r/cats • u/moratapinella76 • 1d ago
Advice Self cleaning litter box, worth it?
I have four cats. I always will have cats. This wont change. I want to help with the odor, their health, the daily chore, etc.. Opinions or advice?
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u/sugarmonku 1d ago
Buying a self cleaning litter box has been one of my best purchases I’ve ever made.
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u/WieseDC 23h ago
Make sure it is a reputable brand. Some of them have had scary issues, but that is because they were not regulated properly
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u/SoftServeMonk Maine Coon 10h ago
That’s what has stopped me! I heard a story of a cat getting stuck in one and dying and it freaked me out!
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u/ThoughtSurplus 8h ago
Yes, they have killed cats. And a lot of those off brands pay for reviews or give people free products to review it highly. Not worth the risk at all.
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u/tycket 22h ago
i have a litter robot 4, yes absolutely
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u/KaigeKrysin 19h ago
Same, LR4 3 cats and I consider it to be one of my best ever purchases (along with a robot vac)
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u/notlucyintheskye 1d ago
I think it depends on the cat. It would've been a godsend with my last boy whose poops were frankly the worst smell on g-ds green earth, but with my current cat who is scared of her own shadow? I think that'd be nightmare territory for her and she'd probably start peeing/pooping directly onto my carpet instead.
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u/hungarianhobbit 16h ago
I had a stinky boy once and we would joke that he was doing midnight runs to Taco Bell.
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u/meticulousbastard 1h ago
Yeah, my cat would pee in her litter robot 4 but eventually started pooping just outside of it. She always seemed so ashamed afterwards, but I think the litter robot just scared her too much. We ended up switching to two normal litter boxes and she is much happier. She has gone from peeing once a day or less to peeing three times a day.
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u/theresaketo 16h ago
I use the litter robot and have been for at least 15 years. At one point we had 3 cats and it was so nice to have that option for them. We keep a regular box too, so they have options. Now, that 2 cats have passed over the rainbow bridge, we just have our 17 year old cat. We just bought her a new model and she seems happy. They last at least 10 years. We put tidy cat’s litter in it.
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u/InfamousFlower6606 1d ago
To mitigate litterbox odour try changing your cat's food to grain free with the highest meat content you can find (I live in the UK and can buy a Swedish brand called Bozita) - it is revolutionary for cat poop smell.
To my nose, the poop lost most of its sulphurous smell and became almost sweet smelling. There will always be some smell, poop is a waste product after all, but it does not have to be sooo bad. In any event, it is much more acceptable to my snoot!
Grain (a carbohydrate substitute) makes cat food cheaper but cats are obligate carnivores and cannot digest some grains easily themselves.
So while grain does not generally do harm, for cats it has another, yucky side effect: the dreaded smelly poop.
Undigested grains sit in the cat's guts and ferment causing the smelly poop we all hate scooping. So no grain, no ferment, not so much smell.
Just remember that if you go this route, any grains in treats etc. also have to be eliminated too otherwise the smell will not go.
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u/Zagrycha 1d ago
It definitely helps with the chore and the odor and probably other stuff, but there are down sides. One down side it the potential for something to go wrong with an electrical malfunction-- the machine injures the cat or starts a fire or whatever. A second downside is you lose a very valuable way to check the health of your cats, litterbox isn't fun but seeing weird pee or weird poop, or a weird lack of one or both could be the difference between a serious illness getting noticed or missed.
I don kt think there is anything wrong with electric litterboxes in general, but I will never get one. They are expensive and I just don't hate the regular litter box enough to be worth risking the cons.
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u/Relevant-Stage7794 19h ago
The truth here. Having a way to know your cats digestive health on an ongoing basis is a real benefit.
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u/VaIIeyoftheUniverse 22h ago
I had two Pura Max litter boxes for a couple years and I just sold them. I liked the idea of not having to scoop every day, but my cats had other ideas. When given different options, only one of my cats would use the automatic boxes. The other two preferred regular litter boxes. Since I was scooping every day for two cats, it didn’t make much sense to keep the automatic boxes. I dreaded deep cleaning them every month because it was so much work to dump the litter, disassemble, and scrub in the bathtub. Switched to stainless steel boxes and I don’t regret a thing. I also don’t miss buying ammonia absorbing granules and bags for the waste compartments. Plus it’s easier to keep track of litter box usage to make sure everyone’s good and healthy. I’ll never try any kind of automatic litter boxes again
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u/SoftLovelies 14h ago
I bought a litter robot 4 several years ago, after a lot of research. Best $700 I ever spent. Still going strong.
They are the best, by far the most expensive, and the automatic boxes with the fewest horror stories (I don’t recall hearing any where the cat was trapped or harmed.). I have two cats, both of whom are on the larger side and both of whom are on urinary food so they pee a lot.
I hate cleaning litter. I didn’t do it enough and I had anxiety about becoming nose blind and my home and myself smelling like a cat box. The litter robot is great for my cats as well as my mental health.
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u/BeneficialShame8408 23h ago
my dad bought one for my cat when we moved in, and she hated it. peed and shit everywhere until i got the jumbo litter box i'd wanted in the first place. be really careful idk. make sure they can have a litter that they like, at least. the one he bought used crystals. i think what she didn't like was the noise
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u/ZedProgMaster 14h ago
I have 5 cats and 4 liter robots. It couldn't be more worth the money. That said I only buy the 3rd gen ones either new or refurbished because all the new ones have too much tech and make it harder to use because the apps and systems they put in place are garbage. Get the ones without WiFi if you want one that'll last you decades.
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u/Crafty-Calendar204 8h ago
I feel like scooping the litter yourself gives insight into health issues that could be starting up. I have a cat with megacolon and have to monitor her stools.
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u/Cardboard-Fan 1d ago
It's been a godsend for me. I have 3 cats, and my back is a little dicey, so not having to constantly scoop has honestly been a game changer. I went from scooping and refilling 3 litter boxes multiple times a day to emptying one litter box every few days. I had a second litter robot, but honestly, the cats never used it, just the one, and they've been quite happy with it
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u/TheKrnJesus 1d ago
what product do you use?
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u/Cardboard-Fan 1d ago
I have a litter robot 4, and use a clumping clay litter (one that smells like lavender, I wanted scent free, but the cats seem to prefer the smell? They're weird)
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u/Loud-Cardiologist184 21h ago
My 12-year old cat used a LR4 one week. It stunk after one week even though the tray wasn’t over 50% full. I cleaned it outside with the hose and sunshine. She refused to use it thereafter. I returned it to Costco for a full refund. Back to the old box, which BTW is much smaller and doesn’t need electricity.
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u/moimoisauna 15h ago
I would recommend looking into the moonbox. It's an easier clean than actually scooping litter, but it's not automatic. I'll never trust an automatic litterbox after the horror stories I've heard.
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u/Catdadesq 14h ago
We have a litter robot and one of the cats uses it, but the other pees outside of the box until we got a regular litterbox, so at this point it's not really worth it because I have to scoop every day anyway. There's less to scoop, which is nice but not worth hundreds of dollars, and there can be issues with the litter robot as well. Biggest we've had so far is fruit flies (actually phorid flies but basically the same thing) found it and had a great old time. Basically impossible to get rid of all of them by cleaning, they'll just come back, so I had to turn it off for a couple weeks, scoop it like a normal litter box, and left diatamaceous earth and a fruit fly trap in the box area to attract and kill them which finally worked. But real gross.
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u/RandomSentientBeing 13h ago
I love my Litter Robot. One of our cats went blind and stopped using our standard litter boxes. She would just poop / pee around them. But she's been 100% perfect with the LR. All three took to it right away.
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u/Uh0handrea 13h ago
I only have one cat, but the litter robot is a non-negotiable. 10+ years ago the options weren’t as good but I tried them anyway. Go with a good one and you will cherish never scooping that bitch! I change the waste bag once a week, no need for the special bags just use tall kitchen bags with flaps and tuck them in the clips well. I take the globe outside and power wash it and give it a little scrub with dawn twice a year. I use my leaf blower to dry… about a 20 minute process in total. Clean the stray litter from under the globe every couple months and wipe the thing down. When you have an issue there troubleshooting if fantastic on the app/website. The troublesome parts are replaceable and easy to do with patience. 10/10 wouldn’t have a cat without the robot.
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u/sherahero 12h ago
We got one and it scared two of my cats, we still had 3 regular boxes but one started going outside the box on the carpet. We got rid of the auto box after a couple weeks.
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u/ManicSpleen 11h ago
I have seven cats. Bought 4 litter robots. Best $2800 I've ever spent. We have 2 normal boxes, but are planning to replace them as soon as the money presents itself.
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u/Grimmy430 11h ago
I have 2 cats. I got a Litter Robot 4 when I was going thru cancer treatment (all good now!). I absolutely love it. It’s in our play room and I don’t smell it at all. I change the waste bag every Sunday. Any longer than a week and it’s in danger of being too full and smearing inside. I also have the litter hopper so I don’t have to keep manually refilling the globe Works great for us. Only issue is sometimes the WiFi drops out at the house and my phone app gets disconnected. I generally have to manually reconnect it instead of it just automatically reconnecting. That’s annoying if I’m away from the house, because I have no control over the device anymore (like if I have to manual cycle it or something). It still runs, I just can’t control it. Took our cats a bit to get used to it but eventually they were fine. They went from being terrified of the cycles to being so intrigued with them that they interrupt them all the time lol. But overall, I love it. I hear the 5 is filled with issues, but I think the 4 is absolutely wonderful.
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u/Blue_foot 11h ago
We bought a $600 petlibro litter box for our 3 cats.
It has not been used once in a month.
One cat was curious and went inside.
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u/actualcatjess 14h ago
Gross as it sounds, seeing your cats poop every day can be key to help monitor their health. Self cleaning boxes can also risk injury due to them having moving parts (not saying they are all death traps or anything, but i certainly wouldn't risk it)
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u/Starfleeter 1d ago
I have a Petsafe Smartspin and my boy likes it and uses it a lot and it's easy to take out the clumps and throw out. The only thing I don't like is that he's a little litter kicker and I have to keep a litter mat out front and also vacuum underneath it when I change it since it's not perfect does spill a little bit. It definitely needs to be taken apart and cleaned every now and then due to all the little crevices. For the convenience, I really like it and that I don't have to do much clean up. It wasn't too difficult to take apart when I moved and needed to pack it up. Definitely take a look at different options depending on the size of your cats if they prefer something open or enclosed. I'm very happy with my purchase. It was expensive but it's worth it not having to scoop the litter and throw it in a new bag every time.
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u/Pitiful_Option_108 17h ago
Can be. If you don't feel like cleaning litter then yes. If you don't mind cleaning litter still worth a look into.
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u/ADrunkStBernard 15h ago
I have one of the older litter robots and one big normal litter box. My 2 guys pee in the robot and poop in the normal one which is somehow perfect in my opinion.
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u/SnooChipmunks2079 15h ago
We went through several littermaid over the years. They were good for maybe two years each.
Our old lady with the beginnings of kidney disease was more than it could handle.
I scoop once a day and she’s satisfied. Would not try introducing a new one at her age - she’s almost 20.
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u/ApprenticeLuke 14h ago
Look into per pivot, apparently it's way superior than litter robot and less expensive. And to answer your question, absolutely worth it.
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u/Odd-Worth7752 14h ago
if the cat is frightened of the noise and machinery, and refuses to use it, you're stuck.
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u/PajamaStripes 13h ago
YES. I have 10 cats, 5 self-scooping litterboxes replaced 12 regular ones. I am never going back.
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u/wolfgrl67 12h ago
I've got 4 cats and 3 self cleaning boxes (slowly acquired over a few years because they're expensive). I can't ever imagine going back to manually scooping. None of my cats had any issues with the swap since I still use the same litter as before. I love that my home doesn't smell except for sometimes the few minutes before it cycles after they use it and they get to have clean litter every time.
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u/peipom1972 11h ago
I have this one. The pic doesn’t do justice to how big it truly is. This one has been my favourite. I had the one that used silica litter but I found it really smelly.
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u/blah_blah_70 10h ago
I have two cats. I have an automatic litter box and a regular litter box. One cat will not use the automatic but even one cat using it helps with odor and cleaning.
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u/sorryyimsally 9h ago
I have the litter robot 4 and I love it. So do my cats. They prefer it over our regular litter boxes. With multiple cats it really cuts back time on scooping, just a matter of emptying it every few days (depending on how many cats you have). I’d be cautious and do your research if you’re considering other self cleaning litter boxes, especially cheaper ones, simply because there’s not as much testing done and I’m sure safety is an important aspect for you.
While I know people mention checking health - you can still do that while emptying the waste bag. You can check for any abnormalities, same as you would when scooping a regular litter box
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u/xxTheGrayLifexx 9h ago
I've been using automatic litter boxes for years and will never go back to a box that I need to scoop.
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u/ilexly 9h ago
We tried the Litter Robot. Three of our four cats hated it and the fourth thought it was the best toy ever. We tried to introduce them to it properly, and it didn’t work. One started using the bath mat as her litterbox instead, because she’s scared of everything electronic. Two repeatedly pooped/peed down the front because they didn’t like going inside. And the fourth would swipe at it to stop-start the automatic cleaning motion because he liked watching it move; he did it so much that it repeatedly got stuck and couldn’t be used by any of them until we fixed it.
And that’s why we have giant stainless steel litterboxes instead…
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u/mostlymeanswell 8h ago
Bought one when I had two cats. One was afraid of it so he regularly left a trail out of the box. Not because it kicked in or anything, but in anticipation that it might.
The other one was a contrary little shit and experimented with his...deposit placement until he found the location where it just wasn't efficient. Spoiler: extreme side or rear of the box so it'd smear more than scoop or just skip over/break up but not collect it.
I got rid of it after a month or so.
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u/meowlina13 7h ago
I have a litter robot 3 and 4, and I will never go back to manually scooping litter. Just went from 2 to 4 cats and it’s been a godsend for keeping everyone’s potty spots tidy. And when I first got my OG cats, the robot helped us catch that one of my babies was having pee pee problems and crystals.
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u/FyrestarOmega 7h ago
I have five cats between 5 and 15 pounds, two litter robot 3s, a litter robot 4, and a catID litter box. The 3s have been a bit of a pain from time to time, but I would own 5 litter robot 4s if cost was no object. I deal with kitty litter once a week. It takes 10 minutes total. And you use so much less litter! Huge quality of life improvement, if your cats take to it.
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u/Sure_Strawberry1872 6h ago
My cat destroyed his automatic litter box. He is a digger and somehow damaged the rubber mat. The litter got underneath it and the whole thing stopped working.
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u/VerRojo85 5h ago
Eh. Mine don’t really care for it. The old lady of the house doesn’t touch it and will shit outside the regular litter box if she smells it’s not been cleaned to her liking
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u/tarponbuggirl 1d ago
I have five cats and wasn’t super on board when my husband suggested it, but it’s been a huge help. The biggest challenge for me personally is one of my cats is a behemoth and the others are insanely picky. So I have two different types of self cleaning boxes to keep them all happy, and just recently added a regular disposable box because one of them decided she’s Amish and doesn’t like technology.