Comments on: How to Buy a Litter Box

on 1/4/2008 Regarding scoopable litter: having read the Sunday, October 28, 2007, "Cancer in cats" blog post at http://www.jandys-home.blogspot.com/ and having recently lost a much beloved cat to cancer that invaded her intestines, I now use Swheat Scoop.

on 5/29/2007 I spoke with a student who is going to school to be a Vet. She told me that I shouldn't use scoopable litter anymore, as the tiny particals get lodged between the pads on the cat's paws and when they clean themselves, they get sick. Any comments? I like the scoopable as it's very fast and easy to keep clean. My cats seem fine.

on 8/8/2006 I've had numerous issues with the Littermaid box; the worst being is that clumps of waste will get catapulted outside of the box and land on the floor. This has happened on two different machines after a period of 6 months. The plastic warps slightly and the teeth on the rake catch the lip of the box and create enough tension to toss it's contents up and over the waste container.

Additionally, even though the unit is electronic, it is not completely hands-off. In time (about a month) the box will get really dirty and unsightly, mostly in the openings where the wheels of the rake run. Litter will also clump to the bottom of the box and must be manually raked from time to time with the supplied hand device.

I've tried other brands of kitty litter and have had the most success with the Littermaid brand, although I am currently getting satisfactory results with Premium Fresh Step Scoopable.

on 11/22/2005 I have used the Littermaid Mega and I am going to get a Performa. The Littermaid was great, it's just made for one cat though. I have 5 and it fills up quick. It never gave me any issues unless I overfilled it. To much litter will drive it nuts. I am going to replace it with the Performa because of the bag feature. Those little pails work great for one or 2 cats, but it's just not big enough for several cats. The bag would be much better for that.

on 11/22/2005 Please, whatever you do, do NOT purchase either the Littermaid or Purrforma electronic litterboxes. I've had 3 of the Littermaid Mega's, and after about 6 months, they all either stopped working completely, or, kept running continuously - very irritating. As for the new Purrforma, which I just purchased and returned, I had to "assist" the box each and every time that it turned itself on to rake the litter. And somehow, it got clumps of litter behind the rake, so that it wouldn't move all of the way, so I'd have to scoop it out by hand each time. Why can't someone make a WORKING electronic litterbox? I'd be willing to pay more if one just worked.

on 11/22/2005 It is a common misconception that cats prefer a lid for their litter box. The lid keeps urinary odours trapped inside the box due to limited air circulation, and this may cause your cat to find an alternate location to relieve him or herself.

on 11/22/2005 Use trash bags as liners for the cat box. They are inexpensive and make changing the litter easier and faster.

on 11/22/2005 In a pinch, you can make a cat pan liner, which makes cleaning the litter pan a much easier job. Cut the bottom 1/3 off of a regular 30-gallon trash bag. Use in place of expensive liners. Inexpensive bags that are 2 ml thick or thicker work best.

on 11/22/2005 I used a just a regular storage bin for my cat. It is not very expensive and can be cleaned easily. My cat likes it because of the size and it makes her feel like her own room. I built a shell around it made out of foam board so she has some privacy.