The Way of Cats

The day I discovered it, I bought a Litter Robot. As a fan of both science fiction and cats, this was my dream gadget. It served faithfully for three years, with two cats, and another ten months with three cats.

Dear Husband and I didn’t hesitate when the old one started acting a little funny. We ordered the Litter Robot II.

That’s how happy we are with this marvelous cat appliance.

After adjusting for the minimal electricity it uses and the savings on litter, the Litter Robot wound up costing me $6.25 a month for four years.

To have the litter cleaned each time a cat uses it. To empty the litter box as easily as changing the bathroom garbage bag.

Who wouldn’t pay $6.25 a month for that kind of easy cat maintenance?

The LRII has made several substantial improvements, especially in the areas of cat safety, easier maintenance, and quiet operation.

The first one wasn’t noisy, more like a microwave running. I got very Zen about it, because that was the sound of me not scooping litter. The LRII is even quieter. From another room, I can’t hear it at all.

Click on any picture to make them larger.

There’s a bigger storage drawer. This increases the time between changes. With three cats, I used to change the bag every other day, and I could push it to three days. Now I change the bag every third day, and I can push it to five. This leaves plenty of room to get derailed by the flu or take a long weekend before the drawer reaches critical mass.

It now has a ridge down the middle of the drawer, which directs the clumps into the sides so it doesn’t pile up and impede the opening of the drawer.

I use the 13-gallon size, though I’ve heard some people use the 8 gallon and some even use those plastic bags from the grocery store. In any case, they can be the no-frills kind, and I like the 13 gallon because I can tie two knots for extra odor control. Instead of clips, there’s now rubber seals. Just poke the bag into the seal with a finger, and it holds.

I leave the excess of the bag towards the back of the drawer. If I think the litter might have piled up a bit, I pull on the bag’s bottom, nearest the drawer pull. This lowers the height in the back and levels the contents so I can pull the drawer out neatly.

If I do get stuff in the base, it’s much easier to clean now. It has all the wires taped down and the sensor is enclosed.

The sensor is the key to automatic operation. When a cat enters and puts their weight on the step, the ‘Bot knows a cat is inside. When the cat leaves, this starts the seven minute countdown, allowing enough time for the clumping litter to do its work.

When RJ was young, we left the unit unplugged and ran it manually. RJ was under five pounds at the time, and the ‘Bot wouldn’t know he was there.

For kittens and small cat situations, there’s now an on/off switch at the back. Some people prefer to turn it off at night and turn it on in the morning. This is also a good option while getting the cats used to their new device.

The step the cat uses to get into the globe now has a perforated surface that catches more litter from the cat’s paws. There’s also a dust seal that keeps dust off the globe and into the bag that collects what we want to throw away.

The pinch guards are a further safety measure. Many of the ‘Bot’s level two innovations have obviously been inspired by feedback from owners of curious cats. The litter adding openings, which rotate to be on top when I press the “Fill” button, can be opened or closed with a lever inside the machine.

This also reduces dust from operation, though I don’t notice any; the ‘Bot uses a slow, gentle, tumbling motion that doesn’t stir it up.

Apparently some cats were trying to get into the globe through these ports, foiling the sensor. So the globe is more sealed now, for even better odor control.

Another set lets air in so the rubber litter bed can flex and put all the clumps into the cleaning cycle. This now has a grid over it so it looks neater and we can’t accidentally pour litter into the wrong port.

The rubber liner now has a handy fill line. This helps us not overfill the ‘Bot, which won’t interfere with its operation, it’s just wasteful. It dumps any excess into the drawer.

I’ve found I buy litter less often. The sifting screen inside is efficient enough that only the clumps get thrown away.

I’ve found that an Astroturf doormat in front of the ‘Bot does the best job of catching and holding the stray litter. It easily shakes out to clean, yet never looks covered with litter scatter. The “grass leaves” brush litter off the cat’s paws when they walk on it.

Here’s the heart of the operation. When the cat goes inside, they have a litter bed that’s pretty deep in the middle. The screen (seen on the left) is hinged back against the top.

This is probably the most challenging part; larger cats have to make some accommodation to having an enclosed box. It’s larger than most enclosed boxes, which is a help. When we first got the ‘Bot, Puffy, a bit over five pounds, took to it right away. Mr. Bond, a little over 15 pounds, and a percher, would allow himself to be enticed into it, but he would turn around and come back out, to give a plaintive look.

See, I don’t fit!

I realized Mr. Bond was used to perching on the edge of his litterbox, with a lot of headroom. But I decided to keep the ‘Bot anyway. At the time, I had two cats, which meant my litter chores would be cut in half. We were planning to teach Mr. Bond to use the toilet… when I spied him inside the ‘Bot, on his own, figuring out that if he sticks his head out the door, it would work for him.

Happy, happy days!

What brought Mr. Bond around, after the return deadline had passed? Two words. Something that can overcome a cat’s natural reluctance to using strange devices that make noises and ask them to adjust their litter behavior.

Clean litter.

We must never underestimate the lure of clean litter. While Mr. Bond had his old box cleaned once a day, that was only one time a day he was able to get a brand new litterbox.

With the Litter Robot, the cat is presented with a completely clean litterbox, every time.

Which is how I manage three cats with only one litter box. Because for each cat, it’s a brand new litterbox, just for them.

When the globe is at the point of its cycle where it drops the clumps into the drawer, a guard now comes up, further discouraging doggies from seeking treats here.

Dogs can’t help it; they’re scavengers. The ‘Bot only allows them a seven minute window while the litter has clumps in it. After that, it’s in the sealed storage section, out of sight and scent.

For everybody.

Because that’s another great advantage of the ‘Bot. The big storage drawer, and the globe around the litter, means that 99% of the time, we don’t notice the litter. It hides the mess and seven minutes later, it’s gone. The rolling action of the globe covers cats who don’t cover. Things don’t stick. It all goes into the drawer, right into the bag to throw it away.

RJ’s digestive issues when we were curing his starvation led to a stinky ‘Bot for the first time. I found that a cup of Cedarific litter worked like a charm. This is not a clumping litter, but it would not interfere with the clumping process, yet completely absorbed all the bad odors.

The ‘Bot is so efficient at using litter some of the clean litter can get a bit funky. Using the Cedarific as an additive extends my litter use, too.

What about cleaning?

Pressing the “Empty” button will dump most of the litter into the drawer, and let us lift the globe off to empty the rest. Now we can clean the globe without worry about electronic parts. Occasionally something will get caught in the screen and can be knocked off with a paper towel. But the slick surfaces, and the “breading” action of the globe, means it doesn’t get very dirty. Twice a year I take the globe down to the self-serve car wash, where I can powerwash it with soap and rinse it clean with little effort. A garden hose in the back yard will work just as well.

What about maintenance and supplies?

We spray some WD-40 where the gears join the motor, since it’s in a dusty area. That’s it. The cheapest garbage bags work fine, so there’s no special containers required. Another addition is a carbon filter inside the drawer, but the manufacturer stresses that’s optional and it’s easily replaced or dispensed with. Any clumping litter will work; it doesn’t have to form rock hard clumps. The gentle rolling motion doesn’t break up them up.

What about length of service?

My first ‘Bot lasted almost four years. And much of that last year was with a third cat who had it going like a roller coaster as he struggled with tummy upsets and getting his growth back.

Once we had the new ‘Bot set up and the old one taken apart, we realized the four “glide points” that the globe rests on had worn down and exposed the rubber core. It was this rubber part which was catching the globe and not letting it turn smoothly. The motor and all other parts seemed to be fine.

So we gave it to a good friend, who has four cats, including the Amazing Ordell. She and her guy are going to put new glide points on it, and I hope they will have even more years of use from it.

What about the cost?

It may seem crazy to spend what is admittedly a chunk of change on a need that we can cover with a dishpan and a scoop. But we are not just buying a litterbox. We are buying a way of making our litterbox more appealing to the cats, our house more appealing to its occupants and guests, and our daily chores, lighter.

What would we pay for that?

Here’s the website for the Litter Robot II.

Check out the testimonials. See how many times they say, Worth every penny!