Automatic Litterbox Central

I have gone through 2 littermaid megas in 3 years. They always break right outside warranty. A friend gave me her smaller one to use while I look for a new alternative, it won't even rake through a whole cycle, so I have to turn it on manually and push the rake when it gets stuck! These are the worst machines when it comes to dependability!

Having read all the comments pro and con, I thought I would add my 2 cents worth, even as my cat is sniffing my fingers as I type. He loves to walk around the keyboard and sometimes even sits in front of it.

Anyhow, here goes. We have owned 3 of these over the last 7 years, and have racked up considerable container costs like most owners. Our 2 cats have both used the box without fail and have never gone anywhere else. Our first was an early version which worked great until a hangar fell into it and fouled up the wire to the bar, which at that time was exposed. Despite my best efforts to repair it, I was unable to find the proper wire (VERY flexible) anywhere and LM REFUSED to provide it. My efforts at splicing seemed to come apart easily due to the strain on the wire itself. This model had the best construction, sturdiness, and electronics including plug-in connections instead of the later version’s direct wired/soldered connections. Mechanically, it had the typical problems of the wire exposed and the exposed tracks which were constantly gunked up. Frustrated, we ended up with a newer model instead; what could we do?

Our next model lasted about 3 years (about the same as the first) and started to act up. This problem appeared to be in the electronics. I had saved the old circuits and wiring, but found it totally incompatible with this new model, so again we were frustrated with no alternative but to purchase a new one. This model still had exposed wire and gunk-prone tracks. Both the 1st and 2nd models used the plastic rake with was not easy to remove and was always dirty.

We decided to purchase the Elite Mega with its improved rake, easier cleaning, and most of all, hidden wiring. We have had it for just over a year now and still like the product despite the cost of containers. This new model uses a stronger, quieter motor. The tracks are now hidden, having been moved to above the gears which are also partially hidden, so little or no gunk can reach these parts. The new rake is stainless steel and easily removable for cleaning, although it does seem to sometimes miss pieces the old rake would have caught. Best of all, the old exposed wire to the bar has now been moved inside the side panels and replaced with ribbon cable, a flat, flexible type of wiring used inside computer printers and other machinery where movement and flexibility is required. My experience in the computer world tells me this should last quite a long time. Hopefully, if it needs replacement, LM will provide the part, or perhaps it may be available from a computer supply company.

Regarding the frequency of changing pans, there are other alternatives. One is the Litter Works cabinet/bag system (http://www.litterworks.com). While the idea is a good one, I see 2 negatives. The first and foremost is the price. This is a spendy proposition, ranging from $50 for a DIY setup where you have to build your own cabinet from the included plans to $160 for the full setup including cabinet. They even have a complete setup which includes a new LM 900! The second negative is "showcasing" your litterbox with a piece of furniture. Most people would rather have their litterbox area hidden than to have it on as big a cabinet as the Litter Works. There are some people who would not mind this cabinet, and I say, "Go for it!" There is also the expense of the replacement bag refills at $14 for 1 to $35 for 3. Still this has its place.

The OTHER alternative is the Slide and Toss (http://www.slideandtoss.com). This option replaces the LM receptacle with a larger, sturdier plastic box which is meant to hold grocery bags. Most of us probably have an abundance of these, or can get them regularly at the supermarket, so there are no refills to purchase. I have heard some pros and cons on this method here, so look around and read for yourself. We purchased one of these and await delivery so we can give it a shot and report back here. If you have a LM Elite model, the Slide & Toss needs to be modified slightly, but if you tell them when you order, they will do it for you. The Elite LM also needs to be modified, and the instructions for this simple procedure appear on their site as well. If you prefer, they will do this for you, provided you can send them the required parts from your LM, but I am not sure what you will do in the meantime, so I will do it myself.

From my readings here, the biggest problem w/LM appears to be the amount of litter in the pan and the type of litter. We keep ours close to the max fill line so the rake won't have to reach all the way to the bottom. Suggestions from others here say the litter pan needs to be cleaned periodically, and it and the rake should be either coated with mineral oil, or sprayed with pam or a silicone lubricant. I have tried the silicone and the pam and both seem to work well. Obviously, one should let the coating dry before adding litter, or it will stick to the coating. If this should happen on the rake, a few passes later and it will be a non issue.

Overall, I think LM has a great idea, and has improved overall design over the years. They have however, likely in the interest of saving money on manufacturing, made the boxes less sturdy (thinner plastic) and with cheaper electronics using direct wired rather than plug-in connections. (I have not opened our LM Elite Mega, so I am not aware if they have gone back to the better internal wiring method.) The main complaint with LM for me is their lack of providing replacement parts beyond the obvious, like the rake and other visible parts. If they provided replacement innards, DIYers like me could probably keep these things going as long a a Volvo, but then that would NOT bring higher revenues to LM. Nuff said about Big Business!! Happy Catting!

Laz

I've owned several models of Littermaids, from an early model ten years ago to the Mega Elite somethingorother. The first one lasted awhile before it broke. The next 2 broke right after the warranty expired and the most recent one, the Mega Elite somethingorother, stopped working after 2 months. Refund? Hahahahahahahahaha. Never again!

I reviewed the site for info on the Litterworks cabinet and use. I saw the comment by My2cents below re: the fact the cabinet lifts the box off the ground and sets it up higher for others to see as I understood the post. I spoke to someone at Litterworks re: their cabinet and wondered what cover there was available for it. I was advised they are about to (within the next couple of weeks) make available a two-story cabinet for all makes and models. The lower will be like what they have now and the top will just hide the box. It will have a kitty opening for your cat to enter into. I am not sure like the other post here regarding whether my new cat (rescuing one from an 8 month pregnant friend from having to go to the humane society) will want to jump up and then into a cabinet to do her business. Any thoughts about that?

I had one of the older littermaids that held up and worked for 4 years until I gave it away. I wish I had not. I just received one of the newer Mega Elites and it sucks. The tines don't dump the stuff in the box and just stick through it like a shishkabob. The tines should brush the bottom to push and not roll or stick through and should go all the way to the box. I might as well not have an automated box. I will most likely throw this one away with only a few weeks use. Very irritating. What happened to quality control Littermaid? Clearly you have a product that doesn't do what it is advertised to do.

A waste of money. Get a cardboard box and you will save yourself all the money. I will never own another and will do what I can to make sure others are not duped.

Are you aware that the current owners of the Littermaid product is Applica and they are a division of Black & Decker? Heck, if we can't get a decent response from a company as well established as B&D, what CAN we expect?

We went through two LM500s in two and a half, or so, years. In each case the motor eventualy burned out. Though I honestly think this is more due to my habitualy lack of care with the litter fill level ( I overfill too often! ) and that we had four kitties to one box. The rale would get gunky the cheaper the litter was.

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From reading this forum, it appears that lots of people have have varied experiences with the LitterMaid products. Here's my experience. We have 10 cats, all indoor, and we've had up to 4 LMs in service at a time, in different locations around our house, and these were different LM versions. We've finally settled on 2 Megas (a regular and a new Elite). We've tried Tidy Cat, Scoop Away, Fresh Step, and some generic brands of clumping litter - even resorting to mixing generic & Brand Name litters to get a texture I felt good with. We finally settled on Fresh Step, with Scoop Away coming in second. I regularly buy 3-4 40 pound pails of litter per month (120 to 160 lbs), so you can see that our LitterMaids get quite a workout!

1. We never use batteries. If your power is that bad, call your power company or Atty General and complain. Electric motors like the one used on the LMs don't like low voltage, and as batteries age, the voltage goes down, forcing the motor to draw abnormal current to do the same work. Lots of people have had their motors quit. We've had at least 6 LMs, and never had a motor fail. And yes, we do get jams - one earlier tonight caused by me over filling (oops!) and multiple "use" before rakings. The rake just tries 4 times to sweep, and then parks with a flashing power light.

2. Yes, I've had a broken power cord on one of the earlier LMs - possibly the "Plus" model. I replaced the cord with Apple Computer speaker wire, which had almost the same flexibility and size. It worked.

3. I had the IR transmitter fail on one LM. I got a replacement from Radio Shack and was back running in a day. How can you tell your IR transmitter failed? You buy an IR detector card. They're Credit Card sized, and can be gotten from Electronics Distributors. I got mine free years ago from Newport (F-IRC1), but you can get a cheap one from MCM Electronics (#72-6772) for $12.59 & shipping. (You can check your TV remotes too!) With one you can "see" the beam going across the LM!

4. Since we have extra LMs, we change them once a month with a cleaned-up spare so the tracks and visible parts can get a through cleaning.

5. We tried the Purrforma. It sits in our garage gathering dust, which IMO, is all its good for. I wrote a scathing review of it in one of the UseNet Newsgroups.

6. Then, the LitterMaid Elite comes out. (sigh) OK, so you can clean the rake easier, and no more exposed wiring. But did they have to copy the Purrforma's crappy "ramp" idea? It wastes more litter than the old vertical lift method, and the rake doesn't go quite far enough - some crap just rolls right back into the box! They stiffened the front of the receipticle holder so it doesn't bow, but that bowing actually held the receipticle better in their old model. The Elite spills litter through the gap that often forms. Then there's the rake mechanism... and those plastic bosses for the rollers. Drop the rake assembly a few times while reassembling it (after cleaning, etc.) and watch those cheap plastic bosses go flying off, and be prepared to cough up the $$ for a new rake assembly. (And yes, they ARE aware of the problem- not that they'll fix it.) Oh, and keep those slides clean on the rake. (I also use a drop of silicon oil) If the slides start to wear, they'll jam and chew off one of the bosses before it shuts down.

So... The new Elite model is a mixed bag - 2 steps forward, 1 step back. That's my rant for now - just don't get me started on the DrinkWell, or people that think vegetables & cereals are good for cats.

I am strongly against the littermaid for these reasons: Noisy, stinky, expensive and small recepticle trays, and poor customer service

I recieved a Littermaid elite for a wedding present, and at first it was wonderful for my three cats. Three months later it broke. One of the wheels on the rake craked, then fell apart. So, I exchanged it at the pet store it was purchased from. Three or four months months later the sensor quit and it simply woould not sweep anymore. I email the company (this is the only way to contact them unless you go to their corporate level at Black and Decker), but got no response. Again, I exchanged it at the same pet store for just the mega version. Lo and behold it is broken again. This time the sensor continuosly thinks a cat has used it and there is a jam, but there isn't. I sweeps about seven or eight times before stopping. This machine is really noisy and when it sweeps that many times it's enough to drive you crazy. I was fed up, so I tried anyway I could to get a hold of someone at the company. Everyday for the month of March I left messages with any voicemail I could reach at the corporate head. Finally, two weeks ago I recieved a response and a refund check.

Moral of the story? Don't buy a littermaid!
Inefficient, Poor equipment quality, and poor customer service.

Horrible product. Would never buy another one. Give me a Scoop Free any day and it stays clean!

Said it elsewhere, said it before, I'll say it again.

After years of frustration with LM's, I tried the SmartScoop last year.

I'll never touch a LM again. Threw my last broken one out last year.

They listen to their customers, give upgrades & improved parts away free (sometimes), and actually CARE about making a product that WORKS.

SmartScoop is in the process of testing new boxes with users like me. When this new one hits the market, watch out. Even though I'd still rather use the slightly less reliable version that's currently in stores, because they're WAAAY more reliable than LM's.

Take my word for it - check out the SmartScoop threads here. You won't be sorry.

Hm. I'm not finding a way to edit my last post.

What I meant to say in that one sentence is that I'd rather use the somewhat imperfect current SmartScoop you can buy in stores now than a LitterMaid, because even with it's current flaws, it's better than every LM I ever owned.

What I meant to say in that one sentence is that I'd rather use the somewhat imperfect current SmartScoop you can buy in stores now than a LitterMaid, because even with it's current flaws, it's better than every LM I ever owned.

Let me put it this way... 10 cats, an LM900 & a SmartScoop... I have to spend twice as much time cleaning the SmartScoop every morning than I do the LM900. Same litter. The LitterMaid often has a clump stuck in the blades, but the litter is pretty much clean, save for the occasional smeared pee clump in the back. The SmartScoop... clean is a seldom heard word for it. Most morning I'm greeted with smeared pee clumps the rake just cut the top off of, and it's a rare day when there isn't poop that fell between the rake and the front of the box. I usually have to "sift" the broken clumps of pee out of the litter at least 5 times a week.

And yeah, I wrote up the deficiencies in the SmartScoop and the LitterMaid products in previous posts... And here's another one for the SmartScoop - A basic design flaw in the rake is the reason it will continue to "fling" stuff out of the box. It won't matter if they make the rake out of titanium, it'll still fling. It's a design flaw that neither LitterMaid has.

I forgot all about this topic until I received a notification from it today. SO I am inspired to chime in again and say that my littermaid died for good in late 07 or early 08. We went without an autobox for awhile, then replaced it with a ScoopFree.

The ScoopFree is absolutely a superior product in terms of operation, odor control, sanitation, and ease of cleaning. The only thing I do not like about it is the fact that silica litter has a greater negative impact on the environment than the plant-based litter I used in the LitterMaid.

I did like the LitterMaid but it seems that they are not improving the product much, and there are now better alternatives on the market. I wouldn't buy another LM again.

I have the LM 900 that came with my Litterworks cabinet (http://www.litterworks.com). I could not be happier! When I was deciding which litter box to go with, I considered the Scoop Free system, but the LitterMaid won out only because it could be used with this ingenious cabinet. I have the smaller model, and we have it in a coat closet (no coats in with it, lol). This perfectly fits the cabinet with LitterMaid. We got the dark oak stain, so it matches our floors and pretty much blends right in (not that anyone's looking in the closet). We have three cats, and only have to empty the bag about once a week or so. We just check the litter and top it off every couple of days (we're using World's Greatest Cat Litter).

If I didn't have this cabinet, I'm not sure that I would choose the Litter Maid. But together I'm finding it to be a winning combination.