Automatic Litterbox Central

I set it up, plugged it in. Walked away. Walter walked up to it, sniffed it. Went inside. Used it.


- Tracking is minimal and no dust compared to clumping litter.
- Noise - very little compared to the litter robot
- Design - smart. The bottom of the unit is a big hole - you put the disposable carboard shallow box full of crystals on the floor and put the box on top.
- Litter collection - since the liquid is absorbed by the crystals, the only waste is the solids which incidentally change colors as the crystals dry the waste pieces up.
- Smell - uh - what smell?
- Cost - $10 a month per cat but I will cut it down as I am fabricating an acrylic replacement box so I can buy the crystals in bulk to save money.

http://www.scoopfree.com

I'm interested in learning more about this. I was put-off by the potential cost of the refills. Is the exact same litter product available in bulk? I specialize in sheet metal design and fabrication and I could copy any sort of tray required to beat the cost trap of refills.

The post below in this forum (... "nirvana") outlines what I'm doing now, but if the scoop free could be made cost-effective, I'd certainly give it a try.

Todd/Indy

I am having the the tray made with acrylic for maybe $20. Found a place on eBay that will fabricate the two pieces. One small tray will need to be hinged at the end of the large tray. It will "cover" solid wastes that pile up to the front of the unit.

I think $5 a month with coupons and bought in bulk is probably the final cost to run this thing.

Where do you buy Fresh Step Crystals that cheap? Not sure my cats'd take to them (darn PITA female ) though.

Todd/Indy

Walter,

A couple of questions:
1) why do you consider this to be better than the Litter Robot?

2) can you tell me who you're using on e-bay to make the acrylic container? (if s/he's got the plans already, it'd be easiest if I ordered it from the same person).

Thx.

-Rusty

So how'd the acrylic tray work out? Are you still happy with the box? I'd love to try it, but with two cats, the cartridges are cost prohibitive.

Thanks,
Alysha

rustymonkey wrote:Walter,

A couple of questions:
1) why do you consider this to be better than the Litter Robot?

2) can you tell me who you're using on e-bay to make the acrylic container? (if s/he's got the plans already, it'd be easiest if I ordered it from the same person).

Thx.

-Rusty

The fact that the liquids are absorbed by the crystals reduces the need to empty litter collector except for the monthly cartridge change. Its been about 30 days and the crystals are still absorbing. The solid waste pieces have collected under the cover and do not smell.

Why is it better than the Robot in my opinion?

1) Quieter
2) Faster cycle
3) Less tracking
4) Less Dust
5) Less time collecting waste
6) Less Smell
7) No kick out sand / Crystals
Larger - more comfortable use area for the cat
9) No waste deposits on the steps or entryway
10) Cheaper machine costs
11) Easier clean up of unit


Why is it worse?

1) Cartridge costs

But - honestly the time it saves us is worth that.



As for the acrylic tray, I ordered the parts PRECUT on eBay - search "Acrylic sheets" and you will find some seller willing to cut the pieces to size. I just havent had time to glue them together - you need a specific glue to make sure it it solid. The pieces were not cheap but I believe this could save me money in the long run on crystals.

rustymonkey,

If the acrylic tray works out, it shouldn't be a problem to have them made anywhere. Just do a search for acrylic cutting or custom cut acrylic/plastic and most cities have someone who does this. Or you can go to http://www.thebluebook.com, find your city, then search for plastic fabricators and a bunch of them will pop up. I'd rather find someone local do it so I can take it home right then and use it rather than go the ebay route.

In the Sacramento area, Tap Plastics comes to mind. They will make anything for you from acrylic. Something as simple as a tray, shouldnt be cost prohibitive. You probably won't find anything super cheap, but once you have one, you will never need to replace it, which is good.

Walter's owner,

How many cats do you have?

I have one cat - Walter - he has miserable stomach issues. We still have a clumping box out for him which he also uses. He has a bad habit of needing to go in one box - using it then going in the other box to use that one too.

I am thinking of buying a second scoop free and making a two level or a side by side cabinet for him to use. Regardless, its 100% easier.

Acrylic fabrication is expensive. For the tray and waste cover (there is a small cardboard "hinged" (with tape) tray at the front of the cartidge that covers the waste, a local place for fabrication and materials was over $100. Materials alone cost me $50 shipped - about $20 of the price was shipping. I could have done it cheaper to just buy the sheets but cutting straight and buying special saw wheels would have cost me more in materials cause I know I would have screwed it up.


If the company is reading this - make some washable trays and sell the crystals in premeasured bags!!!!!

I was seriously going to take the cardboard tray on a fresh cartridge and spray it with some sort of coating that would stregnthen it, make it washable and leak proof.

My wife has some crafting clear plaster stuff I was also going to try. I just need to have whatever I spray not absorb odors or moisture.

Sorry about Walter's troubles. My boy cat has issues but nothing health related. He's just a punk. He has his OWN bathroom with his OWN litter Robot which he poops in. Hepees in the toilet in that bathroom. I had to cut a hole in the door and put a small cat flap in so the fat girl cats cant get thru it. He doenst get along with one of the girls and is paranoid of them sneaking up on him when hes doing his thing. Hence the private bathroom. sheesh!

Could you use that corrugated plastic to make a tray? does any liquid actually pool or drip anywhere or is it all absorbed into the crystal? I use that corrugated stuff for all kinds of things. it would be great if it would work. easily washed/rinsed, lasts forever, sturdy etc.

how bout gluing oilcloth to the cardboard? its water proof. (in case you dont know what oilcloth is, it is that heavy tablecloth kind of material you might see at picnics or something, sturdy and waterproof)

Hi!

I would lke to post 2 questions about Scoopfree.

1) Does Scoopfree have got a cover? (my cats kick a lot when going inside a litter box)

2) For those that are buying crystals in bulk due to having made a tray in acrylic: Do common crystals ensure 30 days of no smell, too?

The hood is sold as an accessory. You can see it on the ScoopFree website.

I didn't find the measure of Scoopfree in the website. Does anybody know how long, wide and tall it is?

How can I order the Scoopfree to work with 220 voltage? Is it possible to ship it to Europe (Portugal)?

I can post the measurements when I get home, unless someone else beats me to it. Running on 220V would not be a problem, it uses a DC power supply. The bigger question is where you expect to get the refills in Portugal. I think you would probably be better off with a unit that did not depend on supplies that aren't sold outside the US. Maybe a Litter Robot?