Automatic litter box / litter robot - opinions?

[pmv]

So of my three cats, one of my younger kittens (Archie, age ~9 months) tends to have a very strong demand for a very pristine litter box - she will guaranteed poop on the floor if each litter box (I have four boxes for three cats) isn't cleaned at least once every 24 hours, and sometimes she's pooped on the floor when finding a litter box with only one other poop in it, so even cleaning them every 8-12 hours isn't always sufficient to completely prevent pooping on the floor, although it reduces it dramatically. And she won't even check the other three litter boxes in the house first - if she finds a box and it's not to her satisfaction, she'll poop on the floor, even if there is a very clean box in the room down the hall. Thankfully at least she always pees in the box.

Given that quirk of hers, I'm thinking replacing some of the litter boxes - particularly the ones in carpeted rooms - with litter robots would be a good move, and could reduce how often my carpets get poop on them. Has anyone used any brands they liked / didn't like, or otherwise have good or bad experiences to share?

Here's a photo from a few months ago when she's being adorable and not pooping everywhere.

 

[ArtNJ]

I've never used one, but in checking them out I *was* kind of amazed that there are brands on amazon with 4.5 stars and thousands of reviews. Very, very few products get 4.5 stars with thousands of reviews, so this is something that truly conveys a lot of information about the product. Of course, make sure the reviews are ok -- recently I've been noticing that Amazon has some problem reviews like a toaster with reviews where if you read them, the reviews say "this cheese tastes great!" Seems to be a problem especially with imported products -- some sort of game product sellers are playing most likely. But if you read a bunch of the reviews, 4.5 stars is 4.5 stars.

 

[Bobsk8]

So of my three cats, one of my younger kittens (Archie, age ~9 months) tends to have a very strong demand for a very pristine litter box - she will guaranteed poop on the floor if each litter box (I have four boxes for three cats) isn't cleaned at least once every 24 hours, and sometimes she's pooped on the floor when finding a litter box with only one other poop in it, so even cleaning them every 8-12 hours isn't always sufficient to completely prevent pooping on the floor, although it reduces it dramatically. And she won't even check the other three litter boxes in the house first - if she finds a box and it's not to her satisfaction, she'll poop on the floor, even if there is a very clean box in the room down the hall. Thankfully at least she always pees in the box.

Given that quirk of hers, I'm thinking replacing some of the litter boxes - particularly the ones in carpeted rooms - with litter robots would be a good move, and could reduce how often my carpets get poop on them. Has anyone used any brands they liked / didn't like, or otherwise have good or bad experiences to share?

Here's a photo from a few months ago when she's being adorable and not pooping everywhere.
View attachment 365203

Dozens of Litter Robot reviews on Youtube. Some cats don't like them.

 

[Rhall]

I've been looking too. The Litter Robot has my attention, but that's what scares me. All that $$$ and what if they don't like it? I did read though you could return it within 90 days (you pay postage and cleaning fee) if your cat doesn't like it. The other cheaper models seem to have 3/5 reviews.

 

[pmv]

I did bite the bullet and buy a Litter Robot, which I've been using now for two days, replacing one of my four litter boxes.

The two kittens seem to enjoy using it - we're going through seven or eight cycles per day, and the kittens love watching it clean itself. I haven't seen any evidence of my older cat using it, but perhaps he is when I don't see it (he goes less frequently in general and I may just not catch him when he's using it).

The good news - the room I put the litter robot in, which was the main room that used to get its carpet pooped on, has been poop-free. The bad news - the only other room with a litterbox and carpeting has been pooped on both days.

I may just try to see if I can retire that litter box and go down to three boxes - there's already a litter box in both bathrooms the cats can access, and the only other tiled rooms I could put a litter box in would be the dining room or the kitchen, which for sanitary purposes I don't want.

 

[Rhall]

Keep us up to date on how it works. I'm still debating......

 

[pmv]

So far, so good. Pretty certain both kittens are using it - they filled the waste drawer in a mere two days! Still not sure about my adult cat, but I am fine with him using the other litter boxes if he chooses.

The only thing I don't like is my big kitten's desire to climb inside during cleaning cycles. While there are safety features so he won't get hurt, I do worry he may put a lot of extra wear on the motor, as a fourteen pound cat is a lot for what seems (based on the power adapter) to be a fairly low voltage DC motor. I'm hoping the novelty will wear off.

 

[cataholic07]

Are your other litter boxes uncovered? In an open area to? If a litter box is enclosed and in an enclosed area (ie small bathroom) some cats do have issues with resource guarding and can prevent one cat from using the litter box by just watching. If the poop is too firm it can lead to litter box avoidance as well just due to the pain. Some cats like one litter box to pee in and one to poo in so having two litter boxes close to each other could help with that. Is your 14lb cat at a his healthyweight or overweight? Any cats longhair and could potentially be getting poop stuck to their fur thats falling off? Are your other litter box large enough? You want them to be the size of your biggest cat in length plus a half. My first cat had major issues with peeing outside the litterbox because she had some bad arthritis in her hips and spine. She just didnt realize her but wasnt fully out lol. Sometimes it could be the litter texture, some cats prefer the very soft litter to poop in and it has to be the right depth.

 

[Bobsk8]

I did bite the bullet and buy a Litter Robot, which I've been using now for two days, replacing one of my four litter boxes.

The two kittens seem to enjoy using it - we're going through seven or eight cycles per day, and the kittens love watching it clean itself. I haven't seen any evidence of my older cat using it, but perhaps he is when I don't see it (he goes less frequently in general and I may just not catch him when he's using it).

The good news - the room I put the litter robot in, which was the main room that used to get its carpet pooped on, has been poop-free. The bad news - the only other room with a litterbox and carpeting has been pooped on both days.

I may just try to see if I can retire that litter box and go down to three boxes - there's already a litter box in both bathrooms the cats can access, and the only other tiled rooms I could put a litter box in would be the dining room or the kitchen, which for sanitary purposes I don't want.

What type of litter are you using in the box where the cat poops outside of it. I had that problem, and it turned out my cat hated Pine Pellets. Switched to Aem and Hammer Clump and seal and that cured the problem.

 

[Elphaba09]

I love my Litter-Robot! We have twelve cats ranging from 8 months to 17 years old, and each of them loves it. We have it downstairs and three regular boxes upstairs (it was two until our last two kittens joined us). My husband and I were just talking about getting a second one for upstairs in the studio and leaving just the one regular one in the hall.

The jumping inside when it is turning does seem to wear off. Several of my cats will get in a line after I replace the bag to take turns using the litter. Only the two newest ones still jump in sometimes. The rest just like to watch it turn while they are waiting to go. Or, honestly, sometimes they seem to be watching for fun.

 

[Suljas]

Myself using Petree litter machine.
It's more on ground level so cats need not climb up as Litter Robot but the con is that the sand tends to be kicked out often by the cat. But Petree machine is more common here in Singapore and is half the price of Litter Robot. I may consider buying the Litter Robot from overseas once my cat gros a bit bigger.

 

[pmv]

Are your other litter boxes uncovered? In an open area to? If a litter box is enclosed and in an enclosed area (ie small bathroom) some cats do have issues with resource guarding and can prevent one cat from using the litter box by just watching. If the poop is too firm it can lead to litter box avoidance as well just due to the pain. Some cats like one litter box to pee in and one to poo in so having two litter boxes close to each other could help with that. Is your 14lb cat at a his healthyweight or overweight? Any cats longhair and could potentially be getting poop stuck to their fur thats falling off? Are your other litter box large enough? You want them to be the size of your biggest cat in length plus a half. My first cat had major issues with peeing outside the litterbox because she had some bad arthritis in her hips and spine. She just didnt realize her but wasnt fully out lol. Sometimes it could be the litter texture, some cats prefer the very soft litter to poop in and it has to be the right depth.

Yeah, my other two litter boxes are uncovered - I always use uncovered litter boxes as my older cat just doesn't like covered or ones with walls (which is why I expected him not to like the litter robot, and why I still keep the other litter boxes around). The kittens love the covered litter robot, which is good.

The kitten who poops outside the box definitely doesn't have hard stools - hers are usually quite soft, and if anything tend to be too watery versus too firm, which made carpet cleanup even worse. This is more than just a little piece or two of poo that gets tracked outside the litter box - it was a large pile at a time.

And my 14-pounder is perhaps slightly overweight per the vet, but he's still growing, too, as he's only 9 months old. The vet thinks he has some Maine Coon in him - he's very long and tall.

What type of litter are you using in the box where the cat poops outside of it. I had that problem, and it turned out my cat hated Pine Pellets. Switched to Aem and Hammer Clump and seal and that cured the problem.

It's Tidy Cats brand clay litter. I don't think she dislikes the litter itself because she'll rush to use the litter box as soon as I've cleaned it - she just really doesn't like dirty litter boxes to a degree that far exceeds that of my other two cats. In fact I usually don't tie the bag closed right away when I clean my "manual" litter boxes because about 2/3 of the time, she'll use the litter box within 5 minutes.

The litter robot certainly seems to be a hit. Since I took away the other litter box in a carpeted area, there hasn't been a single instance of poop outside the box. The litter robot is being used by my two kittens for a total of 8-10 times per day.