I love the idea of using an automatic litter box. I don't have to fight with my son to clean it and I don't have to worry about cleaning it long after he didn't. The litter trays are easy to use. You open the box, put the lid underneath the tray of litter (which comes in a separate enclosed bag), place the tray in the litter box and make sure the magnets stick to the litter box edge, and simply open the litter and dump it in. The crystals soak up urine and does not release an ammonia type smell ever. It does discolor though so don't be alarmed by that. Fecal matter doesn't clump with the crystals so you don't have to worry about finding a way to clean them or anything like that. It stays on top and gets swept away during cleaning.