Litter Robot - I just ordered one

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Okay, I've been lusting after one of these for years:



http://www.litter-robot.com/

They are kinda pricey at $350US, but they finally started selling refurbished ones at a discount (aprox $60 cheaper).  I ended up going for the "expanded" one, with a little rear window, and an expanded entrance lip-thingy.

I've read many reviews, and the biggest complaint/issue seems to come from a failure of the human to empty the waste in a timely fashion.   The second biggest seems to be the pet is traumatized by the thing, and refuses to use it.

So, I ordered it direct from the maker's website (instead of my usual Amazon pipeline) because they offer 90 day free trial.  The only risk is that I must pay to ship it back, if I don't want it....

So, in about a week, I'll be reporting on my first impressions, and those of my two cats.  If I can get them used to using an actual flushable litterbox (which subsequently broke, and the maker was long out of business...) I think I won't have an issue getting them used to this.  They've had covered boxes in the past, and seem to prefer that anyhow.

I'm currently on an aging littermaid elite, modified to drop the waste through the bottom into a large plastic tub, which I only need to empty weekly or less.   I do need to top-up the litter every day or so, but that's easy: the box is next to the human toilet, so sitting there doing *my* business, I can attend to any added litter needs.

If the kitties take to this thing, I'm going to modify it after the 90 days is up.  I've seen several instructibles how to do this, easily enough, and am aware of the various issues associated with the mod.   I might even get to recycle my old stand the littermaid is on, it's tub is easily large enough.  We'll see.

[Bruder Cuzzen]

I'm looking to get a littermaid , they want under Can $200 tax incl. for it .
Is it any good ?
The pet suppliers around here have to order it in , I don't want them to go to the trouble if it doesn't do the job .

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

I'm looking to get a littermaid , they want under Can $200 tax incl. for it .
Is it any good ?
The pet suppliers around here have to order it in , I don't want them to go to the trouble if it doesn't do the job .

I've had 3 over the years..... they work--sortof.

The chief complaints are:

>> If you don't use truly premium clumping litter, the litter builds up a "pancake" on the bottom, which eventually jams the machine, and has to be scraped out with a strong scooper.

>> The factory-supplied containers fill up in about 2 or 3 days with a normal cat-- sooner with multiple cats.  I have, since unit #1, cut the bottom out of a factory waste container, put the unit up on a stand (usually made of wood) with a strategic hole in the stand, and let the waste fall into a suitable container below.  Thus I only need to worry about adding litter every day or so.

>> Sometimes the litter gets up into the sensor-area, and must be brushed out (small bristle brush is useful here) or the unit either sits there not moving, or continues to cycle back and forth endlessly....  cheaper litter is especially prone to this, as is putting too much into the pan.

>> the machine is noisy during it's cycle, according to some.  Some cats are frightened by the noise as result, and can refuse to use it after hearing it cycle.  Other cats find the machine fascinating, and like to watch it cycle-- my grey cat is one of the latter...

>> You still have to scoop once in a while, just not daily.   (see above)  Every so often, I empty what's left of the litter and toss it all.  Then I clean the whole thing, and start with fresh litter.

I find that non-stick cooking spray works wonders at helping the litter to not stick:  but you must wipe it down after spraying, and I keep a dedicated "contaminated" can of cooking spray (aka PAM brand) next to the box, and some paper towels for wiping it down after spraying, but before adding fresh litter.  I find I have to do this about once a month.

With the above limitations?  I can recommend it.

It does *not* eliminate dealing with cat waste; it *does* eliminate daily scooping, though.  And your cats always have a freshly scooped bed of litter to use-- which most cats seriously prefer.

In fact, my black kitty has come to recognize that her waste is scooped away anyway-- so she no longer covers it.  She does her business and hops out immediately, leaving the "covering" to the machine.

The grey cat, however, is obsessive at covering......

...the machine has a sensor, and patiently waits for the cat to exit, before cycling.  And, in fact, there's an 8 minute delay after the cat leaves.

[Bruder Cuzzen]

Thanks !

I'm going to get one , I often to forget to clean the litter box for  days or a week at a time .

Since Fritz came down with that infection or whatever it is , I'm obsessed with the idea of only letting him outdoors with supervision ( so he doesn't get into so many fights or pick up parasites ).

He sure is despondent with that cone around his head , poor guy .

[Griffin NoName]

I'm an innocent. How the hell do these work? I've just about got an inkling of what they might be for, but only from reading your posts.

Does the robot walk (hmmm no legs, so roll, wobble, waddle, rock, zoom ?) underneath the designated body part at optimum moments which it somehow fathoms, and then what? 

[anthrobabe]

Fairly pricy
but you hook it up to the actual house plumbing

Cat Genie

it sort of washes and reuses these pellets-- so gross- it washes what? But I would be interested in how and if it really works.

[Opsa]

Neat, but it looks somewhat enormous. I don't think I'd have room for it here in the ol' Opsa bungalow.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Thanks !

I'm going to get one , I often to forget to clean the litter box for  days or a week at a time .

Since Fritz came down with that infection or whatever it is , I'm obsessed with the idea of only letting him outdoors with supervision ( so he doesn't get into so many fights or pick up parasites ).

He sure is despondent with that cone around his head , poor guy .

There's a ton of different ones.

Here's a link to a forum on the subject (no, really!)

http://www.litterbox-central.com/litter-box/

I would suggest looking into the various complaints and comments before proceeding.  Amazon's customer review section is an excellent source of comments, too.  Look at the negative reviews for possible problems and issues.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Fairly pricy
but you hook it up to the actual house plumbing

Cat Genie

it sort of washes and reuses these pellets-- so gross- it washes what? But I would be interested in how and if it really works.

I had one of the Generation 1 of these....my cats did not like the pellets at first, and I had to resort to using it as a scoopable (with clay litter) box for about a week before they would use it.

But it worked for about a year and a half, then the main pumping motor quit, and the company was bankrupt. 

I've not tried the new Gen2 ones your link points to.

But, I *will* point out, their cleaning fluid cartridge contains a microchip.  As such, once the cartridge dispenses 60 "squirts" you must replace it; you cannot refill it (unlike the old gen 1 model).

That being said, there are on the webs, methods on how to reset your thingy, so you *can* refill it, saving hundreds of $$ over a year.

I looked closely at this, and decided on the Robot instead.  It uses standard clumping litter....which my cats prefer.

Picky cats.

[anthrobabe]

ugh-- microchipping so one can't refill- yep that would be a big issue for me as well

and yes cats like it just so or they won't use the darn thing-whatever it is.

Thanks for the input-- user comment helps-

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Update.

I finally got confirmation that my Litter Robot has finally shipped, today.

These people are slooooooooow. I ordered this on May 1, as you may recall 

  I'm used to web shopping buying and shipping on the same or next day [at worst].

But, for the extra wait, I get an extra 60 days of testing:  had I purchased from Amazon, I would only have had 30 days trial, instead of 90 I get from the manufacturer's site.

And, I was able to order a refurbished one, instead of new, saving $60US.  Not trivial, in my opinion.  Of course, this one has been used and returned to the factory-- so I may need to spritz it out with bleach solution whenever it arrives.  Or not-- it will depend on how it smells.

[anthrobabe]

We are all eagerly awaiting the results of you new pet toilet!

Imagine that bar converstation...

So what have you been up to?

Well waiting to see if BQSF's new cat potty needs bleaching when he gets it. It's refurbished you know.

Actually I was looking at that forum you'd posted a link to and my daughter was just shocked that there was a forum for that topic- I refrained from mentioning all the forums on the topic of Twilight-- oh please and the sequels aren't even out yet.
Then again- she's a dog person- she doesn't get it.


I agree-- $60 isn't a petty amount-- I hope it arrives ready to go and in fine shape.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

According to the UPS tracking thing, I ought to see it tomorrow.  I *hope* that UPS does not make me go get it from their office (signature required an' all that...) I've had packages delivered here since I moved in, and never had one be stolen yet.

I'm hoping they will leave it on the porch, and when I get home, I'll set it up and report.

I may even take some pictures-- I have a new(ish) digital camera I could utilize. 

(now where did I put my photobucket password... )

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Came today.  Box was huge-- mostly empty space to accommodate this thing.

First impressions:  it is about 1/2 the noise level of my old LitterMaid Elite, which is good.

It appears to be intelligently designed:  for example, the thing basically cycles by rotating the whole sphere around itself.  There is a screened-over pocket to catch unused litter, and filter out clumps and poops.  It continues to rotate past that, and opens two portholes which are now exactly at the bottom; clumps & such fall through into the waste bin below.

It then pauses a bit, then reverse-rotates past "home" position, to settle out the litter (which re-filters backwards through the screen, which is designed to "flip open" like a valve so that it cannot clog in reverse).  I thought the "going past home" bit a nice touch:  the bed of freshly screened litter is then more or less flat and ready to go.

I started with Grey cat, picked him up, took him in and gently stuck his head into the opening. He's more curious than afraid, so in he went, turned around several times, and realized:  "FRESH LITTER....YAY...MUST PEE..."  He hops out, turns again and hops back in, and begins his "scratch the litter, smell, scratch again" dance. 

He manages a dribble, and odd for him:  hops out without covering it.   Didn't even glance back.

So I continue to clean the area where the former huge honkin' litter box's base sat and waited.  Soon enough, the machine began it's cycle.  I watched:  it was flawless in it's performance.  (good brand of hard-clumping litter...)

When that was done, I went to get Babygirl, my black cat.  She's a bit more fussy, so I just held her by her paws (that is, I made a platform of my hands, upon which she stood with her little feets claws out for stability....typical of her).  I held her close to the opening--- she went in, turned around once and exited without a backwards glance.  When she has the urge, she knows where there's nice clean litter....  But she exhibited no distress or fear.

I suppose it's because they both are already used to a LitterMaid which is quite noisy.  And the previous pan was covered over, like this one is, so that's not new either.

Now, I will determine how long before emptying is required:  I'll check it daily, at first, to see.  The waste container seems larger than I thought it would be; I'm hoping 3-5 days....

Will post some pics later; I must return to work.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Okay, both kitties have taken to the new box:  the evidence is plain, if a tad disgusting. 

One change already:  I've abandoned the liners in the collection drawer; the filmy plastic was taking too much valuable room in the storage area, and I'm already accustomed to dealing with a collection drawer sans liners anyway.  (I used a plastic tub to collect from the old littermaid box.)

The drawer is entirely plastic, so washing at need is easy enough. But, the litter I've chosen is finely granulated, and sticks well to....well what it's supposed to stick to.  Eh-hem.   So there's no "messy spots" in the drawer anyway, nor on the sides of the globe when it tumbles.

In fact, the tumbling/rolling action tends to roll the "messes" around in fresh litter granules, giving it an even "non-stick" coat, which, being clay, aids in drying it out.   Good thing, too, for Samantha (black female) has learned that the machine does her covering; she no longer covers her stuff:  she does her business, and hops out onto the floor.  She learned that with the Littermaid, and has continued that habit with the new Robot.   But, as the globe begins to rotate, it has the effect of tumbling the litter over itself several times before it gets to the screened part, which quite effectively covers everything.

I keep a white covered bucket in the bathroom, to collect the output, and keep covered until Trash Day (weekly).  I will see how easy the drawer dumps into it in a few days.  I want to see how much the drawer will hold without disturbing it, for future reference (vacations, etc).   I'm hoping it will go a week between dumps.  That's the longest I'm typically away.

I may not have to modify this thing!