Robot Tips and Tricks
That’s why I’ve wanted to share my experience, and my own satisfaction, so that others can enjoy the ease of use, the lack of smells, the cat appreciation, and the sheer freedom of not thinking about cat litter every single goldarn day.
The first hurdle is the price. But this is a classic example of how buying quality can pay off in the long run. Many folks come to the Robot after buying any number of other boxes, which burned out or showed themselves unusable in their situation. To help make a good decision, I’ve done a comparison of all the automatic litter boxes on the market today.
If we are the ones doing the litter chores, it might not seem to other family members that this is such a big deal that it requires a specialized appliance. Declaring that others are welcome to take over to see our point of view can be a helpful suggestion at this point.
If we have cats that are more timid than curious about new devices that move on their own, we shouldn’t let them see the Robot in operation at first. For a while, it’s best to keep up the fiction that this new thing doesn’t move, and only run it while the cats are out of the room.
Hearing us behind a closed door with machine noises is an entirely different proposition than seeing something, they will be inside of, seemingly running amok.
Curious cats will want to explore. Timid cats will want to be reassured. Controlling how the device is presented will lead to success.
Depending on one’s space limitations, the best way of handling the transition is to move the old box next to the Robot, or place the Robot next to the old box, to emphasize their matching functions, and get the cats used to using their old box in the new place. We are asking them to change their litter behavior.
Chances are, many users will be faced with the same dilemma; the new Robot won’t fit in the old place, and so both will certainly not. Siting the new Robot in its best place, and then, maybe in stages, moving the old box next to it, will best convey the new requirements to skeptical cats.
The biggest hurdle the cat is likely to overcome is the enclosed box. The Robot is larger inside than most covered boxes, which helps. Large cats with upright litter behavior, like Mr. Bond, have to adjust the most to use the Robot properly.
Be patient. It took Mr. Bond months to make the change. I was glad I hung in there, and I’m even gladder now. If we have even partial compliance, we’ve cut down on our litter chores. Seeing other cats use the box is a powerful motivator, and can work when all else fails.
See this FAQ on the Litter Robot site to cover many of the questions you might have.
Why am I doing this?
I don’t work for the Litter Robot company, nor do I receive any financial compensation for writing about it. I’ve bought both my own Robots as an ordinary consumer.
My motivations are these:
I run a cat blog. So I’m going to write about cat things. I chose, and am pleased with, a particular automatic litter box. That’s the extent of my experience, but I hope it is useful to others, just as their sharing their experiences led me to my own, successful, choice.
The Litter Robot is something entirely different in automatic cat box design. People are going to be curious about it, have little experience with it, and need to know as much as possible before taking such a step.
The Litter Robot makes me very happy. I can’t see another automatic litter box working for me as well as this one has. So out of enlightened self-interest, if nothing else, I’d like to see this company live long and prosper.
