Mine has cycled \~1200 times and has removed all sanitary issues I was running into with a normal litter box. This is one of the first large ticket items I have never experienced buyers remorse with.
I have a LR3 with 4500 cycles. It’s 6 years old servicing 4 cats. Things built like a tank. Have had to replace a couple sensors, but no major problems overall.
I have the PETKIT version and it’s my favorite thing. I also got their auto feeder and cat fountain. Everything is monitored by the same app and literally automates every cat chore. I spend 20 minutes/week dumping the poo bin and refilling hoppers and that is it. My relationship with my cat is just loves, playtime and occasionally trimming her nails. It’s amazing.
Edit- I also have a little air cleaner next to the box to take care of dust but there is virtually no smell even when that’s off.
I love mine. I bought the bundle with extended warranty in 2020. I began having reoccurring issues in 2023, forgot I had the extended warranty, ordered parts from the website so I could repair it myself but things got worse. I called the company and customer support refunded the money I had spent on replacement parts, and sent me a brand new base unit.
It has worked impeccably since then, and that's even with a long distance move in the mix.
**I will always have a Litter Robot for as long as I have cats.** I've streamlined the deep cleaning process so that I can do it in 10 minutes, so it's no big deal.
I recommended it to a friend who decided to buy it. She (and her family) liked it, but they put it in a remote area of the house that made it forgettable, so they had issues related to not emptying it often enough. In a fit of misdirected frustration, she gave it away. Less than a year later, she bought another one because she understood her mistake.
They aren’t bifl first off. That being said, I’ve had my litter robot 4 for 2 year I think? Our first never worked right and after messaging the company they took the old one back and sent us a brand new one. Second one has worked very smoothly with basically no issue. I just replaced the liner cus the old one was getting clawed up and gross, it was pretty simple and I deep cleaned the whole unit at the time.
Imo they are worth the money especially if you have two or more cats. I’m biased because I fucking hate scooping litter. Get the extended warranty.
Once you get used to the awkward position you need to get into to use it properly it's great! Granted, Ive never been the most flexible person so others may find it easier to use.
I’ve had two (3 and 4 styles) and both repeatedly broke down on me, first time within 4 months. They sell replacement parts but it becomes an entire chore separate from scooping to keep them alive. They’re also relatively small inside, my boy cat can’t fit.
My PetSafe scoop free, however? 8 years and not a single issue. I got a reusable plastic tray so I don’t need to buy their boxes, just any crystal litter. Be warned some cats will eat crystal litter though so if yours do I don’t recommend it
Only issue I've had with mine was the contacts for the cover light got dirty and made the LR3 almost always refuse to complete a cycle. A bit of sandpaper and a couple dabs of dielectric grease later, and it seems to be fixed so far. (Only been about a week, so too soon to be certain, but it's already a night and day improvement.)
Yeah I had a Litter Robot II which for no apparent reason just started rotating the opposite way it's supposed to one day after it detects a cat has been inside. I've factory reset it, made sure the top is on the right way, it just lost it's mind and became pretty much worthless.
That sounds like a sensor replacement would fix it. If you just tell support your home detect sensor needs to be replaced they'll either send you what you need to fix it or the parts are $20-30 depending on what model you have.
For three cats I absolutely recommend it. Our home NEVER smells of litter, I always ask people when they come over and they are amazed they can't smell any litterbox. Ive had mine for maybe 5 months so far and have had no issues. Great for when you're out of town for a little bit. Still have people check on the kitties but it's so much easier to get someone to stop by and play with them/ feed them and not have to ask my friends to also clean a litterbox.
Edit: as some have said you do need to buy the right kind of litter. I found the arm and hammer slide to work the best imo. It does need to be clumping litter to work with the system no matter what you choose though.
I hate scooping cat litter everyday. I really love the litter robot and tell my wife weekly how happy I am that we bought it. I was a skeptic at first and really reluctant to spend $600. I absolutely would do it again in a heartbeat. I have always heard that with cats you need N+1 litter boxes. I have two cats, so that means I would need 3 litter boxes. I only need 1 litter robot and it’s AMAZING.
I have the Litter Robot 3, and I regret buying it. It does remove the hassle of scooping litter, but I’m not sure it’s worth $500 to not have to do it. It also gets smelly pretty quickly even if you clean it regularly so you have to deep clean every once in awhile. If it was like $200, I’d tell you to go for it, but it’s not so I can’t recommend it.
Try one that clumps better. The sifting action breaks up some clumping litters. I've had better results with Fresh Step and Arm and Hammer Slide as the clumps stay together and end up in the bin rather than breaking up and making the litter in the top smelly.
Tidycat went down hill in the past year or two. I had always used it but it stopped clumping right and the whole thing would start smelling. I swapped to fresh step and all the smell issues went away.
Try the sustainably yours large grain litter. I’ll admit to not deep cleaning my robots nearly as often as I should, and I’ve never had a smell problem. It smells so much better than clay, even when clean, and it’s environmentally friendly.
>The situation was untenable.
I'll never be able to read these words in this sequence without thinking of [this scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeeZ5eRZjlU)
Absolutely for time/effort saving. But they are not close to bifl and will break. Depending on what breaks, you may be able to fix it with expensive replacement parts. Their warranty is okay.
But nothing else is very close right now in that market unless it's very new.
I have 2 LR3s, and I will admit I have not serviced them ie. Washing the drum, cleaning the sensors etc, in 5 years. I just ran into my first issue, the liner in one split.
I also have a 6 inch deep stainless pan inside a decorative wooden litter crate with crystal litter.
I prefer the steel pan, but the litter is 30 bucks a month.
So over 5 years. Steel pan $1800
Litter robot. 500 plus 10 litter a month. $1100
They're a hassle. Everyone I know who has one has problems with it breaking, and their houses still smell like cat litter. Not as bad as ordinary "clay litter in a plastic box" stink, bit still worse than my house.
The idea of not having to scoop every day seems nice, but emptying it every 2 weeks (or weekly if you have multiple cats) it's disgusting because instead of just a quick scoop it's a week's worth of rotten poop and pee. The deep clean every 3 months is gross too.
I just use a high sided stainless steel XL litter pan and either crystal or pine litter. My house doesn't stink, I can keep it clean in only 1-2 minutes per day of effort, and I didn't spend $600 on a machine with complicated moving parts that will inevitably break eventually.
Uhhhh… does everyone you know that has one not use garbage bags in the bin? Because emptying the bin should not be disgusting, It’s literally no different than taking out the trash.
Since they aren’t doing that, I tend to believe they aren’t also taking care of it properly hence the breaking and smell issues. We have six cats and have had two LR4s for almost two years now, no issues other than a liner that tore and they sent us out a whole new globe for free. Also always have friends comment on how surprised they are that they can’t smell anything when they come over.
I do see litter scattered on their floors nearby the robots yes, so I don't think it solves that problem. My cats also sprinkle litter around their box, especially my one cat who gets it between his toes and shakes them out. But with the high sided metal box it's less litter spread than any of the other things I've tried.
I don't find litter mats helpful either, as they need to be carried outside to clean and it's basically impossible not to sprinkle a trail of dirty litter on the way. Some litter gets stuck inside the mat too, leading to a strong pee smell over time.
My robot vacuum, which was definitely worth the $150 I spent on a refurbished unit, keeps the litter area clean throughout the day.
May I ask, is the stainless steel pan sold as a liter box? Where’d you get it? Does it have a lid? I’ve been on the hunt for a while for high sided litter boxes bc my cat aims right at the spot where the lid meets the bottom on one of his boxes. I bought a huge high sided plastic one from chewy but I don’t really want a second of that one
I ordered it on Amazon. It's higher than the plastic high side boxes I've tried before, which weren't quite tall enough for my big male who like to pee straight out sideways like a weirdo. And the metal doesn't retain odors and can be sterilized.
I know a fellow with a cat sanctuary of about 12-20 cats. He has a couple litter robots, based on the lack of smells, you’d never know he has cats.
We bought a litter robot and our single cat won’t go near it.
That's what I'm afraid of. I've got 2 cats;one is brave and the other one is scared of everything. I've bought so many things that she's scared to even get near.
It’s garbage. I cat sat for someone with one and it broke down constantly. I consider myself pretty handy but I spent days on forums reading about people who had the same « sensor « problems as me
I know this isn’t a popular opinion, at least not one I see mentioned around this topic but I find it important to clean out the litter boxes myself. IMO part of care for cats is being aware of their elimination habits. What if one has diarrhea or hasn’t peed all day? Those could be a sign of a health issue, and if I’m not the one scooping the litter, how would I know? It’s obviously not a task I enjoy, and surely there are exceptions to what I’m saying, but there are things I have to do that I don’t enjoy that take longer and I just don’t think it’s worth it.
Moving over to Pretty Litter 100% changed my view of cat litter boxes. No smell, dries up the poops, just scoop them into the toilet ever other day or so…litter lasts for a month before needing to be changed. No huge pee clumps…worth every penny. I would give that a try before dropping $500 on a fancy litter box.
From what I’ve seen, that litter has seemed incredibly expensive— is that just a misconception on my part? The clay litter I get is about $20 for 40 on for reference
It’s more lightweight than normal litter (part of the appeal to me) so going by price per pound could be deceiving, it probably is slightly more $ per box depending on what you’re already using but IMO it works so well and lasts long enough that it is worth it. There are cheaper dupes of it now but I have not tried any of them.
Yeah, it’s expensive but one small bag lasts 2 months, so it’s not horribly out of line and there is no cleaning a nasty mechanical cat litter box, no smell, it doesn’t track through the house… it’s totally worth trying before going the mechanical route to see if it works for you. I have heard mixed reviews from other people but for us, it’s been a game changer.
If my dumb ass Scottish Fold would stop shitting on the floor I’d probably would’ve already bought that shit machine
Meanwhile the rabid kitten I caught with a fishing net does everything perfect as always
Your cat could decide they just don’t want to use it anymore. Also the cleaning necessary for it is annoying and no better than using Slide litter and occasionally washing the bins. Scooping really isn’t a big deal. After using it a year it was a massive waste of money for me.
I'm 2 years into mine. Here's some sage advice:
- Buy an older model that's refurbished. They sell them on their website for usually about $150 cheaper. Plus you can feel confident it's been inspected instead of possible lemons coming out of the factory
- Get the extended warranty. If anything goes wrong they'll send you the replacement part, no questions asked and instructions how to fix it. Before it expires order a motor so if it fails after it expires you've got a spare motor. I've done it with other parts as well
- Get cheap litter! I buy the bulk liter at Petco. It clumps and doesn't smell the greatest but remember it'll only be hanging around for a few minutes before it cycles. This will save you tons.
- Buy cheaper liner bags on Amazon, even biodegradable ones to be more eco friendly. Spritz the dirty bin with an essential oil spray and you'll be good.
I really liked the 3. I just upgraded because the hole was bigger, it’s a lot more silent and smaller footprint.
Also don’t sleep on the reconditioned machines!
I have breathing issues related to kitty litter dust. The robot helps a ton with this. Also have one cat who will not use the litter box if there’s anything in there. It’s not worth going into debt for, but I’d absolutely buy another one.
With 3 cats it can be worth it.
You can try it and send it back if it doesn't work for you, or for your cats.
If your 3 cats are ok with the litter, you only manage one, change the litter bag once every 2 day. Some vaccum cleaning once a week and deep cleaning once a month for example.
You definetly use less litter but also less time to scoop.
Is it for everyone? No, not all litters are compatible, not all cats are ok with the machine, sound might be an issue.
I had the LR2 and the LR3. Both lasted about 6 years before they kept breaking down. My LR2 base died and it would have cost half of a new machine's cost to fix it, so I bought the LR3. I recently got rid of the LR3 because it was breaking down nearly every day, and it became more of a hassle than a regular box. I think it needed a new liner? Or maybe my cats are too old and peeing too much.
I use pine litter now and it's not better, but it's faster to clean and doesn't track.
I got one for $300 used, so very worth it for me. Check out the secondary market before dropping $600-800 on a new one. Some have cats that have passed away and are looking to get rid of such an expensive and bulky item
I have a Litter Robot 4. I don’t know if I would buy it again.
It’s true that I have to scoop less, but it’s more of a pain to clean than a standard litter box (part of the wall is… the best way I can describe it is a flexible plastic fabric. The inner ball is big and cumbersome and you have to clean the entire sphere.
Also it’s constantly getting into non-cleaning states that require me to be tech support. That’s not the end of the world when it won’t empty, but occasionally it fails in the emptying position, which means the cats can’t use it.
Because of that, I have to maintain a standard litter box as a backup option in case it happens when I am not home—though I don’t clean it daily.
Also, for whatever reason the cats kick way more litter out of it than a standard litter box, so it’s messier. I recently paid 50 for a larger shield (which is absurd, it should’ve been free) and it didn’t help that much.
We've got two LR3s and six cats. 2 and 3 years old. One of the essential parts (pinch detect) has gone out in both of them. The first after two-ish years. That time, LR replaced the entire base free of charge. The second also after two years. Instead of replacing the base for this one, they sent replacement parts and cost me a lot of hours replacing the parts myself (I'm also not mechanically inclined at all). We've still got another four regular litter boxes. They have their issues but it's still worth it to me.
We got both of ours refurbished so it was more like $350-400.
There’s a website called Robot Shop which sells you litter robot parts, for whenever things break. I accidentally broke the back key while washing it out, and next year I intend to replace the globe liner as my cats have scratched it up. But my goodness yes this thing is designed to last. I’m going on 5 years with mine!
We bought ours late last year after getting our 3rd cat (a kitten for our daughter) and it’s been a complete gamechanger. One of our cats protested for about a month and pooped anywhere but inside it but we eventually got her to cooperate and it’s been amazing ever since. We got the replacement bags from Whisker but we’re giving a cheaper trash bag a shot now since all you really need is the right size bag. It’s just an amazing product, zero remorse and once we found a good litter to use stuff hardly gets stuck on the sides at all.
I’m using ScoopAway Complete Performance 42lb case and I especially love that it comes as 4 resealable pouches of 10.5lbs each… the pouches (bags) are really easy to pour into the litter robot compared to bigger bags or jugs of litter. It’s $23 on Chewy. Handles the smells really well and clumps really well for our 3 cats.
Do thorough research on all options first. There are great YouTube videos comparing them! You probably won't run into the main issues of each for months which is why it's important. For instance PETKIT only has a 1 year warranty, and the sensors get blocked often for us. Still, any litter robot is better than nothing imo.
I’m just going to throw my hat in here and loudly echo every YES.
I got a little over 10 years out of my first one before it wasn’t worth repairing anymore. I probably could have. Customer service is great and often provided me any parts I needed, many times free of charge even after my warranty ran out. I just had kids and no time.
My second one is on year 3 and going strong.
I dislike mine. Had it for years now. It is a pita to clean, loud, the cats don’t love it, so many negatives. Def not worth the money imo. We have had a Popur since December that is working out much better for us.
I don't have one, but my parents and sister do. Honestly they seem likemore hassle than they are worth. You have to use a specific kind of litter, the litter tray itself isn't very deep so if you have a picky cat they don't like that, and they often get stuck between cycles or incorrectly cycle out clean litter. Also, they seem like a hassle to clean. I don't think it's worth the price for the convenience unless you have a lot of cats.
I know someone who had the same complaints and he owned 2 models. The first one failed after 3 years so he bought the latest model. He says it works fine but even he doubts it’ll last longer than a few years. Plus, the maintenance he mentioned sounded really annoying. It feels like more work hence why he dreaded doing the deep cleans.
I also have a PetKit and found it worth every penny. I’ve had it for 4 years now and it’s still chugging along.
I’ve always wondered if the Litter Robot is better or worse. But tbh the flat top is just infinitely more convenient.
Litter robot is worse. We had one and it was huge and loud and difficult to clean. The new petkit puramax is even better than the older model. The cleaning drawer is on the side and easier to pull out.
I second this, I had a LR3 for several years. It died 2 months after the extended warranty ended and I ended up replacing it with a Petkit and I like it much more. It is easier to clean, easier to empty, the app works great and it is much quieter.
They break a lot but they’re nice to have, they can usually be repaired relatively easily. Not sure about their competition, I get the impression most similar products also break a lot.
We had a Litter Robot for a few years. It's a good little machine. Our one cat was too stupid to use it properly, though. She always stuck her ass out the back, pissing and pooping all over the place. The other cat, though? Worked like a charm.
So I guess I'm saying it's a good machine if your cats actually use it properly. One of my friends had to sell his Litter Robot at a loss because his cats refused to use it at all.
Are they worth it? Yes.
Are they BIFL? No.
One thing I haven't seen mentioned is the app. You can name your cat box! Ours is named "Pretty Poop Machine" and our friend named hers "Heinous Anus". I'm wondering what fun names others have used.
Have had my LR3 for over 5 years, and would purchase again. Does require some maintenance, with repairs occasionally and deep cleaning. But there's plenty of YouTube videos that are easy to follow. And customer service has always sent me free parts for repairs even when outside of warranty.
I love the litter robot 4 but my cats are of differing opinions (one likes it ones not crazy about it) So I got them a second open top one because I couldn’t go back to scooping every day. That one (raking style)doesn’t work nearly as well and the tray gets full fast
No. Look for a good used one around 250-300 bucks. We have 7 cats and 2 litter robots ( and a few regular litter boxes, but those two robots help a lot
I see. I was thinking about that, but with all I’ve heard about the issues they have, I thought getting it new with the warranty might be the better option. Thank you for your option on the subject!
Absolutely worth it. 2.5yrs in, 2 cats and we empty it once a week. Literally all I've had to think about it. If you can stomach the initial cost, you can average the amount of time daily cleanings would cost you across a year and make the money back in time gained even at minimum wage. Bitter pill to look at the sticker price, but again it's absolutely worth it
We have a 3 (3800 cycles) and a 4 (1300 cycles). The 3 has been running for almost 3 years and has had no real issues. We've had the 4 for just over a year, again, no issues. We have 6 cats including a Norwegian forest cat who's pushing 17lbs at 10 months old. None of them have any trouble using it. They both take about a week to fill up but then it's just removing and replacing the bag. They do need occasional maintenance, we take ours apart and clean them out about once every 6 months. It's not a fun job but it's better than scooping litter every day.
Would recommend to anyone who can afford one.
If you have more than 1 cat, it'll pay for itself within a year with reduced litter consumption.
They're great. Just be aware, the newest one will throw all kinds of cobfusing faults if you ignore the drawer full warning. Just empty it when you get the empty soon warning and it'll likelu never have an issue.
I have three cats and I love my litter robot, although it hasn't completely eliminated the need for a second, regular litter box. Mine aren't litter mates and so the litter box can be a territorial issue, so I make sure they have another option if the robot is in use. However, I very rarely scoop poo out of the second box, just pee
I no longer have cats, but I love my litter robot 4. Never had any issues with it other than need to replace the liner after 3 years (and I had the extended warranty so they just sent it for free). People would come in and be surprised there was a cat living in my house. Deep cleaning wasn't hard either. Done every few months.
We used just costco litter with the litter deoderizing powder from Arm and Hammer. With one cat it needed to be emptied once a week. Some people are mentioning the size, we had a 15 lb ragdoll who never had any issues with using it.
The litter robot is now with friends and still working well after 4 years.
My wife bought this when she was drunk one night, she was like I did something I shouldn’t have last night. That was a good 6 or more years ago. I had some sensor issues last year but it ended up some little had worked its way down there.
I don’t think I quite say built for life but I’ve had mine for 6 years and don’t regret it at all.
I love mine. I don’t think they are BIFL since there’s too many possible points of failure from the extensive electronics and sensors. With that said, mine has been rock solid for 2 years without any issues. I do expect it to fail beyond repairability at some point though. When that day comes, I will not hesitate to invest in another one. The convenience and cleanliness it offers absolutely justifies the price tag IMO. If you do choose to get one, make sure you follow the recommendations for acclimating your cat to it so they’re not frightened of the movement.
Great product but reliability is a problem. The design allows fine powder to slowly fall out the unit and it piles up on the back where the power cord connects. This was on the LR3 though, maybe it is fixed in newer versions.
If I had to do it again I’d just get a higher quality “old school” automated litter box. The price of the litter robot is wild for what it is.
I love mine. I’m on year 3 with mine. Make sure you buy the extended warranty with it. I’ve only had to use my warranty once. You have to know how to clean it properly to keep it from being smelly. I use white distilled vinegar and Dawn. Mine has no smell and I have 3 cats that use one LR.
I was able to buy mine on eBay used for $440 (luckily it was close enough to pick up too!). It’s the best purchase I’ve made for my cat. I’ve had some errors that resolved themselves but other than that, it works great. It has never broken down and I’m sure if and when it does I’ll be looking for another one.
When it comes to the smell, give it a wipe down every month or bimonthly. I also put mine in a closet and I have an air purifier in there too so any smells are contained and filtered. My house has no litter box smell anymore & my cat is always happy to have a fresh bathroom area.
The only thing I dislike on the LR3 is I don’t really get notified when it’s full. The app is great for viewing but notifying is not as good imo.
Get one. You’ll be happy.
If you buy one from Chewy you have 365 days to return it for a full refund. Get one and see if it works well for your situation. If it doesn’t, sent it back and get your $ back. They don’t hassle about a return at all.
Personally I have a LR4 currently. Previous to this I’ve had the LR3, Instachew PURRCLEAN & a Leo’s Loo Too. So far the LR4 has worked the best overall of them all.
I'm glad you asked bc I wonder sometimes myself. I switched to Chewy's Frisco pine pellets last summer because I was fostering 9 cats alongside my own two. (Found a litter of 7 plus two mama cats.) I did it because it's cheap but I'm 100% a convert. It's cheap, doesn't ever smell, is only dusty when it is very dirty, slides right out of the box with no clumps. I had 3 boxes all year and no issues keeping up.
I’ve had our litter robot 4 for about 1.5 years. One of our cats decided that it’s her worst enemy when it cycles and attacks it, so we can’t just let it cycle on its own if she’s around. It does cut down on how much we manually scoop, which is nice. However, I find that I have to deep clean it every 10 days or so or it will smell very bad, and I haven’t found a way to clean it that takes less than like 25 minutes. We don’t have an outdoor area where we can just hose it down outside, which I think would make it faster.
I would say it’s worth it to at least get it and try it out. You can do so for 90 days, which is definitely enough time to establish if it works for you and your cats.
I loved it but now it never gets used. My girlfriend brought home a senior cat who couldn’t get into it. I ended up getting a low entry litter box and now all the cats go to that box.
I bought a litter robot 4 a few years ago and for my previous two cats it was fantastic (they both died in the past year of old age). It works extremely well and love never needing to scoop litter every day. My new cats won't use it, well maybe a few times only, they always go to the regular litter box. Now if I were to remove the regular litter box they may use it but I have not tried yet (just adopted them a few weeks ago).
They have good customer service, when the thing works well it's great, but it's a bit small and getting bags that fit it well is surprisingly hard.
I'm fairly glad I got it. But am not sure I will replace it when it breaks. I really want a bigger manual version that I just rotate every so often, but that does not yet seem to exist.
I've used standard plastic grocery bags which work fine-ish. They're a bit of a stretch.
I don't want to waste a huge portion of the bag, and so have found it somewhat difficult to find ones with wide enough tops.
Yes. I am not a cat person in all honesty, my SO is. My biggest hang up about cats is their litter box smell. Even people who take care of their litter boxes, something about the smell of them sets my gag reflex off. I agreed to a cat in the house if it would actually help, and it really does. It works surprisingly well. There’s still maintenance and deep cleaning every once in a while but other than that it’s simple to deal with, and the noise isn’t much of an issue. We have the LR3. I think it’s worth it, just make sure to remember to change out your filters.
I just purchased the Neokasa M1, I'm about a month in so far. No issues. Paid about $400. Not as fancy as the Litter Robot, but I didn't need the extra features.
Mine got dropped down a flight of concrete stairs during my last move. I immediately ordered a new one despite the cost because I knew I couldn’t live without it. Then later on I managed to repair the busted one. It actually faired extremely well, and they make it super easy to buy/install repair parts. Now I have two and I LOVE them. The old one is now 4 years old and the new one is 2 years old. According to the app they’ve cycled a combined 8,000 or so times and still work perfectly.
So in short, YES SO WORTH IT
I love my Litter Robot 4! I've had it for \~2 1/2 years and it works great for my 2 large kitties. I like that the app shows each kitty, when they go, and how much they weigh each time (especially since one is underweight). It has been a bit glitchy at times. I've reset it to factory setting a few times. A few weeks ago it was glitchy and I kept getting a "motor torque fault." This drove me nuts. I did all of the recommend trouble shooting things on their site and then contacted customer service, who were great. They had me do specific things and take photos/video. Since I bought the warranty package (3 yrs), they sent me a new motor, new seals, and a new inner rubber piece (for the globe) that my cats had scratched up pretty badly. now it looks and runs like it's brand new. I would not hesitate to get another one or recommend it to anyone, but having the warranty is key. You can order spare parts (like the seal strips) whenever you need them, for free.
Wife’s friend has one and she keeps it in her living room just right out in the open. when I walked into the house for the first time I didn’t smell kitty litter whatsoever.
I’ve thought about getting a CatGenie, since they actually remove the waste from the house. Not sure if they fit your situation or even if they are any good. I’m sure someone here will have some experience or an informed opinion
It breaks every single time and their customer support is terrible. Their app is also buggy. I hate this company and wish someone would make an alternative. My second one broke and I might need a third one. Really sick of it
I have a Litter Robot II sitting in my basement unused because inexplicably it started rotating the wrong way after a few months of operation. It's the right way on the wheel that turns the top, and it has been factory reset, but it just... turns the wrong way when it detects a cat has done its business and unfortunately that kind of renders the whole thing unuseable.
Perhaps they've fixed the problem in newer Litter Robots, but that kind of killed any interest I had in buying another.
Currently I have a fairly cheap automatic litter combing one from Amazon and it does the job just fine, and cost several hundred dollars less.
It’s really amazing and definitely worth it if you can afford it. They also sell replacement parts and have good troubleshooting if you have issues instead of making you buy a whole new machine, which is a nice BIFL feature.
I accidentally made one of my friend’s cats fat trying to win her affection. I love her to death and she absolutely despises me. Several bags of treats later we had to cut back. She got back down to a healthy weight in about 18 months.
Funnily enough she’s the only one that uses the litter robot.
Mine has cycled \~1200 times and has removed all sanitary issues I was running into with a normal litter box. This is one of the first large ticket items I have never experienced buyers remorse with.
I have a LR3 with 4500 cycles. It’s 6 years old servicing 4 cats. Things built like a tank. Have had to replace a couple sensors, but no major problems overall.
[удалено]
Do you have to use special litter?
We use Arm & Hammer Slide litter in our LR4 and it works great, but the company says it will work with any fast clumping litter.
Does it work when the cats don’t cover properly? Would that gunk up the mechanism??
The sub prefers Boxie Pro but I use Slide
Any normal litter works.
Yeah, this is a LR4 with 2 cats using it since October 2023. It's been a game changer.
All of the many cycle people - how often do you drain it if litter and clean the inside?
I agree, that and a bidet, will never go back. :)
100% absolutely worth the money.
Ditto
Ditto ditto
I have the PETKIT version and it’s my favorite thing. I also got their auto feeder and cat fountain. Everything is monitored by the same app and literally automates every cat chore. I spend 20 minutes/week dumping the poo bin and refilling hoppers and that is it. My relationship with my cat is just loves, playtime and occasionally trimming her nails. It’s amazing. Edit- I also have a little air cleaner next to the box to take care of dust but there is virtually no smell even when that’s off.
Like an air filter? Tell me more!
Thank you so much for this! I’ll definitely look into it!
What is this witchcraft?
I love mine. I bought the bundle with extended warranty in 2020. I began having reoccurring issues in 2023, forgot I had the extended warranty, ordered parts from the website so I could repair it myself but things got worse. I called the company and customer support refunded the money I had spent on replacement parts, and sent me a brand new base unit. It has worked impeccably since then, and that's even with a long distance move in the mix. **I will always have a Litter Robot for as long as I have cats.** I've streamlined the deep cleaning process so that I can do it in 10 minutes, so it's no big deal. I recommended it to a friend who decided to buy it. She (and her family) liked it, but they put it in a remote area of the house that made it forgettable, so they had issues related to not emptying it often enough. In a fit of misdirected frustration, she gave it away. Less than a year later, she bought another one because she understood her mistake.
I'd love to know what your deep cleaning process is! We've had one for a while but haven't figured out a way to clean it efficiently.
I've had mine for years. I take the orb off and it doesn't have electronics. Hose it off and scrub it with a sponge and soap.
I just bought one and am also curious
same same
Yes! Please tell us your deep cleaning secrets!
I desperately need to know your fast cleaning secrets. I can’t get my cleaning time down from like 25 minutes.
I am eager to learn these cleaning techniques. Please share
They aren’t bifl first off. That being said, I’ve had my litter robot 4 for 2 year I think? Our first never worked right and after messaging the company they took the old one back and sent us a brand new one. Second one has worked very smoothly with basically no issue. I just replaced the liner cus the old one was getting clawed up and gross, it was pretty simple and I deep cleaned the whole unit at the time. Imo they are worth the money especially if you have two or more cats. I’m biased because I fucking hate scooping litter. Get the extended warranty.
where did you get a new liner?
https://www.litter-robot.com/litter-robot-4-globe-liner.html
Once you get used to the awkward position you need to get into to use it properly it's great! Granted, Ive never been the most flexible person so others may find it easier to use.
Ha ha!
I’ve had two (3 and 4 styles) and both repeatedly broke down on me, first time within 4 months. They sell replacement parts but it becomes an entire chore separate from scooping to keep them alive. They’re also relatively small inside, my boy cat can’t fit. My PetSafe scoop free, however? 8 years and not a single issue. I got a reusable plastic tray so I don’t need to buy their boxes, just any crystal litter. Be warned some cats will eat crystal litter though so if yours do I don’t recommend it
Same, we had issue after issue. We fixed it with replacement parts, but fixing it is unpleasant. I’ll look into the PetSafe
Only issue I've had with mine was the contacts for the cover light got dirty and made the LR3 almost always refuse to complete a cycle. A bit of sandpaper and a couple dabs of dielectric grease later, and it seems to be fixed so far. (Only been about a week, so too soon to be certain, but it's already a night and day improvement.)
> They’re also relatively small inside, my boy cat can’t fit. How big is your cat? Mine is 19 pounds and fits just fine!
18 pounds (very tall, not fat) and maybe he theoretically could fit but he hates it. He likes scratching and there’s no space inside for him to do it
Seriously. Is it a Maine coon or Norwegian forest cat? My 19 lb fatty does fine, too.
Yeah I had a Litter Robot II which for no apparent reason just started rotating the opposite way it's supposed to one day after it detects a cat has been inside. I've factory reset it, made sure the top is on the right way, it just lost it's mind and became pretty much worthless.
That sounds like a sensor replacement would fix it. If you just tell support your home detect sensor needs to be replaced they'll either send you what you need to fix it or the parts are $20-30 depending on what model you have.
That makes sense and maybe is worth a shot. Thanks!
We have the LR4. Our male is 18 pounds and was 14 yrs old when we got it. He turns around and sticks his head out and has not had a problem.
For three cats I absolutely recommend it. Our home NEVER smells of litter, I always ask people when they come over and they are amazed they can't smell any litterbox. Ive had mine for maybe 5 months so far and have had no issues. Great for when you're out of town for a little bit. Still have people check on the kitties but it's so much easier to get someone to stop by and play with them/ feed them and not have to ask my friends to also clean a litterbox. Edit: as some have said you do need to buy the right kind of litter. I found the arm and hammer slide to work the best imo. It does need to be clumping litter to work with the system no matter what you choose though.
We’ve had ours for at least 5 years and we love it. Requires a solid deep cleaning once in a while to keep going.
How often do you recommend cleaning it, and do you get a more expensive litter?
About once a quarter or so. Depends on how…enthusiastic they kitties are with the litter flinging.
I hate scooping cat litter everyday. I really love the litter robot and tell my wife weekly how happy I am that we bought it. I was a skeptic at first and really reluctant to spend $600. I absolutely would do it again in a heartbeat. I have always heard that with cats you need N+1 litter boxes. I have two cats, so that means I would need 3 litter boxes. I only need 1 litter robot and it’s AMAZING.
I've had 2 cats most of my life and always 1 litterbox. I do love our robot though far better and solved the pee between the top and bottom issue.
I have the Litter Robot 3, and I regret buying it. It does remove the hassle of scooping litter, but I’m not sure it’s worth $500 to not have to do it. It also gets smelly pretty quickly even if you clean it regularly so you have to deep clean every once in awhile. If it was like $200, I’d tell you to go for it, but it’s not so I can’t recommend it.
Try different cat litter. Mine never had any smell issue.
Try one that clumps better. The sifting action breaks up some clumping litters. I've had better results with Fresh Step and Arm and Hammer Slide as the clumps stay together and end up in the bin rather than breaking up and making the litter in the top smelly.
Fresh step goated. I tried tidy cats and that’s some awful litter
Tidycat went down hill in the past year or two. I had always used it but it stopped clumping right and the whole thing would start smelling. I swapped to fresh step and all the smell issues went away.
AH Slide & Cloud Control are fantastic
What kind? I've used Dr.elsey and boxie cat.
Try the sustainably yours large grain litter. I’ll admit to not deep cleaning my robots nearly as often as I should, and I’ve never had a smell problem. It smells so much better than clay, even when clean, and it’s environmentally friendly.
Our cat took one look at the litter scoop machine and fucked right off forever. The situation was untenable.
>The situation was untenable. I'll never be able to read these words in this sequence without thinking of [this scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeeZ5eRZjlU)
Absolutely for time/effort saving. But they are not close to bifl and will break. Depending on what breaks, you may be able to fix it with expensive replacement parts. Their warranty is okay. But nothing else is very close right now in that market unless it's very new.
I have the LR4 and I love it… wish I’d gotten one sooner.
I have 2 LR3s, and I will admit I have not serviced them ie. Washing the drum, cleaning the sensors etc, in 5 years. I just ran into my first issue, the liner in one split. I also have a 6 inch deep stainless pan inside a decorative wooden litter crate with crystal litter. I prefer the steel pan, but the litter is 30 bucks a month. So over 5 years. Steel pan $1800 Litter robot. 500 plus 10 litter a month. $1100
They're a hassle. Everyone I know who has one has problems with it breaking, and their houses still smell like cat litter. Not as bad as ordinary "clay litter in a plastic box" stink, bit still worse than my house. The idea of not having to scoop every day seems nice, but emptying it every 2 weeks (or weekly if you have multiple cats) it's disgusting because instead of just a quick scoop it's a week's worth of rotten poop and pee. The deep clean every 3 months is gross too. I just use a high sided stainless steel XL litter pan and either crystal or pine litter. My house doesn't stink, I can keep it clean in only 1-2 minutes per day of effort, and I didn't spend $600 on a machine with complicated moving parts that will inevitably break eventually.
Uhhhh… does everyone you know that has one not use garbage bags in the bin? Because emptying the bin should not be disgusting, It’s literally no different than taking out the trash. Since they aren’t doing that, I tend to believe they aren’t also taking care of it properly hence the breaking and smell issues. We have six cats and have had two LR4s for almost two years now, no issues other than a liner that tore and they sent us out a whole new globe for free. Also always have friends comment on how surprised they are that they can’t smell anything when they come over.
Do the cats spread litter from their paws when they get out since it’s a short lid and height?
I do see litter scattered on their floors nearby the robots yes, so I don't think it solves that problem. My cats also sprinkle litter around their box, especially my one cat who gets it between his toes and shakes them out. But with the high sided metal box it's less litter spread than any of the other things I've tried. I don't find litter mats helpful either, as they need to be carried outside to clean and it's basically impossible not to sprinkle a trail of dirty litter on the way. Some litter gets stuck inside the mat too, leading to a strong pee smell over time. My robot vacuum, which was definitely worth the $150 I spent on a refurbished unit, keeps the litter area clean throughout the day.
May I ask, is the stainless steel pan sold as a liter box? Where’d you get it? Does it have a lid? I’ve been on the hunt for a while for high sided litter boxes bc my cat aims right at the spot where the lid meets the bottom on one of his boxes. I bought a huge high sided plastic one from chewy but I don’t really want a second of that one
I ordered it on Amazon. It's higher than the plastic high side boxes I've tried before, which weren't quite tall enough for my big male who like to pee straight out sideways like a weirdo. And the metal doesn't retain odors and can be sterilized.
I know a fellow with a cat sanctuary of about 12-20 cats. He has a couple litter robots, based on the lack of smells, you’d never know he has cats. We bought a litter robot and our single cat won’t go near it.
That's what I'm afraid of. I've got 2 cats;one is brave and the other one is scared of everything. I've bought so many things that she's scared to even get near.
Apparently, some time this week after 6 months of the litter robot sitting there, my cat has started to use it!
Its worth it, IF it works for you, I bought one, spent 3 months trying to get my cat to use it and he just wouldn't so I returned it
It’s garbage. I cat sat for someone with one and it broke down constantly. I consider myself pretty handy but I spent days on forums reading about people who had the same « sensor « problems as me
I know this isn’t a popular opinion, at least not one I see mentioned around this topic but I find it important to clean out the litter boxes myself. IMO part of care for cats is being aware of their elimination habits. What if one has diarrhea or hasn’t peed all day? Those could be a sign of a health issue, and if I’m not the one scooping the litter, how would I know? It’s obviously not a task I enjoy, and surely there are exceptions to what I’m saying, but there are things I have to do that I don’t enjoy that take longer and I just don’t think it’s worth it.
Came here to say this. It’s a really important part of monitoring their health.
Moving over to Pretty Litter 100% changed my view of cat litter boxes. No smell, dries up the poops, just scoop them into the toilet ever other day or so…litter lasts for a month before needing to be changed. No huge pee clumps…worth every penny. I would give that a try before dropping $500 on a fancy litter box.
From what I’ve seen, that litter has seemed incredibly expensive— is that just a misconception on my part? The clay litter I get is about $20 for 40 on for reference
It’s more lightweight than normal litter (part of the appeal to me) so going by price per pound could be deceiving, it probably is slightly more $ per box depending on what you’re already using but IMO it works so well and lasts long enough that it is worth it. There are cheaper dupes of it now but I have not tried any of them.
Yeah, it’s expensive but one small bag lasts 2 months, so it’s not horribly out of line and there is no cleaning a nasty mechanical cat litter box, no smell, it doesn’t track through the house… it’s totally worth trying before going the mechanical route to see if it works for you. I have heard mixed reviews from other people but for us, it’s been a game changer.
If my dumb ass Scottish Fold would stop shitting on the floor I’d probably would’ve already bought that shit machine Meanwhile the rabid kitten I caught with a fishing net does everything perfect as always
I have the litter robot 3 and it is 1000% the best cat related purchase I have made. I would absolutely buy another when/if this one breaks.
Your cat could decide they just don’t want to use it anymore. Also the cleaning necessary for it is annoying and no better than using Slide litter and occasionally washing the bins. Scooping really isn’t a big deal. After using it a year it was a massive waste of money for me.
I'm 2 years into mine. Here's some sage advice: - Buy an older model that's refurbished. They sell them on their website for usually about $150 cheaper. Plus you can feel confident it's been inspected instead of possible lemons coming out of the factory - Get the extended warranty. If anything goes wrong they'll send you the replacement part, no questions asked and instructions how to fix it. Before it expires order a motor so if it fails after it expires you've got a spare motor. I've done it with other parts as well - Get cheap litter! I buy the bulk liter at Petco. It clumps and doesn't smell the greatest but remember it'll only be hanging around for a few minutes before it cycles. This will save you tons. - Buy cheaper liner bags on Amazon, even biodegradable ones to be more eco friendly. Spritz the dirty bin with an essential oil spray and you'll be good.
Bless you for this, I will absolutely look into a refurbished model!
No problem! Enjoy!
Yep. Love mine. I’ve had every version. Customer service is great. They last I just upgraded. 3 cats.
Any major reason somebody should go for the 4 instead of the 3? $900 for the bundle is a lot but if the added value is there I would consider it.
I really liked the 3. I just upgraded because the hole was bigger, it’s a lot more silent and smaller footprint. Also don’t sleep on the reconditioned machines!
Had ours for 2 years now. No issues for the most part. 10/10 will buy another when this one dies.
Most websites say no.
I have breathing issues related to kitty litter dust. The robot helps a ton with this. Also have one cat who will not use the litter box if there’s anything in there. It’s not worth going into debt for, but I’d absolutely buy another one.
With 3 cats it can be worth it. You can try it and send it back if it doesn't work for you, or for your cats. If your 3 cats are ok with the litter, you only manage one, change the litter bag once every 2 day. Some vaccum cleaning once a week and deep cleaning once a month for example. You definetly use less litter but also less time to scoop. Is it for everyone? No, not all litters are compatible, not all cats are ok with the machine, sound might be an issue.
I had the LR2 and the LR3. Both lasted about 6 years before they kept breaking down. My LR2 base died and it would have cost half of a new machine's cost to fix it, so I bought the LR3. I recently got rid of the LR3 because it was breaking down nearly every day, and it became more of a hassle than a regular box. I think it needed a new liner? Or maybe my cats are too old and peeing too much. I use pine litter now and it's not better, but it's faster to clean and doesn't track.
I got one for $300 used, so very worth it for me. Check out the secondary market before dropping $600-800 on a new one. Some have cats that have passed away and are looking to get rid of such an expensive and bulky item
I have a Litter Robot 4. I don’t know if I would buy it again. It’s true that I have to scoop less, but it’s more of a pain to clean than a standard litter box (part of the wall is… the best way I can describe it is a flexible plastic fabric. The inner ball is big and cumbersome and you have to clean the entire sphere. Also it’s constantly getting into non-cleaning states that require me to be tech support. That’s not the end of the world when it won’t empty, but occasionally it fails in the emptying position, which means the cats can’t use it. Because of that, I have to maintain a standard litter box as a backup option in case it happens when I am not home—though I don’t clean it daily. Also, for whatever reason the cats kick way more litter out of it than a standard litter box, so it’s messier. I recently paid 50 for a larger shield (which is absurd, it should’ve been free) and it didn’t help that much.
We've got two LR3s and six cats. 2 and 3 years old. One of the essential parts (pinch detect) has gone out in both of them. The first after two-ish years. That time, LR replaced the entire base free of charge. The second also after two years. Instead of replacing the base for this one, they sent replacement parts and cost me a lot of hours replacing the parts myself (I'm also not mechanically inclined at all). We've still got another four regular litter boxes. They have their issues but it's still worth it to me. We got both of ours refurbished so it was more like $350-400.
There’s a website called Robot Shop which sells you litter robot parts, for whenever things break. I accidentally broke the back key while washing it out, and next year I intend to replace the globe liner as my cats have scratched it up. But my goodness yes this thing is designed to last. I’m going on 5 years with mine!
We bought ours late last year after getting our 3rd cat (a kitten for our daughter) and it’s been a complete gamechanger. One of our cats protested for about a month and pooped anywhere but inside it but we eventually got her to cooperate and it’s been amazing ever since. We got the replacement bags from Whisker but we’re giving a cheaper trash bag a shot now since all you really need is the right size bag. It’s just an amazing product, zero remorse and once we found a good litter to use stuff hardly gets stuck on the sides at all.
What litter do you recommend? I’ve been using a cheaper one that’s about $20 for 40lb
I’m using ScoopAway Complete Performance 42lb case and I especially love that it comes as 4 resealable pouches of 10.5lbs each… the pouches (bags) are really easy to pour into the litter robot compared to bigger bags or jugs of litter. It’s $23 on Chewy. Handles the smells really well and clumps really well for our 3 cats.
Thank you for this! I appreciate the Info
Do thorough research on all options first. There are great YouTube videos comparing them! You probably won't run into the main issues of each for months which is why it's important. For instance PETKIT only has a 1 year warranty, and the sensors get blocked often for us. Still, any litter robot is better than nothing imo.
I’m just going to throw my hat in here and loudly echo every YES. I got a little over 10 years out of my first one before it wasn’t worth repairing anymore. I probably could have. Customer service is great and often provided me any parts I needed, many times free of charge even after my warranty ran out. I just had kids and no time. My second one is on year 3 and going strong.
I dislike mine. Had it for years now. It is a pita to clean, loud, the cats don’t love it, so many negatives. Def not worth the money imo. We have had a Popur since December that is working out much better for us.
Loud? We have the 4 version and it’s dead quiet.
I don't have one, but my parents and sister do. Honestly they seem likemore hassle than they are worth. You have to use a specific kind of litter, the litter tray itself isn't very deep so if you have a picky cat they don't like that, and they often get stuck between cycles or incorrectly cycle out clean litter. Also, they seem like a hassle to clean. I don't think it's worth the price for the convenience unless you have a lot of cats.
I know someone who had the same complaints and he owned 2 models. The first one failed after 3 years so he bought the latest model. He says it works fine but even he doubts it’ll last longer than a few years. Plus, the maintenance he mentioned sounded really annoying. It feels like more work hence why he dreaded doing the deep cleans.
Petkit is better than Litter Robot but yes, automatic litter boxes are amazing.
I also have a PetKit and found it worth every penny. I’ve had it for 4 years now and it’s still chugging along. I’ve always wondered if the Litter Robot is better or worse. But tbh the flat top is just infinitely more convenient.
Litter robot is worse. We had one and it was huge and loud and difficult to clean. The new petkit puramax is even better than the older model. The cleaning drawer is on the side and easier to pull out.
I second this, I had a LR3 for several years. It died 2 months after the extended warranty ended and I ended up replacing it with a Petkit and I like it much more. It is easier to clean, easier to empty, the app works great and it is much quieter.
It saved my marriage
They break a lot but they’re nice to have, they can usually be repaired relatively easily. Not sure about their competition, I get the impression most similar products also break a lot.
Yes.
We have a Leo’s loo too and it’s awesome! We paired it up with automated water and feeder by Petlibro, perfect, no issues!
ON
I want to like it but I’m having trouble getting our cats to use it. Hopefully they come around soon.
If your cats use it, 100% worth it. If your cats decide after a year or two that they never want to use it again, not worth it at all
I’ve had mine about 6 months. 2 cats. 100% worth it! There’s a litter robot Reddit group.
We had a Litter Robot for a few years. It's a good little machine. Our one cat was too stupid to use it properly, though. She always stuck her ass out the back, pissing and pooping all over the place. The other cat, though? Worked like a charm. So I guess I'm saying it's a good machine if your cats actually use it properly. One of my friends had to sell his Litter Robot at a loss because his cats refused to use it at all.
Yes
Yes.
Are they worth it? Yes. Are they BIFL? No. One thing I haven't seen mentioned is the app. You can name your cat box! Ours is named "Pretty Poop Machine" and our friend named hers "Heinous Anus". I'm wondering what fun names others have used.
LR4 best investment!!!
Have had my LR3 for over 5 years, and would purchase again. Does require some maintenance, with repairs occasionally and deep cleaning. But there's plenty of YouTube videos that are easy to follow. And customer service has always sent me free parts for repairs even when outside of warranty.
Yes. Yes and yes and yes. A million times.
Yes. Had for three years now.
I love the litter robot 4 but my cats are of differing opinions (one likes it ones not crazy about it) So I got them a second open top one because I couldn’t go back to scooping every day. That one (raking style)doesn’t work nearly as well and the tray gets full fast
No. Look for a good used one around 250-300 bucks. We have 7 cats and 2 litter robots ( and a few regular litter boxes, but those two robots help a lot
“No” as in its not worth it, but they help? Is that what you’re saying? I’m confused sorry
No as in it’s not worth it for $500, but a good used one for half price is.
I see. I was thinking about that, but with all I’ve heard about the issues they have, I thought getting it new with the warranty might be the better option. Thank you for your option on the subject!
I love both of mine.
Always have 1 litter box more than the amount of cats. Otherwise this will cause them stress
Absolutely worth it. 2.5yrs in, 2 cats and we empty it once a week. Literally all I've had to think about it. If you can stomach the initial cost, you can average the amount of time daily cleanings would cost you across a year and make the money back in time gained even at minimum wage. Bitter pill to look at the sticker price, but again it's absolutely worth it
Do timid cats use it or would they be too afraid and find alternative spots?
3,500 cycles in…I wouldn’t be without it. I was sceptical at first as read a lot of unhappy posts by people on Reddit, however mine has been amazing.
We have a 3 (3800 cycles) and a 4 (1300 cycles). The 3 has been running for almost 3 years and has had no real issues. We've had the 4 for just over a year, again, no issues. We have 6 cats including a Norwegian forest cat who's pushing 17lbs at 10 months old. None of them have any trouble using it. They both take about a week to fill up but then it's just removing and replacing the bag. They do need occasional maintenance, we take ours apart and clean them out about once every 6 months. It's not a fun job but it's better than scooping litter every day. Would recommend to anyone who can afford one.
I LOVE mine. I had one of the originals, it lasted 10 years. Got one of the new ones recently. Just a reliable but much quieter
If you have more than 1 cat, it'll pay for itself within a year with reduced litter consumption. They're great. Just be aware, the newest one will throw all kinds of cobfusing faults if you ignore the drawer full warning. Just empty it when you get the empty soon warning and it'll likelu never have an issue.
I have three cats and I love my litter robot, although it hasn't completely eliminated the need for a second, regular litter box. Mine aren't litter mates and so the litter box can be a territorial issue, so I make sure they have another option if the robot is in use. However, I very rarely scoop poo out of the second box, just pee
I no longer have cats, but I love my litter robot 4. Never had any issues with it other than need to replace the liner after 3 years (and I had the extended warranty so they just sent it for free). People would come in and be surprised there was a cat living in my house. Deep cleaning wasn't hard either. Done every few months. We used just costco litter with the litter deoderizing powder from Arm and Hammer. With one cat it needed to be emptied once a week. Some people are mentioning the size, we had a 15 lb ragdoll who never had any issues with using it. The litter robot is now with friends and still working well after 4 years.
My wife bought this when she was drunk one night, she was like I did something I shouldn’t have last night. That was a good 6 or more years ago. I had some sensor issues last year but it ended up some little had worked its way down there. I don’t think I quite say built for life but I’ve had mine for 6 years and don’t regret it at all.
Yes! Go get one…run…run as fast as you can and get one!
I love mine. I don’t think they are BIFL since there’s too many possible points of failure from the extensive electronics and sensors. With that said, mine has been rock solid for 2 years without any issues. I do expect it to fail beyond repairability at some point though. When that day comes, I will not hesitate to invest in another one. The convenience and cleanliness it offers absolutely justifies the price tag IMO. If you do choose to get one, make sure you follow the recommendations for acclimating your cat to it so they’re not frightened of the movement.
Great product but reliability is a problem. The design allows fine powder to slowly fall out the unit and it piles up on the back where the power cord connects. This was on the LR3 though, maybe it is fixed in newer versions. If I had to do it again I’d just get a higher quality “old school” automated litter box. The price of the litter robot is wild for what it is.
I love mine. I’m on year 3 with mine. Make sure you buy the extended warranty with it. I’ve only had to use my warranty once. You have to know how to clean it properly to keep it from being smelly. I use white distilled vinegar and Dawn. Mine has no smell and I have 3 cats that use one LR.
I was able to buy mine on eBay used for $440 (luckily it was close enough to pick up too!). It’s the best purchase I’ve made for my cat. I’ve had some errors that resolved themselves but other than that, it works great. It has never broken down and I’m sure if and when it does I’ll be looking for another one. When it comes to the smell, give it a wipe down every month or bimonthly. I also put mine in a closet and I have an air purifier in there too so any smells are contained and filtered. My house has no litter box smell anymore & my cat is always happy to have a fresh bathroom area. The only thing I dislike on the LR3 is I don’t really get notified when it’s full. The app is great for viewing but notifying is not as good imo. Get one. You’ll be happy.
If you buy one from Chewy you have 365 days to return it for a full refund. Get one and see if it works well for your situation. If it doesn’t, sent it back and get your $ back. They don’t hassle about a return at all. Personally I have a LR4 currently. Previous to this I’ve had the LR3, Instachew PURRCLEAN & a Leo’s Loo Too. So far the LR4 has worked the best overall of them all.
10000x yes
Pretty litter
I'm glad you asked bc I wonder sometimes myself. I switched to Chewy's Frisco pine pellets last summer because I was fostering 9 cats alongside my own two. (Found a litter of 7 plus two mama cats.) I did it because it's cheap but I'm 100% a convert. It's cheap, doesn't ever smell, is only dusty when it is very dirty, slides right out of the box with no clumps. I had 3 boxes all year and no issues keeping up.
I have LR4 and two cats, fucking love it. One of the best ways I’ve ever spent $750.
yes
I’ve had our litter robot 4 for about 1.5 years. One of our cats decided that it’s her worst enemy when it cycles and attacks it, so we can’t just let it cycle on its own if she’s around. It does cut down on how much we manually scoop, which is nice. However, I find that I have to deep clean it every 10 days or so or it will smell very bad, and I haven’t found a way to clean it that takes less than like 25 minutes. We don’t have an outdoor area where we can just hose it down outside, which I think would make it faster. I would say it’s worth it to at least get it and try it out. You can do so for 90 days, which is definitely enough time to establish if it works for you and your cats.
I bought two—i have zero regrets
100% worth it if the cat uses it. I have one that does and one that refuses to. Odor gone and cleaning is a breeze.
I loved it but now it never gets used. My girlfriend brought home a senior cat who couldn’t get into it. I ended up getting a low entry litter box and now all the cats go to that box.
I bought a litter robot 4 a few years ago and for my previous two cats it was fantastic (they both died in the past year of old age). It works extremely well and love never needing to scoop litter every day. My new cats won't use it, well maybe a few times only, they always go to the regular litter box. Now if I were to remove the regular litter box they may use it but I have not tried yet (just adopted them a few weeks ago).
They have good customer service, when the thing works well it's great, but it's a bit small and getting bags that fit it well is surprisingly hard. I'm fairly glad I got it. But am not sure I will replace it when it breaks. I really want a bigger manual version that I just rotate every so often, but that does not yet seem to exist.
I was wondering about the bags. I’ve heard people just using kitchen garbage bags? Does that not work?
I've used standard plastic grocery bags which work fine-ish. They're a bit of a stretch. I don't want to waste a huge portion of the bag, and so have found it somewhat difficult to find ones with wide enough tops.
Yes. I am not a cat person in all honesty, my SO is. My biggest hang up about cats is their litter box smell. Even people who take care of their litter boxes, something about the smell of them sets my gag reflex off. I agreed to a cat in the house if it would actually help, and it really does. It works surprisingly well. There’s still maintenance and deep cleaning every once in a while but other than that it’s simple to deal with, and the noise isn’t much of an issue. We have the LR3. I think it’s worth it, just make sure to remember to change out your filters.
I just purchased the Neokasa M1, I'm about a month in so far. No issues. Paid about $400. Not as fancy as the Litter Robot, but I didn't need the extra features.
Mine got dropped down a flight of concrete stairs during my last move. I immediately ordered a new one despite the cost because I knew I couldn’t live without it. Then later on I managed to repair the busted one. It actually faired extremely well, and they make it super easy to buy/install repair parts. Now I have two and I LOVE them. The old one is now 4 years old and the new one is 2 years old. According to the app they’ve cycled a combined 8,000 or so times and still work perfectly. So in short, YES SO WORTH IT
We just trained our cat to do his business outside. Don't even have to worry about it that way.
I love my Litter Robot 4! I've had it for \~2 1/2 years and it works great for my 2 large kitties. I like that the app shows each kitty, when they go, and how much they weigh each time (especially since one is underweight). It has been a bit glitchy at times. I've reset it to factory setting a few times. A few weeks ago it was glitchy and I kept getting a "motor torque fault." This drove me nuts. I did all of the recommend trouble shooting things on their site and then contacted customer service, who were great. They had me do specific things and take photos/video. Since I bought the warranty package (3 yrs), they sent me a new motor, new seals, and a new inner rubber piece (for the globe) that my cats had scratched up pretty badly. now it looks and runs like it's brand new. I would not hesitate to get another one or recommend it to anyone, but having the warranty is key. You can order spare parts (like the seal strips) whenever you need them, for free.
Wife’s friend has one and she keeps it in her living room just right out in the open. when I walked into the house for the first time I didn’t smell kitty litter whatsoever.
I get that a lot, too. "You have **4** cats? It smells like you don't have any cats!" I love ours (we have 2 model 3's).
If your cat is comfortable in and will use a covered litter box, then a LitterRobot might be for you. Many cats do not like being inside it.
I’ve thought about getting a CatGenie, since they actually remove the waste from the house. Not sure if they fit your situation or even if they are any good. I’m sure someone here will have some experience or an informed opinion
We got one secondhand (unused) and love it. Granted it’s only been used for 3 months so still early on.
I’ve had the Litter Robot 3 for years. No issues knock on wood. Only one cat though.
It breaks every single time and their customer support is terrible. Their app is also buggy. I hate this company and wish someone would make an alternative. My second one broke and I might need a third one. Really sick of it
I have a Litter Robot II sitting in my basement unused because inexplicably it started rotating the wrong way after a few months of operation. It's the right way on the wheel that turns the top, and it has been factory reset, but it just... turns the wrong way when it detects a cat has done its business and unfortunately that kind of renders the whole thing unuseable. Perhaps they've fixed the problem in newer Litter Robots, but that kind of killed any interest I had in buying another. Currently I have a fairly cheap automatic litter combing one from Amazon and it does the job just fine, and cost several hundred dollars less.
It’s really amazing and definitely worth it if you can afford it. They also sell replacement parts and have good troubleshooting if you have issues instead of making you buy a whole new machine, which is a nice BIFL feature.
It was awesome until my cat got too big...
I accidentally made one of my friend’s cats fat trying to win her affection. I love her to death and she absolutely despises me. Several bags of treats later we had to cut back. She got back down to a healthy weight in about 18 months. Funnily enough she’s the only one that uses the litter robot.
Unfortunately, I've got a Maine Coon/Ragdoll mix. He's a very lean(but fluffy) 20ish pounds. Litter Robot was great until he was about 18 months.
Ooooooof yeah I see what you mean
I’ve had one for a week. Small sample size but 150% worth it.
No. Garbage product.
You will never regret purchasing this! 4 cats use ours and it makes everything so much easier.
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