$500 Litter Box Litter Robot III Review - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: tsman
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 11, 2018, 02:03:46 am
content: Looks like a EVA pod from 2001: A Space Odyssey...

author: Muttley Snickers
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 11, 2018, 03:02:52 am
content: I despise cats and that thing reminds me of a cement mixer.

author: KL27x
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 11, 2018, 03:08:56 am
content: "I have two cats, and they fill up the litterbox twice as fast."Nopers. One cat takes a crap when it needs to. Two cats, and it's a competition.

author: onesixright
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 11, 2018, 05:48:44 am
content: Quote from: Muttley Snickers on August 11, 2018, 03:02:52 amAnd they did what exactly to you?OT: What a invention...we clean it twice a day (only one cat, and it takes 30 seconds). For those never at home, maybe they should reconsider of owning a pet.

author: TheSteve
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 11, 2018, 06:15:55 am
content: Do they make a bigger version, my cat would hardly fit in there.

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 11, 2018, 06:33:30 am
content: Anybody with a cat should try this.https://www.amazon.com/CitiKitty-Cat-Toilet-Training-Kit/dp/B000F1OS20I don't have any cats now, but years ago I tried a similar product and it did actually work. However, I was unable to teach the cat to flush.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 11, 2018, 06:56:51 am
content: Quote from: rdl on August 11, 2018, 06:33:30 amYou clearly haven't seen this...

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 11, 2018, 07:29:03 am
content: I had a few different earlier automated litter boxes and my friend has one of those Litter Robot ones. The fundamental flaw with all of them which IMHO makes them more trouble than they're worth is that the waste bin gets full quickly and you still have to clean that out manually.Instead I got a $20 Omega Paw box that you roll over and back and the waste goes into a drawer. 5% of the cost, 90% of the convenience.

author: sleemanj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 11, 2018, 07:54:10 am
content: I'd be broke spending $500 on each litter box, it seems like half my floor space is dedicated to litter boxes sometimes.I will say that the best secret I wish I'd learned about years earlier is... fire fuel pellets, I buy plain old compressed wood fire pellets (as in, for burning in pellet fires), they are way cheaper than actual kitty litter and work brilliantly.As soon as the cat pees on the pellets they just turn into a little mountain of sawdust. I made a number of double-trays (enormous ones made from under-bed storage containers, because, too many cats), one on top with holes poked in it with an old soldering iron, so every day I just go around the trays and sift them, the "unused" pellets stay on the top, the sawdust drops to the bottom, and every week I take the sawdust out and dump it in the garden somewhere.Solids just get scooped.In theory you should check that your pellets are "kiln dried" so that the pine oils have been vaporised (cats don't get one well with pine oils), but I think that in practice all pellets would be kiln dried since that's what makes good fuel.Only downside, not clumping, so if you need to monitor your cat's output (male cat, recovering from block... I spent damn near 2 months weighing each and every clump... paranoia sucks, but if you have a blocked cat, you will become so too).

author: klunkerbus
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 12, 2018, 12:07:04 am
content: Two adult cats here. We had a Litter Robot II for years, and now a Litter Robot III for maybe going on two. Being the one in our family stuck dealing with litter, I don't regret spending the money although it did seem painful buying the first one. Before we had a litter robot, dealing with litter used to be a daily or twice daily task, now it's an easier task twice a week.I use two of the flat-type cardboard scratch boxes set side by side in front of the unit. That catches just about all the litter that is stuck to paws as the cats jump out.The unit uses 13-gallon trash bags. Seems like a waste by volume, but it needs bags with that circumference opening. On weekly trash day, I usually start by swapping out the litter bag, and then walking around the house, emptying small trash cans into the used litter bag. We have a small grass yard. On mowing days, I also swap out the litter bag and dump the grass clippings into the used litter bag. So, I'm not really using any more plastic than I would be without the Litter Robot.If the Litter Robot says it's full and I'm busy, I just shake the tray in and out a few times and that'll usually buy me the rest of the day before the bag needs to be changed.One thing I've noticed about the Litter Robot III is that it can become off-balance. It has a triangular foot pattern, with the single foot in the rear actually being the weight sensor. As the unit cycles, the sifted litter is held in a cavity on one side of the drum. If the litter is old and gaining weight from dampness or whatever, sometimes the unit will lean over a bit when the litter is off to that side and the unit shuts down. Pressing the reset button apparently does something to reset the weight measurement; as long as I remember to press reset after refilling litter when ever I do, the unit does great.For one of our cats, it usually gets out of the unit and sits in front of it, watching it until it cycles 5-7 minutes later. When the cycle completes, the cat walks away.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2018, 01:15:19 pm
content: Quote from: onesixright on August 11, 2018, 05:48:44 amProbably crap and pee in his garden, but that's the owner's fault for not providing a litter box.My parents always had cats, but they didn't bother with a litter box, because they always did it in one part of the garden.I'm generally fine with animals, unless they bother me. I don't mind dogs, but the type which bark lots annoy me. I like cats, except when the use my garden as a litter tray.

author: onesixright
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2018, 01:27:11 pm
content: Quote from: Hero999 on August 14, 2018, 01:15:19 pmObvisouly a fair point. I also think/believe that what ever you do, keep it nice to your environment. Wetter thats: loud music, screaming kids, barking dogs, drunk a**holes, drilling in the middle of the night (yes, across us a restaurant owner that thinks its fine to run a saw and drill up to 4 AM, doors open since its 25C+). A little consideration and realisation your not the only person on the planet, would come a long way.Not all cats live outside, we have a indoor cat. Can't imagine she would be annoyance to anybody. A sheer delight, lol (never thought I would say that).

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2018, 03:43:46 pm
content: After losing a number of cats to wild animals and one to a car, all of my current herd have been kept indoors. I've had cats before that wouldn't tolerate that but none of these seem to really mind. I don't mind dogs so much but they tend to be too in-your-face extroverted and too many are poorly mannered, barking, jumping up on me and slobbering all over. Also I like that cats clean themselves and pee in a box rather than requiring to be taken outside several times a day so they don't pee on the floor. My cats hang out and keep me company without requiring constant active attention and they don't make a lot of noise.

author: Ducttape
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2018, 04:14:25 pm
content: Quote from: rdl on August 11, 2018, 06:33:30 amIt's even harder to teach the cat to use the bidet.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2018, 06:54:54 pm
content: You really don't want to teach a cat to flush. I remember a story about a couple who noticed their water bill was shockingly high. They eventually set up a camera and discovered the cat repeatedly flushing the toilet to watch the water swirl down, dozens of times a day.

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2018, 07:27:56 pm
content: I am blessed to have an outdoor cat. We only get some crap in her box when it is rainy, other than that she prefers to do her business in the backyard, even in winter. I guess i save on cat litter a lot

author: onesixright
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2018, 07:34:22 pm
content: https://www.jacksongalaxy.com/blog/why-you-should-not-toilet-train-your-cat/Couldn't agree more. On a personal note: I think a cat is still a animal, for that you don't give it human food (and then I mean: peanut-butter, donuts, etc.). Owners that think this is OK, are well how to say it?Fucked-Up. Dressing the animals up, to me is a retarted idea.Thats goes for all animals.

author: onesixright
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2018, 07:40:16 pm
content: Quote from: Bud on August 14, 2018, 07:27:56 pmWell a bag here cost like ~ 10 EUR. Our cat goes 2x a day, takes 2x 1 min. to clean with a scoop. Doesn't smell and the box is clean. I don't get why some people would not clean the box (if they see its used). When you go, you also hope people flushed and leave it clean.

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2018, 08:37:06 am
content: Quote from: Muttley Snickers on August 11, 2018, 03:02:52 amMe too, hateful, wildlife murdering creatures and yes, it reminds me of a cement mixer too.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2018, 01:17:05 pm
content: Quote from: CJay on August 15, 2018, 08:37:06 amYou're projecting human emotions and traits onto animals. A cat isn't hateful, when it kills, it's just its instinct. A cat has no concept of hate.The environmental impact of cats varies. My parents' cats hardly ever killed any birds, just rodents which reproduce very rapidly, although I've heard horror stories about some cats killing huge quantities of birds.The impact on the environment can of course be minimised by keeping cats indoors all the time, although whether that's ethical or not is questionable, since cats are not supposed to live in houses. I suppose a cat can be perfectly happy indoors, if it has plenty of space and has never been outdoors and has plenty of toys, but I imagine it's down to the individual. A compromise is only allowing the cat outside during the day and in the dead of night (most cat kills occur at dawn and dusk) but that's often impractical.

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2018, 01:42:26 pm
content: Quote from: Hero999 on August 15, 2018, 01:17:05 pmYou are right, I am projecting but having watched cats kill, they definitely put an element of 'sport' into it as they play with their victim, instinct or not, they're unpleasant creatures andif the only way to stop them is to keep them inside then perhaps they shouldn't be kept at all?*edit* if the only way to stop them killing is to keep them inside and be cruel to the cat then perhaps they shouldn't be kept at all?

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2018, 02:38:22 pm
content: Quote from: CJay on August 15, 2018, 01:42:26 pmTo some extent cats only replaced larger predators, which humans irradiated in the first place. They can be beneficial in controlling numbers of pests such as rats and mice.As far as keeping cats, indoors, outdoors, not at all, I'm mixed on that. As I said, my parents' cats had negligible impact on the environment, but there are other cats which do. I also know of happy indoor cats. If a cat has only ever known the indoor environment, has plenty of space and toys for mental stimulation, then I don't see the problem. I admit I'm biased, since I was raised with cats.

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2018, 03:03:54 pm
content: Quote from: Hero999 on August 15, 2018, 02:38:22 pmI'm assuming 'irradiated' should be 'domesticated' as otherwise that seems somewhat cruel?Cats as pest control work nicely, that's very true, I've been told just having a cat in the house can dissuade mice from making a home there.I'm sure there are happy indoor cats but I have a feeling they're a small minority and most cats roam freely, problem is with an 'owned' cat is that they have no need to kill for anything other than entertainment so what tends to happen is the cat either presents the corpse of some small creature it's indiscriminately killed to its owner or, worse IMHO, just leaves the dead or dying prey to be dealt with by someone who has no connection with the cat at all (which is the majority of the 'oh fluffy never kills anything' kind of cat).

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2018, 03:28:55 pm
content: Quote from: Hero999 on August 15, 2018, 01:17:05 pmCats have been living with humans for thousands of years, so I'd say it's reasonable to assume that they are evolved to live in houses as much so as we are. Certainly the cats I have seem to have no issue with it and rarely show any real interest in going outside. The one that does occasionally like the outdoors goes out on a leash once in a while and gets his fill of rolling around in the grass and sniffing at things before he wants to go back in. The outside world is full of hazards, average lifespan of an outdoor cat is around 5 years, my youngest cat now is 12, oldest is almost 21. They have plenty of space inside to explore and hide, plenty of toys to play with and windowsills to lay in and watch the outside world, they really don't seem to mind. Even free roaming outdoor cats rarely stray beyond their established territory.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2018, 05:31:12 pm
content: Quote from: CJay on August 15, 2018, 03:03:54 pmYes,irradiatederadicated. Humans got rid of wolves, bears and greatly reduced the numbers of other predators in the British isles and Ireland.EDIT:I meant eradicated, not irradiated. Damn my poor spelling and autocorrect.QuoteYes, that's the problem. Killing is a survival instinct which gives cats pleasure. It may seem cruel to humans but isn't, as cats completely lack empathy. An animal is only capable of being cruel, if it can understand that it's inflicting pain on another. In the case of my parents' cats, they did kill, but mostly rodents, usually mice which would eat grass seed in the shed. Birds were far too quick to be caught, except for the odd one which was too sick or injured to escape.I think cats are more of a problem in places were similar sized predators are not native, such as Australia and New Zealand. There's a very good argument for eradicating them there and not allowing people from keeping them outdoors, but I don't think a similar think can be said for the UK and US.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2018, 07:57:32 pm
content: Yeah, when a cat sees a rodent or bird I'm pretty sure the only feeling it has is "Food!!" It's a rather hardwired instinct.Here's our old geezer doing what he does best, after commandeering the whole stack of pillows on the sofa. He was a stray picked up ~16 years ago bedraggled and emaciated, covered in cuts and scars he was clearly not doing so well out in the wild and has been enjoying his retirement.