Automatic litter box

[Saulbadguy]

I've got 3 cats and i'm tired of scooping up their shit every day, does anyone have one of those automatic ones that does the work for you?

Pro/Con, any brand better than another? TIA!

 

[Balr0g]

I tried one. It was crap.

And the cat was scared to use the thing.

I recommend a covered litter box with Fresh Step Cedar litter. I only had to clean it maybe every other week - but my cat was outside a lot so crapped out there more than inside. No smell at all with that litter.

 

[rasczak]

Originally posted by: Saulbadguy
I've got 3 cats and i'm tired of scooping up their shit every day, does anyone have one of those automatic ones that does the work for you?

Pro/Con, any brand better than another? TIA!

If they're older, it's gonna be hard to get them to use it. You have to get them started real early. I smell your pain. Literally. I can smell your house from here.

 

[PepePeru]

my good friend uses one. his female cat took to it pretty quick...
he didnt have any problems getting her to use it.

however, she likes to kick violently when burying. so she scatters litter everywhere around it, since its uncovered and i think you have to use a special litter for it.

not sure what brand it is, he got it used for half of the msrp from someone he works w/.

 

[randomlinh]

my friend has one. it's nice, but expensive. they change the litter out every week w/ two cats. and it does kinda get all around the unit, but they have a small closet which is the cats' bathroom anyway.

 

[Newbian]

Teach them to use the toilet.

Just remember to keep the seat up.

 

[Ryan]

I have one, it's was awesome when I had my cat. No smell, no mess. If you have three cats though, you've got to make sure and empty the receptacle daily - I can see it getting overloaded easily lol

 

[TwiceOver]

I had one with our three cats. Worthless. After about 2 months it didn't work right, at about a year it was in the trash. The micro switches and sensors get clogged up and then you have to hand wash the unit and all of its crevasses. The waste receptacle was really only made for one cat, so expect to empty that daily which is just as bad as scooping a box.

IMO, go blow $100 on something useful, this isn't going to save you time or hassle.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

get a Tidy Cats Breeze box instead....they rock.

 

[thomsbrain]

I doubt my cat would use it once he saw the mechanism in action. I use a covered box with Arm and Hammer's Fresh Step, and it works very well. I only need to clean it once a week or so. But even with the cover, he still kicks the litter all over the damn room, so there's always extra clean-up involved. He goes outside, but won't GO outside for some reason.

 

[RedRooster]

Having a similar predicament as the OP, I've been considering stepping up to a large Rubbermaid tub for our two cats, as our big cat doesn't seem to have nearly enough room in the covered litter boxes we have.

Has anyone tried this?? A large uncovered tub which would cost a lot to fill, but would give the cats tons of room. Like a big old sandbox.

 

[keird]

Originally posted by: RedRooster
Having a similar predicament as the OP, I've been considering stepping up to a large Rubbermaid tub for our two cats, as our big cat doesn't seem to have nearly enough room in the covered litter boxes we have.

Has anyone tried this?? A large uncovered tub which would cost a lot to fill, but would give the cats tons of room. Like a big old sandbox.

We have a kiddie pool in the basement with four 30 lbs. bags of clumpable litter in it. It provides enough room for our 4 cats and if you miss a couple of days, it's no big deal.

It works very well for us.

Edit: We learned this technique during a party at a veterinarian?s house. Our cats don't scatter the litter at all, so YMMV.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Those automatics wouldn't stand chance against the mammoth clumps my 3 racehorse-pissing cat's can produce. Especially in the corners.

My neighbor tried an automatic with his cat. The mechanism would sometimes go off early, mid-act, and scare the shit (literally) outta his cat. Within days the cat stopped using the litter box entirely. He switched back to a regular box, but had to slowly work his cat back in to trusting the whole litter box idea.

...Not worth messes.

best litter box I ever purchased. Plenty big enough for my 3 cats. Two large, one small. Yeah, I gotta scoop every day...but really, it takes like 1.5 minutes. If we're out for the weekend, I just pile the litter deeper.

 

[aircooled]

I cut a hole in the front of a 50 gallon plastic container and put 20lbs of litter in it. Stays in the garage.

 

[l0cke]

Originally posted by: RedRooster
Having a similar predicament as the OP, I've been considering stepping up to a large Rubbermaid tub for our two cats, as our big cat doesn't seem to have nearly enough room in the covered litter boxes we have.

Has anyone tried this?? A large uncovered tub which would cost a lot to fill, but would give the cats tons of room. Like a big old sandbox.

I've got two that are bigger then that, works extremely well for my 3 cats.

 

[RedRooster]

Originally posted by: keird

Originally posted by: RedRooster
Having a similar predicament as the OP, I've been considering stepping up to a large Rubbermaid tub for our two cats, as our big cat doesn't seem to have nearly enough room in the covered litter boxes we have.

Has anyone tried this?? A large uncovered tub which would cost a lot to fill, but would give the cats tons of room. Like a big old sandbox.

We have a kiddie pool in the basement with four 30 lbs. bags of clumpable litter in it. It provides enough room for our 4 cats and if you miss a couple of days, it's no big deal.

It works very well for us.

Edit: We learned this technique during a party at a veterinarian?s house. Our cats don't scatter the litter at all, so YMMV.

Interesting, that's good to know! I always wondered if it'd work, makes a lot of sense other than being able to contain the smell. That's no biggie though.
Thanks!

 

[RedRooster]

Originally posted by: l0cke

Originally posted by: RedRooster
Having a similar predicament as the OP, I've been considering stepping up to a large Rubbermaid tub for our two cats, as our big cat doesn't seem to have nearly enough room in the covered litter boxes we have.

Has anyone tried this?? A large uncovered tub which would cost a lot to fill, but would give the cats tons of room. Like a big old sandbox.

I've got two that are bigger then that, works extremely well for my 3 cats.

Ya, that seems pretty small, eh?
You're thinking like a 50-60L one?

My wife is gonna love this, I've been on her for weeks about this idea!