Automatic Kitty Litter Cleaners

[LisaLisa]

Hi Everyone,

Does anyone use this and do they really work? I've been thinking about buying one for my 2 boys.

I'm a bit concerned that Smokey (who is post p/u and is peeing so wonderfully these days) clumps may be too big for the containers to hold. Am I being off base here?

I'm willing to invest the money if the pros outweigh the cons. I appreciate hearing your experiences either positive or negative.

Thank you.

[D~]

Hi Lisa,

I don't have one...I've heard mixed reviews though.

My worries are these:

If kitties scare easliy, this may not be a good choice - something moving on it's own in the box even though there is a delay some cats go in succession (like my group )..and some go back in after, jumping in and out of box and I worry something could go wrong with it though I've not heard any reports to that effect...also they are very small boxes, so if you have over the side or side pee'ers or even 'flingers' forget it.

Also, if you do get one, leave the old box(s) around for a good while so there is no abrupt change that will cause stress or litter box 'issues' .

The Rolling Boxes, the ones you manually roll away the litter clumps to the bottom by tilting the box seem to work really well, I hear good things about those, but they are have covers so if they like a covered box or you have side pee'ers that might be a better option.

I hope Smokey is doing great, kiss that sweetie for me, ok!!

[Susan and the girls]

I agree with D~. (I'd thought about getting one at one time, but the cost kinda made the decision a little less difficult for me! )

My kitties are "flingers" and most of the urine clumps I have to get out of the box are firmly cemented in the corners or along the sides. (Those commercials for clumping litter with one cat accusing the other of laying an egg are just SO not real, if you ask me!) I also have Daisy, who runs scared at the drop of a pin, so the possibility of her fainting with fear when the machine starts up (if she's within ear shot) is a real worry, too. (She's an odd one, but completely lovable!) Oh, and the fact that I have three kitties would mean I'd need more than one of those contraptions, too, which is totally not in my budget right now.

I guess I'll stick with the tried and true plain old covered box.

If you do get one, though, please post YOUR experiences with it!! I'd love to hear!

[LisaLisa]

The issues you both raised were some of my concerns (the big negatives).

Smokey seems to plant the "eggs" in the corners and Caz Man is the scaredy cat. After Smokey's p/u surgery, I unsuccessfully tried using a smaller box which was not as deep as the regular box. Smokey was extremely frustrated (it broke my heart). Needless to say, I switched him back to his old box and Caz inherited the smaller box while they needed to be separated. I think it was because he really likes to feel alot of litter under him--so this would probably be an issue with the automatic litter cleaner too. Most of all, I really don't want to put undo stress on either one of my guys.

The thoughts of finding an easier way to deal with keeping the litter box clean is so enticing but may not be realistic. My dear friend who takes wonderful care of my boys while I'm away is not bouncing back as fast as expected from a recent shoulder surgery so I was also looking to try to make taking care of my guys a bit easier--and maybe ease my guilt about asking her to clean the box.

For now, I think I'm going to need to think more about it and try to get more info. I saw one for multiple cat use for about $180 at Petsmart recently, it's alot of money to spend if it's not all what it's cracked up to be. If I do get one, I'll be sure to post.


I think I'm becoming a geriatric before my time -- I've become quite concerned about elimination issues.

D~, Smokey continues to be very well (paws crossed). He is jumping, playing like a madman with his brother and overall continue to be quite pleasant. I'm getting ready to change their food to Waltham's brand. I'm expecting them to be peeing more and I just bought a distiller since the product person suggested they are only given distilled water. I'm willing to give that one a try. I hope Bails and Lynxy are doing well too.

Susan, I hope all goes well with you, Rob and your girls. I do read the board frequently but I definitely need to get better about posting.

Thank you both for your advice. Keep up all the great work that you both do. You are very much appreciated!! And please, give everyone some big kitty kisses from me.

Take care,

[Zola]

I know a guy who has one. He says it works wonderfully BUT one of his kitties has decided that it is a cat toy, and has taken to jumping in and out of the box to make it stop.

[MA]

I had one given to me last year, it was brand new, a donation from a person in town who wanted to help me with all my cats. Because I have so many cats- at that time, I had 23- these were the problems with it:

It was constantly being used, the cats were drawn to the noise, so after 2 weeks the motor burnt out. The cats would play with the bar that scraped across the litter, so the box had to be in a supervised area to avoid accidents.

If you have one or two cats, it is worthwhile, but more than that, it is more trouble than its worth.

[Geoff]

ok gang.. time for one of my amature questions... what exactly is p/u? and what does it effect and whatnot?

-Geoff-

[Traci]

P/U is Perineal Urethrostomy, it is a surgical procedure done in male cats to shorten the urethra to allow for less risk of blockage due to history of crytals. It is a procedure that is done as a last recourse, or because previous methods of treatment fail to maintain urinary tract health. Those cats that undergo the procedure can still develop urinary tract infections, but the risk of blockages from crystal formation is relatively reduced.

[Geoff]

oooh.. ok.. thanks.. i probably wont remember that in the morning.. but thats ok

-Geoff-

[iconsee_99]

I bought one of the multiple cat ones last summer when I was planning to go on vacation and it has really worked out well. I had 2 cats at the time, a 15-year-old and a 6 week old kitten. I set it up next to the old litter box. The older cat (who we had to put down in December) never really got used to it, but she may have used it now and then. The kitten, after getting used to it, uses it all the time now! She seems to prefer it. I still have it sitting next to a covered box, in case she wants privacy.

I've never had a problem with it raking while the cat is in the box - it is supposed to disable during that time, and turn on 10 minutes after the cat has left. The only problems I have encountered is that you can't put much litter in it, or it will jam. You then have to remove some of the litter or even it out so that it will automatically rake the next time. Also, my kitten really likes to play and kick up the litter, so it is a little messier than the covered box. And every now and then, I have to scrape the corners to get out stuff the rake doesn't reach.

Otherwise, it is great and you don't have to clean quite as often! Great for vacations!

JoAnn