Automatic Litterbox Central

I just posted more details in the introduction section, but here's my problem. I'm owned by 4 cats - 3 Sphynx and an elderly Ragdoll. I'm disabled myself, and the constant scooping of regular cat boxes is a chore I hate. One of my cats has alot of chronic URI problems due to the conditions he was kept in before I rescued him, as such, clay and clumping cat litters are to dusty, and aggrivate his problems, so I have to stick with crystal or paper pellet litters. I purchased a couple Scoop Free boxes thinking I'd finally found a solution to my problem (I was a very happy Littermade owner for many years - Went to a Cat Genie, but my current home doesn't have space for me to hook it up to a drain, so I can no longer use the Cat Genie). However, it's just been a messy nightmare - While certainly better then scooping constantly, I've found my younger male, Osiris, likes to dig and tears the bottom of the cardboard trays, leaving a yucky mess every time I have to change the trays out (which, with 4 cats, is about every 4-5 days!). The cost of constantly throwing out and replacing the trays is also becoming an issue. I know there use to be a plastic tray you could get for them, but so far I haven't been able to find one and get my hands on it! Does anyone have any ideas or solutions? Or other litter boxes that may work for my cats? We've tried toilet training - Didn't go over well at all - and aside from the Cat Genie, I can't find any other boxes that don't require clumping cat litter! I love my cats, and am totally frusterated that I can't find a litter box that works for me and my cats!

I have two cats and very similar problems to yours so I went out in search of a new/improved and permanent tray solution for my ScoopFree.

I went to Target and got a plastic bin for about $7 and cut it down to size using a Dremel (an inexpensive rotary tool that easily cuts plastic). I made it twice as deep as the standard tray and added a plastic grate to hold extra litter and serve as a new floor for the rake to pass over. This quadrupled the life of the litter since most of the urine will pass immediately over the top layer of crystals and be absorbed by the litter in the grate. Since the cats feet never come in contact with that soiled litter, it's possible to leave it for several weeks - or even longer if an absorbent puppy training pad is placed beneath the grate. I can also use it with a standard litter box liner which reduces clean-up time.

I used a long, thin, rectangular, $3 plastic kitchen drawer organizer for the smaller "solid waste" container and immediately appreciated that it holds 3 to 4 times as much poo as the standard tray. Since it's separate from the main tray, it's easily removed and emptied and replaced without disturbing the rest of the litter box.

I'll try to post some photos later if anyone is interested.

Donna

I'd love to see pictures as I'm having a hard time visualizing exactly what you're describing! Thank you for the good advice - I run a no kill rescue for Italian Greyhounds, so puppy pads are plentiful around here!

I posted a better description and some photos on the forum here: http://www.litterbox-central.com/litter-box/scoopfree/topic3632.html