For a while, we had been doing well with the Tidy Cat Breeze system, since I don’t mind scooping. Trouble is, we adopted a new cat who decided he will ONLY go in a completely clean box. With 4 cats, that’s impossible. We couldn’t go out of town, or even be away most of the day, we had to cover the beds with plastic tarps (a favorite place to use as a potty), and cleaned up puddles in the living room daily. I was at a loss, and thought we might not be able to keep him, though I love him dearly. At first, he thought the crystals were food, but once I sprinkled in some of the old litter and a couple of pieces of poop from the other box, he is using is fine, and for the first time, he has used nothing but the litterbox all day! The ScoopFree looks like it’s going to succeed in keeping a sweet cat with the family who loves him (without destroying the house!) Yay, ScoopFree!

I used Littermaid for a solid 3 years, and it was great. But the new ones, which look identical to the old ones, don’t seem to last as long. I’ve heard they started using ‘cheaper’ parts, not reflected in the price tag. I’ve been through two already. They stick, clump, and turn messy very quickly. I’d been duped by some other round, way-too-may moving part ones in the past. So I was a little hesistant to try a new brand but after some research, husband and I decided to introduce to the scoop free to our household of litterbox users.

So far, so good. Not all of the creatures have accepted their new toilet, but they’re getting there. I’m optimistic. The design has covered some of the hangup with the older box. For example, no incline so there’s no “collection” over time that eventually jams the rake. That also goes for the no clumping. Logic says the rake will last longer when it’s shoveling around poop, not clay (though often a fine line). The odor control seems better with the crystals but didn’t have too much of an issue with previous litter. The color contrast is a bit shocking, but strangely pleasing. If it doesn’t work out, maybe you can use it to hold potpurri? just kidding.

FYI: the trays are ridiculously expensive for more than one cat household. But they have a ‘permanent’ tray only available online, as far as I’ve seen, at such places as Amazon. It’s around $50 but you just dump the tray, and refill with crystals instead of throwing away the whole thing. The tray issue was the largest complaint I saw about the box, ever, and the company stood up to the task.

Long live auto pooper scoopers!

By the way, Phoenix had absolutely no problem adjusting to the new litter box. I removed the old one and put the new on in its place and it worked out perfectly!

[Edited at February 01, 2008 15:19:09 PM.]

The litter crystals soak up the liquid. It’s not an issue.

Also, without reading all of the comments on the LitterMaid site I posted above, one person reported a major fire cause by the LitterMaid…maybe because it would get hung up on cleaning and not stop. I want to make sure the ScoopFree is UL approved, and doesn’t have the same engineering problems that the LitterMaid most definitely has. I know, for sure, I am not buying my Mom a LitterMaid. I also know that, if I do get her an automatic-cleaning litterbox, it’s going to have met my standards of excellence via research.

Is the ScoopFree any better? I don’t begrudge spending this money for a hands-off litterbox for my Mom, but only if it’s going to work, and not die in a few months. She has two cats, and two manual litter boxes right now. The cats have not used crystal litter yet, so they would have to get used to that.

I am most concerned with the long-term operation of this product, as well as the company that makes it honoring their warrantee, which LitterMaid apparently does not do.

I noticed that someone posting here was an employee of the ScoopFree company, and would appreciate his/her comments on reliability, and the warranty. I would also appreciate any comments by users of this product who have had problems, akin to those with the LitterMaids, where the motor burns out in a few months, parts break immediately, etc. And how the company dealt with your problems.

The only downside is that they seem to get a few extra litter crystals out onto the floor, but it’s not too bad. Also, between the two cats, I go through a tray every two weeks. I’ve got to empty out those “gifts” every week, just to keep the unit working properly, but it has saved me so much time and effort

To get around the whole hassle of buying the refills (online, as the stores never seem to have them) I just ordered a whole set of plastic pieces to make a custom tray. Then I’ll just have to buy the litter crystals as a refill.
If anyone is interested in how to make their own, or how much it’s cost & all that, you can email me at lifetimeplasticlitterboxtray (at) dsmiley [dot] com.

Finally, I’ll start seeing some better payback to this unit, I’m almost out of my 6 pack of cartridges.

~Jason

I know dumb- I am hopeless with anything that needs to be put together even something this simple. But I’m dying to try it so any help would be appreciated.

I got this after my brother got one. He has no mobility issues, but travels fairly often, ans is usually away for 2 to 3 days. He had someone to come in and feed and play with his cat, but they didn’t like to clean the litterbox. And he didn’t like the cat having an always dirty box (or coming home to the smell!) Anyway, he got it, liked it, and recommended it.

So travel and mobility issues are two good reasons for getting one.

I had tried others in the past, but this is the first one that seems to really work as advertised. Throwing away the whole bottom cartridge is brilliant. It is quieter than the others I’ve had. It’s definitely quieter than, say, a hair dryer but probably about the same as an electric shaver. It would wake a light sleeper, but not a heavy one. And you do get used to it, as it only runs for about a minute. For me, it’s about the same level of disturbance as when my refrigerator kicks in the defrost cycle. If I wake up, I know what it is and go back to sleep.

My cat also likes watching it work. It definitely has not caused her not to use it. Like a lot of people, I find the cartridge lasts about 3 weeks. (I change it as soon as the smell gets noticeable.) I have one small cat. A larger cat or two cats would need more frequent changing. I don’t know anyone who gets a full 30 days out of the cartridge. But I buy mine when they’re on sale in a 6 pack, which ends up costing about $5 a week.. And of course that includes the cost of the litter.

When I got mine the manufacturer offered a 90 day guarantee. (Not the store, the company.) I don’t know if they still do, but it’s worth checking if, like me, you have a real reason to need something like this.

Robin

cocowood wrote:

After using a regular cat box with liners, I bought the ScoopFree Automatic Cat Litter Box and I think it’s a great machine! It has made my life a lot easier! We adopted our one-year old cat, Dude, earlier this year and I wasn’t sure what to do about the litter box situation. My husband and I are pretty much clean freaks and neither of us would ever have our condo smelling even remotely like a litter box. Before ScoopFree, I was cleaning the litter box the moment I was out of bed in the morning, immediately after returning home from work, as well as just before bed, etc. When we first adopted Dude, I went through several types of litter (including flushable litter), liners, and even sifting liners (the kind where you put the whole 30-day supply in the cat box and then you are supposed to pick the top liner up and the clean litter falls down to the next liner — ha! Well, that lasted about two days because Dude digs like he’s digging to China and I went through $10 worth of sifting liners in literally two days!) I spent a ton of money on this litter box stuff. So I went over to my local PetSmart and found the ScoopFree representative giving a demonstration — and she sold me on it immediately. I took it home, set up the machine (easy!) and put Dude in the ScoopFree box and took his front paws and started digging — so he’d get the idea … and he sniffed around and jumped out. Then when the box started to clean itself (as it goes off 20 minutes after the cat leaves the box) Dude ran over and watched it. I really thought that was going to be it — that he would never have anything to do with it once he heard the noise and saw the movement. But I perservered and for the next few hours I watched Dude and if he even looked like he was going towards his regular litter box, I picked him up and put him in the ScoopFree. He started digging around and still did not use it. I finally just said “Well, Dude, guess what … you are going to have to get used to this because I am NOT going to be a slave to a regular litter box in this condo any longer.” So I took his old box out of the condo and put him back in the ScoopFree box and he promptly jumped out. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep much that night, but when I did finally fall asleep, I woke up to the “soothing” sound of the ScoopFree box going through it’s cleaning cycle! YIPPEE! I was so happy! So … it took Dude about 12 hours to get the hang of it. Very minimal maintenance is required in that I don’t like leaving the poops in the cartridge for as long as they say you can. Therefore, I just remove the blue plastic lid over the cartridge and lift the cartridge up to clean out the poops with a poop scooper about every five days and discard its contents into a plastic bag and throw it away. Then I use the scooper to swish the crystals around and push some back into the cartridge. I change the cartridge about every 20 to 25 days. The ScoopFree is virtually odor free — I am a very happy ScoopFree believer!

Lol, if self-confessed “clean freaks” think ScoopFree is great, then I am sold! I owe someone a self-cleaning litterbox as a gift, and had been looking at the littermaid (on sale today for $49.). However, I had read about the grooves getting dirty (at Epinions), and found the same thing here. As for the description of the fork tines getting dirty:I’m no clean freak, but eeewwww!

The gift recipient is no great fan of litterbox cleaning and has been a bit of a slacker. Her new husband never had pets, and is also a clean freak. While I’m not happy about the fresh step not being biodegradable, I would be less happy if her cat became ill or became the source of conflict due to using something other than the full catbox.

Thank you everyone, for helping make this decision:)

Julie wrote:

ObscureStooge:
I’m not ready for another dog yet. The main problem is that no one is home from 7am – 4pm M-F. I don’t want to leave a dog in a crate all day like that. If I had a fenced in yard area, it would be easier…

:confused: I never will understand this “crate” thing. From birth to now, the only time I have spent dogless was 1 1/2 years of college, living in a dorm (& even then, I would see the doggies on home visits, vacations). Once we had used a playpen for a puppy, but it was more to protect the puppy from the little kids (recent playpen graduates), than anything else. We have a yard, but rarely did we leave the dogs outside when we left. The last two dogs we’ve had were abandoned as puppies,
so they don’t even like to go outside without a person. Otherwise, we never did anything but say “see you later”, and leave the dog(s) in the house.

True, all dogs have their quirks. The loveseat by the window is a doggie magnet. So we just tilt the cushion before we leave. All the puppies have chewed at least one thing you wish they hadn’t (LL Bean boots, corner of the Armoire, purse), but rarely did this happen twice. It never happened after puppyhood. From what we can tell, our dog now just goes to his favorite places and naps until we return. So why would there be a need for a crate?

I’ve read that a normal healthy dog can go up to 14 hours without an “accident”. In NYC where commutes can be hours, people have dogs indoors from 7 to 7 on workdays. Sure, the dog would rather be out much earlier. But then again, so would the worker. I imagine that hours spent cramped inside a crate (even the roomiest leave little room to do more than turn around) are much less agreeable than hours spent puttering about, stretching, napping. So why crate?

Dogs are an awful lot like very little children, but without the crying, temper tantrums or desire for consumer goods. You have to be patient, repeat a whole lot, set boundaries and be consistant. Doggieproofing is also easier than childproofing a home, but both don’t have to be “proofed” as strictly,
forever. Tilting the loveseat cushion is a form of doggieproofing which we still have to do. With a new dog, I would recomend putting the shoes in the closet, as well as gloves out of reach.

I’ve realized that I tend to prefer older dogs (our last two were rescues. From what I’ve seen, the fault with so many abandoned dogs lay not in the dogs, but in their previous owners). so housebreaking wasn’t a problem. But we have had puppies, and free reign of the house isn’t a good idea until this is accomplished. My roomate and I have had puppies so tiny that we were able to leave them in the bathtub when we went out. In other instances they had a newspapered area in a lage box in the kitchen or bedroom, closed off with a childproof gate until this was accomplished. Then they were
welcome anywhere. Crating really isn’t necessary. It’s just easier for the owner than aquiring the skills necessary to teach a dog to be well-mannered in the house.

So, if its the 7-4 absence which is preventing you from having another dog, be assured that it is possible. If I had to cage my dog for hours on end (or even at all) though, I don’t think I would have one, either. I also think I would change my living situation really really fast. A house is not a home without a dog (or two).:)

My husband doesn’t ‘do’ litterboxes, and I work 10 hours a day, six days a week, which means when I get home I do not want to meddle with a litterbox. I only have a small 12lb cat, so I can usually leave the cat litter for a week without touching it, but I am sure my Magic would appreciate a clean box everytime he uses it. And as well as a happier cat, we have guests over unannouced all the time, and in our small apartment, we have one place for the litterbox, our tiny dining room, in the furthest corner from our kitchen. But in a small place, it’s not that far.

Anyways, enough about our small history, onward to the few questions I had. I had originally wanted a littermaid, until of course I saw this new Scoopfree, and read this reviews with all the comments. So question one, how loud is the Scoopfree motor? I have read that at least two of you have been awaken by the sound of the motor. Yet, I do believe I read someone else say the littermaid is even louder. Does anyone know which is quieter? Question two, how well does it work to keep down the odor? As stated before, our apartment is a small one bedroom, and whenever I clean the clumping litter, the dust spreads through the home and lingers there for hours. But I rather deal with that dusty smell, then the smell of cat poo since my little cat produces some strong odors.

Anyways, I think that is all I had to ask. Thanks for taking the time to read my comment and hopefully reply.

When we got him home, I put him in the box and he hopped right back out and proceeded to ignore us for the rest of the day and night. But then in the wee hours of the morning, I was awakened by a strange noise. It took me awhile to realize what it was and finally a big smile came over my face when I knew it was the litter box! Sure enough, when I checked under the lid later today, there was a ‘gift’ inside. Yay!!!

I really like the product and think it is much better then my purrforma and littermaids I used to have to replace every 1-:o 2 years. This does not have problems sticking or smelling as long as the cat does not overshoot the box. I do have the hood but that is not the issue. Any chance you are looking to make the litter box mechanism larger? give him more room and less likely to miss?

I think my cat Max is just too stubborn to try something new.