Automatic Litterbox Central

So, just my 2 cents, I'm going against popular opinion with the Forever Tray. I've had nothing but trouble with it since I purchased it a few months ago. First, after only a few months, one of the magnets came off the hinged lid. It leaks horribly (to the point where I had to line the area where my litter box sits with plastic so it didn't go all over the floor. Each month, it would take me an hour to clean it so it wouldn't be completely dirty to use the next month. I tried re-positioning, nothing seemed to work. I gave it about 4 months, and switched back to the regular Scoop Free cartridges.

That said, just today, I went out to both PetSmart and Petco and both were completely OUT of refill cartridges. These are the only two places I can buy them in town (I'm in a fairly decent size city) as Target or Wal-mart no longer carry them. So, with that, I am switching back to scoopable litter and a tray. I'm sad, but if I'm going to have such a problem finding replacement litter, I am going to have an issue with keeping the Scoop Free as a viable option. Any other ideas would be welcomed!

First off -- please give me the chance to help you!

If your metal tab came off, then that's a warranty issue and I'm most happy to send you a replacement immediately under warranty.

You mention you had purchased in the last few months, which means you most likely have one of the new one-piece trays. If so, it's highly doubtful that the tray itself is leaking, as there are no seams. There is an entire section at my website that deals with cats who are "side pee-ers" -- who pee on the sides of the tray and it dribbles underneath. The reason it manifests itself more with the plastic trays is that the plastic is not absorbing the urine overflow on the edges as the cardboard trays do. With the cardboard, the dribbles are absorbed into the edges and just soak the cardboard.

Sadly my Stan is also a side pee-er -- so the remedy you see at the website is what I devised to take care of the situation with him.

Please contact me directly using the contact info at the website so I can make your Forever Tray experience a more positive one. I'm always here to help.

You can get 6 cartridges for around $100 at Amazon.com and they ship free.

While that is indeed a good deal, it still works out to a little over $15 per litter change, while purchasing either Fresh Step or Pet Essentials (Target's brand) is about half that (or slightly less). The Pet Essentials crystals are presently $11.49 for 8 lbs (2 changes) -- making the end cost about $5.75 per litter change.

That's a pretty big difference..........

I am also a scoop free enthusiast, Kas, and hopefully can help ease your worried mind.,
I cannot speak to the efficacy of the Forever Tray, having never tried it myself; I generally try to stick to the scoopfree trays made by the company because if anything goes wrong (with tray or box), then the warantee will protect me.

In regards to purchasing new trays, I can definitely offer a solution to the replacement catridge issue! Kas, don't go back to scoopable litter! I had the same problem with trying to find the cartridges for sale, but then I found out (even better than Amazon.com, janesme) that you can get on the ScoopFree subscription service. They'll direcly send you your trays intermittently and charge your card automatically for them. Sweet! No more lugging my litter home from the store! I called to talk to them about it today, and they told me that members of the subscription service dont have to pay shipping, and they took $20 off of my 6tray subscription for my first order. (BTW, if you want this deal, they don't have it on the website yet... they are supposed to post it by the end of the week, but in the meantime you can call in directly to make an order.) 888.726.MEOW (6369)

If you dont want to do a subscription, you could also go to their website and search on their store locator to see what other stores close to you do have the trays: http://www.scoopfree.com/RetailLocator/

Best of luck!
-jess

Wow! This is truly an amazingly timely and well-articulated solution -- complete with all the contact info, pricing and options. So well organized that one might almost think it's an ad from Scoop Free themselves! As a very new user to the forum -- welcome Mrs. Jones.

While this is indeed a good alternative, it doesn't address Kas's main complaint -- and that is the one of urine leakage. Whatever choice is made (SF disposable cartridges or a permanent tray) -- a modification to the actual SF itself will need to be made, or else you will simply be be dealing with urine-soaked cardboard in addition to cleaning the floor -- as the issue is a cat peeing on the side of the unit and it tracking underneath.
There is a post elsewhere here at the site to help guide through a very easy fix for the situation as well.

Hey there-

Thanks for the welcome! Cant help but chime in when something works. AND as i am currently using my computer sitting in the dining room (with a SF about 10ft behind me), the ScoopFree is what I know - and it works. Suppose I should introduce myself before chiming in on topics? Sorry if that is a board etiquette thing...

My name is Jess - mommy to Cat King Cole and Catty Duke (and human mommy to Riley). I am an actress and have worked in the entertainment industry in casting and booking talent for 3-4 yrs. I am a reformed user of clay litter and manual scooping, and have been part of the automatic litterbox community since Cole and Dukie entered our family 1-2yrs ago. So, hi!

Regarding our furry friends...
We have a side-pee-ers too, and my husband has made a similar fix. (Is this a boy-cat thing or what?) We have used packaging tape just inside the edge of the frame to keep pee from leaking through the crack. Has worked for us so far, though I have heard that SF is addressing the side-peeing issue in a future design.

Happy to be on board (or should I say, "on [the] boards"),
-jess

Hi Mrs. Jones,
You seem to know the company pretty well. May be you can help.

You said the warrantee will protect if anything goes wrong (with tray or box). Does it mean if the tray is soaked through with urine and made a mess, the SF Company will send their customers a new tray with no charge?

We normally use the Forever Tray because it’s cheaper for us to use the forever tray. My little brother and I pay for our cat’s litter and food. The only time we use the disposable tray is when we are on vacation. We also don’t like the idea of creating more trash than needed (I am 17 and want to do my part to have a decent environment when I grow up).

Last time when we were gone for 10 days, the cartridge soaked through. If it happened again, do you think they will send us a new disposable tray with no charge?

Thank you for your help
Jessica
(I am also Jess, but only my Mom and few special people can call me Jess)

Hey Jessica-

You know, I am not sure if they will replace the tray, I've never asked for a replacement. I HAVE asked them about my leaking issue as well which is why I heard they were addressing that issue on a future model (maybe your cat is a side-pee-er like my cat, Cole.) You should definitely call or message them. I know that a Customer Service rep is on the boards, too.

-jess

Thanks.
They are not side-pee-ers. I have no problem with the Forever Tray. We tried taping the bottom with laminating sheet to prevent it from soaking through; but it peeled off and the rake stuck during one of the trip. So, we did not do that last time. May be we will try again. Mom does not think they will replace the tray. I was hoping you will know. Thanks for answering my question.

Hmm. I have never had a tray actually soak through - the only problem I have had is with my dumb, ahem, I mean... unique cat and his peeing tendancies. Definitely pose this question to ScoopFree - I'm sure they'd offer you some assistance.

I bought the forever tray in hopes that it would ultimately be less expensive than the cartridges. My problem is that one 3 .5 lb jug of crystal litter at $8 or so a week isn't even enough to fill it.
I don't know if my cat is unique but I find that after about 3 or 4 days the crystals are soaked through with urine and the whole things smells awful. I know that the self cleaning litter box is supposed to last at least 3 weeks- but there is no way I could live with that smell nor could my cat- By weeks end there are hardly any crystals that are not soaked through. I can't afford the price of crystals but hate to give up the box. If it would work for me the way it seems to for so many others, I'm sure I'd love it. I am just going broke trying to keep up with the cost!

ANy ideas, advice would be greatly appreciated.

Mary Ann

Hi Mary Ann,

This is all very easily solved!

First, regarding the smell and how long the crystals are (not) lasting for you. 3.5lbs is not nearly enough crystals for the tray to work properly. I've put a whole section of tip and recommendations regarding crystals at my website to help people -- so you may want to browse there as there is a ton of info. My suggestion is to put a minimum of 4lbs. -- ideally closer to 4.5lbs. Once you get the right amount of crystals, and do an occasional stir, this should make a huge difference for you.

I completely agree that the price you are getting ($8 for 3.5lbs) is absolutely atrocious!! Are you buying from a pet store? Their prices are generally the absolute worst. My suggestion is Target or Walmart -- where the prices will be much more reasonable. (This is also covered in tips section).

One more option that will be available soon. As so many people have been having difficulty finding the right crystals at reasonable price, I have worked with a company to develop a crystal that works exceptionally well with the Forever Tray -- and yet is also reasonably priced. It is called "Just the Crystals" and will be available for purchase on Amazon in about a week. The crystals will come packaged in two pre-measured bags per box, each bag weighing 4.4lbs. So you'll be getting the exact right amount -- no more measuring or guessing. The price will be $14.95 per box (total weight of crystals 8.8lbs per box) -- and shipping will be free from Amazon when you use either Amazon Prime or Supersaver shipping (min. order $25). So no shipping charges, no sales tax (most orders) and no wasted gas going to the store to find an empty shelf.

Hope this helped!

Mary Ann ...
I was having the same crystal saturation problem with both the Forever Tray and the cardboard tray. Smell was terrible. Started stirring the crystals every couple of days and that helped but the smell was still there. Then, I hooked up a small fan aimed at the box and NO SMELL! You would think that the fan would just blow the odor around BUT the crystals release moisture as water, so when the fan evaporates this the smell stays in the crystal, not in your room. I keep in on for a few hours after I stir the tray trying to get all the liquid on the bottom absorbed and trying to get as many soaked crystals to the top as I can. This really helps and makes your crystals last soooooo much longer!

You are soooo absolutely on target regarding the crystals and moisture absorption (and odor control). I've been doing a lot of homework on crystals over this past year, and have learned more than I ever thought.

Your tip is right on!

Even keeping them in an area that gets less moisture will make them more effective. I know it's human nature (or is it just us guys?) to not read the info on the side of the box, but it turns out practically every decent crystal supplier recommends the stir thing.

Other things I've learned that help:

- if you have a partial bag (for instance the Fresh Step bags -- which are hard to seal back closed) -- find a way to seal as tightly as possible until you're ready to use them. Surprisingly if let to sit in contact with the air, they'll pull some moisture out of the air and be less effective.
- try to keep your box away from areas that get moisture in the air (washer/drier rooms, bathrooms with a shower, etc). Also, as mentioned here, good air circulation is very helpful.
- make stirring a habit. We keep our box in the downstairs bathroom (no shower) and I make it a habit to just pass through there and give the crystals a stir every other day. When I say stir, what I mean is find that area where your cat likes to pee (usually around the middle of the box) where you'll find the moisture collecting, and stir those wet crystals in, pulling the cleaner, dryer crystals in from along the sides of the box. I also occasionally push the cycle button and stir in those crystals that collect behind the rake (where it is in the "rest" position).

I've found this will not only increase crystal life, but will also reduce odors a LOT. Makes sense -- the crystals aren't as soggy and can do their job better.