Dangerous auto cleaning litter box

[misterginja]

Hi all, I came across this recent post on Reddit, and didn't find anything on TheCatSite about it, so want to share this warning---it's horrifying to think about happening. According to the video, the litterbox's door sensor is faulty and won't open when touching the cat, rather keeps closing tighter (it's demonstrated on a stuffed toy in the video). There have been no recalls of the product and it is available under different brand names!

Under the video on Reddit, the original poster gives some more information about the product.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I can't really speak to this. Perhaps, the full content of that post actually lists brands that work like this, and then folks can look at associated reviews/recalls as well. If so, maybe you did?

Although there are some of them that people like, I wouldn't ever use one - for a multitude of reasons, so I am not going to do any research myself. Maybe it will prompt others to do so, as I think researching other sources, beyond Reddit, might be a good idea.

 

[Alldara]

There's not really much online past social media. But I will say this: Anytime you are using something with an automatic door, there are risks during a power outage.

Sensor failures can always be a problem too. Any technology can short or malfunction.

https://www.upworthy.com/upset-cat-ownerers-are-warning-about-dangerous-knock-off-automatic-litter-boxes

How true the claims are we will likely never know. There are many other reasons not to use an automatic box. Such as not being able to catch health issues promptly.

 

[misterginja]

There's not really much online past social media. But I will say this: Anytime you are using something with an automatic door, there are risks during a power outage.

Sensor failures can always be a problem too. Any technology can short or malfunction.

https://www.upworthy.com/upset-cat-ownerers-are-warning-about-dangerous-knock-off-automatic-litter-boxes

How true the claims are we will likely never know. There are many other reasons not to use an automatic box. Such as not being able to catch health issues promptly.

I'm also not a fan of the auto boxes, and prefer traditional scooping for the reasons you mention. I think it's good for anyone who doesn't know the possible dangers to take safety into consideration when deciding---the video in my opinion helps understand what a possible scenario can be if there's a faulty sensor. On Amazon there are numerous products from different sellers in China that look similar, and some have bad reviews. Many of the company names don't have further info available about them, so for that reason alone I would steer clear of their products.

 

[Krienze]

I'm so afraid of any and all auto litter boxes >.< Milo is small I'd be afraid he'd manage somehow to trap himself.

 

[Alldara]

I'm so afraid of any and all auto litter boxes >.< Milo is small I'd be afraid he'd manage somehow to trap himself.

Best to keep up on their "output" anyways so you can note if something is wrong

 

[catloverfromwayback]

I would never use an automatic litter box. Apart from needing to check their poos for health concerns, and the potential dangers, it just seems like a totally unnecessary waste of power and money to me.

 

[Margret]

I can't really speak to this. Perhaps, the full content of that post actually lists brands that work like this, and then folks can look at associated reviews/recalls as well. If so, maybe you did?

Three things:
1. I just ran into this on YouTube; you can find the link to the full YouTube video in the Reddit poster's profile. In the YouTube description, the content creator posted links to safe automatic litter boxes. (His channel is well worth subscribing to; he specializes in reviews of cat equipment, with an emphasis on safety. You can find the channel here: One Man Five Cats)
2. I first ran into the YouTube post from a different video:
Louis Rossmann has been posting videos about Amazon selling dangerous products for some time; he used this as another example. But the important thing about this video is that in his description Louis includes links to eight Amazon pages where the same litter box is being sold under different names.
3. In the original YouTube video, the content creator stated that when he installed a firmware update (which he had to look for himself, nothing from the company even suggested that it was available, let alone necessary) that fixed the problem; the litter box's safeguards worked properly and the box didn't close when it shouldn't. But in the comments, a YouTuber with the handle rikrikonius1301 commented:

“As a software developer, I have something to add. Even if they fixed it with the firmware update, that is not sufficient.
“I have seen several prior bugs in software be reintroduced by a seemingly unrelated change. And I doubt this company has a good quality control system to mitigate this.
“There is a very high chance that a future firmware update could make this machine deadly again.

“My stance is, no self cleaning litter machine is safe if it has the mechanical potential to kill a cat, no matter the firmware shipped or provided.”

As a computer geek, I verify what rikrikonius1301 says. If it's mechanically unsafe, no amount of software or firmware is going to make it safe.

 

[Alldara]

Three things:
1. I just ran into this on YouTube; you can find the link to the full YouTube video in the Reddit poster's profile. In the YouTube description, the content creator posted links to safe automatic litter boxes. (His channel is well worth subscribing to; he specializes in reviews of cat equipment, with an emphasis on safety. You can find the channel here: One Man Five Cats)
2. I first ran into the YouTube post from a different video:
Louis Rossmann has been posting videos about Amazon selling dangerous products for some time; he used this as another example. But the important thing about this video is that in his description Louis includes links to eight Amazon pages where the same litter box is being sold under different names.
3. In the original YouTube video, the content creator stated that when he installed a firmware update (which he had to look for himself, nothing from the company even suggested that it was available, let alone necessary) that fixed the problem; the litter box's safeguards worked properly and the box didn't close when it shouldn't. But in the comments, a YouTuber with the handle rikrikonius1301 commented:

“As a software developer, I have something to add. Even if they fixed it with the firmware update, that is not sufficient.
“I have seen several prior bugs in software be reintroduced by a seemingly unrelated change. And I doubt this company has a good quality control system to mitigate this.
“There is a very high chance that a future firmware update could make this machine deadly again.

“My stance is, no self cleaning litter machine is safe if it has the mechanical potential to kill a cat, no matter the firmware shipped or provided.”

As a computer geek, I verify what rikrikonius1301 says. If it's mechanically unsafe, no amount of software or firmware is going to make it safe.

I've seen some of his videos before. He puts a lot of research into things.

As a non-tecchy person. I trust you on that!

 

[IzzysfureverMom]

I have never used a auto cleaning box and most likely never will. For all the reasons listed above. I like manually cleaning boxes. Like others mentioned to have a consistent eye on output. Since my very first cat I find it the best indicator of what is going on.

 

[CyberTiger]

I think it's worth noting that not all automatic litter boxes have any sort of door on them. So I agree it would be best to put together some list and some ways to tell this is possible. (That would be a very good article, I imagine.)

I agree with what Margret and the quoted commenter said. The hardware itself needs to be safe on its own, don't rely on software to do it. So the designs without a door likely win automatically.

 

[vampiric_conure]

Yep! I came across this, too! I'd be terrified of using a robotic cleaner for the OP's exact reasons. I really don't like the idea of killing my cat accidentally. Old-fashioned poop scooping for me!