Automatic Litterbox Central

I found Jeff's review of the LitterFree litter box both entertaining and informative. I was wondering if anyone has used the Littermaid Deluxe ltter box, and what if any pros or cons they have encountered?

Thanks,
cdafox

Although I have not used the littermaid, I have a friend who complained that it did not reduce the amount of cleaning at all. She said the Littermaid had a lot of little parts that needed cleaning frequently. I would love to hear some other accounts of the Littermaid, however.

Regards,

Jeff

I know someone with a Littermaid. The noise level is the same as with the LitterFree. She seemed to like it, but only one cat would use it. So she had two stations: a Littermaid and a regular litterbox. Sounded to me that the issues were the same, but the device isn't as cool.

It would seem to me that any cat would have an easier time adapting to the Littermaid. I can't imagine it being as noisy! That would be incredible.

The littermaid is awful. Poop ALWAYS gets stuck in the rake thing and you have to pick it out. Ewwwww! Don't waste your money. Just got the litterfree system and am setting it up this morning. I'll report back after a while and let you know what my cats-that-think-their-poo-smells-like-crushed-pineapple think of the thing. I can hear them whispering now: "Oboy! What did she get this time? Does she actually think we will use that contraption? Maybe a good place to hide her socks! snicker snicker"

2 black sister cats (lucy and Ruby) that use their litterbox to poo and the toilet to pee and 1 badboy tuxedo brat cat (Milo) that thinks the world is his litterbox.

If this doesnt work, Im thinking of starting up a boot camp for bad-boy-cats-that-pee-in-wrong-places. PLEASE wish me luck!

Good luck with the Litterfree. It sounds like you have two intelligent felines, if they'll use the toilet: especially around a bad brat cat influence.

Harley (pictured above) sometimes likes to be a bratty-pee cat. He decided that the area behind the entertainment center was his own personally created lake -- he was proud. The smell of his own urine made him continue to use this area. So, Jeff bought some spray that changed the smell of the area and Harley seems to have reformed. Jeff can respond with the actual name of the product if you're interested.

One note with the Litterfree, you may want to remove the hood if the cats are suspicious. See what your results are with the hood and if they aren't good try removing it. Let us know how it works out.

If you start that camp, we'll send Shadow. Then Jeff and I will have a successful Litterfree cat environment.

Natures Miracle is the product you are referring to. It is an enzyme thing. For it to work efficiently, you have to really soak the peed area and let it dry naturally. It has to reach ALL of the urine to be effective. If you have carpet, that means really soaking it down to below the pad. If there is even a whiffy hint of urine, the cat will continue to go there. As I write this, Milo is locked in the bathroom for the rest of his life. I awoke to CAT PEE ON THE KITCHEN COUNTER!!!!! This is totally unacceptable!!

Re: the lake behind your entertainment center...ewww, know it well. behind the tv here. Rather, was. after thoroughly soakking the area with natures miracle (like, a whole bottle) I was faced with the task of keeping him out of there til it dried. I got some plastic mouse traps, set them upside down in the mess then put a bunch of foil back there on top of the traps. The cat was not in danger of getting his foot in the traps because of where I placed them. I wanted the noise to freak him. It did. Affter it all dried, he wanted to go back there again so I put a whole bunch of double sided carpet tape back there. He HATES that stuff! ROFLMAO!!! He doesnt venture over there anymore. Kitchen counters have a strip of it now. Grrr! almost wishing he would get his little weenie caught in one of the traps! ....jk.

From the size of my post, one could probably safely assume that cat pee is my favorite topic of discussion. lol I am determined to solve this problem one way or another. I have found the 'perfect litterbox' and the girls are fine with it. Its just that damn boy....Let me know if you are interested and I'll give you the info on the box. It really works..easy to clean and no smell.

Worst nightmare of my life last nite: I dreamed that my shoes had black lights on the soles and everywhere I walked in my house lit up! OMG


did not spell check

Actually, I have used Nature's Miracle (the enzyme cleaner), but that's not what I used to keep him from going back there. It was another product, I think it's called Feliway or something like that. It comes in a tiny spray bottle and it basically lets you do your own territorial marking. It does not have an odor to humans (unless you sniff the bottle directly), but it does seem to work. You're supposed to spray the problem area once a day for a while. The stuff was about $30 for 4 or 5 ounces...

I have not had much luck with Nature's Miracle removing odors. It's also very expensive. For much less money, you can go to any janitorial supply store and buy enzyme cleaner concentrate. It works very well, and a gallon of the concentrate goes a very long way.

Best of luck with the Litterfree. Please keep us posted.

Regards,

Jeff

I know about feliway...but I was under the impression that it was for territorial type spraying, NOT regular pee activity. Milo doesnt spray, he is just lazy and pees in stupid places. Those are 2 separate and distinct behaviors.

I know this Feliway says it's for marking behavior, but Harley was just peeing. It stopped that behavior when the Nature's Miracle didn't. It may be worth a shot.

cas

I now believe that the internet has it all! A discussion group on Cat poo!! Anyway - I'm glad it was here - Thanks Jeff!

I came into possession of a LitterFree Box (free - I was asked to test it out) and have not be able to connect it due to my Landlord. I was considering selling it on Ebay but thought I should see what people were saying and if it worked as promised. If it does, which you all seem to think it does with a few minor drawbacks, then I will keep it for use in my next residence.

So thanks to you all for the information!!!

I didn't spell check either!!!

I have one it works, just. I have 2 cats and they both use it, but litter goes everywhere, (probably better with the tent, but we don't use one). Poo does get caught from time to time. If you are fastidiously clean, the littermaid will drive you nuts. It is noisy but we all get used to it. I have it set up in the spare bathroom. Needs preimum cat litter, haven't found a premium one that dries rock hard. You still have keep a daily eye on it, and have a scoop handy for any lumps that did not rake out, or for the smelly ones that get caught (helps if you lightly spray the rake with non stick cooking spray). The rake is often too short and the cats dig deep, and the litter is not hard enough, so often you find that it has just taken the top off the clump, instead of scoop it up. So you do have to keep an eye on it - def not maintenance free. But with two BIG cats I can empty the box every three days. I use a safeway bag as a liner for the dispisable box, so that extends the life of the box. I give it about 7 out of ten. It hasn't solved all my cat woes, but it's better than the daily poop-n-scoop.
K
PS. make sure you tell cat sitters, the last one thought that it would do it all for her, and we had a big build up after one got stuck, the thing got so chocked, that I think it blew a valve or something - it was never the same. Had to throw it out and buy another one. that was before I heard about the litterfree. I'll monitor discussion, but no litter to track/schlep is a big seller...

I was given the Littermaid when it first came out. I returned it within a month for my money back. It wasn't immersible and the rake wasn't detachable so you couldn’t put in the tub and clean it. The sides were LOW (at that time) so the litter went everywhere, and those plastic containers reeked of environmental havoc, stank and were dirty (reusable they said HA).

With 3 cats a 6 lb. and 8 lb. females and an 18 lb. male I keep 2 extra large hooded litter boxes with clay litter (I don't like the clumping kind) and clean them every second or third day. I don't know what it is with tom cats - Buster likes to pee in the bathroom sink and poop in the bath tub!

I saw the LitterFree this week for the first time. I want to get some opinions from multi-cat households before I plunk down the money. Noise and cost are not a big problem but the installation will be difficult due to the layout of my apartment.

If you don’t mind please let me know the following: How many of you have tried it? For how long are you using it? How many cats do you have? And the one question that doesn't seem to be answered anywhere (there web site as well) - if you use the toilet as your hook up do you have to manually flush the toilet? I do not want a toilet filled with dissolved cat feces sitting in my apartment all day - or weekend if I am going away.

Thanks for your time and patience with this long message about cat bathroom issues!
Joy

Jeff has two cats, Harley and Shadow. (We have a new addition, Lily, but she hasn't been a part of the Litterfree testing.)

To answer your questions:

Two cats are not a problem as far as volume is concerned. Volume only determines the time between cleaning cycles.

Personality is the biggest issue. Harley is fearless and mellow, so the Litterfree was fine. Shadow is neurotic, so he wouldn't use it except for #1. We tried everything; but, unfortunately Shadow got sick at the time of the experiment and seemed to associate the Litterfree with his illness. (He needs medication.)

So, we put the litterbox back for Shadow, and that was the end of the Litterfree experiment. Harley said, "I'll use what I have to and I won't complain; but, give me a choice and I'm using the old fashioned litter."

We haven't decided to try Lily on the Litterfree. (She has her own toilet area, so she could be tested solo.)

Jeff recommends that if your cats are normal and well adjusted, they should take to it. If not, you may want try it until the "get your money back" date or have an e-Bay backup plan.

As for the toilet hookup, Jeff hooked it up to the toilet in the spare bathroom. It is easy to do, but does require flushing. We didn't find this to be a problem with smells, etc. -- especially not any more than a litterbox. The cleaning solution gives you a buffer. Just flush it every day or every other day. Your tolerance for such things will determine your needs. Don't look if you're squeamish.

Please read the other forum on this site. They have some information from other users who have been successful.

(It is the cleanest solution we've found. It's a great idea for well-adjusted cats. I just wish Shadow wasn't so weird -- and not just on this matter.)

Good luck.