Automatic Litterbox Central

Hello everyone,

I have experienced most of the problems that other Scoop Free users have posted about on this forum, but have finally settled into a routine that appears to work for me. Obviously every cat is different, so your results may vary. I have two 1-year old cats (one which is a heavy eater), and only 1 ScoopFree litter box. I have a permanent litter tray, and I highly recommend them, although reusing the disposable trays may also work.

Litter Brand:FreshStep litter at Target/Walmart is the best deal around. I haven't found anything significantly cheaper, except for Mimi litter which is definitely not of the same quality. If you are on a real tight budget, you can mix your Mimi litter (as others have suggested) but in the end it hasn't been worth it for me.
Amount Used: Approximately 4lb for the initial fill, and 1lb during the two weeks as "replacement" litter (see below).
Scooping frequency: There is no way around it. If you want your litter to last, you do have to mix it up ocassionally. I have found that I have been able to go longer during the first week without mixing, so if you want to go 3 days after an initial change, it's possible to do. But every other day should be your goal.
Pet Diet:I have noticed a definite difference in the smell and hardness of the stool since switching to Science Diet (from Purina One). Feeding your cats a lot of canned food will probably also result in softer stool, which can increase the mess.
Other supplies:Plastic grocery bags (for the intermediate cleaning sessions), and Trash bag, paper towls, and a sponge (if using a permanent tray) are helpful during the biweekly change.

My general routine:

Pour around 4 lb of litter (half a bag of Fresh Step) into the tray. Put the poo compartment lids back on, and run once to ensure litter is distributed. Try and keep as much out of the poo container as possible.

The "every other day or so" process Approximate time: 10 minutes.

Every other day or so, take the lid off (if you have one - recommended), take the poo compartment covers off, and scoop out the poo into a leftover plastic grocery bag (double bag if you want to be extra careful). Now hit the button to move the rake, and hit the button again to stop it when the rake is all the way on the other side of the box. Get any additional poop that has collected behind the rake. I have noticed that this happens more often when my 2nd cat goes to the bathroom right after the 1st, and kicks the poo around.

Now, for the most important part. The litter that resides behind the rake often contains crystals that contain concentrated cat urine. Use the pooper scooper to gentle sift the litter behind where the rake usually resides. In the first week, you may find that there is not many clumps of green crystals, but towards the end there will be a lot. Sift carefully and get as many of these clumps into your grocery bag. Don't go crazy wasting litter; it is okay if some mix in with the rest of the litter, but any huge areas should be disposed. Finally, sift through all of the crystals a few times with the scooper so that they are mixed. (don't forget to hit the button to move the rake back and get those remaining crystals that were hidden in the poo compartment). Replace the lids and run the rake once when finished.

After one week, you may notice that your litter is running low. Replace as necessary with additional Fresh Step. Once you get within 3 days of the next full litter replacement, stop adding litter and just let it run a little low (it's a bit of a waste at this point, and my cats do not seem to care).

The 2 week cleaning process Approximate time: 20 minutes.

When two weeks is up, it is time to replace all of the litter in the box. Take the lid off the litterbox and the poo compartment lids. Perform the process above (i find it makes the next steps a little cleaner if the litterbox is not full of poo and soiled crystals). Turn the ScoopFree on its side, and pull out the litter tray. Carefully stick one end in your garbage bag (you may want to double bag if they are the cheap brand, as it is easy to puncture and make a mess). Pull the bag over the tray and empty the contents. Using the scooper and/or paper towl, clean as much of the soiled crystals as possible (there will be less if you performed a regular cleaning prior to this). Remove the tray from the box. Using water and the sponge (and perhaps a bit of anti-bacterial soap), give the box a once over, and scrub out any stains. Use paper towels to dry. Use the sponge or paper towels to clean up the poo compartment lids and any areas around the litter box equipment that many have gotten dirty over the past two weeks. Put the tray back into the ScoopFree. Poor litter as described in the beginning of the procedure, and put the lids back on. Use a hand-held vac to clean around the litter box area.

So how will your litter look during the last week? It will be a mixture of blue, white, and light green most likely towards the end. This is okay, unless you still have another week and a half to go.

Is it a little disgusting? Yes, sometimes. You have to be willing to work with the green crystals which will eventually build up in your litter box. Don't want any dark green crystals? Then change your litter every week, but you'll still be mixing it every other day.


My ongoing issues: Litterbox noise.

My ScoopFree will sometimes screech and moan during the cleaning process. It seems that the litter buildup and dust does not work well with the rollers. Unscrewing the dozens of screws on the bottom of the unit and cleaning the interior does supply some relief for a little while. If you do do this, only put every other screw back on. They aren't all needed, and it makes it a huge pain to remove all of them again.

Another source of noise appears to be the related to the permanent cartridge. It appears that the rake pulling the crystals against the PVC-pipish tray will create additional squeaking sometimes. I don't have a solution for this, unfortunately.

Well, I hope this helps someone. The whole process does not take as long as it looks once you get it down. If you have any questions please let me know.

ccsint