Automatic Litterbox Central

Hello all, My wife and I have been monitoring the site reading all of your posts, and we are very much considering the purchase of the Litter Robot. We will have a total of 3 cats come Sun. 7/6/03, and my wife wants a no cat smelling home. I have tried the littermaid before and, like most everyone else, Hated it. I was wondering if some of you that do have the Litter Robot now, would post some of your true dislikes about it. You know the ones that you don't find out about till you have had it awhile. Like the urine clumps that don't hold together that some parts stay in the container with the rest of the litter and still smell. Or if the clumps are not hard enough and start to stick to things inside the unit which forces you to clean more often than what is eluded to by the manufacture. Things like this. I know when I had the litter maid, my two cats (different ones at that time) would urinate on the sides of the unit which of course would prevent the unit from cleaning it off. I know that was the cats problem not the unit itself. But what if the cats urinate on the inside wall of the Litter Robot and it drains down the side to the litter. Anyway thanks in advance for you comments, it will really help us know what we are getting into.

Michael and Lisa.

Here's my list:

1) Jeff & I are having trouble with the circuit board (perhaps). The bot gets stuck in the non-useable position. We have a little work around called unplugging and plugging back in. We have had our first kitty mess related to this issue this week - not a big deal, really. A working unit should not have this problem.

2) Lazy LR owners cause another problem. This whole site and everything related to it are products of our laziness. With four cats we need to empty the bot twice weekly. If we don't, it gets "yuck" smeared on the dome's outside. It is easy enough to clean up, but if we weren't so lazy there'd be no problem. Of course, an even larger drawer would allow us maximum laziness. hmmm.

3) Smell. It can smell a little if it is not emptied periodically or if it gets stuck in a weird position where the waste ports remain open. Even then, it isn't as bad as the normal litter box situation. I've put those glade plugins around the area and I consider us to be 99% smell free.

Honestly, that's it.

Positives:

The cats adjusted easily, unlike our LitterFree experiment. We are watching a cat for someone and even he adjusted easily (once it stopped being attacked by our brats). This cat is 15 lbs. - over the advertised limit - and he is using it fine. The larger cats can adjust by sticking their heads out while using. It may not work in all situations, but it has worked for us.

Litter duty is much improved. It smells when you open the drawer, but its nothing like the extended exposure of scooping.

The cats really enjoy the clean box.

Improvements we've made:

We make sure to change the litter in the bot more regularly. That decreases smell, because even the "clean litter" get contaminated if it goes through the process for too long. You'll have to figure out your limits in this area.

We have the corn litter on order. We think it will make smaller amounts of waste and allow us to go one full week without empting the drawer. (Four cats, mind you.)

We have it in a closet and put a carpet in there to trap litter. We also put an "L"-shaped piece of rubber to contain litter in the closet. Tracking is a problem that is not improved by this unit and you'll need to figure out your own solutions.

Clay litter is messy and muddy. The unit is easy enough to clean - it just takes doing. So, the clay litter can make the process a little messier. Another reason to test the corn.

The LR is not the Rosetta Stone of litter boxes. You'll still have work to do. However, our house smells better and we are able to ignore the box most of the time. This little luxury is worth it to us.

We get to ignore the box for the week and not smell it or look at it. Then we have to address cleaning and dumping. I'd say the workload is the same, but the process is much more pleasant. It's really a big improvement.

So we now empty and clean if necessary on the night before trash day. Then we put everything back together and ignore it for a week. That's the cycle. I'm sure you'll have to clean yours every once in awhile to take care of errant pee.

I liken any struggle (minus the problem with the circuit board) to the dishwasher. It is a great work-saver, but you still have to rinse dishes, put them into the unit, turn it on, and empty it. You aren't saved from work - the work is just more pleasant.

I hope that answers your questions. If you think of anything else, let me know.

Cas, may I ask why you haven't sent the unit back for repair or replacement? Just wondering since you've been having the trouble for awhile now...your reviews with the mechanical problems did make me a bit leary about trying one but now that I have one I'm so glad I did! Maybe you should give them the chance to fix it. Hope this doesn't make you mad--I'm just curious!

Here is my opinion after having it about a week and a half. (I have two cats).

They both took to using it pretty quickly although the older one took a few days longer. The younger kitty with improper urination problems took to it immediately, even with the old litterbox sitting out. She likes her box spotless and there was no way for me to keep it that way prior to this, so she would use my bathroom rug. YECH! There is no way I'm ever giving up my LR now. LOL

I have the larger screen size and so far have noticed no extra clumps falling through it. The litter that is in it still looks spotlessly clean. One of my cats used to miss the box going #2 and since this is inclosed and they both go with their heads sticking out that is no longer a problem. I wouldn't think it would really be possible for them to pee on the sides due to the shape. But even if they did, it would run down the rubber like lining into the litter anyway. So far I have seen nothing stick to the interior due to the way it is made. When it is completely upsidedown the rubber like lining which is where the litter sits, "falls" and would knock anything that was sticking to it out the waste ports. (Sorry it's a bit hard to explain)

So far emptying the drawer once a week is good enough for us. (Again, we only have 2 cats.) I haven't had any smells (like with the regular box or the UGGGHHH Littermaid.)

I didn't mind the Littermaid other than the extra work it took to keep the rake clean and the extra urine clumps it left everywhere. (Well, and the fact that it died a year after we got it and we had to toss it.) But the LR so far has been WAYYYYY better. Much less maintenance in keeping it clean than there was with the Litter Maid. And you don't have to buy the goofy boxes that spill everytime you try to change them and smell awful when they get too full. (Ok, so maybe I DID mind the Litter Maid LOL) I have done nothing except change the bag in the drawer once since I got it and it looks the same as the day I put the litter in. There is nothing sticking to the sides or screen.

As Cas said you will still have litter tracked out of the box so if that makes you crazy you would have to find a solution for that. But so far I'd rate it FAR above the Litter Maid. I can totally understand why you would be leary on buying it after owning a LitterMaid. But the way I looked at it--hey, we'll try it and if it doesn't work we'll send it back within the 30 days.

As always these are just my opinions, take what you will from them.

Firstly, we really like the Bot - but I have to report things as they are and our Bot has a problem. This may be an uncommon problem or it may creep up on the boards as something everyone will experience.

I can't know, but I like the Bot - and my skepticism starts hurting, because it works pretty much like they say. I'm witnessing it and I don't believe it. I would rate my quality of life with the Bot much higher than before, even with our Bot's problem.

So why haven't we returned it?

You read the part about laziness, right? Well, that's part of our problem. The mechanical problem we are experiencing means the LR needs to be sent into the shop. That takes time and the problem isn't so bad that we want to be without the Bot!

Also, we are the never-say-die sorts when it comes to electronics. We try to make them work and go through all troubleshooting possibilities first. I think we've reached the end of that phase.

Obviously, the problem isn't so bad, because we're still using the box. We just have to unplug and plug it back in to make it work right sometimes.

Thanks for pointing out that this scared you. Hopefully, everyone else hasn't been scared. I'm sure it will be fixed, but I just want to report honestly what's happening to us. I hope this post fills in the gaps on why we haven't sent it back.

******************

IMPORTANT: We really are glad we ordered the litter guards. Personally, I would order them unless you're just that tight for money.

I totally understand! I can't imagine being without mine and I just got it

I am glad that you guys have this site and that you are honest with the problems you encounter. It's always good to hear the good and the bad on any product. I always like to research things before I spend a lot of $$$, and I was glad to come across this site. I never go by just the positive feedback listed on a website. And it's nice to know there is a place to go where the opinion isn't biased.

I think it's a good sign that you like it in spite of the electronic problem. That was something that encouraged me to try it--especially since it does have the warranties. I will also look forward to seeing how your problem is handled by the company.

Here's hoping your Bot gets fixed soon and you and your kitties live happily ever after!

Cas,

Just of of curiosity, I wonder if the people that make the unit would be willing to ship you a new one and then let you return the old one so you are never without a unit? I know that hard drive manufacturers will generally do this if you give them a credit card number (just in case someone does not return the bad drive).

Or perhaps they can just send you a new circuit board, assuming it's relatively easy to change out?

If they won't do this, they should - it's good business to keep customers happy.

I believe that it is their policy to do that within the first 30 days.

Well out of all of that I got one big conclusion. EVERYONE LOVES THE LITTER ROBOT . That is a good thing. I like to hear about the experiences that you have had that way we know what to look for and maybe be able to fix them. I think we are going to order one soon.

One more question; Cas, Please don't take this in any wrong way, but for a lack of a better way to say it, When you have company, has anyone told you that your house smells like cat? I ask you this since you have 4 cats and I know it would take work to keep this from happening. I know under the old method of litterbox's you must have had a very hard time keeping your house smelling nice. I had to beg for the third cat and I don't want to make my wife unhappy if there is going to be no way to keep the smell down. I also know our cleaning habits and I know the litter robot would be emptied weekly, more likely twice a week, and she probably would want to try to change the litter in it weekly as she does now.

As far as the litter tracking, if you are a cat lover, you just learn to live with it and vacuum it up on cleaning day. .

Thanks again for all of your responses.

Michael and Lisa

No, I can't say our house smells like anything... except when we cook bacon or something like that. Not having any carpet helps. (Well, there are a few places with carpet, but they're off-limits to cats.) Sometimes a cat will decide to relieve itself in an inappropriate place, but with hard floors it's easy to clean up. With carpet it can be darn near impossible to get rid of that smell.

Glade (?) Plug-Ins around the litter area seem to mask what little odor is there.

Well that is just the kind of news I like to hear. We have a majority of carpet, but so far (knock on wood) no using it as a litterbox. Our older cat likes to expell his lunch sometimes, if we don't keep him shaved. If we have a problem then we will try the glades also.

Thanks again,
Michael

I thought I was the only one that shaved my cats.

Thanks, Michael, for asking the questions you did about the LR. You were looking for the same sort of input that I have been. I just didnt' know how to ask it properly. I truly appreciate the effort everyone has made to reveal their findings honestly, too. I am closer to getting serious about purchasing, but being an extremely frugal and cautious person, it may take me a little longer than some one else. Thanks to all. I will continue to monitor this site.

Yes, after my experience with the littermaid, a 200 dollar gotcha, I don't like to just jump anymore. The LR is so much more than that, I have to really consider it. I first got thinking about this because I saw the Litterfree in Petsmart, our local pet store, and was doing some research on it to see how it worked. While doing that I came across this website and that is how I first learned about the litter robot. I still think the Litterfree would be a great product, however I am very reserved in that most people said their cats would never take to it. I just didn't want to make that type of purchase and my cats say "Thanks, No Thanks"

Michael

You may still want to consider the Litterfree unit. My 6 cats used it without hesitation for whatever that data may be worth. If your cats don't like it, you can easily resell it on Ebay, and perhaps even at a profit.

I don't have a Litter Robot, but from what I have read, I think the Litterfree is the superior product.

I think its your cats who are superior. Our cats suck. If you're cats use the LF I guess it would be better

...well, maybe.

I've tried both products and that icky hair accumulation was kind of gross to me. We had a smell issue with the LF and it was very noisy. And now, that the company is gone, I'd be leary. The improvements I would have liked to have seen, like a cat-sensor, will never be implemented now.

The LR doesn't smell like the LF and it is much quieter. But, mostly, the cats like it. That's the major and most important difference. No matter how cool we think something is, they have the only votes that count.

When we tried out the LF I loved the idea of never having to handle waste. We actually had plumbing and electricity installed in the new house in such a way to make a LF closet. But, the cats wouldn't take to the unit.

There was just no way...they said, "WTH is this thing, I think I'll pee over here on the carpet." I was so committed to that product working, I'm glad the LR is there to give me another, equally good in my opinion, solution.

The money was our stumbling block for a long time with the LR, but with the new house I just had to have a solution, so I pushed. (I don't like the smells either, Lisa.)

Honestly, I don't think either is superior - its what you like and what your cats like. I think they both have their plusses. The LF is the way a litterbox should work, just short of being a toilet. If there was a contest for designing a box, it'd be the one I'd try first. (I think since it is akin to my own bathroom experience.)

After the cats rejected it, Jeff started to think like the cats. His theory was that the litter was a stumbling block for them. The LR used real litter, so they might use it. Lucky for us it worked out.

We actually had cameras on the cats during the LF days, if you can believe that. We have really great footage of the cats and their behavior with the machine. Believe me, we really tried to make that thing work.

The LR has worked better than we expected and I no longer feel nostalgic for the days of the LF working. I am happy to say I'm satisfied...for now.[/i]