Automatic Litterbox Central

I curently have one littermaid have to clean it twice a day with my four babies. That was until it croaked last week after one and a half years. NEVER BUY A LITTERMAID you come in contact with more poop from cleaning the rake than you ever would from scooping an old fashion box.

I want to buy a Litter Robot, as I am a college student, it will take me quite a while to save up the money. Is it worth it. Can one Robot handle this many cats? What litter works? I use Fresh Step in the big white 28 lb. tub. Should I get a small screen or a large screen. Is it noisier than a littermaid?



Waskal - grey male 18 pounds
Willow - grey female (Waskal's twin) (Obsessive Digger) 16 pounds
Blessed - white simanese male 10 pound
Arie - Orange male 12 pounds

If you have a multi-cat family, please share opinions.

It can handle you cats, but you may have to empty the drawer each day. That isn't a huge task...A LOT better than scooping.

It is noisy, but I never owned a LM, so I don't know if it is noisier.

Thanks cas, once a day isn't a problem. Where did you purchase yours from? Can you purchase than from a cheaper sourse than the manufacturer's website?

I don't think that LR has any distribution. In other words, I think that they are the only source other than E-bay. They do have refurbished models that they sell for less. They sometimes have a waiting list for these, but the savings may be worth the weight. I'd call and if you have any problems talk to Lauren, their super, awesome, tech-support goddess.

Carrie

Speaking as a multiple cat owner and former LitterMaid whipping-girl, I'll give you my opinion. First the noise issue. I had 2 LitterMaids that kept up with my 6 cats for a couple years. After our youngest, Mo, came to live with us last September, the LM got considerably louder. He like to pile up the litter in a corner and then pee right on it. He also somehow avoided setting the timer. I used Arm & Hammer, which clumps pretty hard. So by the time someone else set it to run, the poor motor had to break lose and then push the huge pile. That constant strain on the motors really made them get louder... until they both finally died. The Robot was as loud as the two LMs combined to start with, but seems to have quieted. A "broken-in" motor can seem quieter than a new one. I also got a feel for how much litter to keep in it, and now I use a lot less. The decreased weight of the smaller amount of litter can also help explain the noise decrease. In a nutshell, if you can deal with the noise of a LitterMaid, then you can deal with the Litter Robot.

As far as the number of cats, my 'Bot keeps up just fine with my 6 cats. I change it every day, and that takes about a minute. WAY better than the time I used to spend with my "best friend" the LitterMaid. There is enough room in the drawer for 2 days worth of waste, but it tends to collect more on one side, so emptying it every day works best for me.

I understand what it's like to be a college student... and this thing would've been great for me in college. It would've been a stretch financially, but the time I could've saved would have made it worth it. The LR also uses much less litter (= less $$), and you can get away with using the cheapest clumping litter you can find. (The LitterMaid tended to work best for me with the more expensive kinds.) I'd recommend the small screen size if you're going to stick with clumping litter. The cheaper clumping stuff sometimes breaks up into smaller pieces (like those little bits the LM left behind) and the small screen will sift those out.

OK. Enough typing. Good luck in school and with the fur-babies!

--Kelly, Church, Polly, Mr. Jinx, Andi, Ella, and Mo

We recommend one Litter Robot for every 3 - 4 indoor cats.

As for the noise, We're always trying to make it quieter, but I'd compare it to a cordless screwdriver or electric toothbrush when it's running. Mine's on a tile floor, and I found that putting it on a rug keeps the sound from bouncing.

By the way, the list for reconditioned units has gotten very long. I will make a separate posting about this, but it's taking 2 - 3 months to get one at the present time.

Noise was a concern based on many posts here. I have mine in a basement bathroom (I live in a 3 story townhouse). I have not heard the Robot at all. At first I thought it wasn't working but I verified that waste was in the drawer the next morning that was not there the night before.

Posters here have suggested using a timer to control when the Robot runs a cycle.

Hope it helps,
Gary

Yes, but with 4 cats, robot fills up to overflow very, very fast. For best results is to empty the drawer each night to a separate litter locker to make fewer trips to the garbage cans. I had 4 cats, now have 6, and the robot seems to do well with 2-3 cats per robot, but 1-2 is better of course. So more robots, or keep a separate litter locker on the side there and empty the drawer as often as you can possibly into that, and avoid overflow, which can bring major trouble. I made a big litter lock from an old litter container, lined it with plastic bags, and close it tightly to control odor, etc. but they do sell this item at pet supplies.
hope that helps.