Best Self Cleaning Cat Litter Boxes
Self Cleaning Automatic Cat Litter Box Review
I'm going to focus on 3 main self cleaning litter boxes as below:
1. Litter Robot Self Cleaning Cat Litter Box
2. ScoopFree Self Cleaning Cat Litter Box
3. CatGenie Self Washing Self Flushing Cat Litter Box
The other models I found elsewhere weren't too reliable based on other reviews so I'm not gonna waste any time talking about those.
How they work
Litter Robot Self Cleaning Cat Litter Box
The Litter Robot works by using a sieve system within the globe. You will first need to place clumping cat litter on the inside base of the globe. Any clumping cat litter is fine as long as the pellets are not too large since the Litter Robot uses a sifting system.
Your cat simply enters via the opening at the front of the globe. Once their done, the cat sensor located at the bottom of the globe initiates a 7 minute countdown before the self cleaning cycle begins. This allows for the cat waste to cool down and clump together. Note that both solid and liquid waste should have already clumped with the cat litter at the end of this 7 minute waiting time. The globe starts to turn anticlockwise, storing all the unused cat litter in a separate compartment by sifting out the clumped waste and dropping it into the storage waste bin below the globe compartment. It then turns back clockwise, returning all the usable cat litter back to its original position, ready for the next visit. The waste bag in the closed drawer section below should ideally be cleared out once a week. If you have more than one cat, you may need to clear it out more often.
My score: 9/10
ScoopFree Self Cleaning Cat Litter Box
The ScoopFree litter box works by a raking system placed on top of a disposable cardboard litter tray filled with silica litter crystals with a side compartment which encloses any solid waste.
After your cat enters the litter tray, the infrared sensors detect its presence and only begins a 20 minute countdown after your cat has left the tray. The ScoopFree then starts its raking process, pushing any solid waste into the closed compartment at the front of the litter box (the purple section). Any liquid waste is absorbed by the silica crystals in the disposable tray. The ScoopFree litter tray is advertised to be able to last up to a month for a single cat, but depending on the amount of urine released by your cat, the crystals may have already absorbed its maximum capacity of liquid waste, and you'll notice the odor coming out from the box. The cardboard used for the litter tray is water resistant, however if the crystals are not able to absorb any more liquid, you may find yourself with pee leaking out of the litter trays. Therefore, once you start noticing that most of the crystals are yellow, its time to change the litter tray. The litter trays come with a cardboard cover as well, so that it doesn't make a mess when you throw it into the bin.
Because the ScoopFree is an open unit, some users have found that the odor is a little too much for them. This is because the humidity in your area may affect the effectiveness of the silica crystals. The rake system may also miss out on the little bits of solid waste, so you may need to do a little bit of manual scooping now and then.
My score: 7/10
CatGenie Self Washing Self Cleaning Cat Litter Box
The CatGenie washes EVERYTHING! It is the only cat litter system that uses washable granules. It allows for the cats to conduct their business first, before raking out the waste and washing the granules.
In the Cat Activation Mode, the CatGenie waits for 10 minutes after your cat has left the litter box to begin the self cleaning and washing process. It uses their GenieHand rake to scoop out the solid waste and flushes it down the drain pipe. (the drain pipe is pretty narrow but the CatGenie actually breaks down the waste with water and flushes it out) Any liquid waste drips through the litter granules into the bottom of the CatGenie and mixed with SaniSolution, the main cleaning agent for the CatGenie. The CatGenie then begins the washing the granules using water and SaniSolution. The system actually makes use of the GenieHand rake and granules to scrub itself clean. Afterwhich there is an inbuilt dryer to blow dry the granules. This entire process takes about 30 minutes, which in my opinion, is pretty long. If you have 2 cats, it means that the CatGenie will be cleaning itself for an average of 6-8 times a day! Of course, you could always set it to the Auto Start mode, and set it to clean every 6, 8 or 12 hours.
On the downside, I have seen reviews where bits of solid waste get left behind during the cleaning cycle, and the hot air dryer seems to elevate the odor situation instead of eliminating it. But that may just be a minority of cases. The good thing is that the CatGenie is very environmentally friendly since it reuses the washable granules, instead of having to constantly buy cat litter.
My score: 8/10
Type of Litter used
Litter Robot Self Cleaning Cat Litter Box
The Litter Robot uses clumping litter. An average 20 pound bag of clumping litter can cost between USD10-20. If you wish to use biodegradable clumping cat litter, the Litter Robot manufacturer has actually recommended the World's Best Cat Litter brand for use with the Litter Robot.
My score: 9/10
ScoopFree Self Cleaning Cat Litter Box
The ScoopFree unit is designed to be used only with their specific disposable litter trays. The manufacturer currently sells 2 types. The ScoopFree 'Free' is a disposable litter tray made of recycled material which comes with 'free' litter crystals but doesn't come with a lid. The ScoopFree 'Premium Blue' is a disposable litter tray that comes with a lid and what seems to be better crystals with better odor and moisture absorption. These litter trays however don't come cheap as they retail for almost USD15 each.
An alternative would be to get the Forever Litter Tray, which gives you the option of using a permanent plastic litter tray instead of throwing out the disposable ones when its time to replace the crystals.
My score: 5/10
CatGenie Self Washing Self Flushing Cat Litter Box
The CatGenie uses washable granules which are advertised to be used indefinitely. If you have a cat that just loves to dig and make a mess of the place, there are replacement granules which retail for about USD24.
Although you may never ever need to buy more granules, you would still need to purchase the SaniSolution for use with the CatGenie. On Cat Activation mode, the SaniSolution lasts for 240 wash cycles, which on average lasts between 1-2 months. The SaniSolution retails for about USD22 per cartridge. So even though you may never need to purchase another bag of cat litter, you would still need to buy the washing solution for the CatGenie. Well, it is more environmentally friendly, lighter and easier to replace...
My score: 9/10
Size
Depending on whether you stay in an apartment or a house, size is gonna be a constraint one way or another. Having more than 2 cats may also mean you need 2 separate litter box, otherwise you'll be cleaning up the boxes every day.
Litter Robot Self Cleaning Cat Litter Box
inches:29(H) x 22(W) x 24(D)
cm:74(H) x 56(W) x 61(D)
My Score: 7/10
ScoopFree Self Cleaning Cat Litter Box
inches:7(H) x 19(W) x 28(D)
cm:18(H) x 48(W) x 71(D)
My Score: 8/10
CatGenie Self Washing Self Flushing Cat Litter Box
inches:21(H) x 19(W) x 24.5(D)
cm:53(H) x 48(W) x 62(D)
My Score: 7/10
Based on the comparisons, the Litter Robot and CatGenie are both about the size of a small washing machine! (just not as tall) Taking that into comparison, you're not going have much choices about where to place them. Take note that all three self cleaning litter boxes will need access to a power outlet. The CatGenie also needs access to a water supply and drain pipe so you're likely to be place it in the toilet or laundry. The ScoopFree seems to be the smallest unit, however the litter tray is pretty long at 28". (if you hold it sideways you may have problems walking through the door!) If you purchase the hood accessory to give your cat some privacy, the unit will increase in height to 17" or 43cm.
Visual appearance and operation
Check out how the litter boxes work in the main review. I gave a score on their visual appeal!
Litter Robot Self Cleaning Cat Litter Box
The Litter Robot looks very sophisticated and reminds me of R2D2!
My Score: 8/10 (funky R2D2 lookalike)
ScoopFree Self Cleaning Cat Litter Box
The ScoopFree looks very clean cut, with a large open space for your cat to climb in. Shouldn't take much to get your cat used to the new cat litter since it basically looks like any other litter box.
My Score: 9/10
CatGenie Self Washing Self Flushing Cat Litter Box
The CatGenie looks like a toilet bowl. I guess any owner should ideally place it in the toilet. Just remind your guests to use the right one!
My Score: 6/10 (It looks like a toilet bowl... )
My Score
Litter Robot
Total score: 39
ScoopFree
Total score: 37
CatGenie
Total score: 37
Seems like the Litter Robot won by a fur. It is the priciest of the lot, but I'm sure most of us are willing to spend on our cats, especially if it means no more bending over the fragrant litter box and scooping out the poop. There's also no more holding your nose when trying to empty out the old litter box into a big garbage bag when its time to change out the litter. Do you even remember the last time you had to wash out the litter box with all the remnant waste stuck to the sides of the box? yuck...
In my opinion, I am pretty environmentally conscious. Even though it seems that the CatGenie is the least harmful to the environment by reusing the same litter granules, my toilet unfortunately cannot fit another toilet bowl. I ended up with the Litter Robot and have never looked back ever since! It took a while to get my 2 cats used to the futuristic gadget, but the time and energy saved ever since has been well deserved!
by: Shaun Ng
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