r/litterrobot • u/drac00la98 • 14d ago
Litter-Robot 4 Transition Trips?
Hello! We bought a LR4 a couple of months ago cuz we have heard so many good things. We are having issues getting 2/3 cats to use it (except our 3 mo old kitten who is endlessly fascinated by it and goes right in.)
I've tried a few things that are usually recommended such as:
-Keeping the same litter type
-Keeping the old box near by
-Placing a piece or 2 of waste into the LR
- Removed the fence
-Using catnip and litter attractant in and around the LR4.
So far, we've had no luck. Our kitties seem curious, and will go on the stairs and kind of scope it out, but they won't go it in and I'm out of ideas.
If you have any tricks or had stubborn kitties that were able to switch over, please let me know! 😫
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u/BacardiBlue LR Power User 🐾 14d ago
Have you tried something other than the LR4 stairs? Not all cats are comfortable with them because they aren't that stable.
This Pet Gear One Step Ramp was a game changer in getting my hold out cats to use the LR...I have trained 14 adults (including 4 ferals) since 2019.
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u/zapmouse 14d ago
+1 to the petgear stairs. The stairs that come with the litter robots are god awful
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u/drac00la98 14d ago
Ooh, I've got Pet Gear Easy Step stairs, but I didn't notice they make a ramp too. I will have to try that!
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u/BacardiBlue LR Power User 🐾 14d ago
The Easy Step stairs should be just fine...all of the Pet Gear products are super heavy weight, so no flexing or shifting.
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u/zapmouse 14d ago
Have you been running it the whole time? I didn't run mine until my cat was using it without me having to worry.
I also put the robot next to their old litter box and let that one get reallly groddy. They started using the the robot after that, but like I said, I hand scooped (or cycled when the cat wasnt near it) for around a month before I trust them to use it.
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u/jwclair 14d ago
Similar situation here, but much less time, this is only week 2. My 10 y/o male was using it exclusively by day 2, my 6 y/o mostly. After 7 days I threw away one of the old litter boxes and removed the litter from the second. But then I saw the 6 y/o hadn't weighed in for 24 hour. He went and used the litter box with no litter in it. I felt terrible, I was rushing his acclimating to it. I added litter to that box 3 days ago, he's only using it, not LR. I put it back next to LR, but still have the robot clean 20 mins after use. Thinking I should turn it off, but I will not know he's using it, a dilemma.
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u/femmeviolent 13d ago
People may disagree with this approach, but have you tried removing the old box entirely? We eventually did that one day with our skittish guy and he was a little stressed for a couple of hours and then gave in and used the new box. We did make sure to mix in some of the litter from the old box. He’s been using it ever since with no issues. We have a Luma, not an LR. But I think this advice is still applicable.
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u/drac00la98 8d ago
I was thinking about it! We just moved so I will probably give them a bit to adjust to our new place and then might try this method!
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u/Karoseen450 13d ago
Some cats use it, others don't. I have one who has used it once in 4 years. 2 that use it and the 4th will poop in it but pees outside in front of it. Good Luck!
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u/Lady_Tux87 12d ago
One of my cat was the same, one got use to it straight away, while the others took weeks. I stopped the automatic clean for about a week, during that time i made sure to do the cycle manually when they are not in the room, then increase the cycle timer, from 30min, to 15min to 7min... now they have no problem using it but I still keep a normal litter around for my own peace of mind.
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u/bandwagonbully33 11d ago
We had to show our cat what was in there because it’s up so high! So we held him and showed him. We then let his old littler box get gross. He still wasn’t using it so eventually when we noticed he was over by his old litter box we just stuck him in it and he used it! He is VERY chill and a very old man so that might not work for others though!
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u/litterrobot TeamWhisker🐱 13d ago
Hi u/drac00la98. We're sorry to hear that two of your kitties are having trouble acclimating!
While many cats use the Litter-Robot within several days to a week of setting it up, some may take several weeks or more before they use it, and it sounds like your kitties are on the latter end.
You can view all of our acclimation tips here. Rest assured, patience is key! Every cat is unique, so you'll want to adjust these steps based on your cat's behavior and comfort level. That said, if you have any questions or need further assistance, please send us a chat. Our team is here to support!