Not So Low Maintenance Litter Boxes

Many cat owners would jump at any chance that makes it simpler to take care of their cats.  Thoughtful businesses typically use this opportunity to manufacture an item that generates profits instead of results.  This is one of the reasons why pet owners should use discretion when buying an automatic litter box.

Automatic litter boxes, while a great idea, rarely fulfill all of the promises which are made on the package.  In fact, many of these litter boxes fall well short of expectations if the variables are not precisely perfect.  On that thought, let’s look at some of the disadvantages to having a self cleaning litter box.

All automatic litter boxes must use clumping cat litter.  If the right cat litter is not utilized, the cleaning process of the litter box will not be effective at all.  Clumping cat litter is more expensive then traditional cat litter.  In addition to this, most scoopable cat litter products will produce a lot of dust that may contain sodium bentonite.  This is not healthy for any pet or human to breathe and is the leading ingredient that forces cat litter to clump.

Most automatic cat litter boxes must be located close to an electrical outlet so that the electrical cord may be plugged in and the cleaning process powered.  This may be an inconvenience in itself, but what happens if the electricity goes out?  Fortunately nearly all automatic litter boxes utilize a battery backup option.  However, the cleaning process usually is less aggressive and larger clumps can be difficult to be dispensed of.

A large percentage of the automatic litter boxes on the market feature a raking process to dispense of the clumped litter.  While in concept this is good, reality has proven that the raking process is flawed and may cause a considerable mess when a cat has loose stool.  In most cases, just removing the rake to clean can be a chore.  And if the rake is not properly cleaned at once, the mess will become worse and extremely difficult to clean.

Prior to shopping for a new cat litter box, consider the needs of your cat and how much time you want to spend cleaning the litter box.  In many situations, pet owners will find out that a self cleaning litter box just is not as convenient as they had hoped for.  Granted, scooping a litter box manually is not enjoyable, but fussing with a dirty litter box to remove the rake is more difficult and has caused a many cat owners to pitch their pricey litter box for a plain box.

The leading consideration for buying a litter box should always be matching the size of the litter box to each cat.  A cat must be able to easily get in and out of the box.  Any litter box which requires jumping is simply too big for the cat.  If the litter box is too small for the cat, pet owners will find out fast when the mess does not stay in the litter box.

As pet owners, we truly desire the best for our family pets.  A clean and operational litter box helps them to stay happy and healthy.  Before thinking about the convenience of a self cleaning litter box, first think about how these boxes will not function as advertised in the real world.  Most pet owners have discovered that a more expensive product does not always provide a more convenient litter box.