future, magically start using the LR. When I got the LR, that was it -- other litter box out the door. And that worked for the cats and for me. Now, I do recall doing some experiments between the LR and the SF. Besides those experiments, and an informed decision to keep a box of crystals around for my male kitty who seemed to prefer two litter boxes to using one (one for pee, one for poop), the cats used the LR.

I have had one LR and five cats who have used it -- probably a sixth as well. Mostly they weren't grown before their introductions. None of them needed too much adaptation. Two of the kittens (and maybe the third) found it all on their own and used it immediately. I had one cat who wouldn't turn around in the globe and had a couple accidents on the step before he learned to turn.

I am not saying the cats have never had "accidents" at my house. There have been accidents but they don't turn into habits (at least as far as I know). The cats are retrained if their litter box habits begin to slip until they are back in the routine of using a litter box.

And, if I couldn't get them to use a new litter box, which ever brand, I would be sending that litter box back pronto and either trying another (and there are several very good electronic boxes out there) or going back to the old "me scoop" method. There have been dedicated people on this forum who have purchased electronic boxes, the Scoop Free, the LR, the Cat Genie and found that their cats simply would not use the litter box. Some of those folks gave up quickly -- one had cats who got into such bad habits of peeing in the house that the cats were isolated to a room with the litter box and never allowed to roam the house again. I don't like that last solution primarily because the person liked the electronic litter box he/she had better than the cats...

I hope the LR is working out better for your cats. My advice, if the LR doesn't work out, try something different.

Two of my cats are using it when the one litter box is too stinky. Today and yesterday were great LR days! That makes us happy. What we are looking for is habit of the cats using the LR....as I have said, if only the two youngest and smallest ones use it we will keep it. Our little girl..the Queen...Susie...has always had litter box issues and I can deal with one cat having that problem as I have for over ten years with her, but the big male who is the largest in the house despises a covered box and really doesn't care how dirty the litter is.

I DO feel like we are making progress though!!

Good to hear, Marilyn. Sounds like you may have found yourself a winner!

Wonder what the deal is with some cats NOT liking things over their head - like covered litter boxes? My older cat (she's 11) REFUSED to even look at the LR for months . . . and then one day, she decided to go inside the LR and has been using it ever since.

I did keep her regular litter box for a while, but noticed she wasn't even disturbing the litter (which was raked smooth every day so I could tell). Once I was sure she was happily and consistently using the LR -- I removed the other litter box.

Hope you continue to have success with your multi-cat household using the LR also.

I do think that updating and letting others know about how it's going is helpful. I know it has been to me.
I had to change the one litter box...as soon as that is clean the two boys start using it again...when it's dirty they are using the LR. Yesterday nothing in it....but days before I had to clean the drawer.

I did find that putting a little cat nip on the rubber lip and the step entices them to come over and look in and makes it "user friendly". They keep looking to see if theres more catnip and then I think they climb in and do what's natural.

Right now we are hopeful that before the 90 days are up, the two boys will be more consistent in using it....if the other two never do, I'm fine with that as I have said.

REALLY important good thing to know is....no odor in the house anymore and the bathroom is so much cleaner now! No litter flying everywhere...well, maybe a little, but not much.

Marilyn

New Update.

Because of Thanksgiving and house guests and 12 people for dinner, we had to put out one clean litter box so as not to gross out those using our guest bath which IS the only bathroom we can keep the litter boxes in. So getting a clean litter box all four cats decided WOW and went back to using the litter box.

Now it is filthy again and the funniest thing is I caught my littlest boy using the litter box despite it being so dirty....he put his two front paws on the floor, one rear paw on the ledge of the box and only one paw actually was IN the litter box. Too funny! Anyway, after that both boys went back to the LR and last night and this morning I found their evidence. The LR is still not cycling itself and I need to reset the step for them so it will go. I turn it on morning and night right now and that seems to be fine.

Still have one more month of testing it out....if they are good in two weeks, I'm keeping it.

Marilyn