# Automated litter box - 2 cats 1 box?? (and other litter q's)



## azcat (Oct 10, 2010)

Is it possible for 2 cats to use 1 automatic litter box? :2kitties

ImpostorCat has wormed his way into my heart, but I am unsure of the logistics of having two separate manual litter boxes and staying sane. 

I would like to purchase one of those fancy shmancy litter boxes that cleans up after itself to cut back on poop scoopin'. I know my cat is okay with using communal boxes because he visits his grandpurrents a few times a year when I go on vacation. Right now he has a covered litter box and ImpostorCat has a regular box.

Is this a good idea? How should I introduce the two of them to a robot litter box? Should I get one robot and keep one regular box?

What's the best robotic litter box out there? I think I'd like to keep it under $200. I would consider two cheaper units but I want to make sure they won't scare the poop out of the cats prior to using them.


On a side note: How often do you clean your litter box(es)?


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

From what I've read here and elsewhere, they really aren't worth the trouble. I have three litter boxes and as much as I hate scooping, it really only does take a couple minutes. Plus, it helps you see if there are issues, too (diarrhea, not as much pee as there should be, etc.).


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## kittywitty (Jun 19, 2010)

I agree with Marie, those genie type litter devices run on electric and you end up not seeing what your cat is doing. I have read that some bigger cats don't fit in them as the opening is on the small side. They may even break down and then you spend more money to replace or fix. Keep it simple and save money.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

I've never used one, but I agree with the prior posters in that I've heard a lot of negative things about them -- taking a long time (up to an hour) to go through one cleaning cycle, considerably more smell, often result in a mess that is difficult to clean, etc. 



azcat said:


> ImpostorCat has wormed his way into my heart, but I am unsure of the logistics of having two separate manual litter boxes and staying sane.


What part of maintaing two manual litter boxes are you finding difficult? I have four manual litter boxes for two cats (admittedly over the top...long story as to why and not relevant), but it takes less than 5 minutes to go round and scoop all four boxes, and I do so twice a day.


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## NinjaCat (Oct 6, 2010)

I'd say no the automatic litter box. I loathe automatic litter boxes. None of them are ever big enough for most cats. Then you add to that that half of them are covered and covered boxes make it harder for them to move around in. You can't see if there's an issue (such as diarrhea or worms).



As much as it isn't exactly pleasant to maintain them, it doesn't take that long or take much work. For four litter boxes (and three cats) it only takes about 5-6 minutes to scoop them all twice daily. About 20-30 minutes once a week to dump all the litter, scrub them up with hot water and soap, rinse with hot water, dry them off, fill them back up and put them back in there places after vacuuming the area under and around the litter box(es), spritzing hardwood floor cleaner on the floor and wiping it down with a cloth. I've actually grown to kind of like doing it.


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## Ducman69 (Aug 28, 2010)

The only decent one is the really expensive Litter robot II w/ the bubble canopy.

Works well, only downside is the cost and fact that most can afford only 1 (an issue if your kitties mind sharing) and it is a bit noisy.

Personally, for $35 on Amazon, IMO you can't beat the Omega Paw Self-Cleaning Litterbox Large:
Amazon.com: Omega Paw Self-Cleaning Litter Box, Large, Green and Beige: Kitchen & Dining: Reviews, Prices & more

















If you have a closet to spare, just put two in there, go to Lowes and get a large industrial floor mat (has grooves to spread paws and catch the litter), and IMO spend the five minutes and put a cat door on it and its out of sight and odor free.

For servicing, you just open the door, pull a box forward, roll it, and then do the same to the second one if disturbed, combine the two litter scoops into one, and if you have a flushable litter like World's Greatest or Swheat Scoop (like the latter a lot), then you just inspect the poo and dump it in the toilet and flush. 

Only modification I found necessary was to fill the box, take note of maximum capacity of the catch on the right, and then with a ruler mark a maximum fill line with a black magic marker. That way you know when you're getting low.


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## Clutch (May 10, 2010)

Automatic is far more trouble than it's worth. I had one when I first got Ringo, and it was an adventure in frustration with every trip to the litter box. For example, for some reason Ringo only used one side of the litter boxes so one side of the storage device always overflowed, so I'd have to mess with the littler anyway.

It is so much easier to do a little scooping every day.


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## Kattt (Dec 20, 2008)

I used automated litterboxes for years (Litter Robot & Scoopfree), and trust me when I say this - You do not want one. They smelled worse than traditional litterboxes, they broke often, they had to be cleaned alot (at least on a weekly basis, or they smalled terrible!), and they're hard and time consuming to clean. And the most important reason of all, is what previous posters have already said - You should scoop daily to monitor your cats health.

I scoop multiple times a day now, and its actually alot easier and less time consuming than all of the time I wasted for years on automated boxes. I scoop after each usage if I'm home, and it takes all of 2 minutes, if that. 

I have 2 cats, one with chronic constipation and the other with urinary disease. So its important to know whats going on in their litterboxes on a daily basis. And I believe scooping saved my male cats life. If i was still using the automated litterbox, I would have never known he had a urinary blockage as fast as I did. He showed no visible signs of pain or discomfort, or anything at all. Just couldn't pee, and that alone could have killed him within 48 hours. So thats reason enough for me to never use an automated box again.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

I use one, and have for many years. They break down frequently, and keep going back and forth, but I just press the button to start it, and then turn it off. I think it's worth it. When I had two cats and the automatic litter box was working, it was fine. Now I have only Nina. Someone needs to improve on the design.


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