self cleaning litter trays?

dumbblondie · 13-09-2009, 05:19 PM

a friend told me about them i work 8 hours 5 days a week so can't clean the litter tray as often as i would like ( i have 2 cats) are they a good idea or bad idea?

catwoman999 · 13-09-2009, 05:47 PM

I have never used a self cleaning litter, but read up on them

I certainly wouldn't say they are a bad idea

For a good one your talking around £100 or even more, seen one at £349...
Personally I think they sound great! Some work better than others, so just take time to research/read reviews before picking the one you decide to purchase...
Maybe someone else on here uses one, and can help you a bit more...

ps. the only downside I see is that most of the self cleaning litters must be used with clumping/clay litter which I HATE the smell of... I prefer catsan that doesn't emit a smell.

pcspik · 13-09-2009, 08:28 PM

I have one. I have this one:-

http://www.thelittermaid.co.uk/multi-littertray.php

I think there are more downsides than up.

First of all, it is a hell of a lot bigger than you think. I knew it was going to be big, but I put it where the old (standard covered one) was. Turned out it blocked the kitchen door opening, which meant that I could not get in without turning myself sideways! In the end I had to rearrange half the kitchen to find a place to put it. I dont have the biggest of kitchens either, so if someone has a smaller kitchen than me (and I live in a flat) they are going to be in trouble.

Secondly it has to be connected to the mains, so you are limited to where it goes. In the end I had to purchase a small extension lead!

Also it says that you have to use "premium clumping litter" which means that you are limited. I use World's Best Cat Litter - which is £20 a bag. My old litter was £9 a bag - a big difference. I have found at present that 1/3 of a bag lasts just under 2 weeks so that means that I will be spending roughly £20 a bag a month on litter. If your cat does not like the World's Best Cat litter then you are stuffed.

Thirdly, I have found that with my cats that the place which holds the litter has to be emptied every other day. It's a bit fiddly until you get used to it.

Fourthly, I have found the rake does miss some clumps - both big and small. Sometimes agitating the litter with the scoop provided and turning on the rake manually does mean that the lumps are then put in the waste container, but then some are still missed. You have to sift the litter manually to get the lumps out - and then for me chuck them down the loo (World's Best is flushable). With my old litter tray I used to chuck out the litter every single morning - far easier.

Finally it is quite noisy - those with cats who are on the timid side are definitely going to freak out. My two did freak out the first couple of times they heard it, but they are now slowly getting used to it. Some floor coverings are going to make it worse (mine is on lino with an suspended floor underneath). I read a review where someone suggested putting it on carpet - a good suggestion I would follow if the noise is bad.

Although it is not the bad product, it certainly is not as effective as I thought. I did not even pay full price and I thought it was not worth the price I paid. It is very good at cutting down the smells to the point where it is near odourless (after 2 weeks I found the "clean" litter that had been in the tray was smelling and I chucked it out which has solved the problem).

PS If anyone has any questions about this model, feel free to post them and I will try my best to answer them.

dumbblondie · 13-09-2009, 09:00 PM

that was the tray i was lookin at i'm a bit worried that if i did get it how will they act towards the different cat litter i have only used 1 type so did the owner who sold me topaz i was wondering about the air cleaner is it a spray? as i need 2 be extra careful with what i use around coral my cats aren't timid at all i have a main outlet where it would go the noise wont bother me but it's just that it so open i have dogs that sleeps in the room it would be placed in

pcspik · 13-09-2009, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dumbblondie

that was the tray i was lookin at i'm a bit worried that if i did get it how will they act towards the different cat litter i have only used 1 type so did the owner who sold me topaz i was wondering about the air cleaner is it a spray?

In the instructions it recommends that you get your cat used to the litter (and the tray) by just mixing the old and new (World's Best) litter in the tray, then slowly wean her onto the Worlds' Best. You do have to have it turned off though and scoop it manually - once your cat is used to the World's Best cat litter then you can turn it on. Alternatively if you do not clean out the tray using the old litter and place it next to the Littermaid (containing just World's Best), then eventually the cat will get fed up and then migrate to the Littermaid. As my cats are good at using the litter tray (they have had at least one change of litter type prior to me getting this) I just put the World's Best in, as I knew they would use it.

As for the air cleaner, I am not sure how it works. It does not hiss or make any noise that is consistent with the noise of an air spray going off - in fact the only time I know it is going off is that the green light is on (a green light appears telling you that the countdown timer is activated and the cleaner going off). There is also a carbon filter fixed onto the top of the waste container too, which is also helping with the smell. Actually, that is annoying as it does not stick too well. This is because it relies on a "sticky pad" which wears off after a couple of days - in the end I stuck it to the pad with some Bostick! So if that happens I would have some decent glue handy.

You can buy from the USA, privacy tents which cover the tray which may stop your dogs. I do not have dogs so I dont have that problem. Unfortunately the privacy tents are not sold over here, so you either have to find a shop based in the USA that will post them to over here, or alternatively if you have an friend in the USA, ask them to post one to you. If you are really talented then you may be able to make one to fit.

FayRose · 14-09-2009, 08:00 AM

I thought I had somehow acquired one of these ............... then discovered the labrador could get in the room where the tray was .....

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