Automatic Litterbox Central

In 2002, I decided that the hassle of cleaning up after our two elderly cats was too much. I started looking for an automated alternative to manual cat litter boxes. One of the cats, Koko, had urinary/kidney problems, which worsened with age (he died recently at age 15 of kidney failure), so he 'went' in very large clumps, and wasn't particular about covering up his events. The other kitty, Tootsie, is very fastidious about her personal functions, but not particular about litterbox configurations.

I found the original version of the Littermaid, and purchased one. Koko's large clumps and habit of urinating in all manner of incorrect places in the device immediately caused problems with the Littermaid. Gooky clumps stuck to the device's rake, and of course it did not pick up any waste Koko deposited high up on the walls. Back to the store the Littermaid went.

After a period of going manual again, after some thought and research I decided to buy a Litter Robot. Even though I considered the cost of $299 exorbitant, excellent reviews convinced me that this would be the way to go. Tootsie took to it right away, and watched the rotating cycle of the device with great interest whenever it came on. Koko was another matter. His kidney and urinary difficulties (the extent of which we were not fully aware of at the time) made him urinate in front of, rather than in the box. His fecal function seemed to be ok. It came to the point that perhaps 50% of his urinary events were other than inside the box, and he urinated a whole bunch! No matter what type of box I purchased, this behavior continued. Needless to say, this made the Litter Robot expendable. In late 2003 I listed it on Ebay, where I found no other previous sales records to reference my auction price for the item. To my surprise, I sold it for $286-nearly the original purchase price!

Overall the Litter Robot performed well-except for a period where it stopped working. I contacted the manufacturer via phone, and they very courteously and efficiently set up a repair and upgrade. I had to ship the LR to their facility, and a paid $60 for the upgrade. I also purchased a set of covers for the empty ports, which previously allowed the cats to flick litter onto the ground through them during their litterbox visits.

In summary I would say that the Litter Robot is a good product. The real problem was Koko's chronic urinary tract difficulties, which caused him to not use any litterbox the way he would have if healthy. I should think healthy cats would take to the LR well. However, I believe the LR is priced beyond what many cat owners can afford. My own financial status has changed so that I cannot now justify the cost of the device.

I still think that an intelligently designed automated litter device can be created and marketed for a reasonable price. The models now available either have major flaws(LitterMaid, LitterRoundup), or are just too expensive (Litter Robot). Someone who knows cat behavior and has some mechanical/design aptitude should revisit this opportunity. Cat lovers are still looking for a better solution in automated cat litter box design.