Thanks for the heads up, OP, but has anyone used one of the “authentic” version of these? Worth the money or nah? I’ve always been curious but can’t justify spending that much money on a litter box.

[–] PoorYorick@lemmy.world 23 points 2 months ago

I bought a refurbished litter robot about a year ago, and was initially aghast at myself for spending that kind of money for it, but now I am convinced it was worth the price.

It has made one of IMO the worst parts of cat ownership significantly easier, with the upside of being better for the cats as well.

Even with the high price I would recommend.

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 17 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I wanted one but the automatic ones are WAY out of my price range, so I got an Omega Paw Roll' N Clean that I absolutely LOVE!

It makes taking care of litter almost completely effortless at a fraction of the price of the robot ones and it's economical to use too:

You just put clumping litter in, roll it to deposit the refuse into the handy drawer, roll it back to put the clean litter back in, and empty the drawer.

It takes me mere seconds a day to clean up after two adult cats, and it's cheap enough to buy and use that I can afford to give them that GOOD kitty kibble without neglecting their sanitary needs!

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Omega Paw, except as a thoroughly satisfied customer 😁

[–] ITGuyLevi@programming.dev 7 points 2 months ago

The rolling ones are the way to go. Saves enough time for the price, no way I could justify the cost of the fully automatic ones.

[–] Badabinski@kbin.earth 13 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The advice I've always heard is that if you can do it yourself, it's always better. Animals can't tell you that they're sick, so every bit of info you can get on how they're doing is important. Having the machine automatically clean the litter box deprives you of that option.

With that being said, a clean litterbox is also really important. I plan on getting a couple of cats in the next 5 years after I've gotten my shit together (cats and incredibly messy houses don't mix), and I will probably get an automatic litter box because I don't want my depressive episodes to result in my cats being miserable. As this post shows, you should do your research. Find a litter box that has been endorsed by multiple unrelated reviewers if possible. Some of these boxes are dangerous, and many of them are kinda worthless.

The video in the OP was recommended to me a few days ago and was my introduction to this whole fiasco. This person has done a ton of reviews and has a couple of boxes he'd recommend.

EDIT: I literally linked to the video in the OP... I thought it was the video from one of the people who had a cat die.

[–] Moneo@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I don’t want my depressive episodes to result in my cats being miserable

I would appreciate if you didn't attack me personally.

Nah but for real I go through the same thing. I feel really guilty when I let their box get out of hand, they never seem bothered either which kind of makes it worse.

[–] Badabinski@kbin.earth 7 points 2 months ago

I had two cats as a kid, and the day one of them hid somewhere to die from undiagnosed cancer was the day I learned that they'll just secretly go somewhere else :( She went under the basement stairs near the litterbox, and when I ripped the stairs out to get to her, I learned what a bunch of old cat pee and poop smelled like. I got much more serious about cleaning the litter box after that incident, and it's the reason why I'm waiting until I'm good and ready before getting another cat.

[–] frank@sopuli.xyz 13 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Yup, I have a Litter Robot 4 and we love it. It saves a ton on little costs, but was a massive upfront cost.

Easier to travel and the litter stay clean, it's always clean for the cats and they love it. We're big fans.

[–] SoleInvictus@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 2 months ago

Keeping itself clean while we're gone is such a huge benefit. We have three cats and finding people to care for them used to be a pain in the ass. Now we have the Litter Robot and a couple of automatic feeders so we can leave for days at a time and the cats barely notice we're gone.

[–] lolcatnip@reddthat.com 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I had no end up trouble with my Litter Robot 3. So much I ended up just throwing the whole thing away.

[–] ramenshaman@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

I have a litter robot 4 along with a friend of mine. My gf has a litter robot 3. They absolutely have poor quality control. Mine has been great, my buddy has had some serious issues with his.

[–] ashok36@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago

I have a litter robot 3 and it's great. It was costly but I've probably already made a significant amount back on litter cost. The cats took some time to get used to it and one of them refused without adding a set of steps to get in but all in all they seem happy 18months later.

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 2 months ago

I bought a LitterRobot last year at the urging of a family member. It's awesome. Money well spent, especially because one of our kitties tries to bury but scratches the walls and fails.

[–] Sylvartas@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

We have one at work (office cats ftw). I don't know the model, but knowing the owner I'm positive they didn't get a cheapo version. In this case it's worth the money because it does a fairly good job at mixing the litter which seems to help quite a lot with the smell (it gets noticeably better a few minutes after it's done its thing), since no one is gonna empty it during the day.

[–] hoch@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

Getting a Litter-Robot 4 is the best purchase I've ever made. Wallet is still hurting a bit, but I have no regrets. Replaced 2 smelly litter boxes in my apartment with something that just sends me a notification once a week to empty the bin. It even tracks my cats weights, so it tells me who used the litter box, along with a chart of their weight.

[–] propofool@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago

I also bought one a few years ago, for 2 cats. Definitely expensive, especially going for the litter robot 4 over 3, but was told by friends' the 3 was somewhat loud and made their cats nervous.

Honestly have loved it. Allowed me to go on vacations with less worry about sitters cleaning the box well, or overuse between visits. One cat especially does not like to cover his mess, and the LR4 has spoiled me and him to allow his lazy habit to persist.

Definitely very expensive, but Very worthwhile for me and knowing laziness/busy times won't affect the kitties. And of all the reviews, litterrobot seemed to be the best, and most reliable.

[–] JusticeForPorygon@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I'm not sure but it sounds like the guy who made the video OP linked might have a few suggestions

[–] PrincessLeiasCat@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 months ago

Yeah, I’ve watched some of his stuff before but I also like a variety of opinions and maybe some additional unexpected advice, as was the case here with another reply.

[–] Bwaz@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago

I tried two different ones. First dudn't function (defective unit). 2nd worked but no so great for my cats. Our large male urinates a lot, so the bag needed replacement after about a day and a half. And it was WAY more difficult to clean inside the thing (big drum shaped inside thing) than just a simple catbox was.