Does anyone on here have a Littermaid? http://www.littermaid.com
In therory, it looks like a great idea- Was wondering if anyone here has one, and if it’s worth the cash.
Some mornings it just doesn’t seem worth it to gnaw through the leather straps.
Emo Philips (stolen from matt’s webpage)
A friend of mine has one and says it works well. I would like one too, but besides the expense, my cats are used to a very large pan. The littermaid looks so small.
Oh yay! I’m so glad you asked this! I was considering buying one, too. Anyone have any experience? And where can I buy one cheap?
I have one. To quote a friend: “It sucks, and it’s 100 times better than anything else out there.”
Good part: It works! You don’t have to go sifting through the pan for those clumps. I have two great big cats, and I only have to change the disposable container about every 2-2.5 days. Then I just add a bit more fresh litter when I do that. About once a month I completely empty the thing and wash it down. Best part, it keeps the smell way, way down.
Bad part: Fresh poop can get stuck in the sifting “teeth”. Putting in too much litter can cause the whole thing to not work. The liner trays are expensive and occasionally hard to find. The damn thing beeps at you whenever it needs attention (that feature can be turned off but then I’d never know when the damn thing wasn’t working), and again, it’s very sensitive to the quantity of litter you put in. Too little makes for a stinky box, too much and the thing can’t push. Also, I don’t have a close outlet in the location I’ve put it in, so I have to use 8 “D” cel batteries in it about once a month instead of plugging it in.
I have one of the old ones, and that seems to be enough for two cats. But they’ve made a new “Mega Model” that’s bigger and (hopefully) has a stronger motor.
They have a web site: www.littermaid.com
I have one, and it worked great til it didn’t. It was loud, but their new one is supposed to be quieter. Mine suddenly stopped working altogether, and I’m rather upset about it 
You can order the liners online, btw. And they sell them at PetsMart.
>^,^<
“Cluemobile? You’ve got a pickup…”
OpalCat’s site: http://opalcat.com
The Teeming Millions Homepage: fathom.org/teemingmillions
I have one, and it happens to be the best garage sale find I’ve ever had (well, tying with the $8 bread machine, maybe). It was brand new–still sealed in the box–and I got it for $20. The woman selling it said it was a gift, and that her cats would be scared of it. Score one for me.
Now, as GND pointed out, sometimes stuff sticks. Fresh poop sticks, and so does some fresh urine–it doesn’t always clump hard enough in time to be properly scooped away. Still, this is a minor annoyance, nothing comparable to what I had before…BLECH! Last weekend I scooped by hand (er…used the hand scooper) to pick up little missed chunks, but that’s the first time I’ve done that with it and I’ve had it for over two months.
I will probably have to dump and clean out the thing in a little while, but it’s not too bad. I don’t know if I would’ve paid the $100-$150 retail for it, but it’s damn worth the $20 I shelled out for it.
Inigo (my cat) was a little flipped out by the thing at first. It has a timer that begins when the cat first enters the box; it scoops about 10 minutes later, when kitty’s long gone to another room. For the first week or two, as soon as the “Rrrrrr!” started, Inigo would run from wherever he was to stare at the magic crawling thing in his litterbox. Some higher strung cats may really freak and never set foot in the Littermaid again, but mellow Inigo wasn’t bothered and now barely twitches an ear in its direction when it does its thing.
As for the litter liners, I do have a fear that availability (and future incompatability) may be a problem. They are pricey–$17 or so for a dozen. BUT, they can be washed and reused–not as nasty as it sounds. I dump the liner, and really all that’s left is some litter sand. Plus, even if I have to buy new ones, I find I am spending a lot less money on cat litter and the liner bags. 12 of those liners will last about 3 months with one cat–so really, it isn’t so bad.
I used the 8 D batteries, too. The paperwork said they should last about 3 months; I’ve been using it for about 2 without a problem.
So far, so good. Key point: IT WORKS!
Neat find, eh? 
I’ve known two people with Littermaids - their reaction was identical:
Biggest waste of money I ever spent
Okay, on a related subject I have a question.What’s the big deal about changing kitty litter anyway?I have a declawed cat (I got her that way so no comments please)I use a liner. I pull it out once a week and put a new one in. No scooping, no smell, no hassle. I understand a liner might not work if she had claws to tear it up…Why buy scoopable and what’s the big deal with cleaning the box? Am I just an exception? On a side note changing baby diapers never bothered me that much either.
I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken.
Qwisp, you just hit the nail on the head.
Well, at least you hit my nail.
I’ve often compaired changing cat litter with changing the baby.
At first it seems yukky. After awhile…
It’s just another chore.
Qwisp, if I waited a week to change my cat’s box my whole house would stink to high heaven. Also, if my cats think their box is too full (which it surely would be after a week), they just start peeing on the floor.
STINKY!!!
Interesting takes on the Littermaid. I guess I’ll keep looking for one cheapie cheap. Sounds like it’s worth it, but not for the price they’re asking.
Around here we have “disposable” boxes, too. It is a reletively thin plastic litterbox with litter already in it- sealed with paper over the litter. When you need a fresh box, cut off the paper and presto! Fresh litterbox. You just throw the old one away. I even put my cats old litter box “hood” on top of the disposable box and she likes it fine. I guess I’ll stick with those for now.
Some mornings it just doesn’t seem worth it to gnaw through the leather straps.
Emo Philips (stolen from matt’s webpage)
We just got a cat a week ago, so I haven’t had to change the kitty litter yet, although it needs it by now. I bought that clumping stuff and it seems to work pretty good. I don’t think I could buy one of those electronic kitty litter boxes though. Never mind the cat, the thing looks like it would freak me out.
Shadowfox
We have three cats. They have two boxes in the basement, and two on the second floor. (Cats do not like to share litterboxes in many cases.) If I completely replaced the litter that often, I would spend about $2 zillion per year on litter. OTOH, I can scoop them each once a day and save a lot of money.