LitterMaid LM500 Automated Litter Box

I am very happy with how long this product lasted. Mine is a little over 8 years old, and it just broke the other day. While i will admit the bins are kind of expensive and it is noisy... It lasted for 8 years without any user error related issues! 7 of those years it was used by 2 cats, now just one.

I am very happy with the product, and have every intention of replacing it!

After going through two of these in 4 years, I can honestly say I regret buying them. I have now decided to purchase the Litter Robot, and I am confident that it will impress me.

The Littermaid has a fine line of what is too much litter and what is not enough. If you fill it slightly above the red line that says "add litter", the rake will not go all the way through its cycle. If you have even slightly less than the line, the urine clumps in a shallow pool to the bottom of the box, which cause a line of clumped gunky litter that the rake cannot get through. Not to mention having to touch the dirty waste receptacle to empty it. It is also very difficult to clean.

I cannot wait for my Litter Robot to arrive next week...will be manually scooping from the broken Littermaid until then.

I have owned at least 7 littermaid boxes ranging from the priciest to the less expensive ones ...its a great machine but the mechanism burns out easily i keep on buying them cause i travel for work a lot and i need it I wish littermaid would make a more powerful machine considering its pretty costly the newer model is even worst i find this model the 500 to last longer Good Luck to all

Good item if you use the proper litter bhut does reduce on having to go in and manually clean it out. I have mine and it does good

This device is overall a great product. The litterbox smell is virtually gone, just dump all the "kitty prizes" when the compartment gets full and you're good to go.

I've had great luck with fresh step litter.

Every once in awhile it will get a jam in it and you have to use the tool to clear it. But even with that infrequent problem this thing has made my laundry room 100x more bearable.

Ok I have had one of these before but had to get rid of my cat and it went with the cat. it worked great then and this one is no different. Yay for not having to shovel cat poo. also keeps the smell down.

the only advice is
1. make sure not to over fill, and when you top it off cycle it threw once so it levels out the litter. (you may have to help the rake along).
2. if the cat piles the litter to one side you may need to level it out again but no biggie.
3. put one of those plastic shopping bags in the bin so you can reuse it. (just pull the bag out and replace.)

I will always own a LitterMaid because of the convenience not having to manually scoop a litter box. Best price around.

Works much better that some newer models which tend to push out loose litter along with the "other stuff". Box worked great for 30 days, or so, then the device had an electrical failure.
FBM

Kitty Lovers
Litter Maid LM5500 is a smart buy for custom cabinets that conceal kitty litter trays.

I have two cats. I had previously had the LM900 Model which is a little larger than this one and came with the paw cleaning ramp...after daily use by two cats, the motor finally gave out after about 3.5 years... so I purchased this LM500 model from Amazon. I did not know that I had originally had the LM900 until I opened the box and saw that the LM500 was slightly smaller. Also, this one did not come with a ramp so I reused my old ramp as they are compatible. The first LM500 I odered came DOA - the motor did not work at all. Never got to use it since it did not work/run. I contacted Amazon and they sent me a mailing label with prepaid postage no questions asked and exchanged it for another one. In fact, it arrived in 2-3 days! Coudos to Amazon for their wonderful customer service! I set up the 2nd unit when it arrived and was a little skeptical as know that this is an older model. I heard so much negative feedback about the newer elite and mega elite models that I wanted to stay with something that I know worked well for 3.5 yrs. I have had the LM 500 now for a few months and it is working fine. I have 2 large cats and they manage just fine even though it is a little smaller and the motor has had no problems. If anything, this model's motor is actually a little quieter than the LM900.

Limitations:
It is not 100% scoop free or hands off system. The rake does not go deep into the litter so some solid waste is left in bottom of box on occasion. They provide you with a litter scoop for this reason .... I generally scoop any remaining waste every other day and simply lift the receptacle bin and dump it there with the rest ... still much easier than scooping a traditional litter box. I'd say that this model does the job without need for any scooping 80-85% of time. You do have to have the litter right at the right height. It works best if you have it right between the minimum and max fill lines. Even with the litter "ramp" the cats still kick some litter out of the box - I use a litter mat along with the ramp and that helps.

Where this box is useful:
If you do not like to scoop litter every day or several times per day - you will benefit from this. It will need some scooping on occasion or about every other day. If you are gone during the day, or want to go on vacation, I have found that this box is maintenance free for 3 days perhaps 4 before my two cats fill the receptacle to the top. As others have noted, I line the receptacles with plain plastic grocery bags as inexpensive and easy to just toss then. I generally toss these bags twice per week for a two cat household.

My cats do not mind the sound of the motor at all - but if you are a light sleeper, it is loud when everything else is quiet. I suppose you could turn it off at night and then switch it on in the morning..but I just leave mine on.

I bought the LM500 model on Amazon for about $67 with free shipping. If this one also lasts me about 3.5 yrs, that is about $20 per year which is well worth it vs a traditional litter box.

Bottom line - I guess I would call this box semi-automatic as it is not completely scoop free 100% of the time... realistically, probably needs scoop here and there and changing of the receptable bag twice a week -perhaps 3 if you have more than one cat like I do. I would never go back to an old fashioned litter box though. This one does work with the limitations noted above.

Hope this helps.

It worked great for about a week and a half. The first time I had to put more litter in is when I had a problem. It kept running over and over again and would not stop. I did everything the manual said, I cleaned the sensors, I made sure nothing was obstructing the scoop, and I almost emptied all of the litter out of it. Nothing helped. This was a truely worthless product.

The LitterMaid boxes are the best! This is perfect for a smaller space. It doesn't have a ramp but my cat has never used the ramp that came with some of the other models we have purchased throughout the years. This Litter-Maid is is pretty good. Even using premium litter I find I have to manually scrape the bottom of the box daily because I find the box seems to miss some. That is the first time I've encountered that with a LitterMaid product. I have purchased 4 and have loved them all except for the Elite model. There was a design flaw that would cause the litter to fall onto the floor. It may have been redesigned now. I didn't want to take a chance so I stuck with a product that I know and love. I will try the suggestion of another reviewer and spray the tray will silicone. I will also change the brand of litter to see if that helps. I haven't used this brand of litter with my other boxes so that may resolve it.

Your cat will love this litter box as much as you do!

As a foster furmomma for a cat rescue and a cat slave to my own cats, this prodcut is a dream come true and has been saving my life for 10 years now! Worth every penny you pay (if you avoid the high retail) and worth the time it saves. Yes, they do break down, what doesn't? But with a little care and obvious common sense these work for YEARS! You do have to break them down a few times a year for a good cleaning and keep the track the rake rides in halfway clean, but otherwise still the best thing. I will never be without them or without a spare in the closet just in case!
One suggestion is that the manufacturer scale back the side panels of the receptacle lid so that these can function in a smaller space when the rake hit it, such as in a closet without hitting the doors. I have 4 of these units in a closet, two on the floor and two on a shelf a little higher and have them side by side. I broke one when the lid sides pushed against the back inside of the closet door when raking to the receptacle because someone had shut the closet dorr partially. So making those "flaps" shorter would greatly reduce the actual amount of space the units need to take up functionally.

I have been a long time fan of the LitterMaid boxes but not anymore. Even though I have had to purchase a new box every year due to the old box wearing out (with only one cat), I have always been happy with it- until I purchased this model TWICE! I bought this 2 weeks ago and within one day of turning it on it decides to stop working right. The rake goes back and forth non-stop. My cat even urinated on the couch because he couldn't get in the box. I contacted the company who said it was because I had too much litter but that was not the case. The litter was an inch below the litter line and it hadn't been used yet.

I returned it and purchased another one and the same thing happened. I did some research and found other complaints the same as mine. After this and on top of having to purchase a new one every year, I won't be buying another one.

This unit has flaws, like any unit will, but the benefits out way them. The motor is somewhat noisy, but we keep it in our laundry room with the door closed so it's not as bad. We actually tried going with a silent one that spins and it didn't work as well at all.
With this one, the claws clean out all major clumps, so its great for one (or multiple cats -- we have 3). You just have to make sure to check it every day to every other day to make sure there aren't little pieces that got through.
Some people say the replacement bins are expensive -- they are. Just use small trash bags and line the inside, and keep re-using them. I haven't had to buy any replacements at all. This litter box also keeps the room its in smelling nice - you can't tell you have cats in your home. I would recommend it!

This is the third box I have had and the first one seems to have been the best one overall. The second one, a step up from the original one I had, did not last even a year. This third one is once again like the first one I had due to the price was right. It at first didn't want to work very smoothly but I believe all of the problems have been worked out. You just need to remember to get the pan that holds the litter on straight on the bottom part of the machine so that the bar that comes across to take out the litter works properly. This really is a good product when working correctly and is a nice change from having to empty litter pans all of the time and trying to cover the smell. One thing, the carbon filled squares they send to help with the smell do not stick well on the inside of the cover and most of the time fall off before you are ready to empty the plastic containers.

I've tried about 5 different automatic boxes over the years. This is the best one, and for the current price of $67, its a real steal. The newer LitterMaid boxes, with the metal rakes are unmitigated garbage. Avoid at all costs. This one is far from perfect, but it does a reasonably good job of at least maintaining a fresher box than the standard hand scoop type. It hardly ever gets stuck. About once a week I'll make sure the rakes are clear and I'll scoop out any remaining clumped litter from the bottom, etc. This takes all of 2 minutes.

On a side note, if your litterbox smells, try Ever Clean cat litter. We've tried them all, and this stuff just plain rocks!! I won't use anything else now. The box has little to zero smell emanating from it from the day we started buying Ever Clean. I've found that its usually cheaper at Petsmart than Petco. The stuff is expensive compared to some of the other "major" brands, but its 10x more effective. You get what you pay for in this case.

I had to return this machine in just a few weeks, Amazon was terrific, I printed out the label and got my refund asap. However the product was not. The motor made too much noise and scared one of my cats, you can't clean it with water so how do you clean it?? The motor after a week got weaker and weaker then finally stopped working. Not meant to be.. I don't know about the other models I'm back to the old fashion box and I scope it myself. The few days that it did work however, I enjoyed the less smelly bathroom because of the fact the the waste was sealed in a little container it did keep the smell to a minimum.
If anyone wants one I recomend another model do your homework. I should have listen to the prior reviews they were all right.

I have owned 4 littermaid auto litter boxes. I find this model more reliable than the newer models. I have also tried 2 other automatic litter boxes both of which were actually worse than the littermaid. That being said, I still hate this litter box. It is messy, noisy, requires more manual scooping than it should and they die every 2-3 years. My cats have become such litter box snobs that when given a basic litter box then would rather poop on the floor than go in a mildy dirty box, so now I am stuck buying a new one of these every time they break.

I AM NOT SATISFIED WITHTHE PRODUCT. THE LITTER BOX DOES NOT CLEAN COMPLETELY, IT SCRAPS THE TOP OF THE LITTER BUT NOT THE BOTTOM OF THE BOX. WHEN I RECEIVED THE PRODUCT I DID NOT RECEIVE THE ADAPTER FOR THE BOX. I E-MAILED BACK WITH NO RESPONSE. I HAVE HAD OTHER LITTER BOXES WHICH HAVE PERFORMED MUCH BETTER.

I've had two littermaids in last ten years and really like it for very little maintainance. About a year ago second one went out. So I got LM680 from walmart and broke in a year. So I got this LM500 and lasted fot two weeks. Fortunately Littermaid will send me replacement soon. The quality is getting worse on these devices.

The forks are not long enough to reach the pan and get the waste. It always leaves some on the bottom no matter what litter I use. Also the litter scope needs to have a flat edge because it don't get all the way to edge off the litter pan to get anything that is stuck.

I have used this model for 10 years...The first was destroyed in a house fire so I don't know how long it would have lasted but the one I purchased after the fire lasted 8 years. It finally died and I immediately began looking for a new one. I thought maybe a newer model would be even better...It was not. It worked one time and quit so I sent it back and got the LM500 and have used it a couple of months now and it seems to be just like the first one...I RECOMMEND IT TO EVERYONE I KNOW WHO HAS A CAT. Would not be without one.

I have had littermaids for about 10 years. In those 10 years, I have had two of them in which they work awesome. I have 4 cats, and its awesome just having to dump the plastic waste holder out every day, or every other day and not have to worry about litter all over the place and scooping. I have my current unit in a closet, and with 4 cats it has worked great for the last two years! !

Once the plastic lid and waste holder get a little worn, litter can fall between the crack which can be a pain, but I try to open the waste door carefully and pull the waste holder out gently to ensure the waste holders last a while before I have to replace...

When this unit wears out, I will move up to the Elite, which is bigger. But going strong on two years, hopefully it will keep working hard!

As a single female that owns 2 Main Coons and has to travel for my job, the Littemaid has been a God send for me for years. I am completely spoiled! Another product I like is a cat window perch: [...]

I've used LitterMaid cat boxes for ten-plus years, and they are excellent products. You must be sure to use a GOOD-quality litter (I've found Tidy Cats Crystals Blend to be really good in terms of dealing with odor), but even then, the LitterMaid will pay for itself in terms of significantly reducing the amount of litter you need to buy in a year's time. I line the waste receptacles with small bags (you can get quantities of them on eBay and other sources for no more than a few pennies each), and use the receptacles over and over; using a fresh rigid-plastic receptacle each time gets pricey in a hurry. My cats have no reluctance to use the box; it's always clean, and it doesn't smell. It will run either from an AC adapter, or on battery power; I definitely prefer the AC adapter for best operation of the motor that powers the rake. Be sure not to over-fill the box; there are guide-marks inside the box that give the best results.

The original-sized LM500 is fine for one cat; if you have more than one cat, I suggest a box for each cat; the "mega" sized boxes are a waste of money, as are the "privacy tents" (a cat doesn't care about privacy, and the tent just make it harder to get to the box on the rare occasions that it's necessary to do so); the "paw-cleaning ramp" is equally useless as most cats simply hop over the side of the box; you're better-off using a piece of carpet or a large bath mat around the box that you pick up and shake out and/or wash from time to time.

Definitely a five-star product, in my opinion!

I hate to be negative when I review products but on this item I would be remiss if I didn't tell you all the truth about the product. Don't waste your money. You will still end up cleaning the cat box and resetting it every time there is a problem and the box malfunctions. You must buy special litter, ( there brand) because if you don't it works even worse. You will also now have to buy odor charcoal pads and plastic poop trays periodically, (there brand) so once you invest in this product they have you over the cat box. There products are not cheap to purchase and they don't even give you any free coupons to excite you about it. The motor is way under powered and will cause the unit to reset when it gets stuck sweeping into the dump tray.

This is the greatest invention of mankind! LOL! I exaggerate but this is still a SPECTACULAR device! The ONLY thing I would change is how long it waits to rake the litter... I think it should be 20 min's, not 10 to give the litter more time to 'dry' in to a solid, unbreakable clump.

I moved recently and I used the wrong AC Adapter, which unfortunately fried my machine... (They looked almost identical) so this was my own fault.

The "Ramp" was great for my 21 year old cat but the `kitten' loves it just as much.

The original sealable containers that came with the unit were heavy and I would dump them out and put them right back in... But LitterMaid figured this out and has cut the thickness of their replacement containers in half so if you even LOOK at them too hard, they will crack. Don't expect to get more than 2 uses out of the replacement containers. (I'm looking in to a permanent replacement but haven't found one yet...)

I need to wait until next month to spend the $100.00+ on a new LitterMaid Automatic Cat Box but the expenditure will be worth it to never have to actually scoop cat litter ever again.

I've owned a Littermaid for about 6 years now & it still works well. I got a second cat so decided to get a second box. BIG MISTAKE! The newer littermaid performed miserably...only scooping about 1/2 of what was in box leaving lots of little smelly particles just sitting out there.

For the first time ever my house smelled like I had a cat (and I pride myself on keeping my house smelling pet-free.

I should've listened to the bad reviews.

*On a side note...Amazon is wonderful when it comes to returns so at least I'm not out any money.

This is a lifesaver! Went on vacation and did not feel that the housesitter needed to change the litter box. This made it easy for them to do just that with little to no work at all. The house smelled fresh and clean upon our arrival.

BUT

Item's sensor to tell it to STOP did not work. All sorts of fiddling did not work. Need to manually run the arm and turn it off. Little inconvenient seeming as this is a convenience product. Not fault of the seller, but might be the lack of correct shipping materials or just faulty product. On the other hand, it gives my handy husband something to do!

I have own these products since they first came out and I am very satisfied with the Litter Maid Litter pan

When I bought this, I had only one cat. I was trying to keep the dogs out of the litter box. Well, the dogs stayed out of it. It practically scared the heck out of them. It sounds like a nice idea, but it couldn't handle my cat's urine. I even used the litter it recommended. When it tried to scoop my cat's urine clump, you could hear it in the other room. The motor seemed like it was crying. It ended up breaking several of the tongues or teeth or whatever you call them off. It was more work than a regular litter box. The lid wouldn't close over the litter it "did" scoop and I was having to check it after every time it was used so it wouldn't try to run all night long.

I'd rather have a loud motor that actually cleaned the box as to a quiet motor that knocked all night long. When an "engineer" invents one of these with all metal parts and a strong motor(reguardless of the noise), I may buy one. Until then, I think they are all crap.

I previously owned one of the older models and it worked for about 5 years with very little or no problems. I recently ordered the LM500 and it did not work properly from the very start. The rake continued to go through the cleaning cycles and would not shut off. (I know all about putting too much litter in and this was not the case) I returned this product and received a replacement. Amazon was very helpful in this matter. This one lasted about a week before it started doing the same thing. I would not waste my money on the model. They should have kept the older one which seemed to work great!

i got the new delux littermaid box and i hated it. the first one is still the best . as far as shiping it arrived a day early. so all round i have to say im very happy with this transaction.

Ordered two even after very mixed reviews. Should of known! Set them both up as directed with premium litter. Tested both. One had a rake that would not stop cycling and the other one didn't cycle at all. I returned both before the cat even used them. Although a hassle, Amazon made the return simple and credited me immediately. I would not recommend.

We had used a LitterMaid automatic litter box for over 4 years without problem until it stopped operating. I ordered a replacement through Amazon and it arrived within two business days, as promised by Amazon. I set up the litter box, using the recommended premium cat litter and turned it on. After two days of operation the box won't quit cycling; the scoop just goes forth and back, forth and back without stopping unless the power is turned off or the brick unplugged from the wall. I made sure the sensors were clean but that didn't correct the problem, neither did turning the switch off and on several times.

So next I tried looking on LitterMaid's website for help but found nothing for this problem. Then I called LitterMaid and waited and waited and waited on each level of their multi-level phone system. When I finally got to talk to a real person I was asked where I got the litter box; I said Amazon, and I was coldly directed to contact Amazon.

The Littermaid is installed and being used. This is my third Littermaid, and I am very pleased with this product. This particlar litterbox seems to want to evacuate the box multiple times before the rake stops and I sometimes have to stop it manually, but other than that, it is a great product. Wit 4 cats in the house now, it is he only way to go with the litterbox situation.

This thing has a number of problems with it. None really prevents it from performing its function (eventually) but all add up to a real pain. One problem is that the plastic boxes that the cat manure is scooped up into do not fit very well into their canister. As a result cat litter seeps through the gaps and you end up having to vacuum underneath every few days. It should not have been that difficult to make a better fitting plastic box or area where it is to be placed.

A second problem is that the red "fill" line is misleading. If litter is filled up to that point (or even fairly close to it) the machine jams. As a result, to prevent jamming, one needs to fill the device with far below its full capacity. This, in turn, necessitates filling the machine with more cat litter than should be the case (i.e., twice a week instead of once).

A third problem is that the rakes, many times, get jammed due to filling up with litter. The rakes should have been made further apart to reduce this.

In short, the machine does do its job but with a few relatively minor modifications (that should have been easy to spot for the manufacturer) this machine could have been much improved.

We have had this model of litter box from LitterMaid in the past and found it to be just what we wanted. Unfortunately, this time we received two of them from Amazon and both were defective. However, the returns were very easily and efficiently handled.

Product works very well. I purchased this litter box because of the reviews I had read, and also the fact that this is one of the litter boxes featured on LitterMaid's web site. At first I thought the box might be too small, but it is just fine. The LitterMaid brand of litter is corn litter. Corn litter works very well, but other brands of corn litter are half the price.

I used to be a proud owner of this and other littermaid products. I now however advise that no one buy littermaid products. I have purchase two of these units in the last year and both have failed for no reason. When I contact the company, I was talked down to and was not offered any real information about the source of the problem. This product is not worth >50$ for less than six months worth of use.

The biggest thing I think, with having your Littermaid work correctly, and last, is to use the best litter available. Forget the clay based litters, they gum up and are too heavy for this product (A flaw for Littermaid). I use "World's Best Cat Litter". It is made entirely of corn, it's lightweight, doesn't clump up like the clay based litter, and does a great job on odor control. And, it lasts a long time. I noticed with the clay based litter I had first tried with this product, that when my cat would use the corner to pee, the rake couldn't scrape up the clump, and it would stick to the corner of the pan. With "World's Best Cat Litter" brand, that no longer is an issue. If your going to invest $90 or more getting a Littermaid, keep it hassle free, and use the right litter.
Of course, as others pointed out, don't overfill the box.
Even though the instructions say, to fill it up to just under the full line, I only fill it up to the first line.
Use the scoop that came with the box to measure the depth of litter in the pan.
Also, I line the waste receptacles with small kitchen garbage bags. I get them at Walmart, their by Glad brand, and are around $3 for a box.
I do think the product needs improvements, a stronger motor, better quality parts (rake, etc), But overall, it is saving my 80 year old, disabled mother from the chore of cleaning up after her cats. For her, it has been a blessing.

We purchased this thing at kmart and at first it didnt work at all out the box... It was DOA.. So we returned it and got a replacement...

For the first 30 days it works "OK". Cat poop ended up in the trays and the cat used it..

After 30 days the sensor failed.. We have to turn the littermaid off then back on again to get it to rake..

We contacted littermaid and have not had a single reply..

I cant believe the defects that are out on this thing and how stores can sell this believing it is a quality product.

What a great product! I bought one 7 years ago and it got tons of use (5 cats). The new one works great, I have 3 litter boxes and now at least one is always clean. I like the new scooper that cleans between the rake. Cat's have no problem using it and were never afraid of the motor- they actually are curious and think it is interesting. I Highly recommend this one for every cat owner!!!

The reason for this purchase was to eliminate the need to clean the litter pan on a daily basis and that's not what I got. I still had to clean every day because the rake either got stuck in the litter or went right over the mess.

We have from two to four cats at a time in our home, and managing the litter box is something we want to be as easy as possible. This LitterMaid LM500 Automated Litter Box was the first automated solution we tried. I'm afraid it wasn't our last, as it had numerous problems.

First, the tines would get clumped full of stuff and it would get caked solid rather quickly. I'll note that we didn't even try having this be the "only" litter box in our home! We had two others there too. We just wanted to see how well this worked. The storage container would get jammed in the open position, so that it did not do a good job of managing stench.

However, we could have dealt with those issues. We could have cleaned the tines daily, and pushed down the lid ourselves regularly. The real problem was far more serious.

First, understand how this works. The system sense motion and then X minutes after the cat has left the area, the tines move across, dragging any solids and clumps with it, pushing those items into the receptacle plastic box at the far end. Then the tines return to their original position and wait for a new visit.

What happened with our unit would be that the tines would decide that they were ALWAYS ON and would keep going back and forth, back and forth, driving the poor kitties to distraction. There was no way they were going to jump in there and try to do their business while a set of metal tines was growling towards them!

We tried several times to fix this, but it really just wasn't worth it. We moved on to other options and found a GREAT one. This one went in the trash as we couldn't even imagine subjecting any other cat owner to it. A large waste of money.

Not well recommended.

I'll give it 2/5 stars on the assumption that some units do NOT do that random motion thing - but it would only take one fritz in a lifetime to really demolish a cat's desire to ever use the unit again :)

This is the Littermaid Litter Box to buy, stay away from the 'improved' models. Our LM500 is three-years-old and making a lot of noise so we bought a new 'mega' model at Target. the Mega has several features like a removable rake, ion air freshener, etc.

We were hugely dissapointed in the new box. It didn't scoop as well as the old unit, leaving much debris at the bottom of the box and pushing lots of clean litter into the waste receptacle with each pass. I called the mfgr and they offered to swap if I shipped the 'mega' to them with an original recipt. I had lost the receipt, so I tossed the new 'mega' model and ordered another original LM500 from Amazon.

The old LM500 is still working, so I'm hanging on to the new one as a spare.

OK. I read the reviews... I'm not a rookie LitterMaid user... I understand it requires some upkeep. That being said....

I decided to go with the older model as most of the veteran LitterMaid users suggested. I got it... set it up... turned it on... the cats came running and put a big dukie in it. It worked PERFECTLY! Whew! Then...

It didnt stop running back and forth and back and forth and back and forth. The darn thing was BROKE! The carriage would not stay parked. GRRRRrr!

SO. I couldnt return it until I had another litter box, so I ran to Target and picked up the NEW model. BIGGER MISTAKE! What a piece of JUNK! First, I"m not an idiot, but I had a hard time putting that darn thing together. I'm not even sure I did it right. Secondly, like most reviewers wrote, that motor couldnt move a fly let-a-lone a bowel movement. It could barely push itself through the plain unused litter. (No, I've never overfilled it... its never even been past the fill line).

I returned the broke one to Amazon... had to complain when they wanted to charge me a "restocking" fee. But finally got a complete refund of my money. I'm in the process of returning the even crappier one to target... just need to go get ANOTHER litter box. My husband made me promise... no more automated litter boxes. Man I'm disappointed!

I bought 2 when I just got my kittens, they did work well for a couple of weeks maybe a month without a big issue
Very noisy, a mess to change the containers, litter gets stuck all over the parts and the engine runs back and forth for hours!!
Better than Purrforma

I've read some of the reviews here and will put my 2 cents in. I have one cat and must often be away for a week at a time. Thanks to this product, I don't have to ask my mom (or another care provider) to clean out the litterbox when I'm gone. I guess I'm lucky, because Miss Kitty uses this box only for #1, and she uses a regular litter box for #2. So I can have a week away without too much difficulty. You do have to be careful about overloading it. It's also true that the tracks get litter on them. A little brush and a special scoop came with mine that make it easier to clean the product. I've been very happy with mine.

Here's another great product for the traveling cat owner. This product has kept my cat from getting overfed by loving "Grandma." You program it to release food in 1/4-cup increments up to 3 times a day. Miss Kitty has lost weight, and she is fed at the same time daily. Petmate Le Bistro Portion-Control Automatic Pet Feeder, 5-Pound Capacity, Black