Automatic Litterbox Central

After browsing this forum and comments from LR folks via email, below are some suggestions I've come across:

1) Keep the LR in the box with holes cut out (per manual).
2) Don't let them see it operate (keep unplugged) until they are steadily using it.
3) Play with them and pet them near the LR so they get used to it.
4) Praise and give them treats (turkey baby food is good) when they go near it or use it.
5) Build a ramp for unathletic cats.
6) Keep the drawer clean so the smell doesn't keep them away.
7) Keep small amount of baking soda (silica crystals?) in the drawer to absorb moisture and odors in the drawer.
8) Use Cat Attract brand litter. ?
9) Spray Feliway on the back of the inside of the globe. ?
10) Have a Feliway diffuser in the room with the LR. ?

Any other suggestions? (Anyone have any experience with trying Feliway or Cat Attract?)

I haven't tried it myself, but over in the LitterFree board someone reported having success with spraying catnip inside to attract the kitty.

Keep old box around and let it get dirty. With many cats, this forces the issue and they choose the LitterRobot b/c it's cleaner.

I know most cats are curious (most -- Molly isn't), but there have been more than a few comments about cats backing away when the 'bot rocks the first time they approach.

Putting something (I used a scrap piece of 2x2 lumber) under the front edge to stop the 'bot from rocking at first helps alot. It let my slightly skittish cat get used to using the 'bot, and once she was using iit I removed the wood and everything is perfect.

-- Lynn

Sorry to sound stupid but what is feliway? It says spray back of globe with it and gey a diffuser. It was in the 1st posting. I am so worried that after spending this much money my cats wont use it. I am using my tax refund to buy one. I ordered it today. My cats use a regular litterbox now it's not enclosed and I use regular Fresh Step Cat Litter. I will keep it unplugged till I know there using it and I too may spray some catnip in there. Now I am worried and so sure I should've spent that much money. But after reading all the reviews here it seemed way better then the Litter Maid and any others. And if all you people on here have it and like it and some have more than one I am game on trying it. I came across this board by accident while surfing to find out about the Litter Robot which I saw in a cat Fancy magazine. There forums led me here.

Wish me luck!! I should have mine next week sometime. Rose

Feliway is a spray that has a scent that is supposed to calm the cat.

We got the cats used to the LR in the following manner: 1) keep old LB out and let it get gross; 2) cats eventually chose clean LR over gross box; 3) we only ran the box when we came home until the cats were used to it (we didn't want to spook them.

Lots of people have used treats. Some have used a litter called Cat-Attract. Your animals may take to it right away. If not, just read the forum for advise on the many ways people have coaxed their animals into using it.

The manual also has directions to adjust the sensor manually, so you can keep the litter robot from tilting so much and spooking the cat.

Also, talking to you cat and petting them, especially while it is running will let them know that the noise is not of any concern.

An hour after arrival and set up- Sebastian hopped right on in to chase down his favorite twist toy.... but I didn't fill it with litter until he was hopping in and out without pause to play fetch. I'm sure he thought I was strange... but hey! whatever works!

Then I put the litter in and closed off his access to his litterbox. 6 hours later after MUCH yeowling to get at the litterbox he reluctantly accepted the litter robot rather than eliminate in a place that he knows he's not allowed to eliminate in. (GOOD BOY!)

Piece of cake. But he's obsessed with twist ties- so getting him in the first time wasn't hard... and once he'd been in and out a couple of times without the litter- he was accepting that he could use that for a bathroom space. YAY!

I saw this in a thread about cats that pee out the entrance, and thought it was worth adding to the sticky thread.

From dplearn:

Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2004 4:28 pm
Post subject: Solution to peeing (and kicking litter) out the entrance.

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I also had problems with urine on the entrance and leaking down through the front ledge and then down under the bag. I finally spotted one of my cats enter and then not turn around while peeing with her tail sticking out the entrance. Looks like others here have the same problem. Once this started happening it became more and more frequent. It certainly makes for a messy and smelly cleanup.

I have a solution that worked for me. I used box tape and created an internal "ledge." After cleaning the interior entrance way with wipes and drying it carefully, just stretch a length of tape (with the sticky side facing out) across the INSIDE ledge. It sticks there nicely so it will form a firm 1 - 1.5 inch lip barrier. Next, since I used clear tape, I stuck a piece of white paper on the sticky side so my cats could easily see that there was something new there. Finally, I stretched another length of tape across the sticky side and along the bottom ledge to keep hair or anything from attaching to the first piece of tape and also to anchor the tape a bit more and keep it well attached.

It's been 2 weeks now and the problem is gone! I thought my cats might tear it down (they could if they wanted to) but they just jump in over it. I also thought they might try to pee over (or all over) it, but nope. They also used to kick a fair bit of litter out every once in a while but that has stopped as well. The tape remains intact and unsprayed upon.

I also used to have the problem with one of them spraying into the waste ports (and therefore under the bag), but for some reason this has stopped as well. (I have my fingers crossed.)

Hope this helps others it certainly worked great for me! Good luck!

Also decided to add a link to my post on general litter box tips:

viewtopic.php?t=402

Feliway is a phermone spray to help control urine marking and stress in cats. It's concept is that it contains the facial phermones (like when cats "mark" with their cheeks) and that cats won't spray where they have previously marked with their cheeks. It also calms the cat. I have used both the spray and the diffuser. My first thought was not to use it where you want them to go in the litterbox because of the application to stop urine marking (which is different from urinating in the wrong spot). But after my cats started using the rug directly under my diffuser, I can see as it might have a litterbox use... Before I would try the Feliway in the litterbox area though, I would try the "Cat Attract" product as it is specifically for this purpose. It has worked for several cats I know.

PS. I've only had my Litter-Robot for a few days and I am impressed so far. I've read the suggestions about bigger waste receptacles and making adjustments and would like to comment. I plan on emptying my drawer daily or every other day. The concept of the self cleaning box is to give the cats a clean box everytime so there is less chance of litterbox problems (not neccesarily to give us total freedom from litterbox chores). Although I would like to ignore the litterbox for weeks at a time and have the waste "magically" disappear, realistically it's not going to happen. I have several cats and I would much rather empty a drawer once a day than repeatedly clean my carpets and think about actually removing the carpet in one room (which I will have to do at some point).

I speak from considerable experience as the Litter-Robot I just splurged on sits beside a LitterFree (which is not being used by the cats since the addition) and a Tres-Chic system and a WonderBox full of Crystals. These have all been attempts to make less work of the littrerbox for myself, when I should have been focusing on making less work for the cats. It must have been hard for my cats to constantly find new places to "go". We may not clean our litterboxes everyday, but the cats know we will clean the carpet when accidents happen... I finally figured out it was easier to provide a clean litterbox daily than it was to provide freshly shampooed carpeting...

We have a little scaredy cat who adapted to the LR in about 15 minutes.

I took away the old box. He was good about using it, and so after the panic abated, he searched for it and found it:

In front of the LR, but full of pop bottles and old catalogs, but the litter itself:

was in the LR.

I practically saw the dots connecting in his little head, and with me standing by to reassure him, he converted then and there.

It helps that we didn't set it on automatic, by the time he actually saw it doing its thing, the LR was firmly established as a good thing in his mind.

This is a cat who wouldn't come in the living room for two weeks after we redecorated...

I went to the litter robot website the other day and it said it has been temporarily suspended.. I was about one month over my 18 month warranty.. My screen inside had been messed up for a few months.. The screen was pulled out to far and I just would push it back as best I could. Then here lately there clumps would go right down in with the clean litter because the screen stuck out too far that the clumps would come right back in the box and not in the drawer..

I called LR company and she said oh your about a month over your warranty but will send you a refurbished globe just the top part. She said refubished as in someone had one and returned within 30 days. She asked If I had Kitty Guards and said that made a diffence on which one she sent me. She also said this new one would be a little differen't looking and that it had a differen't screen they were using now. This is black instead of the silver metal.. Anyway it works fine and the clumps now go into the drawer like it's suppose to. They told me to just throw my old one out which I haven't done yet. But the new one the 2 holes on the side are not covered up like my old one. I thought the kitty guard thing covered the 2 holes on the side. But this one doesn't. So I am wondering if they sent me the wrong one. She told me on the phone they had 2 differen't ones and that is why she asked me If mine had the kitty guard thing or not. I remember people saying they used to cost extra and when I bought mine they started coming with the LR. Anyway so I went to there website to look up there phone number and that's when It said the domain is temporarily suspended. Anyway have there phone number? It's been so long since I bought mine I don't even know where my book or anything is.


Sorry I am editing but now there website is back up and I have there number. Will call tomorrow. Anyone else have the new box with the black screen? Does the holes on the side go down and are they covered by the guard on the side?


Thanks, Rose

The globe you described is exactly like mine is- and I have the kitty guards too. Works fine, no problems. I think this was just a design improvement to help stop those really acrobatic "pee-ers" from aiming for the holes when they were lower.

They sent me a new globe with the newer screen.. The Globe was remade to where the square holes are at the top now.. On my old Globe they were at the bottom and the kitty guards covered them up. Now you can see through the holes but there up higher so it's ok. At 1st I was confused thinking they sent me the wrong one. But I finally spoke to someone who had read my post on here from the company. There website was down for a day all is ok now. She said mine was the newer globe they didn't have anymore like my 1st one but the screen IS better on this one.. So far it works great.. She also said the newer models have it to were the holes are close and they open while spinning.

But my old screen was so messed up and sticking out so far that it wasn't catching just the good clean litter and there clumps were staying in the box and not going into the drawer. But now all is good and I recommend the litter robot to everyone I know. Rose