[flag]

Automatic Cat Litter Boxes

bluecat | Aug 3, 2009 | Views: 212 |

3 Comments | Rating: 0 You must be signed in to vote

E-mail

Automatic cat litter boxes are more advanced than all human toilets I've ever seen in my life. I'm not talking here about those scoop free litter boxes that need only to slide a handle in order to remove the waste. I'm thinking of an automatic litter box I've seen at a cat show earlier this spring, which was more like a mini flush toilet rather than an ordinary litter box. There are many models of toilets for cats, starting with the SF-looking Litter Robot that I very much doubt my cat would ever visit happily, up to those open-top models like Littermaid Elite, which looks like a regular tray, but features a sort of comb that moves through the litter and separates the waste from the rest of the material. The comb is operated by an electric motor, which is put in motion by a sensor. The sensor detects when the cat has visited the place, a few minutes after the cat leaves, it starts the mechanism which cleans the tray, preparing it for the next visit of the kitty. One of the most interesting automatic litter boxes is Cat Genie, which looks like a human toilet, only smaller. It flushes and it scraps the waste, leaving the toilet clean for the next use.

The main benefit of such automatic cat litter boxes is that you can leave your cat alone at home for as long as one week or even ten days, without asking your friends or family to go and scoop the waste of your dear kitty. Another benefit is that you don't have to carry all those heavy litter bags anymore, plus you'd also save a lot of money, as good cat litter is not at all cheap. The only consumable thing is the automatic cat litter boxes is a sort of filter, which is not so expensive and which can last for several weeks or even months.

What I see as being the main drawbacks of electric toilets for kitties are the fact that they need to be plugged in to the electric power supply and to the water supply, which can be a risk when you're not at home for a longer period of time. Additionally, this means you'd need to install the cat toilet in the bathroom or to have a very long and ugly hose to get it connected to the water source.

The price can also be a drawback: I'm not so sure I'd pay $700 on a device I don't know whether my cat is going to accept using or not.

Tags: automatic cat litter boxes Littermaid elite cat toilet Cat Genie automatic flush toilet cat litter gadgets motorized cat litter box;

Category

InfoBarrel

Comments

chicagocatmom

Aug 6, 2009 8:08pm

I agree that I don't know how I feel about dropping that kind of money on a cat litter box that seems like a dicey investment - plus, I dont know what i think about hooking up a cat litter box to a toilet or a water line. Eek.

We use the scoop free box (www.scoopfree.com) - I think its like the initial type of litter box you reference. I like it because it only takes an outlet and a litter tray, the rest is up to the box. It doesnt use that much energy to clean itself (unlike other automatic boxes) and you can toss the tray when you are done with it. Super easy, and not too big a hit on your wallet. Nice to look into, if you were interested.

bluecat

Aug 6, 2009 11:39pm

Hey Chicagocat mom, I've checked your link. Yes, Scoopfree could be a good idea, as it's much cheaper. Besides, my cat doesn't like to go in a box: we've got one, but the kitty absolutely refused to poo inside, so we had to take the lid off the box.

chicagocatmom

Aug 13, 2009 11:36am

hey bluecat-

yeah, the scoopfree can be used with or without lid (i think the lid is actually considered an accessory, so it isnt even needed really). And i reread your post and saw you mentioned lugging cat litter around as being an issue for you. The scoopfree company also has a litter subscription service and will ship their trays right to your front door (no visits to the store necessary). Its looking like this box might be the perfect fit for you... haha!