Automatic Cat Litter Boxes - More Trouble Than They're Worth?

Although automatic litter boxes may seem, at first impression, to want less work than having to manually scoop clumps out of normal litter boxes, choosing a bad automatic cat litter box may bring you a lot more bother than you’ve bargained for. Because automatic litterboxes are a relatively new tool, lots of brands are not yet adequately designed. While in the cleaning process, the rake and/or the gears might get caught on the feces and stall. The motor can cause enough noise to wake you from slumber in the middle of the night after your cat takes a dump. Some litterboxes even throw feces all around the room while self-cleaning. Based mostly on feedback from some pissed off owners of automatic cat litter boxes, it is obvious that they feel dissapointed for ever having bought one.

However, not all automatic litter boxes have major design failings, and many consumers are happy they made the switch. Though nearly every product has the possibilities of malfunctioning, some are less certain to cause difficulties for their owners than others. Based mostly on my personal exposure to several brands of this type of contraption, along with lots of the client feedback I have read online, I found the following automatic kitty litter boxes to be the best selection to select from.

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 control odors relatively well, and the motor is not noisy while it is running. An additional benefit is that it has low maintenance cost, as the sole things that need to be replaced are the plastic carrier bag (which can be any common corner store bag) and premium clumping litter. Even though it comes with a somewhat heavy price-tag, the fact that the Litter Robot has small operating costs and that most consumers find it to require minimum upkeep makes it one of the finest automatic kitty litter boxes on the market now. Having used it myself, I’m very happy with the minimal maintenance, low ongoing costs, and the efficiency of the Litter Robot, and therefore highly recommend it to you.

2) Petsafe Simply Clean

Most other automatic cat litter boxes are only activated to self-clean once the cat departs, but not the Petsafe Simply Clean litter box, which operates the cleaning process continuously. This is one of the most dependable automatic kitty litter boxes you can acquire, as it has no accessible moving components that could possibly injure your kitty. Another plus to the continuous cleaning is that odours are cut down to a minimum. The sole continuing costs are common plastic bags and premium clumping litter. What is more, in spite of the excellent quality, the Petsafe litterbox is priced comparatively low as compared to similar products. The only complaint from some users is that while the litter box is in operation, the softer feces could break apart into pieces that are too small to get swept away by the conveyor, and end up remaining inside the box until they are manually scooped out. For this reason, I would not recommend that you go with Petsafe if your kitty has soft waste material. If this problem doesn’t apply to your kitty, the Petsafe Simply Clean litterbox would make a great option by getting the job done at a rather affordable price.

3) ScoopFree

ScoopFree has the regular design shared by many automatic boxes, consisting of a rake that drags clumps to a throw-away tray after the cat leaves. What’s interesting about this box is that it comes with litter crystals that can be used permanently ( i.e. does not need to be replaced ) that absorb pee as well as dry out feces to manage the odor. Along with the low maintenance costs, this litterbox has a low upfront sales cost. The only ongoing cost is for the expendable tray, which must be replaced whenever it is full. Moreover, this litterbox does not need a lot of human intervention. The only flaws are that some folks find the odor to be excessive, and / or that the motor is too loud. At the end, though, I would still suggest this litter box as being one of the best ones available on the market today.

4) Cat Genie

The Cat Genie operates differently from the standard automatic litterbox. Instead of raking waste into a disposable container, it flushes the waste materials directly down your toilet after you link it up to your household’s plumbing system. Rather than common 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 blowing itself dry. Although there is the extra trouble 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 extra time down the road. Do keep in mind though that the Cat Genie does use a sani-solution for self-cleaning, and this will need to be purchased and replaced on a consistent basis. Another downside to this litterbox is that, should it ever jam or otherwise fail to function properly in a way that would require the machine to be taken apart and put back together, the process can be disgusting as you would need to manually clean half-dissolved waste. However , considering that the majority of the buyer feedback on this product has been positive, this litter box is still recommended.

You are encouraged to do your own online research before making a purchase decision. Just do not presume that any automatic cat litter box will do more of the filthy work to make your life easier – some will, and some will not. The more research you do before purchasing, 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.

You are welcomed to visit AutomaticLitterBoxes.net to find out more about the hottest automatic litter box on the market today.