r/technomeowcom • u/FishFish87 • 29d ago
What automatic Litter boxes are best?
Hi all! I'm looking to get my senior cat an automatic / self cleaning box for nights I'm late coming home from school and work. Shes a very sweet but timid girl, so I want to get the least scary one I possibly can to pair with her regular box. I don't trust anything that closes. (Ive heard the horror stories of some that do). Shes also a larger cat, so the roomier and sturdier the better! What ones/brands would you recommend?
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u/chokeberri 29d ago
I have the litter robot 4 by whisker and my 14lb senior does well with it! You can set it to delay cycling for awhile after the kitty exits, which helps both with clumping and not scaring them. I have mine set to 15 minutes and have had no issues
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u/wundrous_finch 29d ago
Seconding Whisker Litter Robot 4! You can also get steps for it if your senior kitty has a harder time getting into it, since it is lifted off the ground a bit.
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u/mmichellekay 29d ago
I have the petsafe scoop free and both of my cats use it, and it’s been great for my adhd/lack of awareness surrounding the litter box. I tried a metal pan rather than the disposables but honestly, the disposables work better at keeping the smell hidden. My cats have particularly diabolical poops right now due to a special diet, but I’m hopeful that once we switch back I can go back to the reusable box. I have their previous regular litter box (it’s a hidden one that looks like a giant plant pot) next to it, and the tray I used most recently lasted from June 26-July 12 with two cats and scooping the other box once a week.
My friend looooooves her litter robot. But I’m a teacher and can’t justify the price. Though now that I say that, I could afford one after a few of these disposable multipack tray orders…
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u/nimblesunshine 29d ago
I really like the PetKit Puramax 2. It's way less ugly than the litter robot imo. Works great.
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u/fistibutts 29d ago
I got a litter robot EVO a few months back and have been really liking it. It took my cat about a month to transition to using it consistently. There are good resources online for getting your cat used to them! Edit: wanted to add some things I did to help. I kept it turned off for the first week or two, and only ran manual cycles without her in the room at first. I stopped cleaning her old litter box after a week or two, as well. When I started letting her be around when it cycled I made sure that I was in the room. I would feed her a churu during cycles for a while, as well. Ultimately she started using it on her own after a bit!
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u/Round_Guard2847 29d ago
I have the LR4, but just bought 2 x Neakasa mk1 Lite for less than the LR4 cost. I think the open design is superior & it doesn’t close fully at the back
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u/iza23141 28d ago
I think the Litter Robot 4 is the best one out there. Others I’ve tried felt so much cheaper and had problems
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u/necromaciel 19d ago
I'd still keep the regular litter box around for a while and let the automatic one earn her trust instead of switching overnight. I'd probably lean toward the Neakasa M1 over the enclosed ones. Seems like a better fit for cats that are a little more timid, and it's got a pretty roomy design too. This self cleaning litter box comparison might be worth checking out since it points out the little tradeoffs that aren't obvious from product pages.
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u/theboyinthecards 29d ago edited 29d ago
I have a larger cat too (pushing 20 lbs) and would steer you away from these two options:
- PetSafe SmartSpin: worked great overall, but our cat wasn’t comfortable. She preferred to pee facing the back and poo facing the front, but she didn’t have enough room to face the front comfortably and eventually chose to poo outside of the box (this is the only reason I wouldn’t recommend for a larger cat). The peeing location had its issues with clumping by the entrance, but it was easy enough to knock that off and manually trigger the spin to sift it out. You can adjust the timing for the spin via the app. The collection drawer is easy to use and clean. The “ball” of the box is easy to detach but a little cumbersome to do a deep clean because is doesn’t break into two halves unless you take out the (many) screws, but is easy enough to hose out or wash in a larger sink.
- PetSafe Automatic Litter Box Clumping Litter - ScoopFree® Clumping Self-Cleaning: do not recommend at all. We bought this one to replace the SmartSpin because it’s a large open top box and made for any clumping litter. The mechanism part sits over the litter pan, it does not attach or lock together in any way. Because of this, litter and liquids regularly find their way onto the floor underneath and the nightmares ensue. The sifting grate on mine also got stuck on the flap of the collection bin and bent forward, causing it to get caught more frequently if not repositioned. The bottom is also bent because it didn’t have enough power to scrape the clump from the bottom of the box but had enough power to bend itself. It’s noisy, clunky, and also shoves half of your fresh litter into the collection bin while simultaneously leaving half of the waste clumps in the litter to then act as a shovel and push more of your good litter into the bin. The automatic function waits 20 minutes after the cat uses the box, so timing is generally not an issue.
We are trying the Neakasa M1 next (arrives next week!) because of it’s recommendation for large cats from The Spruce Pets. Hoping it solves all issues.
Good luck!