subject: Automatic Litter Boxes - Which One To Decide Upon? [print this page] Automatic Litter Boxes - Which One To Decide Upon?
Automatic kitty litter boxes interest a lot of cat owners because they are tired of cleaning traditional cat litter boxes manually. However, a lot of people have no idea that certain automatic litter boxes could be much more trouble to handle than they're worth. Since automatic litterboxes are a somewhat recent item, a lot of brands might not be adequately designed. While in the self-cleaning process, the gear and/or the rake can get caught on the waste and stop moving. The motor could cause enough noise to wake you from sleep in the middle of the night after your cat goes potty. Pieces of fecal material might get flung outside the litter box. Based on feedback from some frustrated owners of automatic cat litter boxes, it is apparent that they are sorry for ever having bought one.
At the same time, there are litterboxes that are well-designed, that a lot of the users are pleased with. Though nearly every product has the potential of dysfunctioning, some are less likely to cause issues for their owners than others. Having used most of these items myself, and having read quite a lot of feedback from end users of various brands, I chose to recommend those below as being the most useful currently available.
1) Litter Robot
The Litter Robot waits a few minutes after your cat has left the litter box, and then drops the waste into a plastic bag underneath. This brand is able to limit odors relatively well, and the motor is not noisy while it is running. One more benefit is that it has low upkeep cost, as the only things that need to be replaced are the plastic carrier bag (which can be any common grocery bag) and premium clumping litter. While it comes with a somewhat heavy price-tag, the fact that the Litter Robot has minimum operating costs and that most consumers find it to require little maintenance makes it one of the finest automatic litter boxes on the market today. Highly recommended!
2) Petsafe Simply Clean
Unlike any other automatic litter boxes, the Petsafe Simply Clean litter box not only goes through the cleaning cycle after a cat leaves. It continuously moves and deposits waste into a plastic bag. There is no possibility of kitty getting its paws trapped in any moving elements because it's not subjected to any. Odors are small as the cleansing is continual. The sole ongoing costs are common plastic bags and premium clumping litter. Besides, in spite of the great quality, the Petsafe litterbox is priced relatively low as compared with similar products. The only disadvantage is that soft waste material would sometimes break into smaller and smaller portions as the machine rotates, and fail to get swept away by the conveyor. Due to this reason, I would not recommend that you go for Petsafe if your cat has soft fecal material. In spite of this little issue, the Petsafe Simply Clean is still recommended as the the advantages surely outweigh the disadvantages.
3) ScoopFree
ScoopFree has the usual design shared by many automatic boxes, composed of a rake that drags waste to a throwaway tray after the kitty leaves. What is unique about this box is that it utilizes litter crystals that can be used permanently ( i.e. does not need to be replaced ) that absorb pee as well as dry out fecal material to regulate the odour. Along with the low ongoing costs, this litterbox has a low upfront sales cost. The sole ongoing cost is for the dispensable tray, which needs to be replaced when it is full. Furthermore, this litterbox does not call for a lot of human intervention. The only flaws are that some consumers find the odor to be over the top, and / or that the motor is overly loud. All in all, though, I would still recommend this litter box as being one of the finest ones now available.
4) Cat Genie
The Cat Genie works differently from the common automatic litterbox. Instead of raking waste materials into a disposable receptacle, it flushes the fecal matter directly down your toilet after you hook it up to your household's piping system. Instead of typical kitty litter, the box comes with granules that are permanent and needs no replacements. The best thing is that this box is able to sustain its own cleanness by automatically washing and blow-drying itself. Although there is the extra inconvenience of having to hook it up to your plumbing system at the beginning, the fact that it can dispose of the waste material and maintain its own cleanliness will save you considerably more time down the road. The major negatives about this box are 1) the ongoing cost of the sani-solution can accumulate over time, and 2) some owners protest about malfunctioning like jams that will require untidy disassembly, disgusting manual cleaning of half-dissolved waste, and reassembly. However , considering that almost all of the consumer feedback on this product has been good, this litter box is still recommended.
You are encouraged to do your own online research before making a purchasing decision. Just do not presume that any automatic cat litter box will do more of the dirty work to make your life simpler - some will, and some won't. The more research you do before buying, the less probable you will finish up with a huge mess on your hands and a much bigger headache, not to mention a lighter wallet.
