How do you get a cat to use a robot litter box?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Stokie has really become a part of the household, I think. You can tell because when he walks around whining we don’t even notice that we yell at him anymore. The one thing he will not do is go in the robot litter box.

I know, I know, give him a box he likes. And I do. But I really want him to go in the robot. The other two cats had no problem going in the robot - “Clean litter! Poop in it!” Stokie won’t even go in. I think he may be afraid of it, even though I turned it off for a while to get him used to it without it moving. (I have the Litter Robot, the one that looks like Kenny from South Park.) I love it because it’s better for the cats (litter’s always clean) and since the litter box pretty much has to be in the dining room it’s better for us, too. Less smell.

I’ve tried putting his box right next to the robot, moving it right up to the opening, letting it get dirty while the robot stays clean (he just pooped outside the box and he BETTER not be peeing somewhere else), leaving it unplugged so it doesn’t move… he’s not having it. Little bastard is much pickier about his box than the others, too.

I mean, if he needs a second box, fine. (I wonder if he’d be okay with the Littermaid types? I’ve heard they break though.) But I’d really LIKE him to use the robot. There’s a second “main” box in the master bathroom, for when they’re on the “other side” of the house, but they’re not allowed in the bedroom when we sleep and we like to keep two doors between us and them, because they make a lot of noise at night sometimes.

Is there anything we haven’t tried? Anything that’s worked for people?

2

I don’t personally have an answer for this, but the fine folks over at Penny-Arcade have said some words on the subject.

I’m not sure it exactly addresses your problem, but on the subject of robot litter boxes, it seemed pertinent.

3

It took quite a while for Zippy to get used to The Amazing Shit-Eating Machine. We discovered that if we left it unplugged for the first couple of weeks and cleaned it out manually, she got into the habit of using it. Once we plugged it back in, she tolerated it the first week, and now she’ll stop whatever she’s doing to just to watch it do its thing.

4

Yeah, that’s why I have the robot and not the LitterMaid. It really does work well. I mean, if you can get the cat in it.

5

Both my cats used the Littermaid (sp?) on day one but every time it activated they would rush up and watch it like it was the first time it happened. Maybe they were worshiping it, I don’t know. I was actually kinda glad the thing died. It was noisy and temperamental.

6

I’m glad to read that my cat wasn’t the only one who did this. She would oversee the entire operation and then walk away satisfied.

To the OP, I don’t have any words of advice since my cat took to it right away. I have a friend who tried everything she could, and her cat just never liked it. Good luck.