Cat Litter Box Reviews

Michael (#):

After going through 4 of the rake-type automatic litter boxes (DON’T EVER BUY ONE) in less than two years, I decided to try the Litter Robot. I should have done it two years ago and saved myself a lot of money and frustration!

To give you some specifics, we are a 5 cat (adults) household, males & females (all neutered), ranging from 6 to 15 pounds. They all took to it with very little or no trouble at all.

This is a GREAT product! It requires hardly any attention, uses clumping type litter and can be left On or Off. In the On setting, it cycles approximately 7-10 minutes after the cat leaves it. If you wish to keep it in the Off setting, you can switch it On for immediate cycling or “Flushing”. The cycling noise is fairly minimal, kind of a loud hum, but if you are a light sleeper, you can switch it off at night and then turn it on first thing in the morning for immediate “flushing”.

Although the manufacturer recommends using plastic wastebasket bags, it isn’t necessary. I use the plastic bags from the grocery store, WalMart, etc., and just cut them a bit at the seams.

The only complaint I have about the unit is my own fault! Since the thing works so well and any smell is pretty much undetectable, I have, on more than one occasion, forgotten to empty the collection drawer in a timely manner… Yikes!

My only suggestion to improve the product would be to add another rubber grommet to secure the bag at the front of the drawer, but even without one, I am still ordering a second unit for the house.

Lastly, the customer service people at Litter Robot are amazing! They immediately respond to inquiries and sincerely care about their customers.

Cat Lovers!! Step away from your hand-scoop or rake type litter boxes and order a Litter Robot immediately! Once you see it in action, you’ll slap yourself for not doing it sooner!

Scott Raines (#):

I was interested in an automatic litter box, not so much as I wanted to reduce the amount of cleaning, but at the time, I travelled often for days and would come home to a less than fresh smell. I looked at the options and read reviews and decided upon the Litter Robot. It arrived, I unboxed it and I literally only turned around and one cat was inside already and the other was waiting her turn. So much for them being afraid of it.

I followed the instructions, and my 2 cats (both 2 years old) took right to it. Initially, they liked to ‘play’ with it when it turned. They knew by stepping on the ‘ledge’ the globe would stop rotating. That was annoying but passed quickly. I used the small kitchen bags as liners and sometimes I used baking soda for extra odor control, but I never found it necessary. One nice effect this had was that quite often new visitors were quite surprised to find that there were 2 cats living here, as there was no ‘cat smell’. The sound it makes when rotating is my only ‘con’. Its not that loud, not that often, nor does it run for that long, maybe a minute? (I’ve never timed it.) They do track a small amount of litter outside the globe, but nothing too bad. If you don’t clean the tray and things pile up, you can end up with a very messy globe, but that’s due to not emptying the tray before it’s full.

I use the LR with World’s Best Cat Litter and it does a tremendous job at keeping the place from smelling, gives the cats a constantly clean litter box and makes dealing with the litter box an absolute breeze! My litter lasts a long time as compared to before. I probably use a 25 lb bag about 3-4 months. Every month or so, I wipe the base down and completely clean the globe with a hose.

Customer service is excellent as well. I did have an issue and they helped me resolve it quickly and everything has been fine since.

Some things your should know about the LR:
- it’s bigger than an average litter box
- it makes noise as it rotates for *about* one minute or so
- your litter will last longer (much longer for me)
- it does an excellent job of odor control for me
- no more scooping!

When it is time to buy another one, I will buy another Litter Robot. I recommend this product strongly, as I have had an excellent experience and my cats love having a clean litter box all the time. With the money back guarantee, I suggest to all cat owners that they try the Litter Robot, it’s just excellent.

Terri King (#):

I have bought every automatic litter pan on the market, I think. There isn’t one out there that compares to the Litter Robot. It rotates and filters the waste into an ordinary plastic shopping bag that is housed in the bottom drawer. Sure it is expensive… but it is worth it to never have to scoop again. Since there are no plastic trays to buy, it is a large initial expense but it doesn’t nickle & dime you to buy supplies every month. I have had mine for a year and couldn’t be happier with the quality of the product or the customer service of the company. I hadn’t filled the Robot to capacity at one point and it wouldn’t cycle. I emailed the company and was impressed at the speed and friendliness of their response. Have you ever tried to get customer service from a huge, impersonal corporation? It’s almost impossible. The people at Automated Pet Care Products are sensational. It’s obvious that this is a small company that really cares about their customers. I am very pleased.

Sarah (#):

I’ll agree that this is pretty pricey for a litter box, BUT it works. I needed 2 Littermaids to keep up with my 2 cats and they would break once a year. I was spending $200 a year just in litter boxes! The rakes would always clog and jam, and cleaning the poop out was just plain gross. The Litter Robot has changed all of that. I have one Litter Robot for (now) three cats and they are all happy with that. The litter box is ALWAYS clean; there aren’t any broken up bits of waste or clumped litter in their litter box anymore, the Litter Robot removes ALL of it. The waste drawer is large, so I don’t need more than one unit to keep up with their “output”. I line the drawer with a plastic grocery bag and empty it once a week. Every few days I add a scoop or two of fresh litter. My cats are happy, I’m happy, the unit is good as new at 6 months and I anticipate it will last much longer than the Littermaid. It only needs to survive 1.5 years to make it equal to the cost of a Littermaid. Anything over that (and I expect it to last longer) is gravy. Fantastic purchase! I am thrilled and can’t say enough good things about it. If you’re on the fence, just get it. You won’t regret it.

Mary Katherine (#):

I’ve had this gadget for over a week now, so after use by three indoor cats, the Litter Robot is really living up to its claims thus far. It will be interesting to see how it fares in six months, but for now I love it.

Is it big? Well, yes, it is taller, much taller than a normal litter box, but it’s not necessarily wider or longer. It sits in the corner just fine, and it’s not that noticeable although it does look more like a fancy Star Wars Death Star air purifier.

Does it smell? No! I have been leaving the unit off and cycling it in the morning or right before bed, and it contains the smell. Get this: we are keeping the Litter Robot in our bedroom for now, merely three feet from our bed. Is it loud? Yes, you wouldn’t want it on at night in your bedroom, but we leave it off and cycle it twice a day.

We’ve had our oldest cat for nine years and two younger ones for almost seven, and in this time we’ve tried all kinds of litter boxes. This one is the only one so far that keeps the smell contained, and I know all about smell containment because of my son, who is in diapers. This Litter Robot is like a diaper pail in many ways.

My only minor complaint is that the rubber interior smells strong when you take the unit out of the box, so you would want to air out the unit for a few days. The size issue is not a problem, but I think the unit could be streamlined in future versions.

I realize the downside for many cat owners is the price of the LR, but for me it’s worth what we paid. Our cats adapted to it quickly. So far the mess has been less than our old boxes: there is of course litter trailing on the cats’ paws, so we put a towel on the floor in front of the LR. That’s not different from what we used to do anyway, and there’s actually less of a trail now.

If price isn’t an issue for you, then I say try this gadget out.

Katherine Grabow (#):

Note: this review is for the original design of the Litter Robot, but the two are much the same.

I’ve owned my Litter Robot for close to three years now, and it’s still going strong. It is seriously the best litter box I’ve ever owned, and I’ve tried plenty!

For someone like me, who hates to clean the box, this thing is an utter godsend. The way the box works is like thus: when the cat enters the globe, its weight on a step triggers a sensor. After an amount of time, the globe will rotate. The litter is sifted through a grate, and the waste is emptied into a drawer below, which you line with a kitchen garbage bag. We use 13-gallon drawstrings, and they’re perfect. After that, it rotates back and levels out the litter.

The thing works great. Cleans the box, contains the smell, and no more scooping litter! I check the level in the drawer ever few days and shake it to level it out. When it needs to be changed, I pull the bag out and replace it with a new one, and top off the litter as needed. The globe gets a full cleaning every month or two. Just empty the globe, and we usually take it to the spray car wash down the street for a thorough cleaning. Wax helps, too, believe it or not. Everything can be washed except the electronic base.

Now, the device isn’t completely perfect. If you let the drawer get too full, you’ll get smears on the side. Gross. And you can end up with litter wherre you can’t actually wash it. But for getting the waste out, it’s fabulous, in general, and probably the best you’ll get from any other electronic box. It also takes up a decent amount of space.

If you have trouble getting your cat to use it, I highly recommend putting some Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat ”Cat Attract” Cat Litter (20-lb bag) into the box. My older cat resisted at first, but once I used that, he took to it immediately and never looked back.

We do have one cat that refuses to use it, but that is more a function of her being afraid of the other can than fear of the box. She was curious about it until we got ambushed one too many times. We’ll probably purchase another once we have more room.

Christina Schiffmaier (#):

My expectations were high based on the many raves this has received, so I wasn’t wowed, but I wasn’t disappointed either. My cat isn’t transitioning as well as I expected–she reluctantly uses it and hasn’t peed elsewhere, for which I am grateful, but she continues to pitifully beg for her old litter box. I hope this doesn’t go on much longer or she may wear me down (it’s only been 2 days though). The only reason I’m writing is to point out something that I didn’t think of when choosing the color–litter and its dust shows up a great deal on the black model. Perhaps it would as well on the beige–I don’t know–but it’s something that I didn’t think of when weighing my options. So there you are.

Andy Schiffmaier (#):

This thing really does work. No more scooping litter just empty the bottom out and done. The cat is happier and so am I!

Katherine Zarate (#):

We have had this for about a month now and am just loving it. We had the litter mate before this and I hated how the rake would break up little pieces, so it was never totally clean in the litter box unless I scooped everything out once in awhile. With this one I have done nothing but fill it with litter and empty the bags. I had no problems with all three of my cats taking to this. We left out the old litter box, but they haven’t used it once since we had this one. We did buy this from the actual litter robot website though. We got the reconditioned one since it was 75 dollars cheaper! The only thing I noticed was a black mark in the front and I couldn’t tell it had been used. Over all I love this thing!

Michael Katherine (#):

Whoever designed this thing deserves the Nobel Prize. Simple. Innovative. Effective. Appears to be well made. I bought a refurbished one and saved a boat load of money; it could have been new as far as I could tell. Our cat adapted to it readily and is using it on full automatic mode in less than a week. I cleaned it today for the first time, and it was a joy to do so: quick, easy, no mess, no fuss. Could be a little quieter, and it is a little on the large size compared to our old “manual” litter box.

Sarah Lardieri (#):

The Robot is a fantastic product. As long as you empty it regularly and keep it topped off with litter you will be thrilled with how much easier your life is. First off, the litter lasts many times longer then in the pan. Less waste and all you hve to do is empty the receptacle and you’re done. Cat adjusted to it in about 2 days (It is a robot after all) but she uses it without any problems. It works just as it says and my wife and I are thrilled we don’t have to deal with that nasty old pan. Yes, it’s pricey but if you have a pregnant woman in the home you’ll be really happy to have it for it’s ease of use and cleaning. I highly recommend this to all.

Scott Breese (#):

So, I’ve had two litter maid Elites in my year of cat ownership. I wish I’d known about this product earlier.

It’s incredibly well made in comparison, the design doesn’t rely on having *exactly* the right amount of litter to work, and it takes up a lot less space. It also seems cleaner and more hygienic than the “open pan” style of the Litter Maid, whilst being quieter and much more efficient.

My cats preferred the open pan until it was taken away, but now (all being well!) are seemingly happy with the Litter Robot….

Ron Herring (#):

I have two cats, one whose way too curious and one that’s a total chicken, but they both took to this thing in just a few days. Sayings its easy to assemble doesn’t even seem right since its literally as easy as setting the top on the bottom. Its a little bigger than I thought it would be, but I have it out on my balcony so it doesn’t get in the way. Its not too loud either. One other reviewer noted that its like a loud hair dryer; I wouldn’t even say mine is that loud. I use grocery bags in the little drawer and with two cats I can go almost a whole week with out changing it. Its started my love affair with robots, I think I’m going to grab a Roomba next!

J. Scarbrough (#):

I have used this robot for about 10 months, it’s the only working auto cat litter box on market I believe. Before I spent so much money to get this robot, I tried 3 types of other litter box.
I even modified my littermaid box so that it can store dumps in a large kitchen garbage bag. In that way I can avoid buying their overpriced small dump box and avoid the trouble of changing box. Even in that way littermaid still require your daily attention, you need to add litter everyday. And in pratical littermaid offen stuck itself.
Catgenre’s auto wash system has a good concept, but cat will bring litter out of the box everytime it used it, also you need to buy expensive wash solution every month.
Compare to them litter robot it really much better. It’s working and save money in the long run. Although it has things need improve, I still give it 5 star because there’s no doubt it’s the best litter box in the market.
Here is some comments I give Litter Robot if you are still doubt if 300$ worth to put on a cat litter box.
Pros:
1. it works for my cats at least. I used it for 10 months. I had 3 cat when I bought it, I gave one to my friend, so now I have 2 cats. One cat is 2 years old, 15.1lb, another is 1 year old, grow from 7lb to 12lb today.
2. it saves litter. I think same amount of litter can last 2 times longer if you use litter robot compare to hand scoop. For my case I estimate it saved me 10$ per month on litter.
3. you don’t need to do anything for a couple days. It’s true automatical, no stuck, no trouble. The dump box where you put kitchen garbage bag can hold up to 4-5 days in my case. (2 cats). And I usually add new litter once two weeks. I am also using the 8$ auto-water and feeder. So basically I can go a short trip less than 4 days without worrying my cats feeding and dumping. Just call my sister to play with them that’s it.
4. no more extra cost from litter robot company after you spend the initial money. As far as I know, all other automatical litter box companies try to get money from you by trapping you into expensive overpriced accessories for their litter box.(like replacement plastic box, wash solusion, special cat litter, or litter tray ect)
5. no smell. Once you seal those holes on the steps, there is almost no smell.
Cons:
1. You need to make sure you will change garbage bags within 4 or 5 days(recommand 2 days for the good of cats)
2. If they can make the dump box taller, then litter box can use up all the space of garbage bags, I think it can run about 2 weeks without human attention for 2 cats. Now it can only hold up to 4-5 days dump for my 2 cats.
3. Those holes on the step, they leak smell out, you need to seal them
4. every 2 or 3 month you should clean the box by washing the inside. For the good of your cats.
5. sensor sometime not working well if it’s not on hard floor, for example, carpet. You need to find a position make sure it works(at least for me). On hard floor there is no problem.
6. litter trail, cat still will bring some litter out of the box after they done their work. However compare to every other litter boxes I tried, it’s one of the best in this aspect because cat only has one way out. I still hope there is a way to improve this further though.

Kevin Jones (#):

Previous to my cat being spoiled with a constantly clean litter box, I used the old fashioned manual labor style litter boxes (scooping and sifting by hand). I did my research on all the automatic litter boxes out there and decided to skip the popular ones and go straight to the Litter Robot, or as I lovingly refer to it… “the Death Star” (looks like Darth Vadar’s HQ) The only thing I can see wrong with the Litter Robot is that the waste compartment does not really take care of the smell if your Gato likes to lay stinky ones. It doesn’t have many other problems than that. Traditional litter boxes allow the cat to cover their business which covers up the smell, for a while. With the Litter Robot, seven minutes after the cat exits, even the stinkiest turd will be exposed to stink up the area. Regular emptying of the waste trash bag (I love not having to buy special expensive containers) is a must or you will come home to poo smeared all over the exterior of the globe. No one has invented the perfect automatic litter box, but the Litter Robot comes very close. I have owned mine for over two years and have only had problems that are created by my misuse (i.e. not enough litter, not emptying often enough). Believe me, I’ve learned how to make this expensive luxury worth the money. My cats love it! The only things to seriously think about before buying are: do you have the space(will not fit in small spaces)…That’s really the only thing you have to worry about. I use the cheap scented roll of kitchen bags from the dollar store to line the waste pan with and line under and in the trash bag with baking soda to help with the stinky loads. It saves me a lot of time dealing with the litter box issue and clean up of the whole system may take some time every now and then, but the globe can practically be submerged in water which makes cleaning this machine a no brainer. Periodic use of disinfecting wipes on the outside keeps the whole thing looking nice all the time, since clumping litter produces a good amount of dust. Do yourself and your cats a favor…choose this litter box over the other brands!

Diana Gould (#):

I will admit that this thing looks like something from the future, but it is such a time saver. When we first put it out for our cats, they jumped right in and began using it, until 7 minutes went by and it cycled for the first time. They were completely freaked out! We decided to manually start cycling it after that to get them used to the noise. It worked liked a charm.

I love that this does not get clogged up and you can use less expensive clumping litter than with the rake style litter boxes. The only problem we have had is with the mess the cats are making on the floor in front of the box. Everytime they step out, more litter comes out with them. I suppose I could place a rug in front of it to prevent it though.

Darlene Letersky (#):

This product is absoltely GENIUS!!! I originally bought a Littermaid litter box, only to take it back to the store after 10 days. It was a total piece of junk. I was hesitant to spend $300 on a litter box, but I am so glad I did. Our kitty’s closet no longer smells….AT ALL!!! For the liners, I have been using jumbo disposable litterbox liners. I just put the bag in there and fold the excess over all of the edges.I don’t tuck it into those little holes because litter or waste can get outside of the bag sometimes.The oversized liner will actually cover the step to the entryway, which is good because that step has little holes in it that the smell can get through. But this takes care of that problem and it’s a snap to empty out! I LOVE MY LITTER ROBOT!!! Now, if only they had a “DOG-POOP-IN-THE-YARD ROBOT”…………

Carlos Perez (#):

I bought one in 2001 and had it serviced once because the electronics corroded from washing it. The new models better protect the electronics and I have had no other problems. It keeps the litter clean and the cats happy.

Leslie Carlotti (#):

I have owned this for the last 2 months and have to say that I love it. But there are definetly some pros and some cons that you have to address. I almost returned the Litter Robot because of some of the problems I was having and couldn’t justify the cost until I rectified the limitations

Pros:
1) Automated process or can be done manually
2) Very sturdy and built well
3) Cheap, can use own bags (unlike other automated devices)
4) Efficient, uses less litter than others and manual litter boxes
5) NO RAKE SYSTEM (A huge plus)
6) Provides fresh litter to cat constantly
7) Only need to clean 1-2x/week depending on number of cats

Cons:
1) Expense-not really a con, you buy what you pay for
2) Noise-not a con for me as it is in our basement, but is noisy
3) Holes in foot pedestal–this was desinged to catch litter, however I find that if my cat pees at the front close to the opening she can pee on the steps. Unfortunately the compartment that the holes drop into does not got into the garbage bag. In fact it is an area that is very hard to clean. This area can fill with dry litter and then mixed with wet pee causes a mess that is very difficult to clean and can become very smelly. SOLUTION, I taped the holes with clear tape so that I don’t have to bother with that compartment, then I just wipe the pedestal or vacuum it.
4)cat can pee out of the opening and onto the floor–One of my cats just would not go all the way into the back of the litter box and would kick alot of litter out of the box and pee out of the box. As you can imagine this created a lot of mess and smells. I was at my wits end and almost returned it. SOLUTION, I made a door for the cat robot. Using clear hard plastic I made a door that only covered 2/3 of the opening, taped it to the top of the dome so that it can swing in and out. Then weighed the bottom of the door with a heavy flat disk. My cats now push their way into the litter box, the door swings shut forcing the cat towards the back of the litter box. When done they push the door outwards and exit the liter box. This has STOPPED them from peeing out of the box and minimizes the litter, dust and smell from exiting the litter box. THIS WAS THE BEST IDEA I HAD AND BECAUSE OF THIS I LOVE THE LITTER ROBOT. Granted my cats came from an enclosed scoopable litter box with a door already on it so they took to it fairly easily, but I think with the right motivation (treats) any cat can be trained to do this.
5) Smell–as mentioned the litter box can smell from pee, litter, crap getting into the base of the litter box, causing electric malfunction, and no matter how well you clean it, the smell may not go. By doing the above 2 things, I’ve minimized the smell. In addition, I put baking powder at the bottom of the trash bag to help neutralize any other stray smells.
6) Tracked litter–the litter robot w/o the door can have increased litter tracking esp if they kick litter out. SOLUTION, buy a $20 cordless dust buster and vacuum it every time you clean.
7) Outside of track ball gets dirty–I clean on average 2x/week, but still get some litter mess on the outside of the ball. SOLUTION: purchase lysol wipes and wipe surface. Takes a few seconds and sanitizes the outside fairly well.

Well that’s it, by doing these steps. I have minimized my cleaning to 2x/week approx 10-15 minutes and thus I’m happy. My cats are happy because they have fresh clean litter all the time.

A. W. Curry (#):

I hate two cats, both 11 months old, and I used to own a Petmate Litter RoundUp One Touch Electric Litter Controll System Blue/Gray because I thought all self-cleaning litter boxes were equal miracles. The Petmate RoundUp is far from one touch–the rake is never powerful enough to lift up all of the waste so you have to help it along with your foot literally 5-6 times a day (gross). The Litter Robot was a true miracle–as soon as I opened the box my cats were curious and playing inside (after I got them away from the huge cardboard box). I followed another’s tip to fill the LR with litter + one of their clumps from the old box, which worked perfectly and within 30 minutes both had done their business. Getting them used to the spinning orb took a few days, so I manually cycled it then slowly let it do its automatic thing.

Everything that has been said in reviews is right on point except about how noisy it is. I barely notice it and I live in a two-room apartment–it sounds about as loud as a faucet turned on or an electric shaver. And when I am in another room or with the TV on in the same room, I don’t even hear it. But it’s true–cover the grates with some sort of tape to prevent any kind scatter in there (would be a pain to clean up). My cats luckily (knock on wood) do not pee on the step, so that is not an issue for me yet. Also, it is true that the smell is slightly noticeable (not overpowering)–but I wanted to switch to Feline Pine Scoopable and that worked to a T. And with two cats I do change the litter about every 5-6 days, which is hassle free as it times perfectly with my regular trash.

It has been 3 1/2 weeks since I got my product, and I have to say it is almost too good to be true. No malfunctions, more than manageable odor, absolutely no hassle or maintenance, decreased scatter with the dome, and continually clean litter with no proprietary refill products I have to buy. An amazing product–I will not be using my 6 month return option and have been recommending it to everyone I know!

Judy Szablak (#):

I bought the Litter-Robot a few months ago for my 2 Birmans. I had no trouble getting them to use it. As I expected, the adult male was the first to use it as he is more adventurous than his mother. But a few days after he used it, I saw her use it and out went the litter box. There has been no trouble with it ever since.

Zen, the male cat, finds the device fascinating. He watches the cycle with total attention. He has learned that if he puts his paws on the sensor during the cycle it stops and if he takes them off it continues. So every once and a while we have a 5 minute cycle. It doesn’t harm the machine and it makes Zen happy.

I should mention that these are fairly large cats. Zen is 15 pounds and fairly long, but he has no trouble using the Litter-Robot. It certainly makes me happy, as bending over to scoop litter is difficult for me. Pulling out the drawer every 5-6 days is a lot easier.

Highly recommended.

Julianne (#):

Like the previous reviewer, we’ve also gone through several rake-type automatic cat litter boxes (all Litter Maid brand; 2 LM700, 1 LME9000) two of which failed after one year, the third simply worked so poorly we couldn’t wait to get rid of it. We’d spent enough on those three to buy the Litter Robot with some change left over. Spending so much on an automatic litter box may seem silly to some folks, but my wife and I travel a lot for work and can’t have a half-dozen litter boxes laying about for our two cats, nor do we wish to spend the time cleaning all of them after we get home. So anyway, on to the machine…

The Litter Robot is BIG! I’d read the measurements, but when I pulled it out of the box I was still surprised! Make sure you’ve got the room for it. My first impression of it after the size of it was the heft. This thing is sturdy, nothing cheap about it. All the interior parts are heavy and well assembled with rivets or screws, as well as the shell. The next thing that I noticed was the simplicity. No complicated moving parts like some boxes with rakes, lids, etc…; a motor turns the ball, that’s all you see, and the drive gear is hidden below the ball. The item assembled in a flash: Put ball on base, line up with gear, plug in power, turn on. That’s it. I filled it with standard scoopable/clumping kitty litter. The only error I made was that I overfilled it a little and it dumped some litter on the floor when I test cycled it. No problem, clean up the mess and take a few scoops of litter out. Overall impression of the device is that it is of good quality and should provide good service for years. My only faint potential misgivings are the motor, circuitry and rubber liner. If any of these fail, I hope the company is still around to get replacement parts from. I also note no large benefit to having the litter catcher step other than catching some of my overfill. When our cats finished with the box they launched out of the door and land on the floor, they still scatter litter. Oh well, nothing new there compared to a regular box.

The cats. We switched boxes on them cold turkey. Our cats aren’t very skittish but they don’t take quickly to new large devices that smell funny and make odd noises. They spent a lot of time sniffing it and checking it out, but they refused to use it. They held out for 24 hours and they couldn’t stand it any more; we observed the cat equivalent of crossed legs and jumping up and down for a few hours before they hopped in (meowing, walking up to the box and looking inside, walking away, pacing, repeat…), but as soon as one hopped in and used it, the other couldn’t wait and stood by the door and jumped in as soon as the other left. Problem solved, they are now Litter Robot converts.

Overall, so far we are very happy with it. We got over the “sticker shock” and the size, the cats got used to it in less than a day. The Litter Robot works exactly as it is supposed to, and we hope for years of serivce from it. A MUCH better quality device than any of the rake-type litter boxes we have had. It leaves no bits floating in the litter after a cycle, and needs no hand cleaning after a few days like the rake-type boxes. We’d recommend this box.

Now I just have to resist painting it to look like the EVA vehicles from “2001: A Space Odyssey”; “Open the pod bay doors, please, Hal…Open the pod bay doors, please, Hal…”

ADDENDUM: 05/01

Ok, after having the LRII for a while I can’t say enough good things about it.

Incredibly easy to use and easy to clean.

We use a fair quality multi-cat scoopable/clumping litter and this prevents almost all used-litter smell that some have complained about, but a little smell does happen – there’s no perfect “no-smell” litter box out there, just ain’t gonna happen! The only minor gripe I have is that there is some litter dust creation that needs to be dealt with, but that’s the litter’s fault, not the LRII’s. It occurs to me that the tray is big enough to set a box of open baking soda in it. Wonder if that’ll work to reduce the smell?

Cleaning. What a dream. We use standard plastic grocery bags. They don’t always fit perfectly because some stores use different sizes, but using the right size or some creative fitting gets the bag to fit every time. We don’t buy garbage bags for this device, but that’s just a personal choice. You’ve just spent $328 on a litter box (with shipping), gotta pinch pennies where you can, right? Emptying the tray is easy: Pull it out, remove bag and throw it away, dump anything that may have missed the bag into wastebin, install new bag and re-insert drawer.

At no point do I have to handle a scooper or used litter!

For those that are complaining about the tray overfilling with used litter or the device constantly cycling due to too much use, you have 2 options: Get enough LRII’s to cover the amount of cats you have, or, have fewer cats! Burnout due to a line of cats using the box constantly is not the fault of the LRII, it does what it is supposed to within reason. This device is engineered for the average household of probably 2-4 cats, not a half-dozen plus.

Tracking litter. I’ve NEVER seen a litter box or a litter box anti-tracking litter pad that prevented tracking. Cats don’t like to step on them because they are uncomfortable, so unless you make your cats walk through an anti-litter-tracking (sounds like an invention waiting to be made!) tunnel to and from the litter box, there will be cleanups needing to be done! We solved a little of the tracking by placing the opening of the litter maid towards the wall in a corner. This forces the cats to step on the step and pad which gets rid of some of the litter on their paws. Not perfect, but it works.

The design. I can’t get over how simple and ingenious this device is. After using it for almost 2 weeks without any cleaning other than the automatic dumping of the litter, there still is not one single clump of soiled litter floating in the pan. Absolutely nothing sticks to the rubber “pan”. The litter still looks fresh and clean. I’ve only had to add a few generous scoops of litter to make up for the used portion. The plastic parts inside are well attached, well designed, and heavy. Nothing to corrode or any complicated moving parts to fail. The motor does make some noise, but if you’ve had one of the rake-type boxes, I’d say that it is the same or actually quieter. One of the best suggestions I’ve read here is that if the device wakes you up at night, turn it off when you go to bed! The cats will still use it, and when you turn it back on in the morning, it will automatically cycle and “flush”.

Please read all the reviews here and at the LRII’s site. There are cats that are too big, too small, have medical issues, have age or personality issues in a way that may not make the LRII right for you. Save yourself the headache and expense, do a little research. Buying this box without educating yourself and then returning it with a bad review isn’t the LRII’s fault.

If you think the LRII is right for you, get it. I can almost guarantee that you will think it is fantastic and as close to a perfect automatic litter box as is currently available.

About our useage:

2 cats, one about 12 lbs and one around 16 lbs.
We use “Simplicity Plus All Natural Scoopable Cat Litter”, Scented (mint) from a 44 lb box.
Results in dumping the tray < once a week, nothing sticking to the inside, almost no smell at all, but some litter tracking.

Jill Bregy (#):

Ok, I did my homework before buying this one. I looked at all of the self-cleaning litterboxes on the market and of them all, this one got the best reviews.
It took little time for my cat to acclimate to the Litter Robot. (which surprised me because she is skittish.) I did use the suggestions in the manual. Several cat treats later, she used it. (thank God, beacause in my disgust I threw out the original catbox.) I’m grateful it was easy to put together and the manual is really easy to follow (good for me, the techno-idiot). It’s also alot quieter than I expected I can actually sleep through the cycling.

The discripton said you can use regular 8-20 gal trash bags for the bin, but I’m using the left over litter-liners (which don’t freaking work with a cat that has all of her claws, sorry ranting) They are working just as well, I do agree with the customer who said that they should have added another grommet in the front to hold the bag, but it shouldn’t be a deal breaker.
Also, I got the one in black, which yes it looks cool but it’s difficult to see the different parts inside which I think might be more useful in cleaning it. For that reason I do regret not getting the white one.

I haven’t had it that long so as far as longevity I can’t comment on it, but if it breaks down I will definitly use the 18 month warranty.

The only thing I have a problem with truly, is the hefty price tag. On the recommendation of another, I bought directly from the manufacturer on their 3 pay plan because $300 is a tough pill to swallow all at once. However, they charged an additional $18 to do that and shipping is $36.

Still, I think that since it really works and I don’t have to scoop nasty, stinky cat poop anymore that it’s some of the best money I ever spent.

An Update:

I’ve had this for over a month now and it works beautifully, I’ve noticed that my kitty can throw alot more litter than before because it’s so shallow inside, but I can live with it and now keep a little broom & dust pan next to it (it still beats scooping cat poop).

I find it hilarious that the second it starts to rotate she takes off like a bat to watch it.

I worried that I would have buyers remorse because it’s so expensive but my cat seems happier to me with a constantly clean litter. (I aways forgot to clean the old one) so I still think that this was a great buy

Maureen Fox (#):

I absolutely love the litter robot. My two kittens took to it right away from 8.5 weeks on- I had it set up next to the small-sized litter box recommended for kittens. They definitely preferred the litter robot so I took down the smaller box and we’ve had no accidents. I keep it in the off position because they don’t weigh that much. Although I have noticed that when I cycle it manually they come running and jump up to see what is going on. Even at their weight (2 lbs), it immediately stops the cycle. I wont’ leave it on until they get a little bigger and a little less curious- yesterday one of them got jumped in while it was turning- it stopped- and I had to take her out. This product is worth the high price- no smell until you open the drawer to empty and I love that it can use normal trash bags!

David Weber (#):

After years and years of using various types of litter boxes, boxes with covers, types of litter, etc., I happened upon this product. Pretty pricey I thought, but after reading customer reviews and knowing I had a 60 day return period, I splurged on it. Now I am a life-long cat lover and I’ve seen just about everything, but this product is truly different from ALL the rest. It really works, It is really automatic, it cleans the litter after each use by rotating the big orb and using a series of sifting and turning motions. All of the “Poo” collects in a neat little drawer under the orb and you just pop it out, remove the bag (a normal, cheap 8′ or 13′ trash bag from the grocery store), add a little litter through the convenient top openings, and that’s it. Well, you are also supposed to remove the orb and thoroughly clean it once a month. Right now I only have one cat, so my robot only needs attention once a week and every other month. My cat had not trouble adjusting to the litter-robot. I placed the robot in the same location as her previous pan, and loaded it with (filtered) litter, also from her previous pan. I was afraid the movement and sounds would scare her, but it’s been absolutely no problem. I highly recommend the litter-robot and wish I’d found it 20 years ago!

Linda (#):

This is my first review but I had to speak up. The robot works as advertised. I have a 9 lbs kitten who tripped the weight sensor no problem. The first few days he enjoyed activating it and making it spin, but now he simply uses it. I use the World’s Best Litter and have had no problems. I just dump and flush the drawer’s contents. If you use non-flushable litter, the drawer can hold any plastic shopping bag (so no expensive plastic bags to buy). With just my one smaller cat, it can easily go 3-6 days without being cleared out. Combined with my Le Bistro automatic food dispenser, I can finally take off for a weekend again.

It makes some noise when cleaning so it is best not to have it in your bed room. I got use to the sound quickly.

Note that you can purchase a refurbished model from the company’s website for a discount.

Wayne Lyons (#):

I love this product so much that I have TWO! (After three years, mine needed to go into the shop, and I could not live without it for the two weeks for shipping and repairs. Plus, I had three cats and was considering purchasing a 2nd one.) This is an awesome product! Very reliable. Super customer support. I have both bone and black. Would suggest bone as the litter rubs onto globe. Less noticable on bone/beige. I cannot tell you how much I love this product. Without it, I would not have my cats! Just note that it is rather large. Mine “stick out” in my townhouse. However, when I move into my single-family home, I am looking for a laudry or utility room to house my robots. Cannot recommend enough!

John Hamilton (#):

Purchased this unit a few months ago, cats love it! All four cats took to it right away. Have mine on a timer which “scoops” several times a day and turns off at night. No odor (I sprinkle a 1/4 cup baking soda in bottom of new bag), cats can “root” as much as they like and litter doesn’t end up everywhere. I use a small throw rug in front of unit to catch any litter on paws. If it broke tomorrow, I would buy another!

John Luca (#):

This product has drastically improved my life. I have 2 cats and I am happy to say that not only do I now only have 1 “litter box” but that I only have to clean out the droppings from the drawer about every 3 weeks.

The only con is that it is pretty loud. However, for all of the bending over, bad smells and general unpleasantness that it saves me, this product is well worth it.

Eddie Riggin (#):

This is the best cat investment we have ever made. All of the automated litter boxes we had before quickly wore out or constantly needed help to do their job. Not this one! We’ve had it for over 4 months now, and it is working great! We just empty the drawer once a week. Also, we have three cats, and this “box” doesn’t stink up the house like the old ones did.

Christy Scarpa (#):

Works great, and is much more convenient to change the catch bags than the previous models. Well worth the price.

Word of advice: DO NOT GET IT WET. When needed, damp towel to clean the external surfaces only!. No hosing. Don’t get the circuit board or the gear drive wet. Pull the bag draw out and clean it separately when necessary.

Jan Patrick (#):

I have had this product for one month. So far it has done exactly what was promised. It has removed all solids and continues to work well. I had purchased a self-cleaning litter box with a raking action and it broke very quickly.

Carl Wahlig (#):

After our Petmate Litter Round-up died (17 months old), I bought this thing based on good reviews. Had sticker shock for a week, but it’s well worth it. The old litter box missed bits, had to police it daily. The Litter Robot works every time, cleans the litter well and does a good job with oders. We do not have a problem with noise, much less noisy than the old box. Cat took to it right away, no problems. She tends to jump out, missing the step, and we had to put down a throw-rug as she’d skid on the vinyl flooring. I got over the sticker shock. Not sure I’ll ever get over how well this things works. It’s a gem. Had it one month now. Buy it, you won’t be sorry.

Jim Pettit (#):

Purchased this to replace a broken LitterMaid Elite
(it lasted 6months before the rake broke & motor burned out).

I couldn’t be happier. If I designed an automatic litterbox, this
is what I would have designed. The construction is robust & I
love the rotary design. It also has a significantly smaller footprint
than the littermaid!

We have two cats (~1yr old each) and they took to it right away.
I was able to remove the old box 6hr after set up.

I’ll post again if my opinion changes after a few months…..

Lisa (#):

I’ve used numerous automatic litter boxes over the years from various manufacturers and this one is without a doubt the best. It’s ingenious design sifts unused litter from the clumps without a rake. BTW, stay away from any automatic litter box that uses a rake system. The rake will clog with feces and/or jam causing you major headaches.

The globe of the Litter Robot II (LRII) has a hidden compartment inside behind a mesh grate. In operation, the globe will rotate causing the litter to fall through the grate and into the compartment thereby seperating the unused litter from the clumps. The clumps will then fall through a trap door and into a collection drawer under the globe. Once the dumping has completed the globe reverses direction and the unused litter returns to the bottom of the globe leaving clean litter for your kitty’s next use. This whole process takes about 2 minutes and in comparison to other boxes is relatively silent. I can hear when it runs in the other room but it’s not so loud that it bothers me or the cats.

The cycle will run about 7 minutes after a cat has left. There is an adjustable weight sensor that can be adjusted according to the size of your cat. This sensor is what triggers the cycle and it also doubles as a safety. If your cat tries to enter while the globe is turning the cycle will simply stop and wait until it’s all clear to resume. There is also another safety built into the unit that will prevent the globe from turning if it senses something caught between the trap door and the globe.

Some have complained that if you don’t clean the drawer out frequently enough it will fill with poop and smear on the exterior globe during the cycle. All I can say about that they simply didn’t clean the drawer out often enough. I have 3 cats and only have to clean it out once every 3 days and then it could probably go a little longer.

The LRII is fairly good at hiding odors because of the way it stores the clumps. It will however start to stink from urin if left too long between cleanings.

I feel that the LRII is the best of the best and definately worth the money I paid. Do yourself a favor and try it out.

Tucker Robbins (#):

I bought my first Litter Robot a year ago. It has worked well but now with to cats, I got even lazier and decided to buy the Litter-Robot II. Now I only need to change bags every week or so instead of every four days. This is a must-have product for people who hate to clean cat poo and have the financial resources to afford the extravagance.

Today I have spent the afternoon twisting my 81 year old father to buy this instead of the poorly designed, flawed Rubbermaid one which I have read negative review after negative review. Even the negative reviews on Litter Robot are mainly because the customer’s cats can’t get with the program, not the fact that there is anything wrong with the product.

I have had one problem with my first unit. I called customer service and they sent out a replacement unit which I received two days later. Customer service then arranged for UPS to pick up the broken unit at my own home the following day. Easy as 1-2-3 and I had a new working unit and not one dime out of my pocket for shipping or anything else. No hidden clauses or exceptions in their warranty. Honest, helpful people who seemed to care about me and their product, how refreshing for a change in a company.

Avoid the others and buy the Liter Robot if you want the best. If you don’t mind hassles, messes, annoyances, inconveniences and hidden warranty exemptions, save a few bucks and buy something else, but in the long run, the Liter Robot will save you both time and money.

Oh yeah, did I mention how nice it is to buy regular garbage bags for this instead of much more expensive custom litter box bags? Just another way that this will make you think you made the right decision long after you spent the extra few dollars for the best.

If you are reading this Dad, give me a call, and of course, remember how you always taught me not to be penny wise and dollar foolish!

Joe Pence (#):

I’ve had this for over 2 years now and would NEVER go back to a regular litter box again. I have 2 cats and never had a problem with either using it. People thought I was crazy for spending so much money on something like this, but I would do it again a heartbeat. I use plastic bags from Wal-Mart in the bottom and just change it out every few days. Once in a while I wipe down the outside and that’s it! Oh, and refill it with litter when it needs it. Otherwise, it runs itself and I have never had any problems with it.

Kelly Teeven Ralsten (#):

I have two cats. They are 6 years old. One is a chunky bengal mix who is laid back but terrified of vacuum noises. Other is a tuxedo, timid and shy.

I had the littermaid (hated it), had the omega rollover (pain to clean) and other various models. I finally had it and decided to buy either this or the cat genie. Only issue I had with the cat genie is that we don’t have a handy cold water connector/drain. And with 2 young kids in the house, I wasn’t about to have it using their toilet.

So I turned my attention to the Litter Robot and bought it at their site to take advantage of the 90 day return guarantee.

It has been 2 weeks and I absolutely love it. No smell whatsoever. (Special Kitty clumping litter) and so easy to use. It came assembled in the box, just needed to put the two main pieces together and plug it in. It even came already “bagged” for the refuse drawer.

I was doubtful at first of the entrance and the step as it looked small. My bengal (huge) fit in it with no issue. My tuxedo, usually kicking the litter outside of the box, actually kicks it inside against the inner wall so I don’t have to vacuum everyday.

Because of their fear of vacuum and similar noises. I left it off (handy little switch) and just manually turned it on to clean it twice a day. But I kept the cats in the room with me while it was on. First day, it freaked them out and they hid. However it didn’t stop them from using it. Second day, they stared at it but didn’t freak. Third and fourth day didn’t even look up from their cat beds.

Best of all, with the two cats, I am changing out the refuse drawer once a week.

Will be leaving it on now and so far so good.

Definetely recommend it!!!

B. Clarke (#):

So far has been an excellent product. Very easy to set up and to use

Eric Braunstein (#):

What an invention. Well made and efficient. Definitely lives up to the hype. One teenie design flaw is the opening, which allows the cat to toss quite a bit of sand onto the floor, but this is easily fixed with a little duck tape to cover the bottom third of the opening. Assembly was effortless and since I used sylica crystals prior to purchasing the poop-bot, despite it’s healthy price tag, it’s definitely going to pay for itself quickly. Emptying this baby is nearly effortless. Sick to death of scooping poop? Go for it! I did and couldn’t be happier.

Lee Baum (#):

I needed an automatic litterbox because after a horrendous injury to my leg I have had and will need many surgeries and it is impossible at times for me to get out of bed to clean the litterbox and painful the rest of the time. It is easier to find friends to feed the cats only because scooping poop seems to fall out of the duties of friendship. I saw all the great reviews of the Litter Robot and ordered it 1 month ago.
I bought the unit in black and it looks hi tech. This is truly a great product and has made my life so much easier.
It is easy to assemble and the noise is minimal. I have 2 cats and I change the bag 2-3 times per week but the drawer would hold an entire week. The maker recommends 13 gallon trash bags but I prefer plastic litter box liners(jumbo size).
There are only 2 problems with the unit. One is that odor does come out of the drawer thru the little holes but I totally solved that problem by putting a Renuzit Super Odor Killer in the drawer. The second problem is that due to the height and design when the cat comes out cat litter is strewn all around from his paws much more than with a regular covered litterbox so I suggest you keep a dustbuster next to it.
Despite these small problems I intend to have one of these units for the rest of my life!

Ed Rowles (#):

We bought the ‘bot in December 07, to end the hubby’s endless complaining about the regular box in the bathroom. With two cats, one 2 yr old, 14 pound chubby and one 2 yr old, 7 pound little guy, the scooping and replacing of the litter was getting to me too.

I followed the recommendation of letting the boys get used to it for a day or two before adding litter and plugging in, but I don’t think they would have had any trouble even if I had started them using it right off. They were entranced – watching that thing rotate was like kitty tv for them, I swear even now they go in and out just to make it spin!

Once I was sure they were used to it, maybe 3 days, I took away the old box, and put this one in its permanent new home (it is tall and will not fit under the sink where the old one was). Everything has been great, even with the addition of a new cat ( 5 yrs and 12 pounds), who used it without complaint within an hour of arriving in his new home.

I did learn the hard way to make sure there is enough litter in the bottom, since 3 cats generate an amazing amount of pee. Which led to the conclusion that crystal type litter just can’t keep up with the combination of 3 cats and a 7 minute timer. Once I switched to the tidy cat clumping, there haven’t been any more gooey messes in the dome.

Is there anything I would change? It would be great if there was a way to prevent litter scatter, and maybe a way to take the dome apart to clean it out.

The best parts? I can line the drawer with any plastic bag, and I only have to empty the drawer every 3-4 days!

My recommendation? Shell out the cash for this wonder of technology, it is worth every penny.

Pat Shaw (#):

Just an example of how well this litter box works: We were having trouble at first telling whether out cat used it. When the litter box cleans itself, it cleans itself so well, it looks unused. We actually had to look in the drawer to see waste to know the cat used it! It is so nice not to have to worry about the mess and have an eternally clean sandbox for the cat!

Cindy DiCianni (#):

When first seeing the price of this item, I balked. Since it had a money back guarantee, I figured I had nothing to lose by trying. Turns out this is the best $250 I’ve ever spent. It does everything it says it is going to do. I have three cats, and instead of two old fashioned stinky litter boxes, I now just use the one litter robot. I clean it once per week. Wow! It took our cats about a week to fully transition. We left the old boxes next to it, as the manufactor recommends. Even our finicky, funny old rex cat came around, and I was worried she wouldn’t. A little cat nip (provided) helped with that. This makes life so much easier and tidier, and I love hearing the sound of it come on automatically. I feel cleaner; the box is cleaner; the dogs can no longer raid the cat box for kitty-roca treats. By the way, I bought a reconditioned unit for less money. It has the same guarantee as a new one, so why not?
Catherine

Michael (#):

So after 17 wonderful years of bliss with my 2 cats that have since passed away, I was ready for more to enter my home. Cats were on the top of my priority list for me & my 3 kids. Except my husband wasn’t so eager. Especially because of the anticipated smells that comes along with being a cat owner. And now that we’re heading into the summer, the humidity just exacerbates the smells of the litter box 10-fold. Then comes the Litter-Robot which I completely stumbled across on the internet. Expensive? Yes – no question… But after 2 weeks of owning this I can tell you that it’s worth every penny! How? It eliminates the day-to-day upkeep that normally comes with owning a traditional litter box. My new cats took to it within a day. It does make some noise during the cleaning process, but it doesn’t bother me or the cats. And you still need to clean it throughly once a week (like with a traditional litter box), but eliminating the day-to-day upkeep really makes it all worth while for me with the hectic life that I lead + 3 kids. That convenience has given me 1 less thing to worry about every day!!! I highly recommend this!!!

Joe Maggio (#):

We had to return ours for the reasons stated below, but if we had been given 60 days to try it, there’s a chance the cat would have gotten the hang of it. We pleaded to give us the same trial period as the manufacturer, but no go. 30 days or reduced refund and shipping fees. Live and learn. We are now going to try the “manual” version of this that you roll by hand, hoping it’s bigger. It’s also about $260 less. *********************
We started doing research on self-cleaning litter boxes quite some time ago. When we added a second cat to the family, (only after the 10-year-old swore up and down that she would clean the litter box every day if we could just keep him!) and realized that two cats pooping is a whole lot more smell and mess than one cat pooping, the search for a self-cleaning box became more pressing. Especially since, (not surprisingly) the litter box started to NOT be cleaned daily. The smell would become impossible, and getting her to stick to her responsibility was like trying to get a 10-year-old to stick to a responsibility.

I tried everything to find the Litter Robot for less. A $300 litter box was outrageous! But no other reviews compared to the reviews on this baby, and it did have the 60-day guarantee. So we splurged.

It took about two days before the first cat started using the box regularly. We thought they were both using it, until I caught the older cat using the (now going on 2 weeks uncleaned) OLD litter box. That’s when I took the old one away. Later that night, he went in and …well, he didn’t turn around. He’s a big cat. All the pee basically went out the opening. I started to get nervous that this was a mistake.

Well, he doesn’t seem to be learning. If he would just turn around once he gets inside, this thing would be PERFECT, but we’re thinking we’re going to have to return it, since three weeks later, we’re cleaning up his mess on the floor almost daily. Plus, the step is made in a way that once pee and litter goes down into those holes and clumps, it can’t be fully cleaned.

Kevin Swift (#):

Buy it from the manufacturer for $299. This product never cost $399 as this merchant claims, much less the $349 they are selling it for. Look on themanufacturer’s website. It’s $299. This merchant just rips people off.

Marsha Allen (#):

This is the best investment I could have made to delight my cats. They love the clean litter, and they are very entertained by the product as it cleans. I am glad, however, that I read some the reviews and the manufacturer’s recommendations in the instruction manual.

I covered the control panel in the front with a sheet of clear plastic and taped over the holes in the step with wide clear tape. Glad I did! Also, if your cat is overly interested and keeps interrupting the unit during the cleaning cycle, put a step stool in front so they can watch from the stool without touching the unit.

Jeremy Goering (#):

Well, I’ve had a long complicated difficult history with my Litter Robot, but it seems like it’s finally going to work out.

I bought it in July. The company gives you 60 days to try it out and if not satisfied you can return it for a full refund, except for shipping costs. Both ways shipping is almost $100 so you would be paying $100 just to try it for two months if you return it. I figured it was worth a try.

I had been using Litter Maid for about 12 years. During that time, i had had 3 Litter Maids, but probably one or two would’ve lasted that long, i just threw my first or second one away because i didn’t want to bother cleaning it, the rake does get build up on it. But if i had it to do over, i would clean it. Anyway, i was very happy with Litter Maid after first suffering with regular catboxes. With the Litter Maid, i could go weeks without remembering that i had a cat box, with my one small cat. Except the LItter Maid was quite loud, but my LItter Maid was in a very out of the way place so it wasn’t a problem.

With that background, i read about the LItter Robot user reviews and the idea really appealed to me, i thought it would be great, something even better than the much appreciated Litter Maid, i thought “I deserve the best.”

When it arrived in its massive box, i was going through a major crisis in life, mother with dementia, lots of stress trying to cope and manage that, and i felt that i did not want to take any chances trying out a new litter box and risk my cat rebelling and pooping on the floor or anything like that, so i postponed setting up the Litter Robot, kept it in the box in the middle of my kitchen, and just continued with the ever reliable Litter Maid, waiting for life to settle down.

Then, after many weeks went by and things were still unsettled, i realized the time for my free trial of the Litter Robot was almost over and it was still in the box. So, i unpacked it and set it up in the spot where the Litter Maid had been all those years.

I had some problems with it right away. I followed the directions. I use Litter Pearls. I tried putting in 8 pounds, which is two 4 pound bags–the LItter Maid only used less than a 4 pound bag couple of weeks or more–but the LItter Robot would not work automatically. My cat used it OK but it would not go through its cleaning cycle automatically. It would work manually but that was not acceptable. Unfortunately it was the weekend so i was unable to contact their customer support.

On Monday i called them, spoke to Shirley, and she gave me some suggestions (adjusting the sensor screw had not worked); mainly i had to reduce the amount of Litter Pearls in the Litter Robot to far less than the directions say to use, and then, thank goodness, it worked automatically and i never had that problem again.

Shirley said that I could take another 20 days to try out the LItter Robot and could return it if not satisfied, which was very cool of them; the 60 days was just ending when i started trying it.

Unfortunately, from the start, the Litter Robot smelled very bad. It was placed by a back door to the outside, upstairs in my two story apartment, in an area above where the front door and entry hall are. When i would come home from work, i’d be greeted by a smell like a sewer. Very unhappy.

However, i had just changed my cat’s kibble from her usual brand to Innova Evo which is grain free and very different from other kibble, so i suspected that might be involved. I called the Evo company and was told that yes, in fact, there is a phenomenon called Evo stinky poop which is caused by the body not yet being adjusted to the different kind of food, and that it takes 4 to 6 weeks, and then the odor will stop.

So, i really couldn’t judge whether the Evo was fully responsible for the very strong odor in my home or if it was the Litter Robot playing some role. I only knew that odor had never been a problem with my Litter Maid, which was kept in a LItter Maid tent. I only smelled it if i waited too long. But the Litter Robot smelled bad from the beginning with fresh litter. but my cat was just changed to Evo so couldn’t tell.

So, i let the 20 days go and didn’t return the Litter Robot, even though i definitely did not want that smell, and if it didn’t go away in 4 to 6 weeks, i would replace the LItter Robot with a new LItter Maid, and i would have to take the loss.

then, the odor did start to improve after several long weeks of living in the air of a toilet. Emptying the drawer daily did not help at all. It seemed like the odor was coming from inside the Litter Robot. Nothing like this had ever happened with Litter Maid, perhaps because the tent contained any odors, or maybe the little plastic containers did; and the Litter Pearls absorbed urine odor. But in the Litter Robot, the smell of Number Two was hanging in the air far in to the main apart of the house. It was very smelly.

Right at that point, because of an emergency, i had to suddenly move out of my home. I went to live at my mom’s house where my daughter was staying with her cat and dog. She wanted me to bring the LItter Robot, which i did. she was using a small old fashioned scooping litter pan.

We put it on the back porch, which is right off the kitchen and linked to one of the bathrooms.

From the beginning, the smell was, again, terrible, very strong, permeating not just the back porch but the surrounding rooms, even though we kept the door closed except for a crack the cats could get through (but not the dogs).

We were all miserable from the smell of poo which wafted around all the time, and going into the bathroom to brush teeth or whatever was a miserable experience. The washer and dryer were on the back porch but there was this reluctance to go out there.

Another problem was that while i was still at my place, before i moved, i wanted to clean the litter Robot and put fresh litter in it, to see if that helped with the odor. I’d only been using it two or three weeks. I never needed to clean the LItter Maid so often, just ever several months.

When i tried to move the lever as it says in the directions, so that the emptying doors could open, it wouldn’t budge and snap into place as described. I pushed harder and harder and finally there was a loud snap and it seemed to be where it was supposed to be. I did empty the litter, but apparently it broke or was already broken when i forced it. Later my daughter pointed out a crack in it.

When i cleaned the Litter Robot for the first timed, i was not happy. I found it hard to stick my arms inside and wipe the globe, it was awkward, hard to get to in the place i had it. I couldn’t see what i was doing, it was dark, i used a flashlight, and i felt grossed out because my arms kept touching the inner sides of the globe where some built up cat toilet residue was. I felt like i needed a bath after cleaning the Litter Robot. The Litter Maid was routinely easier for me to clean, all i did was put in a new plastic container and add some new litter, and scoop out the dirty litter into a plastic garbage bag. Very low maintenance. I didn’t like doing it but it was short and easy to do.

However, i liked how the Litter Robot emptied all the old litter into the tray below; all you had to do was put more fresh litter in, it definitely does a good job in automating undesirable tasks. That was a lot easier than using a scoop to empty the LItter from the litter maid. It’s just the wiping out of the inside that i found difficult and unpleasant.

The odor did not clear up.

I called Litter Robot and asked about the odor. This doesn’t seem to be a common complaint among those who review. This is not something that someone could just ignore, this is the smell of an outhouse in your kitchen and living room, a sickening smell.

I spoke to Shirley again. When we told her about the way that the lever wasn’t working properly and the crack in the plastic, she said she would ship us a new Litter Robot and we could ship ours back to them in the box.
About the odor, she said some other people were reporting this issue, and she said they had heard from other users that using a fish tank odor carbon product called Amo Carb was reported to have helped a lot.

Our new Litter Robot arrived, we sent our old one back, we started fresh and used the Amo Carb with the Litter Pearls, and we used more litter because we had two cats.

Litter box odor is no longer bothering us. Sometimes we smell it mildly in the location of the Litter Robot but not throughout the house anymore. I’m feeling cautiously happy with the LItter Robot. If it works as hoped, it will be great, and better than the Litter Maid, especially if my daughter is the one who wipes it out rather than me. I didn’t like wiping it out which i’ve done three times since i got it.

We understand that if odor continues to be a problem, we can also try covering the holes in the tray, though i’d rather not because they are intended to keep litter from scattering outside the box.

So, the pros and cons.

Pros:
Very ingenious way of cleaning litter.
It leaves the litter clean, and with the waste in the covered drawer, dogs getting into it is no longer a problem as it was with the Litter maid and other cat boxes.

The changing of the bags in the drawer is pretty easy.

cheap grocery bags or garbage bags can be used, easy to get, don’t need to go to a pet store for them

It truly does keep the litter from scattering outside. Before we started using it, litter was always all over the floor, i was sweeping so much. With the Litter Robot, the litter stays in the robot. I put newspaper under it, and also a mat to catch litter under the drawer, and i haven’t had to sweep once after a week of use.

removing old litter is easy, the machine does it all, empties it into the drawer and you just throw the bag away and put new litter in. With the Litter Maid, i had to stand over the tray scooping old soggy litter out.

I consider the Robot to be very quiet, the motor and mechanics, compared to the litter Maid which was so loud it actually seemed bizarre. but it was ok because i had it in a far out of the way place. the motor sound of the robot is whisper quiet in comparison. Again, we have it in a far out of the way place. If it were in a bed room or near a TV, it could be annoying to some. To me, it’s definitely what i’d call quiet.

Customer service with Litter Robot is excellent, very supportive and personal, made me feel that my happiness was the main thing, not their profits. They quickly replaced my broken Robot and the new one has worked well for a week.

Cons:
I would prefer having some kind of enclosure like the litter Maid had, to wall off the waste. Litter maid had plastic containers with lids and a door that closed over the lid, and, i really liked the tent. When i needed to get into the litter Maid for cleaning, i just pulled back the flaps of the tent and it was not in the way. I would like to have a Litter Robot with flaps over the door to the opening of the Globe, or some other kind of covering. And i would like it if they could block the little holes in the cover of the drawer, blocking the ability of the waste in the drawer to come up through the holes. I like the way the holes keep litter from scattering. It seems that it would be easy enough to have a solid cover over the drawer underneath the cover with the holes.

Wiping out the globe is awkward for me and i can’t avoid rubbing my arms and elbows against the inside. I wear plastic gloves when i do this, and with the Litter Maid, this was all that was needed to keep me from having to touch anything. But the gloves don’t cover my forearms and elbows. It’s dark inside the globe and hard for me to see where i’m wiping. the need to do this is more often than i’d like.

Overall rating is very high because of customer support and because apparently my first one was defective, first the automatic emptying didn’t work and i had to use much less than the recommened amont of litter before it would operate; then the lever wouldn’t move into place for emptying the old litter until i forced it and it broke. The design of the Litter Robot is not as good at blockign the odor as the LItter maid, and combining this with switching my cat to a new food that caused odor resulted in a terrible experience that lasted for weeks of having a home that smelled horrible. But with the new robot operatinig correctly, the Amo Carb treatment for the waste drawer, the cats adjusted to their new food, and all the support from the LItter Robot company, things are looking good now. For a whole week, odor has become less and less over time and i can now say that i forget all about the Litter Robot, which is the whole idea to me. It does its job, i don’t have to think about it, and under those circumstances, it’s an excellent product.

If there is a reason to update this review later, i will, but i can recommend the robot to others, just because of the customer support alone. The robot is well made, just a few simple parts which operate in a simple clever way.

We are very fortunate that both of our cats took to it easily and neither one hangs its butt outside and goes on the door frame and the outside drawer. That would be a deal breaker for me, i would go back to using the Litter Maid if my cat did not use the Robot properly. Low maintenance is my goal.

Terry Robbins (#):

I was very skeptical about a litter box that could cost so much. How could it be worth it? But the reviews were so great, I decided to try it. My cat and I were both a little frightened of the thing when I got it set up. It does look a little like I might try to launch my cat into outer space. He wouldn’t go near it at first. Since all his essentials are in our laundry room, I put him in the room for one night and closed the door. There was lots of complaining, but I toughed it out for about an hour, then I put some “enticements” into the space capsule to lure him inside. (The first time it rotates to clean itself is also a little scary.) When he finally got the idea, it was purrrr-fect! He loves it! I love it! It’s so clean. If I ever have to close him in the laundry room for a brief time, he likes to lay in it!!! That’s how clean it stays. You won’t regret this purchase (once you get over the shocking VISA bill). We’ve had the Litter Robot about 4 months now, and we’re both still purring.

Mike Russell (#):

I have 3 crazy cats and it works. Period. End of quest.

Judy Lochmann (#):

I always tell people I have a litterbox that looks like R2D2. As nearly as I can recall I think I bought my LR somewhere between 2001 and 2003..can’t remember exactly. It has always worked perfectly..day in and out. My older cats didn’t take to it very well, but as I had a house with a yard, they also had the option of using the regular box outside. The fact that the other cats DID use it, severely reduced the time spent cleaning the alternative box. Once my older cats passed on, the new ones seem to instinctively find it, and have none of the problems I’ve seen cited elsewhere in these reviews. Kittens in particular just gravitate to it. However, I feed a large colony of feral cats; some of whom have found my pet door and moved in…and they have no problem adapting. $300 was tough for me, but SO worth it..happy cats and happy me..HATE cleaning litter boxes. I’ve received discount offers to “upgrade” to the newest version, but honestly, see no reason to as long as mine works. I don’t think I’d like the holes in the step; although I think I would prefer the beige if I ever bought another. I LOVE this product. I’ve NEVER in over 5 years, EVER had a problem. Do not mess with anything else out there, NOTHING will match this for performance and ease of use.

Jill Paschal (#):

This is the Best litter Box on the Market. I love that is has No Rakes, which in turn means no clogging or Stopping of the Unit. My two cats use it without Hesitation. I can go out of Town and never have to worry if The Litter Box is Functioning properly. Worth the Money! Yes, it does makes noise while Emptying, but what Automatic Litter box doesent. I felt the Noise was not excessive at all.

Sue White (#):

The old saying of “if you build a better mouse trap, the world will beat a path to your door” or something like that———well, can’t beat this litter box! Cat took to it right away, never misses, box works great and I haven’t emptied it in over a week! No smell either. (One cat) Since there are no rakes, etc., it doesn’t get clogged or so far, doesn’t need cleaning. But that could be because of the accuracy of my cat too, don’t know. High initial cost is worth it!

I’ve been using cheap, Simplicity Plus, clumping litter too. Very, very happy. The only thing I can think of that may be a concern are light “rub” marks where the upper part or ball of the litter box comes in contact with plastic support posts. But so far, Windex has been cleaning that off. I think it is advised not to grease these because they would then attract more dirt and mark the “ball” even more. Still, can’t beat this litter box!

Folks, it boils down to this—–If you are lucky enough to have a cat that pee’s “directly” into the litter and not “sideways” and faces the opening when going, etc., makes sure it hits the litter and is able to bury the waste and is not scared of the mechanics and sounds, then this box is frigging wonderful! If your cat is skiddish, pees out of your current litter box, misses, hits the side of your current box, etc., then this box will not be the answer to your litter box frustrations. I happen to be very lucky to have a cat that was made for this box—hope your cat is too. Good luck.

Rob Mullins (#):

This is the most awesome purchase I have ever made. It really works!!! The cleanup is so easy, just pull out the drawer and its already in the trash bag. No expensive accessories go with it, just normal trash bags. The cats love it, they adjusted to it right away, and one cat is skidish, the kitten took right to it. The litter box smell is gone, even with two cats. I had a problem with the dogs trying to get into the litter box; they no longer can get to the waste, so I no longer have to worry about them. There isn’t litter scattered on the floor from over zealous digging either. This is easy to put together, its a bit large check out the dimensions prior to purchase, but that’s okay considering this fantastic product. It has made our lives so much easier, especially since I can not stand to have anything setting in the litter box. It’s always clean!!

Ginger Lunt (#):

I have tried most of them since I have 4 cats! and Litter robot LRII is the best so far,I read all the reviews and did not believe the claims … now I do! do not bother with the others spend the money and you won`t be sorry.

Kim Maxon (#):

Love this product. Works better than I expected. My cat took to it right away – he was intrigued by it for a while. The best part is the litter is “fresh” for him each time he uses the machine even if I’ve not changed out the bag for 10 days (not reccomended). Has to be a little more sanitary than any other litter boxes. The machine has never failed in six months of use.

Was pricey but well worth it in my opinion.

Ruth Malkin (#):

I was a little apprehensive about the price, but it was well worth it. I’ve had the Litter Robot for a month, and it works perfectly. I’ve had a litter maid, and the container for refuse was too small (I have 3 cats), I had to empty it every day to day and a half. The rake had alot of trouble getting up the wet clumps that were cemented to the bottom of the tray. There were several times that the rake mechanism came out of the tracks because of that. I would highly recommend the Litter Robot to anyone. I can now leave for more than one night out of town, and know that the litter box will stay clean. One final note, one of the cats had a hard time getting used to the enclosed space, but after 2-3 days, she got used to it. Now whenever the Robot goes into its cycle, they go into the room to watch it. Again, it’s well worth the price, and the 18 month warranty is a definite incentive.

Ken (#):

My wife was sick of scooping litter so I got the job. It was hard to keep my breakfast down so I went looking for a robot. I bought it 3 months ago and reserved comment till now. We, I mean my wife has 3 cats, I use a regular tie string kitchen bag in the drawer with the strings hanging out the front. I empty every third day, its clean and simple. The cats know I mean business, no fooling around, I removed the old litter box the day the robot arrived. I was GO or get constipated for the cats. No problem at all, cats are naturally courious and the next thing I saw was one in the black hole (name we call our robot) and two cats waiting in line. Hang the cost it was damn well worth it. It was a pleasure dealing with these people and a real good feeling to get USA quality rather than junk from China.

Maureen (#):

We have 5 cats and tried every box made! We have had the Litter-Robot for years and it is a real workhorse! Use regular garbage bags, not expensive one of a kind (we get ours at Costco),never touch anything, it is safe, quite and keeps litter clean (and cleaning a breeze). Best litter box ever made. Why they are not in major stores is a mystery however you will not be sorry you purchased this box!

Alan Cohen (#):

After only a short time of using the litter robot, I can’t imagine how I got along without it.

Doug Stamm (#):

I have never reviewed anything but this is the best automatic litterbox on the market. I had a littermaid till the motor went out. At that time, I was under the impression it was the only thing available and I liked it. But I started looking around and I bought a different one that used crystals. My 2 cats hated it so I retured it.

I was reading more reviews and I came across this one. I read reviews before I buy anything and I was worried about one of my cats as he is a big dude. He uses it with no problems and my other cat loves it too.

The litter is so clean. I have had the litterbox for over 3 months now. I have yet to replace the litter because it still looks brand new. Unlike the littermaid boxes, there is truely no hand scooping with this box so the litter always looks fresh and new. All I have to do as add more litter when it looks a little low. This is why it is money saving. With the littermaid and other boxes, you have to keep replacing the litter and buy new bins or refills. That can be costly and very expensive over time. With this, I just add a new trash bag and its good to go. Also, with my 2 cats, I change it about once a week. I was changing the littermaid at least twice that.

Sound, alot of reviews say it is noisy, if you are coming from a littermaid, you will notice that it is quiet to that.

I bought this from the company website and I got purchased a factory return. It saved me some money and came very clean and I couldn’t really tell it had ever been used.

Pros: Money saving in the long run, very clean, large bin, litter saver, and the cats love it.
Cons: Hard to find any. The cats tend to jump out and go over the step, that puts a bit of litter on the floor. Other then that, not really any I can think of.

Overall: I have a 2 bed 2 bath apt and there is no dirty litterbox smell. Absolutly no scooping what so ever. Best box/dome on the market today.

Mark Gracy (#):

This product works as advertised. However, be very cautious in introducing your cat to it. I fed my cat in the same area as her litter was – and the first time it cycled when she was near it – she panicked! I have had a hard time getting her to use it since. So, follow the directions and tips – and most certainly, separate the feeding and litter areas. I’m still sold on the unit – just having to work hard at convincing my cat that it won’t “eat” her!!

J. Rickson (#):

What a great product. I have 2 cats, one of them used it immediately and the it took the other one about a week. He continued to use the old litter box until he couldn’t stand it anymore (I didn’t clean it out to help him transition). Now he uses it fine.

I initially used World’s Best cat litter as a friend recomended it to me, but the awful smell lingered upsatirs. I switched to Scoop Away with crystals and the smell is gone. World’s Best is supposed to last longer.

I travel a lot and now I don’t have to have someone come over to change the litter, and I do not have to worry about my cats when I’m gone.

I also bought a Drinkwell Premium pet water fountain and it works great too.

I have not had any problems with the litter robot. It is very easy to use. It’s worth every penny!

Cleveland, Ohio

Ray Edson (#):

I have an older cat (6 years) who is very finicky as well as being a bit of a “scaredy” cat. If the litter is not up to her liking, she will make a deposit in the spare bathroom bathtub !! Since getting this AMAZING product she uses the litter box regularly and she has never been afraid of it either !! I also introduced a new 8 month old kitten to the house who also has had absolutely no fears or problems using the Litter Robot. We have been using Litter Robot for 2 months now and I can’t tell you enough how much I love it and the ease of use and set up was fabulous.
I highly recommend it to all cat owners. Very easy to clean also.

Dona Chase (#):

I have only had two problems with mine (I’ve had it over a year).

One, sometimes the sensing mechanism doesn’t sense the cats. Cause: I’ve let the litter get low, and the unit doesn’t see enough weight to recognize the cat. Solution: Add litter to where it’s supposed to be. The problem is either that, or the box has shifted so that a foot slipped off a piece of 1/16″ board I put under it (to keep litter out of an air duct), causing pressure (weight sensing) to be uneven. My fault, since it doesn’t shift in normal use; I probably slid it some when emptying it.

Two: Waste getting stuck in the exit hole and then either jamming the mechanism (which has a strain sensor to avoid hurting a cat) or tracking waste around the globe. Cause: The waste container is full. And more than just full – it’s heaping up into the globe exit hole. Solution: Empty the box when it needs it. It only needs it once a week with my three cats.

Some people have commented that the bin is small. It holds a whole lot more than any other self-cleaning box (other than a self-flusher). I have three cats and the box will last a week easily.

Some people have reported that it stops working with lights flashing. They need to either call customer service or Read The Manual. It explains the codes and how to solve the problem (which is usually simple).

Some people have commented on the cats needing to step on the step to trigger the mechanism. This person probably didn’t have the unit very long, because this is not the case. The mechanism senses weight anywhere. My cats trigger it by jumping on top (and the unit will not run until they get off, for obvious safety reasons). It is more sensitive to the step due to levering action – the sensor is in a foot on that end. My cats usually step in, but they jump out over the step; this scatters a little more litter than usual, but it’s no big deal.

Some people commented on damage to property because their cats didn’t use the box. These are probably also the type of people who toss their kids into the deep end of the pool to teach them how to swim. And they are the type of people who do not take suggestions, even from the manufacturer of the product. In short, you just need to give the cats time to adjust. Give the cats both types of boxes until they are using the new one. They will tend to come to like the new one better because it stays clean.

Some people commented on the high price to return it if you don’t like it. (Please don’t exaggerate the cost – it’s $25-$50, not “more than the unit”) Yes, that’s a problem. This was the cause of my hesitance. It’s a large item. It costs a lot to ship. Guess what – all the other litter boxes are the same way, and some are worse because you also have to ship supplies. If you don’t like the unit, sell it on Craigslist to somebody local (so the buyer doesn’t have to pay shipping either). I’d buy it from you as a second one. But if you give it a fair try, you, and your cats, will probably like it. Warranty support includes shipping.

Compared to others:
Pro: It does not use special disposal containers. You can use whatever bags you want. Even used grocery bags. The storage container is reasonably odor-tight, so keeping used litter in it for a week isn’t a problem.
Pro: It has a built-in cover. Yes, it’s part of the way the Litter Robot works, but many boxes charge extra for the cover. This reduces the amount of litter that gets scattered around.
Pro: It uses a jam-free problem-free technique exactly the same as some manual-rotation boxes. And it’s also essentially the same as a box that has a strainer layer – it drops all the litter through a strainer grid then returns the litter to the basin. Almost EVERY other box uses tines in some way. Tines tend not to catch small pieces. Tines tend to get stuff stuck between them. Tines tend jam. Tines can bend and become dangerous. Worse, tines can stick briefly and fling waste products around the room at high speeds. The Litter Robot doesn’t use tines. (As a note, the most popular tine-based box design, the one that has to rake through the box, needs a very strong motor; those boxes tend to burn out motors but they have a relatively short warranty.)

Con: It can’t work with small kittens or very light cats. They need to be at least five pounds to weigh enough to be sensed. Or you can leave it turned off and treat it as a manually-switched powered litter box until they get bigger; it’s a decent-size box on its own.
Con: It can’t be used with very large cats. Cats over 15-20 pounds may have trouble turning around, though naturally-large cats tend to do better than overweight ones.
Con: It uses electricity. A small power transformer that plugs in nearby that doesn’t pose any risk to the cats, but it means you need to have power available. I put the unit right next to the outlet with the extra cord tied up, so the cats aren’t likely to unplug it. In the past 14 months, they have only unplugged it a couple of times. Though nothing is hurt by that – it just falls to being a regular covered litter box until it’s plugged back in.

Neutral: It uses litter. Generic clumping litter, but it uses it. That’s a cost. So? It’s less cost than getting some special cleaning solution like the self-flushers use. In addition, they usually need replacement pellets anyway, and they’re expensive. It also means litter may get scattered on the floor. Again, the others usually do the same, only with more expensive replacements.

Nancy Clayton (#):

I purchased the Litter Robot after our Purrforma kicked the bucket. After my kitties got used to the Litter Robot (it took about a week), I was able to appreciate how poorly the Purrfoma functioned (frequent jamming, expensive replacement parts such as bags, air filters, trays, etc.). The Litter Robot has performed flawlessly, aside from one instance where my curious cat tried to jump in while it was moving (this hasn’t been a problem since). After one month, I have not had to buy any more litter, and have emptied the voluminous bin only 4 times (I had to empty the Purrforma at least once every two days). One hint – poor some baking soda in the bag in bin to absorb odor.

Maybe it seems pricey, but if this box lasts three years, it will have been more than worth it.

Claire Ryan (#):

This is a great product. It took longer than expected to get my cats to use it, but now they are. It’s so much better than the LitterMaid. A lot easier to clean. Shipping was fast too.

P. STEC (#):

This thing is wacky to look at and I frankly I felt embarrassed when the UPS guy broght it to my front door. My cats’ expressions mirrored my discomfort. Here is the thing- it is awesome. I love it. No more stinky cat box. No more scooping in disgust. It took a little while for the cats to warm up to it. I just left it unplugged for the first few days. The only downfall is a lot of loose kitty litter on the floor when the cats jump out. Frankly, if I have to sweep more – I would rather do that than scoop the poop. The stink factor has been decreased by at least 90%. And if your dog thinks cat boxes are chocolate factories – that is also remedied by the mothership.

PAULINE (#):

Simple to put together, took our 2 cats 3 days to get used to the robot. Now they love it, so do I , as I only empty it once every 5/6 days. Uses significantly less Cat Litter than the rake systems and has no smell as the bag is fully enclosed. Uses 8 gal trash bags which are less expensive than the collectors in other systems.

POLLY DRINKWATER (#):

Assembly was incredibly easy. Just put the ball on the base essentially.

My cat is a complete wuss. I thought there would be a high likelyhood that I would have to return this because she wouldn’t use it. That was definitely not the case.

The first night I filled it with litter and placed it next to the existing cat box. I left it off as to not scare the cat. Like Christmas morning I awoke and saw that I had been left a couple presents. Since then I’ve left it on and everything is working great.

It’s expensive but if you hate having to clean a litterbox, it’s definitely worth it. I’ve only had it for about a week but it seems well-built and durable and may out live my cat.

ROB KILGORE (#):

I was apprehensive at spending over $300 but after doing a lot of research, this self-cleaning cat box appeared to be the best one out there. I have had it for about a month and have loved it since it arrived. I have 5 cats and only need to empty the “poop drawer” every 2 to 3 days, but that beats scooping 2 cat boxes every day like I used to do. I opted for the black litter robot because I thought it looked less industrial. It takes up about the same amount of space as my standard litter box, just a little taller. I was surprised at how quiet it is. The litter robot is in my home office and is more quiet than my fax machine. I would recommend this to anyone who has cats and is tired of scooping!!

Lorie Scheibel (#):

I was really getting fed up with our cats… I wouldn’t even have cats if it wasn’t for an ex-girlfriend who left me with one and my wife who brought hers into the family. At any rate, I still love the cats and especially my wife so I was at my wits end about what to do about their filthy litter box in which the smells and the cleanup was driving me absolutely f_ck*n crazy.

Anyways, this litter box is the B O M B! Since we’ve had it, I haven’t smelled a foul odor in the house once. It really REALLY REALLY works! (unlike those flat rake kind that get crudded up after only a little while)

It probably saved my cats from having to find new homes (not really, but I was really frustrated with them, you have no idea, or maybe you do, in which case you need this).

The cats are happy too. They always use the box now – no going outside the box like before. They are nicer and friendlier, even!

Worth every penny. Don’t even waste your time or money on anything else!

Desiree (#):

I purchased my litter robot because I am gone 5 days out of seven, and the neighboring teenager takes care of my cat. Sometimes in the past I have come home to hopelessly smelly litter. Now I come home to an odor-free home. And my pregnant daughter-in-law is so happy with hers, because she doesn’t have to worry about toxoplamsosis.Litter Robot LRII Automatic Self-Cleaning Litter Box, Black

Eric Rice (#):

After 3 days of using a regular litter box I knew I had to find a better way. So like everyone else I started looked for an automatic litter box that actually worked and my searching led me to the Litter Robot. But for $320 I was a little hesitant. But what the heck, if it is was as good as the reviews it would be worth it. After 6 months of use I would buy another one in a second. Seriously if the one I have broke, I would order another that same day. I have two cats and they both use it with no problems. They only took a few days to get used to it and have never looked back. They are both about 11 pounds and have no problem fitting inside. Even with both cats using it I only have to empty the drawer every 4-5 days. Plus its great you can use any type of trash bag.

Klaus Breitsameter (#):

At first, I was skeptical. Would my 2 cats “take” to the new litter box? Would they adapt to the mechanics and noise? They began using this box exclusively on day one!!! I empty the “drawer” several times per week. However, I was recently away for an extended weekend and when I returned there was NO odor at all! I highly recommend this product.

SuZanne Glocker (#):

I think if you have a fairly young, normal cat this is the best litter box in the whole world. It works amazingly well, keeps the smell fairly well contained and it’s easy to empty the collection drawer. And it looks like the Death Star, which is just cool.

The reason I couldn’t give it 5 stars is one little issue. My problem is that we have a 20-year-old cat who, although very spry, seems to prefer to hang her behind out the door when she pees (apparently a common problem with geriatric cats). She has shorted out the poorly placed/non-protected circuit board, which we had to replace. We’ve tried using a flap to hang over the door to interfere, but she seems to have found a way to work around it. We had to seal the new control panel/circuit board with packing tape, and that has saved it so far. The other downside is that the urine goes directly onto the step and into the bottom of the drawer, under the liner, making a big mess inside. It could be worse, but a few design tweaks could really solve this problem. We adjusted for this problem by creating a “slide” that runs under the step grating and empties into the liner in the drawer.

Frankly, for almost $400 after shipping and tax, I really wish we didn’t have to McGuyver the thing just to get it to work properly. Had we known we were going to have these many problems we wouldn’t have gotten it, but there was no warning about geriatric cats on the website. With shipping at over $40 we figured we’d try to make it work.

So if you have an average cat I recommend this highly. It’s very entertaining to watch and it does a great job at keeping the litter (and your cat’s feet) clean. If your cat is older and/or senile, skip it.

Sheila (#):

I have 3 cats and when we first tried to get them to switch, one of them revolted and started using my son’s bed as a litter box. Anyways after a bit of coaxing she managed to use the litter box.

It’s very convenient and designed very well. Much better than the litter maid.

I would give it 5 stars except for

1) the sensor on mine makes the litter box shake when ever the cats use it although I tried to adjust it

2) I have the latest one with holes in the platform that goes to where the litter gets dumped and it gets smelly in humid environment so I had to tape it to reduce the smell.

But alas, no more scoping …

Imad Elali (#):

I was sick of replacing my Littermaids every year and a half or so when they broke so I decided to purchase a Litter Robot. It was such an improvement over the Littermaid. Litter isn’t wasted, the waste doesn’t stick to the inside of the globe, and very little maintenance is required. With two cats, I only had to change the bag once a week, if that. You can just set it up and let it go. It was also wonderful not to have buy special receptacles. You can just use your typical kitchen trash bags.

But, although my cats seemed to initially adapt to it well, one of them soon decided he didn’t like it. I have two cats, a 7-pound Siamese, and a 21-pound Ragdoll. I was aware that the Ragdoll might be too large to use it, although I had read that other large cats of a similar size were using it fine. Anyway, although he used it fine at first, he began to develop a problem where he would enter the globe, not turn around, and proceed to pee and poop all over the outside of the box. After a few days of that, he gave up going in the box all together and started going in front of the box. I tried everything I could to get him to go in and turn around as he had in the beginning, but it was to no avail. I really think his size made it uncomfortable for him to maneuver inside the globe.

So with a heavy heart, I sent the Litter Robot back. I think it is a wonderful litterbox and worth the cost, but if you have a large or stupid cat (as mine is both), be prepared to send it back if your cat can’t or won’t turn around inside the globe.

Ellen Wilner (#):

I purchased a Litter Robot 2 and absolutely love it. I have a very messy cat and was afraid he would somehow miss the container. He has not so far. The motor is a little loud, but not so bad I would consider sending it back. Overall I consider this a great purchase. There is an adjustable sensor on the bottom up front that allows you to adjust the sensitivity. I had to make it more sensitive on the carpet and less sensitive on a hard wood floor.

Pros: Automatically sifts litter after each use. Uses regular clumping litter. Low ongoing cost. Deposits the clumps in a waste basket underneath. Adjutable sensitivity to allow for different cat sizes and different surfaces.

Cons: High up front cost. Somewhat loud. Sometimes clumps of litter stick to the floor initially.

Anne Cavanagh (#):

I was looking for the ultimate a self-cleaning litter box, and the Litter Robot is just that. I’d compared it to the Cat Genie, which hooks up to the water line of a toilet or laundry area, but opted for the LR because I desired more flexibility in placement. Additionally, having a dog, the design was a more practical one, as it is now impossible for the dog to snack on kitty turds!

I have two cats, and they are each nearly 14 years of age; they have grown up with a conventional “good ol’ fashioned” open litter box, so I was unsure how they’d react to the enclosure. I had left their old box out, uncleaned, to encourage use of the new LR, but eventually had to take the old box away completely in order for them to fully convert over (it was a “doo” or don’t situation…). After approximately three weeks, it been a nearly successful situation, with the exception of the occasional “spillage” issue previously stated in the review prior to mine; apparently, every now and then, one of the cats doesn’t quite get herself entirely into the box, and urinates on the step, which has holes in it. As a result, the urine drains through the holes into the waste drawer, and in turn, starts to smell. I like the idea of placing the entire drawer into a 13 gallon garbage bag (instead of the recommended placement of the bag inside the drawer), and I am going to try that with the next cleaning. One of my cats has some kidney issues, and urinates a “wee” more frequently than normal, so I find myself emptying out the waste drawer two times a week…still sufficiently less then the two times a day I was sifting through the old box!

All in all, I am very pleased with the Litter Robot and so are the cats; I can safely go away for a weekend or an overnight business trip without worrying about a smelly litter box and a pair of reluctant felines using my Oriental rugs as a substitute!

Mary Charters (#):

Despite the ‘as seen on TV’ feel that surrounds this product, we bought one desperate to ease the process of keeping up with three prolific cats’ output. I read most of the reviews, and have to say they’re pretty much accurate. If your cat uses it properly, it works great. If your cat can’t figure it out or is scared, obviously that’s not going to work–but then you can return it. Our three cats took approximately five minutes before they were playing in the LR. I left the unit unplugged and a few times a day manually plugged it in and cycled it so the cats wouldn’t get freaked out at first. Now they’re fine with it, one of them likes to jump in it while it’s moving (the unit can sense this, and stops). It seems safe, sturdy, and reasonably well made. My only gripe is that while it only needs to be completely cleaned once in a while, doing so if you don’t have access to an outside area and a hose is kind of rugged. We live in an apartment, and the big cleaning every month or two (with three cats–not too shabby) is a little gross. If you’re in the burbs and have a hose it’ll be a snap.

Dianne Lee McDermott (#):

I’ve had this litter box for almost 1 year, and we have two cats.
I don’t have any serious complaints. There is no PERFECT solution to cat odor/waste, but if there was, this would come pretty darn close.

CONS:
It does not solve the litter pebbles on the floor issue – but I take care of that by putting a nappy rug in front of the box for the cats to “wipe” their feet on when exiting the box.

If you add too much litter – even a tiny bit (and it’s hard to tell exactly how much to put in) you’ll be wasting it. The excess will just dump out into the tray.

It’s sort of loud, and it takes a long time to “cycle” through getting rid of cat waste. Not huge problems, but somewhat frustrating.

It does not eliminate ALL odor… I can still smell “cats” when I enter our laundry room. I remedy this pretty well by adding arm and hammer litter deodorizer to the box. Just don’t put too much, or kitties will refuse to use the box! I learned that lesson the hard way.

PROS:

I only have to pay attention to it about once a week. (At that time, I clean out the cabinet its in (under the laundry sink) by vacuuming up all litter pebbles. I then take out the tray with all the waste in it. I also sanitize the entire box with lysol, and clean the outside and so on. About once a month I empty the box and santize/wash it. You probably don’t have to do this, but I’m a germ freak.)
My point is – this box is pretty darn easy to take care of! Not a lot of maintenence, or scooping, etc.. I LOVE that part of it! I used to clean the “old style” litter boxes like twice a day, and I got REALLY tired of that!!!!

It keeps kitties feets clean. They are never stepping into the box onto each others waste! I love that. I know, I know – I’m sure there is still “residue” of waste in the litter – but it’s MUCH better than them digging around in each others fresh feces!!!! Ewwww???!!!

So – that’s my review. I hope it helps. I would recommend this product to anyone that likes to keep a clean house, and does not like “cat waste detail” on a daily basis!

Simon Kim (#):

We took a chance on the LItter Robot. Our Litter Maid broke — once a plastic rake has broken the entire thing needs to be replaced. We took the chance because of the guarantee and worked for several weeks to get the cats to use the box. We have two — one nearly as large as a Maine Coon and a small Siamese. The larger cat used it soon after it was installed, but did not always fit inside, leaving a small puddle by the entrance. Another review suggested switching litter to Cat Attract, and we did over a week, adding more and more of the new litter to the old mix. The Litter Robot is built well, it’s an ingenious design, and the cats are using it. Some may find the Robot huge. In our situation, size didn’t matter, but we wanted a constantly clean box for the cats. The reason for using the Litter Robot is that we have dogs who visit and while they are with us, the cats are given the run of the upstairs of the house without dogs who remain on the first floor. Their food is brought up, and litter shares a room with laundry facilities. We have a second litter pan in the attached garage which the cats rarely use. It has been in use at our house for three months with no problems. It’s expensive and I’m eager to see how it holds up.

Rhonda Mortensen (#):

I was very hesitant to spend so much money on a litterbox but it’s one of the chores I hate doing & I hate the smell of a dirty box. I have only have two cats but one of them goes to the bathroom enough for five! After reading the excellent reviews I decided to take the plunge. The appearance is quite strange ~ not something I’d want to leave out in open sight and a little on the large, bulky side. I was worried my shy, timid cat wouldn’t use it but both cats took to it very quickly. It works great ~ I only empty it about once or twice a week and there is nearly no odor (unless I go too long w/o changing, which is my fault!). I seem to go through much less litter, so that saves some money. About three months after I bought it I started having problems ~ the motor was not working consistently and was making strange noises and then stopped working altogether. I contacted customer service and they were wonderful! They sent out a replacement base the same day, without even waiting for me to ship the used one back. They paid return shipping and the exchange was hassle-free and they were very nice to deal with.

I’ve had my Litter Robot for a year now. While I love it, I still have some problems. Every once in a while (about every 2 weeks) the globe will get stuck for some reason. I will come home and see it is at a tilt, unusable for the cats. This concerns me because if they can’t use the box they will go elsewhere. Also, I would be worried about going away for the weekend and depending on this to work. It happens frequently enough that I check the box daily to make sure it is in proper position. It’s easy enough to fix when it happens ~ just press the Cycle button, but I haven’t been able to teach my cats that yet.

Even with that issue, I still am very happy with my purchase because it makes changing the litter box so much easier and when people walk into my house they can’t SMELL that I have cats!

Kerry Roth (#):

We bought the litter robot about two weeks ago and it has been great. We are renovating our house right now which means that my husband, cat and I’s living area is very small. The litter box in our living room is not the ideal location but it’s the only option for now. The open litter box was stinky and I was a slave to cleaning it. Since we bought the robot the smell has improved and I don’t have to clearn the litter box, it’s awesome. It has not been perfect..our cat is a big cat and uses the litter box about 5-7 times a day which means we have to clean the drawer more than the recommended once a week (not a big deal, it beats scooping 3-4 times a day) also, the waste has become stuck to the sides twice. Once it sort of jammed it. My husband found the problem and was able to fix it, thankfully. Other then that it works like a dream!

Clint Nelson (#):

Overall this product works better than other self-cleaning litter boxes. It’s extremely easy to assemble, slightly loud during the cleaning cycle. Takes up a lot of space; be prepared to for the large size. It has more than enough space for larger cats though! Removing the dirty litter is extremely easy; cleaning the globe is a little more tedious. My older cat was terrified of it so unfortunately it did not work out for me. If your guys are a little more brave, I would definitely recommend this product!

Mary Nolan (#):

The litter robot works extremely well. We have two cats that have taken to the unit without any issues. A couple of notes, this unit is large, don’t let the picture fool you into thinking that it is small. Second, our cats drag a lot of litter of the box. This might be a function of the type of litter we use, I don’t know, but I would suggest have a rug at the entrance to catch the remaining pebbles.

Deb Doerfler (#):

Overall, I think this is a great product. And if you’re not having success with it, a call to customer service or reading through some of the hundreds of reviews here will solve your problem 99% of the time.

I ended up buying this directly from the manufacturer because I had reservations about my cats adapting. I have a 4 year old and a 9 year old, and surprisingly my older cat has taken to it quicker than the younger one-seems she would rather go in a clean litter box

Over all, the smell is significantly less, and it is significantly less work. For these 2 reasons alone, it is worth saving for.

I have had a few problems with the younger cat because she is fairly long and sometimes does ‘miss’ the box and ends up going on the step. And thanks to a suggestion from CS about hanging a cat toy, ball, whatever you choose hang from the roof just above the opening, that seems to get her in all they way.

I also was having a problem with both cats not using the step at all, and I was always having to manually cycle the dome. This too can be solved by simply adjusting the sensitivity underneath the step, you will find a knob you can turn. Follow the instructions and make it less sensitive and they will still activate the mechanism without using the step. Hope this helps and good luck to all of you!

Deena Congdon (#):

This product saved our cats life-literally. My husband bought it as a last resort for our cat that peed elsewhere when her litter had one peice of poop in it. The company was great when the computer board on the front got wet. They replaced it with instructions at no charge. Now we just tape a piece of saran wrop over it in case of accidents. The two cats in our house use it with no problems. It is easy to keep clean and now I would not have a cat without one. It was well worth the money.

JEFF (#):

I have owned one of these (LR-I) for 5 years now.
Our 2 cats took to it fine. They love having a clean place
to go every time.
This is a great invention. I would have given it 5 stars but
there are a couple things holding it back from perfection.

Pros:
Once a week drawer/bag cleaning.
Once a month full inside cleaning.
Pays for itself many times over saving on litter.
Cats love having clean litter every time they go.
Uses regular clumping litter.
has lasted for 5 years. (but is starting to show its wear)
Customer support gets 5 stars.
Small non-corporate company who cares about their product
and its customers.

Cons:
Smell can get semi bad (but so can all litter boxes)
Can be hard to clean (interior of globe)
electronics/sensor system has not been perfected.
After 5 years, the globe sensor is starting to stop the globe
at random times even after many cleanings and adjustments.
I have to kick the thing at times to get it spinning again

Over all, in my opinion this is the best solution out there
for those searching for an easier way to deal with kitty litter.
I was sick of dealing with messy standard boxes and this was
the perfect answer.

For those of you who are thinking of getting the self flushing/non-
absorbing litter boxes, your cats will end up with “pee pee paws”.
This means after they pee in the non absorbing beads, they scratch to
cover it and their fur soaks it up instead. I still think the Litter Robot
is the best thing going. I am about to buy my second one.

Steve Westmark (#):

Although I like this design, still it takes much time to have my cat get used to it. It should be much more friendly at this kind of price.

gottwokats (#):

Recently purchased a Litter Robot II for my two cats. I really like it. It took the cats a while to get used to it, but now it’s my only litter box. It is a litter miser and extremely easy to clean. One caveat–if you purchase with their 3 month plan they will add $15 to the cost (currently $346 versus $329). Also, if you can wait, watch the website for free shipping that they offer periodically. You’ll save $19,95.