Having a cat as a pet and getting home to generous rubs is a thing that most pet lovers enjoy. Multiply that feel-good effect by a factor when you have multiple cats in your house.
The sound of their purring as you sleep is so relaxing and can be the calming effect you much needed, especially after a long day.
This, however, can quickly turn into a nuisance due to the constant scooping of the litter box and cleaning that’s needed in a multi-cat house. This eventually can take up your time and wear you down eventually especially if you have a demanding job and are busy.
The solution to this would be getting a multi-cat automatic litter box. Let’s dig deeper into this.
WHAT IS AN AUTOMATIC MULTI-CAT LITTER BOX?
Automatic litter boxes also called self-cleaning boxes are a technological advancement that makes this whole scooping business hands free, as the litter box is self-cleaning and doesn’t require manual scooping.
How amazing can that be!
ARE AUTOMATIC LITTER BOXES NECESSARY?
This depends on your schedule, your preferences and your cat’s needs. If efficiency and convenience are a priority over price, then this is definitely for you.
To clearly understand if they are a worthy investment, let’s explore the benefits and the cons of the self-cleaning litter boxes.
Benefits of self-cleaning litter boxes:
- Saves on cleaning time that would have been spent scooping the box.
- They help reduce odors since they remove the waste more frequently.
- Cushions you in case of long absences, where the risk of finding a messy litter box is high.
Cons of self-cleaning litter boxes:
- Some don’t work as efficiently as they should.
- Not the best option for a multi-cat household unless you have one for each cat, plus an extra automatic litter box.
- It may not be 100% automatic and requires manual input such as emptying the waste receptacle to unclogging the rake.
- Your cat may just not like it. Some get scared by the automatic flushing sound and may avoid it altogether.
WILL MY CAT GET USED TO USING THE AUTOMATIC LITTER BOX?
A simple hack involves introducing the self-cleaning litter box and place it adjacent to the normal litter box. This will enable the cat to associate the new box with elimination.
The next step would be to remove the hood and allow the cat to use it as a normal litter box without the automation.
Once your cat is comfortable, replace the hood and activate the automatic self-cleaning setting.
THE BEST SELF CLEANING LITTER BOXES MODELS IN 2020
They operate best with clumping cat litter.
They include:
1. Manual model:
This type still requires input from you and monitoring.
The cat deposits his waste into the litter, after which you physically tilt or rotate the litter box. This ends up separating the fresh litter from the waste. You then proceed to remove the waste and dump it into a waste bin.
The Everclean Self-scooping Litter Box falls under this.
Here, the cat’s litter box may have a snap-on cover that has a scooping screen. By simply rolling the box over once, the screen proceeds to trap the litter waste clumps after which you open the lid and empty the litter waste.
The Omega Paw Self-cleaning litter box with a hood is also popular. Here, you roll the top of the box 180 degrees to the floor and return back to the original position and thus the litter waste is removed. The waste goes into a removable kitty tray for disposal. Once this happens, the clean cat litter falls back into the litter box for fresh use.
2. Automated model:
This model has an eye sensor that detects when your cat has finished their elimination process and left the litter box.
The litter box has sensors, timers and a motor with a rake hooked onto it.
The rake combs through the litter and gets rid of unwanted waste into a separate sealed box.
These boxes barely require you as a cat owner to do anything.
They are powered by batteries and such products include the LitterMaid and the Petmate Purrforma Plus self-cleaning litter boxes.
These are generally more expensive but are fully self-cleaning.
It involves filling the box with clumping cat litter after which your cat will use the litter box normally.
About ten minutes later after the cat uses and leaves the LitterMaid litter box, an infrared sensor detects that the pet has left the crate and it signals an automatic programmed sifting comb to rake through the cat litter and scoop up any waste.
This is then deposited into an airtight sealed box. In the meantime, the brush skims easily over the litter, comes back to its original position and is prepared to rehash the cycle.
PetSafe Scoop-Free Original Self Cleaning Cat Litter Box has the ability to keep your cat’s box-fresh for up to 21 days without any scooping or even cleaning.
About 20 minutes after your cat leaves the box, the litter is sifted and disposed of in a sealed tray below. The crystal cat litter absorbs urine, dehydrates feces, neutralizes smells, and minimizes tracking.
Once the litter box is full, the disposable tray is removed and discarded. 5
The Petmate Purrforma, in addition, is a gigantic hooded self-cleaning system that too utilizes infrared sensors to recognize when a feline enters and leaves the unit.
You fill the case with clumping litter, and after a flexible ten to twenty-minute delay, the litter box rakes the waste into an enormous capacity box, sealing away the clumps in an expendable sack.
You basically expel the sack and drop it in the waste bin.
The container accompanies a paw-cleaning incline that limits tracking litter onto the floor.
CHOOSING THE BEST EXTRA-LARGE SELF-CLEANING LITTER BOX
To settle on the best litter box, let’s take a look into the most important features to look out for in your selection:
1. Power sources:
The majority of the self-cleaning litter boxes operate on electric power while others run on batteries alone.
Smart litter box models have both features in that they are electric-powered and have batteries as their backup energy source.
1. Model dimensions:
Considering you have multiple cats, the dimensions must be adequate enough to provide sufficient room for your cat. This includes the height from the ground to the space inside the litter box.
This will also determine where you place the litter box considering that location is key.
2. Mode of action:
This involves either manual or automated models. This type still requires input from you and monitoring.
The cat deposits his waste into the litter, after which you physically tilt or rotate the litter box. This ends up separating the fresh litter from the waste.
You then proceed to remove the waste and dump it into a waste bin.
The automated model has an eye sensor that detects when your cat has finished their elimination process and left the litter box.
The litter box has sensors, timers and a motor with a rake hooked onto it.
The rake combs through the litter and gets rid of unwanted waste into a separate sealed box.
These boxes barely require you as a cat owner to do anything.
