Automatic Litterbox Central

When I first put it up he went into it right away but didn't use it. But ever since he saw it activate for the first time and move it's rake he's been afaid to go near it.

As a test, I took the machine part off and just had the cartrige with litter and it went in and used it so I put the machine part back on it and I don't think he wants to use it now.

What can I do?

But ever since he saw it activate for the first time and move it's rake he's been afaid to go near it.

Give him a little time. Same thing happened to my cat. He held it all in for about a day. It became obvious that he needed to go. I took him into the laundry room where the SF was, put him down near the door but closed it (i.e. didn't force him near the SF). I went over to the SF, stood, and called him... he reluctantly approached the box, climbed in and used it. He's been doing fine ever since.

The standard procedure seems to be to keep the old litter box next to the new one (SF). Let the cats use the old one but don't clean it. The cats usually will switch over to the new box once the old one fails their cleanliness standards.

Good luck!

One of my cats was scared of the SF so I closed us both in the bathroom with a bag of cat treats and slowly moved her closer and closer to the SF while praising her and feeding her treats. I finally got her to stand on the purple lid part with her front feet and petted her and gave her treats. Once she stood there calmly I tapped her back legs gently and she stepped into the box. I fed her more treats and praised and petted her and until she didn't look like she was going to jump right out of the box, than I stepped back to give her room. She looked around the box and sniffed and jumped out. I than praised and petted her again and let her out of the bathroom. I didn't try to force her to use it and allowed her to leave after she got more use to the box and since than she has been using the box fine on her own.

Dawn

Thanks you've both been a great help, he used it for the first time a little while ago. I hope he continues to. Thanks again!

Bad news, last night my cat pooped on the floor in the corner and pee in another corner this morning. So he still doesn't want to use the Scoopfree.

He went that one time so I don't get it. Any ideas?

First, clean-up the places he eliminated at with something like Nature's Miracle. This will eliminate scent that could attact the cat back to those places.

I removed poop from the Scoop Free daily. This might help for a fussy cat. You might also put some of his old litter in the SF and see if this helps.

Hmmm, next.... well, there are several approaches you could use with the cat. One is the praise and treat method, i.e., maybe taking him or calling him to the SF after he eats and encouraging him to use it, praising him, giving him treats if he does.

The other is what I call litter box boot camp and is what I did with both my cats when they decided (at separate times in their lives) to use places other than the litter box for elimination. Now, these situations maybe totally different from yours. They occurred when the cats were using just a plain old litter box and decided to skip the box for whatever reason. Zen took up pooping on a bed upstairs. Nuba decided to pee on a lawn chair then found a place upstairs that he liked to poop in and then decided to use the carpet by the door. I finally caught him at it...

Both cats got a stern lecture (i.e., they knew I wasn't happy) and were immediately confined for a week to the room where I kept the litter box. I was kind... they had their toys, food, water and the scratching post and I visited them but they stayed in that room until their litter box habit was well established again. Also, I liberally cleaned up the bedding, corners, carpet with Nature's Miracle to assure that they would not be attracted back to the spots they had used. I also either took away the object they were using (the lawn chair and the guest bed) or blocked the area of the house so they could not get in (I used a portable gate to block the stairs, for example.). This was done for a few weeks after they were no longer confined to the "litter box" room. By doing this the cats weren't tempted to use the area or objects, again, and their litter box habit was even more established.

Good luck with whatever method you try. According to some of the posts on the forum, some cats don't like crystals and never use the SF successfully. Hopefully, your situation will be different. I am introducing my cats to the Litter Robot, now, and am having similar difficulties with the younger cat... I haven't found any messes anywhere, yet, but I swear I have never had a cleaner litter box... the cats are using it only when they REALLY have to...

Best wishes --

After writing all of that above, I have been trying a completely new approach with Nuba with the LR. I have been playing with him using the litter box.

Just a moment ago Nuba started crying. I took this to mean that he needed to go and couldn't find the right place (i.e., his old SF). I had a string (ribbon, whatever) and I played with him at the LR so he would try to get the ribbon. I dangled the ribbon in the LR so he would look inside... after doing this for a minute or two I started scratching in the (barely used) litter so he would get the idea... then he started scratching in the litter... then he really started scratching in the litter, got in the box, and I pushed his butt away from the door so he was at a side angle and I praised him and petted him as he did his business. He got right out and buried nothing (usually he piles up litter pretty high after he gets used to a new box). BUT HE DID IT!!

TRY PLAYING WITH THE KITTY USING THE LITTER BOX IN THE PLAY. (Also you could do as the litter box manuals recommend if you haven't already tried this: Keep the old box out next to the new SF but don't clean it. When the cat is ready, theoretically (and in practice) it will switch boxes. GOOD LUCK!

NOT good news! After that last enthusiastic post, I heard some scratching in the living room.... There was Nuba using the area between the couch cushions for his new pee spot -- MY LEATHER COUCH!!

Needless to say, he got a lecture and has been sent for a refresher course at Litter Box Bootcamp... He is laying in his bed on the dryer looking very remorseful but seems to understand the sentence...

Poor Nuba.

P.S. I hope the automatic litter box makers understand the hell the cats and pet owners go through as the cat learns to use a new box!

spaceshare wrote:NOT good news! After that last enthusiastic post, I heard some scratching in the living room.... There was Nuba using the area between the couch cushions for his new pee spot -- MY LEATHER COUCH!!

Needless to say, he got a lecture and has been sent for a refresher course at Litter Box Bootcamp... He is laying in his bed on the dryer looking very remorseful but seems to understand the sentence...

Poor Nuba.

P.S. I hope the automatic litter box makers understand the hell the cats and pet owners go through as the cat learns to use a new box!

That sucks. I will combat your bad new with some good news.

I cought my cat squatting in a corner where he had previously made a mess and grabbed him before leaving any droppings and locked him in the bathroom where the scroop free was. About 30 minutes later I let him out. Checking the ScoopFree I saw some fresh new poo.

I just hope he uses it on his own from now on.

I just hope he uses it on his own from now on.

Hi Pinesal -- Good news. Congratulations! Hopefully you are right and your cat will use it from now on BUT you may need to take more time with him. That's my best guess based on my experience with Nuba & the LR (he adjusted fine to the Scoop Free but I wanted cheaper on-going costs so here we are three weeks later with the LR). Nub was in the laundry room with the LR for most of yesterday. I had a pretty good idea when the two cats poop and pee -- mornings and evenings -- little, if any, in between. Yesterday, I spent a lot of time sitting on the laundry room floor encouraging the cats to use the LR with play... dangling a ribbon with feathers tied to it over the LR, in it, etc. They played and both used the LR -- Zen always first and Nuba following her.

This morning, although I was with them in the laundry room, they both used it on their own (no play or encouragement on my part). One or both had also used it after I went to bed last night. Tonight, I was in the laundry room encouraging them, again, and they were great cats and used it -- Nuba spending lots of time completely inside the Bot trying to cover any little pile or urine spot he could find. He made a mess in there but he is now comfortable being inside and over his fear of this new strange thing I want him to pee and poop in.

So, I guess what I am saying is you may have to take some more time with the kitty, lots of praise and petting when he gets in and does his thing.

Also, if you haven't done so, get some stuff specially formulated to take away the scent of the poop and pee where the accidents occurred in the house. The scent of the waste will attract the cats back to those places to use again. The spots on my couch are still drying out but I think it will survive and not become a stinky mess.

Good luck. I hope it all works out for you and your cat!

I am ordering something called Cat Attract Additive to sprinkle on the crystals from my vet for the stray cat we took in that refuses to use the litter box unless you put her in it. She doesn't mind using it but doesn't seem to understand she SHOULD use it. The other problem female has started to go outside of the box also again for some unknown reason and we are hoping this will help her as well. She is no longer afraid of it but just isn’t using it. I am thinking she doesn’t like 4 cats using one box and am looking at either getting a Cat Genie or that other new one that came out.. the name escapes me at the moment but they just put up a new area for it. If the additive works I will update you. Should be in Monday *crosses fingers*

Dawn

Light some candles, burn some incense, and try chanting with your cat. If that doesn't work, then don't forget to blow out the candles.

Mad, Ol' Cat Lady wrote:I am ordering something called Cat Attract Additive to sprinkle on the crystals from my vet for the stray cat we took in that refuses to use the litter box unless you put her in it. She doesn't mind using it but doesn't seem to understand she SHOULD use it. The other problem female has started to go outside of the box also again for some unknown reason and we are hoping this will help her as well. She is no longer afraid of it but just isn’t using it. I am thinking she doesn’t like 4 cats using one box and am looking at either getting a Cat Genie or that other new one that came out.. the name escapes me at the moment but they just put up a new area for it. If the additive works I will update you. Should be in Monday *crosses fingers*

Dawn

Cat attract litter is great! I used to use it in the LR and it really does attract the cats.

Re: cat going in other places. I suggest you get a black light. One of the 2 ft long jobbies. The little ones, IMO, are a waste. Turn the black light on and go around the perimeter of your rooms holding the black light close to the edges of the carpet and walls. You will find all of the spots and will probably faint when you realize how much you find. Then hold the light vertically and scan all surfaces like chair fronts and sides, walls etc. at about cat butt height. I did this and ended up crying. I was shocked to find out this peeing nonsense had been going on for way longer than I suspected. My house didn't stink, so smell alone is not effective in finding out how bad your kitty has been. Lucky you if you don't find any glowing spots. If you wait to catch your cat going in an inappropriate place, thinking everything is rosy, you will be in for a rude awakening. The older the pee, the more impossible it is to get out of carpet. I ended up ripping all the carpet up and painting the house! Thank you very much, Milo! It drove me nuts. I was constantly checking after the original discovery. I had a black light in every room so I could do a quick scan. Heck, I was trying to figure out how I could rig up my slippers with little black light head lights to make it even easier to check!

All cats should come with a black light.

LOL thanks for the black light advice, but we have wood floors and we find the spots right off when we happen to walk in them I bought one of the Hoover Floormates and it does a great job of cleaning up the messes and keeping the house smell free. I actually got the additive in today. The vets called me and said it was in so I swung by to pick it up. I have been trying the Pearls and the Fresh Step for the last month and thought changing the litter like that back and forth was freaking them out so now I got a months supply of just the Fresh Step and am going to try it with the Cat Attract Additive and see if that will get them back on track. I will post how it goes sometime this week.

Dawn

Mad, Ol' Cat Lady wrote:LOL thanks for the black light advice, but we have wood floors and we find the spots right off when we happen to walk in them

ewww! That sounds almost as much fun as stepping on one of those turd looking hairballs they hork up every once in a while. ack! I am amazed everytime I see one of those things. they are like a big dreadlock or something. ewww