Automatic litter box

[Zemedelec]

If you have used one of the automatic litter boxes for a house cat, where did you buy it and what brand suited you best? I'm on the verge of adopting a cat or kitten and that means cat poop. zemedelec

[Art]

Unless its a small cat I doubt you will find it useful. Petsupermarket and target sell them. target may only have the small size. I have an older model and when it stopped working I took apart the moving portion and found it full of kitty liter. After cleaning it out I put tape over some holes to stop liter from getting in. We also left out the regular kitty liter box and the cat uses it most of the time.

What is good is these large scoops with built in battery operated vibrators. They last a long time compared to the small scoops at most stores and make cleaning a box fast. Got mine at petsupermarket.

[Brigitte]

I just purchased the "Litter Maid" at Target. It was on sale for $89.99 and came with a free, 8lb bag of Iams cat food.

I've had it set-up now for a couple of days and it's working well so far for my 2 cats.

Brigitte

[Travis Jordan]

I've had two LitterMaid's in the past decade (I'm an early adopter - the first one cost me $189.00 as I recall). Anyway, after the first one died [twice, covered under warranty], I threw it away. Decided to give the newer, lower-priced unit a try. It worked for a few months and then quit. In the meantime, it decided to cycle itself while one of my cats was in it, scaring the poor kitty so badly that the cat then decided to go somewhere else, anywhere but in the LitterMaid.

Eventually threw all the fancy stuff away and now I have a large plastic container (a pool store chlorine bin) filled with a whole bunch of clumping litter. A single cat won't fill it up in a week, and it is easier, less messy to clean than the LitterMaid ever was.

Sometimes, simple is better.

[ClaudCar]

after a cat suffered a similar attack of the auto unit while in use, we changed over to pine litter, which is a miracle product, IMHO. NO odor at all, and when the clumps are removed the balance can be added to the compost pile or put around shrubs as soil amendment. ______________________ Claudia Totus Tuus

[Zemedelec]

Thank you all for the info. Now: decisions, decisions. zemedelec

[Harry K]

Don't know if this is any simpler but...

I took a 2 1/2 gal plastic bucket, cut the bottom out leaving a lip, cut a piece of 1/4" hole screen to fit the bottom. Put it over a good bucket, pour the litter through, put clumps in garbage and pour the good stuff from the bottom bucket back in the litter box. Sounds good, is good. Has one drawback, I have to do the work outside as pouring it causes dust.

Harry K

[JerryMouse]

Do NOT get a reconditioned one from Ebay. They don't last.

If your hand fits a saw or hammer, you can multiply the capacity of the thing by a factor of twenty. Here's how:

Build a base with 3 sides made of 1x8 and a top and bottom of 1/4 plywood. You now have a box with five sides onto which you will place the LitterMaid.

Take one of the plastic poop containers and cut out the bottom. Position everything and mark where in the top of the base you'll need to cut to match the bottom of the plastic poop-catcher. The object of the exercise is for the litter box to dump its load, not into the skimpy plastic containers, but through the plastic container into the base unit.

Now get a Tupperware-type pan and put in the base.

If you like, you can add a door for the sixth side of the base into which you slide the plastic pan.

----- General thoughts on your new cat.

Everybody wants a kitten, but there are fine felines facing an uncertain future at your local shelter. You will be quite pleased, as your new friend purrs on your lap, that you gave this fine animal a safe home.

Cats can live over twenty years (most of that asleep) and be a fine companion. They'll earn their keep, too. Mice, rats, roaches, small snakes, lizards, etc., gone.

The only reason anyone can give for de-clawing a cat is to save the furniture. Remember, however, furniture is FURNITURE. The cat is a member of the family. De-clawing a cat because it scratches the furniture is almost equivalent to pulling the teeth of a toddler because he bit a book! De-clawing a cat removes BOTH its most effective offensive weapon AND its most effective defensive weapon - it can't fight back and it can't climb/escape. Getting a big scratching post is even cheaper than de-clawing.

You train dogs with kindness and scolding. You train cats - to the degree they will put up with training - with food.

Cats DO NOT like changes. It takes them longer to accept new things than you would expect. Be patient. They also hate, really HATE, riding in cars (most cats), vacuum cleaners, and the teeniest drop of water.

Don't give your cat cheap food. It's mostly corn or rice. Cats cannot digest vegetables - they are meat eaters. Good premium cat foods are Iams, Science Diet, and the good stuff from Purina. With these, more of the food stays IN the cat.

Dogs are mostly two-dimensional - the best they can do is hop in the back of the pickup. Cats work in three dimensions. They will dust places you can't reach.

Animal exercisers: Dogs, frisbees. Cats, a laser pointer.

Cats don't need much: a little food, clean water, a litter box, a window to watch the world, a trip to the vet every once in a while, and a place to nap. Not a lot.

[Tim]

I foolishly purchased several of these things, they all have quit on me except for the last one which is on its last legs. For the price they charge, they should last longer, or be repairable.

I just went back to normal litter boxes with the ratio of number of boxes = number of cats + 1 ( which is what my vet recomended ).

- Tim

[Art]

They can be taken apart and repaired.

[<jonnie]

I don't know why it is that so many people seem to be so negative about Littermaid litterboxes. I have 7 siamese cats and have been happily using Littermaid Mega-Deluxe litterboxes for about 5 years now. Yes, they do wear out over time, but I say they are worth the expense. One very important thing, however, is to find a brand of cat litter that works well for your cat and for your Littermaid. I have tried many brands and have been using Litterclean for a year or so now with great results. I buy it at Sam's Club and it's very inexpensive. Works great.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Here are a few photos showing the custom-stands I have built for the Littermaids

The stands make it work much better.

[Wayne]

wrote in news:56RTc.27651$ [e-mail]:

I don't think my very chubby tabby would like having to jump up to the box. We actually have a platform for him to use in jumping up to the bed! BTW, what are the plastic covered boxes underneath the stands? Spare litter?

[Martin]

"My Gawd!", my wife said, "She's got more stalls there for those cats than in most ladies rooms I've seen".

[Chuck]

that's where he modified the units so he doesn't have to empty dump tray every 8 or so hours.. Nice design I might add. Could use shorter stand if needed. Chuck

[Jennifer]

Your post prompted me to do a bunch of research on alternative cat litters -- I had never heard of the pine pellets and was intrigued :) What I learned:

Clay litter is awful. Besides just the landfill issue, the dust and chemicals can cause or exacerbate asthma in humans and animals. Some even contain silica dust, which is carcinogenic. Unfortunately, pine litter can ALSO cause or exacerbate asthma.

So far, it looks like wheat, corn, or recycled-paper-based litters offer many of the same benefits without the drawbacks. Just FYI :)

-- Jennifer