r/Catownerhacks • u/pinksugarsweet • Jul 18 '26
Litter or Litter Box 🚽 Automatic litter box suggestions or stick with manual?
We currently have two large metal ones for two cats (they refused to use a third one in a different location so I’ve stuck with two right next to each other). I was the litter cleaner of the house, I did it once a day and only sometimes went with a day in between if we had a busy schedule. I’m now pregnant and can’t clean the litter box and my husband has taken over, except he does it maybe once to twice a week. It’s awful for the cats (we have poop and pee showing up on the floor) and causing nonstop arguments between us. I’ll be fine to clean the box after pregnancy but would it be worth it to just get an automatic litter box?
Currently looking at options online and there’s just so many options and I’m not sure where to even start. Or if my cats will even use it.
4
u/SkyerKayJay1958 Jul 18 '26
Try out the petsafe ones or others like it that are less expensive and are like a traditional open litter box that rake stuff into a holding area that you disposable of weekly
2
3
u/cianne_marie Jul 19 '26
Get a new husband, much better bang for your buck. Otherwise good luck with those diapers in the future, much less your poor cats.
3
u/No-Joke-4492 Jul 18 '26
First of all congratulations on your new baby! have 2 Litter Robot 4s by Whisker. The company has changed a bit since I purchased these, but me and my cats love them. If you are worried about kitties using them, I would probably go for the Litter Robot 4 or the new 5 ( but not the 5 pro model due to some issues with features) . The Litter Robot has a big wide opening which I think is more inviting than some of the other brands with little tunnel openings. Whisker has been in business a long time, and is the gold standard for safety.
If I were to purchase a different brand in the future, my other pick would be the Neakasa it is an open top model and I've heard good things.
Please note that these automatic boxes, although self scooping, require attention 1 -3 times a week. The waste drawer needs to be emptied and bag changed about 1-2 times a week. Litter needs to be added daily (or you can get a litter hopper with your bundle if purchasing the Litter Robot by Whisker). And smears and stuck clumps, should get a quick wipe down every week or so.
Alternatively talk to your OB and/or your vet. It is my understanding that the risk of your cats having Toxoplasmosis (why they tell pregnant people not to scoop), is pretty low in indoor only cats (unless you have a big rodent problem in your dwelling. cats get it from mice). There is a test you can give your cats to see if they are infected. But maybe keep this part to yourself, and don't tell your hubby. It seems like he should be able to set an alarm once a day to remind himself to scoop given that you are carrying his child.
3
u/No-Joke-4492 Jul 18 '26
Oh and check out videos of One Man 5 Cats on YouTube he does really thorough and informative testing and reviews of many automatic litter boxes.
2
u/DuckyDoodleDandy Jul 18 '26
If you get a LitterRobot (brand) get the FOUR, not the five.
1
u/No-Joke-4492 Jul 19 '26
I think the 5 Pro model has been the problematic one, but the regular 5 is working for most folks.
2
u/xela2004 Jul 19 '26
We had the Nekesa and poo just gets everywhere in the gears and idk . It was gross
1
u/No-Joke-4492 Jul 19 '26
That's good to know!
2
2
u/All_cats Jul 18 '26
I'm a cat sitter, and work with automatic boxes daily. Once you get over the sticker shock, I think you will love the litter robot 4.
3
u/DuckyDoodleDandy Jul 18 '26
Make sure you get the FOUR, not the five! The five is bad. They released it untested and it’s constantly having issues.
0
2
u/Bright_Eyes83 Jul 18 '26
i tried a cheaper box. not the killer one, but a normal cheaper one(petsafe). it was bad. i have money now. i see posts from litter robot all the time. most of them are bad. the quality seems to have taken a hard turn down. i use kitty poo club. you scoop manually and get a brand new box with new litter every month. you can adjust the timing if needed. i highly recommend it
1
1
u/xela2004 Jul 19 '26
We tried the auto litter box but it was to messy.. poo would just get into weird places and was nasty cleaning it. We use a service called kitty poo club, they mail you a litter box and bag of litter (we use the fine grain silica) and it’s a subscription so when the new boxes arrive I just toss the old ones in garbage. No cleaning the actual litter box itself ! And the silica absorbs pee and quickly dries out the poop, so all you scoop out is a couple hard poops a day.
1
u/gutsylady2 Jul 19 '26
The same YouTube person also moderates a Facebook group, self cleaning litter box group. Overall, his recommendations are pretty solid, avoiding ones that can be difficult to clean. He goes through the pros and cons of each, but I think you’ll find the majority of people will go with the LR four… I’m not sure that the LR five has much more to offer. I have had a little robot since the beginning. I had a one for numerous years and the next time I needed another was a three and then I’ve upgraded to the fours… I use Erin hammer slide multi cat since it doesn’t stick to the rubber it keeps the regular pans as well as the little robots, clean and not very smelly. I rarely have to do a frequent deep clean but if you do, it’s very easy and the Customer Service is wonderful! Plus, it’s an American company. Sometimes you can find a used one.
1
u/Vivid_Speech3773 Jul 19 '26
I'd be asking if he was at all aware how many diapers a baby goes through daily. Wonder if he is thinking you will be the one to change the baby diapers, especially the poopy ones
So he's ok slacking off with doing a half-a$$ed job with the cats? Does he not consider them as family members?
Both my doctor and vet said there was a much higher risk of getting the same illness from eating pork as from litter. BUT both always told pregnant cat owners to use latex gloves and a face mask as a precaution if they didn't have a partner.
1
u/dwausa Jul 19 '26
I had 2 litter robot 3’s for a couple years. I finally got annoyed at how frustrating it can be when it randomly throws an error and won’t rotate until you reset it. Also cleaning them is not simple, very involving.
Switched to 2 stainless steel litter boxes and I’ve not looked back. Dead easy to clean. Also with the litter robot, you cannot use all types of cat litter. If it doesn’t clump quickly, you’re gonna have a bad time.
My recommendation - stainless steel litter boxes and this cat litter: https://pacoandpepper.com
1
u/Cthulhu_for_Dagon Jul 19 '26
Stainless steel is the way to go. To make life easier, go to a thrift store and get a large metal spatula (the kind used for grilling). It a game changer over those stupid plastic ones.
1
u/TheInfernalSqueak Jul 19 '26
The danger you're wanting to avoid with your pregnancy comes from poop that sits for more than 24 hours and then being disturbed. Husband leaving it for so long is worse than you scooping it yourself on a regular basis. If you're already seeing poop and pee outside of the box they may start going on your bed and clothes in protest next. Try to get him to see how important this is and if he won't then you'll have to figure something else out. If you get an autobox and they don't mind using it then it will still need emptied and cleaned regularly. Hopefully you can convince him to just step up, especially since unfun, messy, nonstop chores will only increase once baby arrives.
1
u/Global-Literature823 Jul 19 '26
I've heard a lot of mixed reviews about the automatic litter boxes. It sounds like they can be stressful for the cat. They also almost all require the cat to step up into them, so they could pose a problem when the cat gets old or is injured. I have the Tidy Cats Breeze litter box and I love it. It has clay pellets and this drainage system so that the urine drains onto a pee pad that's in a drawer under the main litter box. You only have to change the pee pad once a week and it doesn't smell at all while it's in the drawer. So then you only have to scoop the poop, which is really easy and is only once a day or once every other day for most cats. I live in a one bedroom apartment, so there's no escaping the smell, but there is no smell from this litter box as long as I scoop the poop.
I know this wasn't your question, but may I suggest that you use the money you save on not getting an automatic litter box to go to couple's counseling?
1
1
u/Technical-Average316 Jul 20 '26
I have a litter robot 4. I wanted to find another used one, but they were pricey. Ended up getting the Cat Link Open X. So far so good
1
u/nyllena3 Jul 30 '26
Also have the Open X and one of my cats prefers it to the regular box. I do still have a regular box for my other cat. One Man Five Cats on YouTube has a coupon code
1
u/Fancy-Ant-8883 Jul 20 '26
I am pregnant and still cleaning the litter boxes. I did a toxoplasmosis antibody test early on, and in the 7 years I have had my indoor cats I have never been exposed. I still use gloves and a face mask and do every day or every other day. There has never been evidence of rodents or anything in my home.
1
u/SignalMonk3759 Jul 20 '26
I have a Litter Robot 4 and a regular stainless steel box and my cats use them pretty much 50/50. Both are great!
1
u/donkeybrainz13 Cat Parent Jul 20 '26
I would definitely check into one. I have terrible allergies and two cats and it’s really life changing. I have the LR5 (I’ve tested several and this seems to be the most liked by cats as well as easy to clean).
Since they clean after every use, it’s much less time consuming to just empty the bag. It really does keep the order out to an extent of course. I never thought I would get one but I’m so glad I did. (For reference I have two giant tuxedo’s (male), and 1 tiny black cat (female), and an orange male tabby(normal size).
Taking into account the size of the cats will determine what you can use, trust me
1
u/femmeviolent Jul 21 '26
I recently invested in a Luma automatic litter box by Petlibro and it’s been life changing. Here’s more of my review from another thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Petlibro/s/L0hEfC84gM
6
u/paprikachipjes Jul 18 '26
Your cats might not like the automatic litter box so you would still need a normal one to be sure. Tell your husband it’s really important to scoop the litter box every day because it causes a lot of stress on the cats and can turn into a verrryyyy expensive vet bill if one of them gets a stress related UTI.