Auto Cleaning Cat Pans - Your Recommendations?

originally posted by: incoserv
a reply to: InTheLight

But them royalty folks were a fairly weird bunch!

Well most people must have been because they followed suit.

I bought the top of the line one for $350 which you hook up to a toilet. It used plastic litter pellets & a disinfectant solution. It would clean itself a few minutes after a cat used it. My cats refused to use it & I ended up throwing it out eventually. I recommend you just stick to a regular litter box. There are also ways to teach cats how to use the toilet.

a reply to: eriktheawful

chewy

I have two cats atm. These work great and are well worth the price. I used to have more cats thus why I got two but now only two cats so my others unit is put away. So one per two works just dandy. And it really keeps odor away and is super easy to maintain.
Anyway hope that helps.

Did you read the comments in your link...this type of unit requires the use of crystals (not clay litter) which costs an arm and a leg. I just say it also uses 'disposable' litter trays...another great expense.

I've had 2 and Do Not recommend them. Motors burn out, the rake gets clogged with feces and is a nasty chore to clean, the track gets full of litter......
I could go on but you get the idea.
The cons FAR outweigh the pros.

a reply to: InTheLight

I got my unit from Amazon a while back and got a really good deal. This one costs a bit more and does not come with the added fun thingy that can be added to catch the crystal from the cats foot when they step out.
But in the defense of the crystal stuff. I only change out those little things one time a month.

originally posted by: Allaroundyou
a reply to: InTheLight

I got my unit from Amazon a while back and got a really good deal. This one costs a bit more and does not come with the added fun thingy that can be added to catch the crystal from the cats foot when they step out.
But in the defense of the crystal stuff. I only change out those little things one time a month.

More problems with that unit;

Precautions Adult supervision is recommended during your cat’s initial introduction. If your kitten is under 6 months of age, leave the unit UNPLUGGED and scoop waste until kitten is 6 months old. Not intended for use by handicapped, incapacitated or very old cats that might experience difficulty in entering or leaving the litter box.

How often do you change the trays because they cost around $50 with tax added for 3 trays?

BTW, thanks for the information because my daughter is living with me and brought her 4 cats with her and she is thinking of buying an automatic litter box, but I am skeptical. And she would need 2 boxes for 4 cats from what I am reading.

a reply to: InTheLight

One of them is three and the other is two.

What I did is take some poo from from both of the old boxes one at a time and snatched a cat one at a time and stayed with them as they smelled the poo and got familiar with it. Only took about ten minutes with each cat. And
If your willing to spend that, it is worth it and the crystals really help with odor.
I pay about 70$ and get three fresh boxes a month. But only use one a month. I have an over stock atm.

:edit: I am going to try to find a better deal like the one I got for ya.

:edit: Well I found a better deal for the same one but without the lid. Amazon

originally posted by: Allaroundyou
a reply to: InTheLight

One of them is three and the other is two.

What I did is take some poo from from both of the old boxes one at a time and snatched a cat one at a time and stayed with them as they smelled the poo and got familiar with it. Only took about ten minutes with each cat. And
If your willing to spend that, it is worth it and the crystals really help with odor.
I pay about 70$ and get three fresh boxes a month. But only use one a month. I have an over stock atm.

So $70 for 3 months plus probably 2-3 bags of crystals @ 20/bag x 2 = $40 (the bags in the pet stores are really small) - so to maintain one automatic litter box per month costs approx. $65...holy expensive cat litter system batman. And that is for 1 box for 2 cats.

a reply to: InTheLight

Ya they are on the expensive side. In the defense of the system though they really do work with odor and my cats love it when they go into cleaning mode! They both rush in to watch it and it is super cute. But being cute is not a great selling point.
So if you are willing to spend the extra simoleons then go for it. If not then don't......obviously.
It works for me as I am not around at often times to clean the old boxes and hate walking into my home and it smell like poo.

Thanks for the tips guys.

Oh, BTW - I do pooper scooper the pans each day, not once a week.

The once a week thing is me changing out the litter completely and washing the cat pans.

Just so no one was confused. With 2 dogs in the house, I can't leave the poop in the pan anyways since they seem to think it's snacks for them........

originally posted by: eriktheawful
Thanks for the tips guys.

Oh, BTW - I do pooper scooper the pans each day, not once a week.

The once a week thing is me changing out the litter completely and washing the cat pans.

Just so no one was confused. With 2 dogs in the house, I can't leave the poop in the pan anyways since they seem to think it's snacks for them........

yeah we have the dog issue too, disgusting, lol. We call it "Kitty Roca"

3 cats here, one has a starring role in my avatar every now and then.
we go through a lot of litter, doing an full empty every day..
i'd be happy finding a good source of cheap clumping litter!

At the moment I am still unconvinced by any of the auto-scoopers.

a reply to: eriktheawful

...With 2 dogs in the house, I can't leave the poop in the pan anyways since they seem to think it's snacks for them........

🤣