Littering
The big excitement this weekend is that we're purchasing a new automatic litterbox for Finnovar. (Don't hate me because of my fast-paced, thrill-a-minute, laugh-in-the-face-of-death lifestyle.) He's had a Littermaid automatic (various ones) for several years now and it's time to replace the current one. The motor is giving out, the rake doesn't like to rake and there are a few noisome crumbs of litter stuck here and there in the thing, in tiny niches where they can't be cleaned out so it constantly reeks, even if it's (relatively) clean.
I've had mixed success with Littermaid over the years. The first one lasted a long time, replacements 2 and 3 went wonky very quickly and this is #4, which has been in service for two years or so. The Littermaid concept itself is okay - not as worry- or labor-free as they'd have you believe but it does help. If you put too much litter in it, and by "too much" I mean, "three grains more than it wants", the rake gets stuck and can't complete its cycle. Larger, um, deposits or the cat pawing all the litter into a big pile result in similar rake issues. The box needs to be checked often to make sure the rake isn't stuck; if so, the sensor must be reset and obstructions cleared manually. I still have to scoop sometimes but not nearly as much as a non-automatic litterbox, and it did make a huge difference in odor (at least it did before the aforementioned crumb problem got severe). I figure it's worth the investment because even if the rake/deposit process only works 1/4 of the time (and honestly, it's better than that), I'm still dealing with 25% less litterbox issues. And that's cool - any improvement is an improvement.
So, with the upcoming purchase in mind I spent some time today researching various brands and models on-line to see unbiased consumer opinions. Perhaps another Littermaid wasn't the best option. After reading, the consensus seems to be that each brand has its own share of challenges. The Omega is kind of a pain (and as labor-intensive as scooping a normal litterbox), lots of crevices for litter to fall out and none too sturdy. The Litter Robot is expensive at nearly $300 and has some issues if your cat forgets to turn around. A couple of people had issues with it getting stuck as well, so the human intervention factor was still there, like with the Littermaid at 1/3 the cost. With the ScoopFree you have to stir the crystals daily so that liquid deposits are absorbed (ugh!), refills are expensive at 3 for $50 and they apparently don't last an entire month as advertised, even with just one cat - more like 10 days to 2 weeks. If I wanted to visit the litterbox that often, I'd buy a Rubbermaid dishpan for $2 and scoop it every day. The Elite Littermaid got sucky reviews for sturdiness, rake-breaking issues and so forth. The Catgenie sounded great to me until I read one too many horror stories about it not draining properly, and the owner having to take it apart amid...amid...kitty-poo/urine soup. No. Just no.
I think we will likely go for another Littermaid but one like this, which is what we've had before, not the elite. The Finn is used to it, I'm used to it, I don't have as many problems now that I've gotten the litter-filling down to an exact (and I do mean EXACT) science. If you have a cat (or a dozen, Leigh-Ann!), do you do it the old-fashioned way or, if you have an automatic litterbox, which one? I'll keep you posted on the replacement and what I think of the quality, because in a world full of literature, movies and internet porn, what could POSSIBLY be more fascinating than my cat's pooping arrangements? What, pray tell! *gesticulates dramatically*
The big excitement this weekend is that we're purchasing a new automatic litterbox for Finnovar. (Don't hate me because of my fast-paced, thrill-a-minute, laugh-in-the-face-of-death lifestyle.) He's had a Littermaid automatic (various ones) for several years now and it's time to replace the current one. The motor is giving out, the rake doesn't like to rake and there are a few noisome crumbs of litter stuck here and there in the thing, in tiny niches where they can't be cleaned out so it constantly reeks, even if it's (relatively) clean.
I've had mixed success with Littermaid over the years. The first one lasted a long time, replacements 2 and 3 went wonky very quickly and this is #4, which has been in service for two years or so. The Littermaid concept itself is okay - not as worry- or labor-free as they'd have you believe but it does help. If you put too much litter in it, and by "too much" I mean, "three grains more than it wants", the rake gets stuck and can't complete its cycle. Larger, um, deposits or the cat pawing all the litter into a big pile result in similar rake issues. The box needs to be checked often to make sure the rake isn't stuck; if so, the sensor must be reset and obstructions cleared manually. I still have to scoop sometimes but not nearly as much as a non-automatic litterbox, and it did make a huge difference in odor (at least it did before the aforementioned crumb problem got severe). I figure it's worth the investment because even if the rake/deposit process only works 1/4 of the time (and honestly, it's better than that), I'm still dealing with 25% less litterbox issues. And that's cool - any improvement is an improvement.
So, with the upcoming purchase in mind I spent some time today researching various brands and models on-line to see unbiased consumer opinions. Perhaps another Littermaid wasn't the best option. After reading, the consensus seems to be that each brand has its own share of challenges. The Omega is kind of a pain (and as labor-intensive as scooping a normal litterbox), lots of crevices for litter to fall out and none too sturdy. The Litter Robot is expensive at nearly $300 and has some issues if your cat forgets to turn around. A couple of people had issues with it getting stuck as well, so the human intervention factor was still there, like with the Littermaid at 1/3 the cost. With the ScoopFree you have to stir the crystals daily so that liquid deposits are absorbed (ugh!), refills are expensive at 3 for $50 and they apparently don't last an entire month as advertised, even with just one cat - more like 10 days to 2 weeks. If I wanted to visit the litterbox that often, I'd buy a Rubbermaid dishpan for $2 and scoop it every day. The Elite Littermaid got sucky reviews for sturdiness, rake-breaking issues and so forth. The Catgenie sounded great to me until I read one too many horror stories about it not draining properly, and the owner having to take it apart amid...amid...kitty-poo/urine soup. No. Just no.
I think we will likely go for another Littermaid but one like this, which is what we've had before, not the elite. The Finn is used to it, I'm used to it, I don't have as many problems now that I've gotten the litter-filling down to an exact (and I do mean EXACT) science. If you have a cat (or a dozen, Leigh-Ann!), do you do it the old-fashioned way or, if you have an automatic litterbox, which one? I'll keep you posted on the replacement and what I think of the quality, because in a world full of literature, movies and internet porn, what could POSSIBLY be more fascinating than my cat's pooping arrangements? What, pray tell! *gesticulates dramatically*
2 Comments:
For all that trouble, you could've just bought a huge Rubbermaid container (like we have), fed your cat raw meat, and scooped every time you walk by the thing...voila, no smell. Heh, right now we have six litterboxes. Only one started out its life as a litterbox - the rest are Rubbermaid containers with high sides.
By
Anonymous, at 10:25 PM
Though it certainly won't do for everyday purposes, The Finn seemed to not mind the disposable 'litterbox' he used at my house - so I plan to purchase one to keep in the event of another FinnVisit.
mom
PS- isn't it interesting how the first appliance/whatever seems to last a really long time, but the replacements never do? The litterbox, the carpet 'steamer', coffee makers, etc.....why is that, oh Great Wise One?
By
Anonymous, at 9:08 AM
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