automatic cleaning litter boxes

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bradie96

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has anyone used these? i know there are a few but the one i am looking at "rakes" the litter every 10 minutes (cant think of the brand right now)

i have cats that all of a sudden will not use the box when there is any waste in there (peeing yes but pooping no and its not all the time)....there was one point about 2 months ago where i COMPLETELY forgot to clean it out for a good five days along with needing to completely replace it...this is when the pooping outside the box started and i am not sure if this is what they think they have to look forward to when there is even one pile of anything in it.(good memories i guess :? )...because i have seen both cats use it when its totally cleaned out...i now started cleaning once in the morning, when i come home from work and before i go to bed....but i cant follow their butts down there everytime they use it and clean it up ! so that is where the auto box comes in.

before i spend the money ( and really at this point i dont care) id like to see if anyone has used them and give me some reviews on it!

thanks !
 
My shelter got a bunch donated years ago, and just for kicks we tried one in one of the bigger rooms with an outlet. I think there were 3 cats in the room at the time. OMG what a disaster! The clumping litter had to be kept at exactly the right depth or the gears along the side would gunk up. Some clumps got stuck to the rake, and taking the pee clumps and poo out of the rest of the litter and depositing them in the plastic holder at the end made them Stink to high heaven.

That said, some people like them.. Steph and Cuddles I believe has them. But.. you still cant let them be for 5 days, you have to check them as much as you scoop your current boxes.. and there is the risk that the noise and motion will scare one or more cats away from the box.

You might try adding more boxes if they are being fussy.
 
I used to have the Mega Littermaid boxes and loved them, but they did not love diabetic Mega pees and later hyperthyroid kilo pees. They had to go.

DH even built a platform, so I cut the bottom out of the plastic bins and used plastic grocery sacks to collect the lumps. (we usually had 2 or 3 at a time and one "conventional" box.)
 
I've tried the one that uses the litter and the one that uses the crystals

The one with the litter was a MESS. Raja doesn't squat to pee she stands to pee and got pee all along the side where the wires are and you can't clean it. I cleaned as best as I could but eventually it stunk t0o bad and rusted. Same thing with the 2nd one

Now the one with the crystals was pretty cool and I might actually use that one again in the future. It doesn't work with Raja because even though she was in remission she still peed a lot and the crystals would turn yellow within a couple of days when it's supposed to last between 15-30 days and it got wayyyy to expensive to replace the crystals. The other problem with that one was the bottom of the litter box was a cardboard box that got thrown away every 15-30 days, well with a cat who pees like Raja does it would soak through to the bottom and at 15 bucks for each cardboard tray I just couldn't keep doing that.
 
I have a few littermaids(the older ones). Have heard that the newer models don't work as well, the rake gets jammed up on the waste and if you are not there to reset it it will not rake until you realize you need to reset it. The red light flashes to let you know it needs to be reset. My cats do seem to like them but it did take some time for them to get used to the noise from it. Also, I do have one that stopped pooping in it. So it wouls be hard to say that it would be the perfect choice for every cat. But as for me, I only have to empty the containers every other day(3 cats and 3 boxes). Good luck!
 
We have a couple Littermaids. We have a couple because the first one broke within the first year. I was lazy, didn't get it sent in on warranty and picked up a second one, then finally got the first one replaced but the sensor doesn't work on the replacement (they were pretty good about the replacing of the bad one). So I find they have issues.

The positive for us was that the boxes are kept cleaner throughout the day so we can have less boxes for the cats and not spend 15-20 minutes a day messing with cat boxes. I take out the tray and dump them a few times so that I am not going through so many expensive trays. We usually dump the tray once or twice a day. You HAVE to keep the charcoal filters fresh in order to keep the odor down. We also like the ramped front for our older cats and the high back and sides so litter can't be thrown over easily.

They seem dustier than the normal box, the kabana kept the dust down and worked well with our older cats, but the kittens dont seem to like it and don't get all the way in so they pee on the platform if we use it. You do need to use a good clumping litter, not a cheaper one and try to use one off of their approved list. We do get some rack jambs when more than one gets in there between rakes or someone had an especially full bladder.
 
thanks for the responses

i think i may try for the second box first and go from there...we have never had any problems with this until i forgot to clean it out one week

i may move the current one to a different spot in the basement so maybe that wont trigger the memories of the full box :?

ill have to look around for the auto ones and see what return policies are on them and such

thanks again
 
Bradie96
I use one auto and 2 regular boxes. The auto I use is the Littermaid brand. I have gone thru 3 of them. They go out, I call in, they send me another one under warranty (the good part). Yes, they are not maint. free. I have used this brand for years and I believe they make them cheaper now. I do dump the end tray everyday and 'help' the auto rake by extra cleaning morning and nite. The last one I purchased/got under warranty was in Feb. It is already out and going to get it replaced. With that said, I did not know Sugar Bean was Sugar and her peeing was massive. I also had Gummpy that was peeing bunches too. I just thought that Tidy Cat had changed their litter and it was now crappy.
I have a small addition to the family ~ Lil Sista and she did not have a problem excepting it at all.
The machine goes off approx. 1 min. after someone is in it. I dont know if that is enough time between your cats going, but it seems to work for my girls (3). I just added the 2nd box in the room right beside the auto to help out. We also have a regular box in the garage.
Good luck with your babies!
 
Remember - closed boxes keep the smell where it will offend the kitty's nose and they may avoid it, auto-scooping/washing or no. (per http://www.catinfo.org)

The rule of thumb: # of litterboxes = a minimum of (1 * number of cats) + 1; add more if 1 gets used for urine while the other gets used for feces.

I had a Littermaid at one point. If the litter wasn't deep enough, urine would make a soggy clay that would gum up the rake. When it (if) it dried, it would be glued to the rake. If the litter was deep enough, then the rake had trouble moving through it. Also, I have some larger cats, and even the Mega Littermaid wasn't long enough for the cat.
 
I thought about getting an automated box, but they were just too expensive and I read that most didn't work well. I tried the Breeze instead. Right now it's $25 at PetSmart, and they have a $10 off coupon on their web site. I love it! http://www.breezeforcats.com/. You can buy them pretty much anywhere though for about $30 (Walmart, Amazon, PetCo, etc.).

It's so easy to clean. You just scoop out the poo and that's it. the pee drains through the bottom of the box into an absorbent pad. You just toss the pad once a week and you change the pellets once a month. There's so much less waste compared to regular clumping litter. And there's no dust! As long as you're vigilant scooping the poo, it's clean pretty much all the time (toward the end of the month the pellets do get a little icky, but not enough where Bandit seems to care.)


The smart cat box operates on the same concept, except it uses seeds instead of clay pellets: http://www.felinediabetes.com/SCB/SCBindex.html.

The only thing I would say is not to get this type of box if any of your cats are prone to loose stools. It's a pain to clean up runny poo with it. I discovered this when Bandit had runny poos for nearly a week after his dental. The ease of the box was worth the extra work cleaning it those 5 days, but if your cat has loose stools all the time I wouldn't recommend it.
 
This sounds to good to be true!

With the neuropathy Junior has in his hind legs I am using non clumping litter, because clumping litter sticks to him when he pees, he is a sitter to pee.

But, you said the pad gets thrown out once a week, it doesn't smell after that much time?

Heading to Walmart after work, will check it out!
 
kay&junior said:
This sounds to good to be true!

With the neuropathy Junior has in his hind legs I am using non clumping litter, because clumping litter sticks to him when he pees, he is a sitter to pee.

But, you said the pad gets thrown out once a week, it doesn't smell after that much time?

Heading to Walmart after work, will check it out!
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Towards the end of the week it smells a little--but not any more than the other litter did when the litter needed to be changed or scooped. The pellets start to smell a little bit towards the end of the month sometimes, but if the smell bothers you that much, you can always just change the pellets and pads more frequently. And it's not any worse than clay litter. In fact, for the large majority of the month it smells less than the clay did, and I scooped out the box daily, and completely changed out the litter once a month.

Here's the coupon if you decide to try one: http://www.breezeforcats.com/storeLocator.html. You going to want to pick up an extra bag of the pellets--the box comes with a bag of pellets and 4 pads, but I found I need to put slightly more than one bag of pellets in at a time for Bandit, and you'll need some extra pellets for the transition.

If Junior is still peeing excessively because of the diabetes, you'll probably go through the pads about twice as fast. When Bandit went out of remission at the end of june, I had to change the pad about twice a week. Once his BG was under control again it was back to once a week with the pads.
 
i saw those pellet ones online today....i dont know who is doing this but i can say its driving me NUTS!
if both can get in there and pee they can do the other too! i dont know if they are both following each other down or what but i think i may start with a cheap regular box and if this doesnt help we will try another kind...if nothing then its to the vet we go! i havent noticed anything different in either of them pee is good, obviously poo is too because i get to see it at least once a day, eating is good, i dont know if just all of a sudden they or whomever is doing this just is being a pain! ive seen both of them poo in there (they do this is the same spot most of the time) i dont have the time to litter stalk them.

so i am hoping a second box does the trick....
 
Thanks Julia,

I printed out my coupons, Walmart in my area was out of stock, will check around, and it is non clumping so that is good for Junior!

He is not peeing excessively, just twice a day is his thing! I was told he has a large bladder...therefore he only needs to goes twice daily, DH says he must have a hollow leg!

as always, thanks!
 
ty for this post...going to petsmart and get one today... they have on sale for 24.99 and will take coupon. Also received my 15% off coupon via email... this is definately worth a try!
Thanks everyone
 
Kay--the page on the breeze website that has the coupons on it also has a list of all the stores that sell them, there's a lot. My local Walmart runs out of pet stuff all the time and it drives me nuts--but I found that if I complain enough they get better at keeping the things I'm after in stock.

Btw, I told my vet about these and she now recommends them to all her newly diagnosed diabetic cat owners--it makes ketone testing easy because if you need to catch a urine sample you just take out the pad and the tray will catch the urine for you!
 
Hi Julia & Bandit,

I just called Walmart, and they are back in stock! and they will take my coupon, yeah!!!!!!

thanks for all your help, will let you know how the Breeze works for me and my baby!

hope his brother doesn't mind the old fashioned one!!!
 
Hi Julia,

Got the Breeze System at Walmart, all set up, the coupon definitely helped the cost! The boys have checked it out, hoping it gets used today!!!

Only thing I don't like, the Color!!! What a green that is...and now I can test urine correctly also!

Just wanted to say thanks again for your help.

Still working on Juniors SS, but I am getting there, filling in the blanks, and notes...quite a blank space on BG numbers, that is when I was Urine testing due to not getting the ear thing down to a science. Those notes will get filled in with urine numbers...

No answer from his vet for almost 2 weeks now, getting aggravated, but we are managing, and the BG testing is getting much easier, his ear bleeds quite easily for me, right side, left not so much. and I freehand the needle, never thought I would!
 
A 'rich' friend tried the LIttermaid - had 5 cats - was a waste of money. She resigned self to frequent scooping and was over the temptation to look as other sophisticated systems.

For me? I am a KISS person and try to live accordingly.
 
Well, I was a firm believer in the LitterMaid electronic box.. until recently. I had one of the original ones, and it lasted a LONG time. Until I stopped using it, because Cuddles developed CRF, and she was peeingWAY too much for that box to keep up. Her pee clumps were WAY too large for the rake not to get stuck on. Before that though, it worked great. I was stupid, and broke the electric cord attached to the rake (through fault of my own), so ended up eventually biting the bullet & buying a new (& larger) one. I don't even think it lasted 6 months. I still have yet to figure out if I can take it back (I think Petsmart will let you exchange them) - but I really don't want to pack the whole thing up to take it back. It's just a hassle. I think I've read somewhere that the newer motors go out pretty quickly on them. & since I have 4 cats, it ran quite a bit to keep it clean. It actually has a sensor that senses when a cat is in it, then runs 10-15 minutes later. LOVED it, as did my cats.. until the motor broke.

So maybe if you want to try it, make sure you buy it from Petsmart, or someone who won't mind exchanging it for you if the motor goes out on it. (& you won't mind the hassle of boxing it back up if it does break)

Absolutely LOVED it though.. just really bummed that they don't seem to last long at all anymore. :sad:
 
Steph, call the 1-800 number. They have you cut a computer chip out of it and send that back, then ship the new one right to your door very quickly. No need to lug the thing back to the store. The company was really fabulous to work with on the return I thought. I forced the bar to the back of the box (it had died in the middle) and popped rake out of my broken one and use it like a regular litter box since it has nice high sides and a ramp :)
 
I bought the Breeze Litter system, no motors, just a pan underneath that you empty and change the pad, pellets changed about once a month, haven't got that far yet, just got it last week and I LOVE it!!
The boys are ok with it after the first few days...and there is no odor at all...total cost with coupon was about $35.00 with extra pellets and pads!!!
It did take almost 3 days for the change to occor, but I was so happy they accepted it, no more digging through litter.

Thanks again Julia for the coupon link!
 
Thanks Melanie! I'll try giving them a call & see if I can get it replaced. I was worried they'd just send me an extra motor or something, and I'd have to figure out how to replace it. :-|
 
So glad the Breeze is working out for you! Your boys are fast learners! It took Bandit about 8 days to finally #2 in it.

The color isn't the best but it could be bright neon pink and I'd still use it. I LOVE how clean it is. The bathroom that has Bandit's box is no longer coated in a thin film of litter dust all the time, and it made it usable for people again. That, and my boyfriend actually volunteers now to help me clean the litter box when I'm away for any extended period of time. I used to have to bribe and cajole and beg and I'd still come home to find the litter box a disgusting mess.

Did you get a ketone test with it yet? Was it successful with the new box? I never actually used it for that since Bandit was in remission already when I bought it, but I'm assuming it has to make it so much easier.

I can't get Bandit's left ear to bleed for me to save my life, so we always test the right ear. He doesn't seem to mind! :smile:
 
They got to be fast learners, mom, ( me) was sick over the weekend and DH was gone for the weekend for work, so, I took a poop out of the old box and put it in the new box for 1 night, the next day, yesterday actually, I tool away the old box, and by days end, Yahoo!!! poop and pee from both!!

What did you think about having 3 boxes for 2 cats, I thought overkill, so am sticking with one, which is what they have had their whole 9 years!

Will be trying ketone testing next, had been doing that using litter mixed with a tbsp of water, it has always been negative that way, now I will try it the real way, with real urine.

and the color is WOW, but you are right, no matter what, I love it!

and the right ear is definitely better for Junior, and easier for me too! I am down to a 30 ga, and freehanding!

I have been working on his SS in my signature, this weekend his numbers went up, and i think it is due to food, will start writing Down brands and flavors and see if I can figure it out...and still more notes to add...the beginning looks terrible, I don't have actual numbers, as we were doing urine testing in the beginning, home testing was not recommneded at that time, and I didn't know any better, but I do now!

thanks as always for your help and humor!
 
kay&junior said:
What did you think about having 3 boxes for 2 cats, I thought overkill, so am sticking with one, which is what they have had their whole 9 years!
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If it were me, I'd probably have 1 box for each cat, just in case one cat suddenly decides that he doesn't want to do his business in the same box as the other. It can happen even if both cats have used the same box for years! Gabby started doing this suddenly after sharing a litter box for years and years. Better safe than sorry, in my opinion. And with two boxes you won't have to change the pads/pellets as frequently, and you'll have a box for each in case you need to put Junior in a separate room to get a urine sample.
 
So wait, you only change the pad in that thing once a WEEK?? Even with one cat, that doesn't start smelling w/ the pee sitting there on a pad all week?
 
Steph & Cuddles (GA) said:
So wait, you only change the pad in that thing once a WEEK?? Even with one cat, that doesn't start smelling w/ the pee sitting there on a pad all week?
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Nope, no smell. Sometimes at the very end of the week it smells a tiny bit, but even then it's still less smelly than how the clumping litter box smelled after just a day. The pads are supposed to help absorb the odor, and I've found they do well: http://www.breezeforcats.com/catPads.html. Bandit has pretty horrible smelling pee (Gabby's barely smelled at all), so I was surprised at how well they worked.

The only time I would not recommend this box is if your cat is prone to runny stools. They're a pain to clean up with this box, but if it's only once in a while it's completely worth the cleanliness and ease of the box the rest of the time.
 
No Smell at all, with 2 cats using same box for 4 days before I changed the pad!!! pees & poops!

and I think you are right Julia, I will be getting another in case...

I am so happy , I just Breeze through cleaning the box !!!!! LOL...
 
hmmm after seeing my original post keep popping up and people really liking this breeze system i may have to look into this

ive looked at it before but wasnt sure how the cleanup is for the waste, personally i dont like seeing it and would rather have it all clumped in litter ready to be scooped, in the past month ive seen enough of it next to the litter box!

but im going to give this a try in a month or so when both are not using outside the box periodically.
 
As noted on my Litter Box page I have some strong opinions on litter box issues that others may not agree with. This is always a bit of a hot topic among cat owners.

My two cents worth.....auto boxes are unsanitary....I can manually keep a box much cleaner.

Next....understand that a human's nose is extremely weak when compared to a cat's nose so saying that a week's worth of urine does not smell is not good reasoning for letting urine sit anywhere for a week. It is not our noses that we should be concerned with. It is the cat's nose that is important and I guarantee that a cat is certainly going to smell even an hour's worth of urine.

This topic is a very important one to me since I do a lot of what is often called "inappropriate" elimination consultations when it really is VERY rarely "inappropriate". I call it "appropriate" when a cat chooses to search for a clean, *odor-free* bathroom because his human has neglected to provide one for him or her.

This is also a hot topic for me after spending many years in rescue work seeing animals abused or thrown into shelters...or outside... because they started soiling the home. Sadly, in most cases, it was the fault of the human.

I am a stickler for using deep UNscented clumping litter in LARGE, UHhooded boxes....and scooping at least twice daily.
 
I was also worried about the smell, at first, but I honestly don't think it smells any worse to the cat. It smells less than unscented clumping litter that I was scooping daily, especially when the clumping was close to being ready to be completely changed over at the end of the month. Not to mention the smell of the dirty litter bin, even though it was sealed. Bandit has been using the new box since March, and I've not had a single problem with inappropriate eliminations. When he was having his diarrhea problem for a week back at the end of June, I brought back his old clumping litter box (with clean, new litter) and put it back in the bathroom next to the Breeze, hoping he would take his runny poos in there since they require a lot of work and extra pellets to clean up in the Breeze. He wouldn't touch the old box. Out of sheer laziness on my behalf putting it away, the box is still sitting there, completely untouched now for over 3 months. To me, that indicates Bandit at least prefers the new box.

I figure if my nose can detect a worse smell with the clumping litter, than my cat's nose can too. The urine just doesn't sit loose in a compartment with the new box--it's absorbed by a pad that also absorbs the odor, and absorbs the odor better than clumping clay litter, in my opinion (the pads and pellets are unscented as well, so it's not masking any odor). When I pull the pad out at the end of the week, it smells no worse to me than when I used to scoop out his box after we were into the second week of his clay litter. And during the first 4 or 5 days of the pad, it smells less.

But I'm not the only one who thinks the odor is far less than with clumping litter. There are hundreds of Amazon reviews of people who think the same, many who indicate they were also cleaning out their boxes daily like I was. I read through quite a few of them when I was thinking of purchasing it back in March.

I think that the ease of cleaning, the huge reduction in waste (the waste produced by the breeze in a month is less than what I was throwing away in a week with clumping), the elimination of dust everywhere and litter getting consumed and tracked around the house on paws were worth trying it out, and it works great for us. If a cat takes to it well like mine did, I don't see the harm in using it.

I know I'm very gung ho about this box to the point where it sounds like I'm shilling it for Purina (believe me, I'm not), but it is far superior to the clumping litter in my opinion in nearly every way, including odor (with the runny poo exception).
 
My 2 cents worth, My Junior has neuropathy in his hind legs, and using the clumping litter, meant it clumped to his little hind legs which had to be cleaned after every pee. Not much fun. for him or me!

The odor after 4 days with 2 cats was less than the nonclumping litter, and less wasteful, I use up to 20 lbs of cat litter weekly, and that is a huge amount of waste IMHO.

I am sticking with the Breeze system, and will get another one for my other kitty, they can each have thier own, plus it will help testing his urine so much easier, just dont put the pad in, and there is your sample!
 
One more thing that I'd like to point out with clumping litter in regards to odor--there are always tiny pieces of urine and feces that are too small to scoop that remain in the box until you completely change over the litter that build up and cause odor (which is why the litter needs to be completely changed over each month). This does not happen with the Breeze. At most, sometimes you'll have a few pellets that touched some poo, but if you're fastidious about removing these with the poo itself, then it's not a problem. It makes sense to me that the less urine and feces that remains, the less odor there is.

I know it's hard to imagine that the pad keeps the urine odor reasonably under control for an entire week, but it really does. And you can change it more frequently than that if you'd like, because there is no apparent odor for the first 4 or 5 days (you can touch the top of the pad for the first few days after it was used and it will be dry). But neither Bandit nor I seem to think the odor is that bad after 7 days, so we use the pad for the week, until it is full. I would really recommend trying it out before dismissing it outright, because I think Bandit's litter behavior has improved with the new box. He seems to use the new box more frequently than he did the old one (of course, the litter is a little noisier so maybe I just notice him going more, but I do know this is definitely true with his slight aversion at the end of each month with the old litter), and the fact that I can't even get him to use the old one anymore seems to support the preference.
 
I do want to say that I am very jealous of the fact that the Breeze system is less dusty and probably tracks less than clumping litter but the bottom line is that the vast majority of cats prefer a natural substrate to dig and bury in. This has been shown in at least two studies that I know of but, honestly, this is a bit like the food issue....just like I don't need 'studies' to prove that we should feed cats like cats and not cows....I don't really need a study to show me that the vast majority of cats like what they would use normally...ie...a substrate that allows them to dig and bury in.

I know I sound like a broken record here but I will repeat myself again - I have dealt with many, many cases of cats not using a litter box and, by far, the number one 'fix' is to provide them with an unscented substrate that they can dig and bury in but I really don't find that to be surprising.

Now, having said that, many cats are willing to use other litter systems - nobody can dispute that.

I was also worried about the smell, at first, but I honestly don't think it smells any worse to the cat.
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We will have to agree to disagree that a cat is not going to smell a week's worth of urine in a Breeze system when compared to a clumping litter where the urine is not only covered, but is removed at least twice daily. I also don't believe that there is anything terribly magical in the Breeze pads that can effectively neutralize the odor of cat urine.

It smells less than unscented clumping litter that I was scooping daily, especially when the clumping was close to being ready to be completely changed over at the end of the month.
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This makes no sense to me. Plus, the above comment outlines exactly how I stress to NOT use clumping litter.

I have not "completely changed" the litter in my boxes for 15 years and I would be very comfortable having anyone stick their nose in the litter boxes in my home. Plus, if my cats could talk, I would bet pretty big money that their noses are also very comfortable with their boxes given how they are maintained.

The biggest problem with clumping litters is that they are not used correctly which means keeping the level deep enough so that the urine balls never contact the bottom of the box. When the urine balls are stuck to the bottom then, yes, the box will smell very quickly - just like with any grate-type of system like the SmartBox or the Breeze system since plastic is somewhat porous and is impregnated pretty quickly with the smell of urine.

Plus, if you are scraping the urine balls off the bottom of the box then they will often break up....defeating the purpose of clumping litter.

Bandit has been using the new box since March, and I've not had a single problem with inappropriate eliminations.
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As noted above, there are many cats willing to use other types of set-ups - no argument there.

He wouldn't touch the old box. Out of sheer laziness on my behalf putting it away, the box is still sitting there, completely untouched now for over 3 months. To me, that indicates Bandit at least prefers the new box.
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Again, no argument and I am truly jealous that you don't have to deal with litter dust. However, the above is very unusual as, hands down, most cats prefer a litter to dig/bury in. I do have to wonder if Bandit developed a litter box aversion for some reason. Diarrhea...pain...stepped in it....who knows.

I figure if my nose can detect a worse smell with the clumping litter, than my cat's nose can too.
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Absolutely. However, I submit that anybody who complains of a smelly litter box is not using/cleaning it correctly/enough.

A litter box with UNscented litter should smell no worse than a human's bathroom. There will be a temporary odor when the cat poops but past that? If maintained properly, there should be no odor.

If a cat takes to it well like mine did, I don't see the harm in using it.
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Agreed except I just can't get my head around them wiping their paws on a grate and pellets that have urine coating them and then walking around my house...and tracking pellets (or seeds in the case of the Smart Box) that are coated with urine.

My Junior has neuropathy in his hind legs, and using the clumping litter, meant it clumped to his little hind legs which had to be cleaned after every pee. Not much fun. for him or me!
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Understood and this is a good situation for the Breeze box. One thing that I do want to mention is that litter boxes are often far too small and if a bigger box is used (without a hood, of course) then stepping in the wet litter is often avoided. However, this does not help for the kitties that sit in it....

The odor after 4 days with 2 cats was less than the nonclumping litter, and less wasteful, I use up to 20 lbs of cat litter weekly, and that is a huge amount of waste IMHO.
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Definitely agree. I would use the Breeze system long before I would ever use any non-clumping litter.

I think that all of us would pay a lot of money for The Perfect litter box system since they all have their pros and cons.
 
One issue that I always forget to mention is that some 'clumping' litters do not clump all that well - including some clay products which normally clump much better than wheat or corn - and will result in a box that is not going to be very clean if the urine balls are not clumped well enough to be removed in total.

I have used Dr. Elsey's for many years and that product clumps like a rock. Nothing is left behind which results in a very clean box.

I seem to remember using a lousy clumping litter many years ago that would not exactly lend itself to not dumping the box for 15 years.
 
Dr. Lisa, I've read the litter section on your site thoroughly, and I did follow (unknowingly) your advice for many, many years. I only used clay clumping litter, I scooped out the box once or twice a day, never leaving more than 3 clumps in it at a time. I used unscented litter, in the largest litter boxes I could possibly find (I had two 21.5 x 17.5 x 18" boxes, plus one smaller box that they rarely used upstairs), and I had multiple boxes around my house. I tried as hard as I could to keep the clumps from breaking as I scooped. Yet, there were still tiny pieces of urine and feces in the boxes that necessitated that the litter be completely changed over once a month. Maybe it was because both of my cats refused to pee in the middle of the box--Bandit only liked to pee in the back of the box and Gabby in the front, there is no possible way I could keep every piece of every clump together, nor keep it from running down to the bottom of the boxes. Bandit also liked to dig very, very deep to bury his poo, so I had to dig to scoop it out, which meant that sometimes got broken up as well. As far as I can tell from your site, I was doing nothing incorrectly, but my cats didn't know that they were supposed to prefer using the middle of the box so that it stayed as clean as yours. Unfortunately, there's absolutely nothing I could do about that.

Bandit has gone straight from the box to my lap before, and I have NEVER noticed wet or sticky paws. I did, however, sometimes notice litter stuck to him after using the old box. I would find pieces of litter in my bed and on the sofa all the time. Also, if you have a track mat in front of the Breeze it's physically impossible for the pellets to track in the house because of their size and shape--I have never found one beyond the litter box mat. Bandit does like to dig and bury--and he is perfectly content to dig and bury in the breeze pellets.

One important thing to note is that Bandit doesn't scratch and dig in the the same pellets he just peed or pooed on in the Breeze, just like cats don't usually step right into the big wet clay clump or poo they just made in the clay clumping litter and start making a mess and scattering it around. There is a desiccating agent (silica) in the pellets that keeps them dry between uses, and also dries the poo out so that it's easier and cleaner to scoop. If he did accidentally step into the place he just peed, the resulting tiny bit of sterile urine on his paw (that he will likely groom very soon), is far less gross to me than if he did the same thing in clumping litter and got it stuck all over his paw to spread around the house.

I would also think that if Bandit developed a litter box aversion to the old box, there would have been some sign of it before I switched litter boxes. He was fine using his old box right up until the day I switched.

Ultimately, I 'm just going to say that you have to try it to see how it really works, or don't try it if it's not worth the risk to you that your cat may not like it. The overwhelming majority of people who buy the box are very happy with it, so they aren't having inappropriate elimination problems. I think the pellets satisfy the urge to dig and scratch for most cats just as much as clumping litter. I would like to point out that clumping litter does not exist in nature any more than the Breeze pellets do.

However, I do also think that the amount of waste generated by clumping clay has an incredibly adverse affect on the environment, and other types of life. I love my cat, but I absolutely thought it's worth the small risk that he might not take take to the Breeze to try it and see, just to eliminate the TON of waste that's getting dumped into landfills (I live in a city--so dumping biodegradable litter on my back lawn is not an option). If your cat is one of the few that doesn't take to the Breeze, then you can always return to clumping litter. But since there's a much larger chance a cat will be fine with it, then I think it's worth a shot in order to reap both the personal and social benefits of the system. I'm very gung ho about encouraging people to try it for this very reason. It's not very often that something is both convenient and better for the environment.
 
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