You can enjoy great benefits from using a self-cleaning litter box for your cat. Let’s get to the point and check the following advantages of having one of these devices:
1. It Frees You From Scooping Every Day
This means you gain extra time! That’s the main reason auto litter boxes were created; to do the job for you so you don’t have to worry about this stinky task anymore. As cat owners we agree this is the number one thing we hate about having a cat, having to scoop the litter box at least once or twice a day. Whether the self-cleaning litter box uses a rake to do the job for you or a self flushing or rotating mechanism, the point is that these devices are designed to collect the waste from the litter box so you don’t have to do it.
All automatic litter boxes work with sensors that trigger the self-cleaning mechanism once the cat leaves the litter box. Also, all of them feature a safety measurement in case a cat re-enters the litter box, resetting and delaying the auto cleaning process. These machines are not perfect but effective when it comes to relieving the scooping task. The efficiency of this scooping action will depend on the quality of the electric litter box you choose.
2. Less Or Not Contact With Cat Waste
Everybody knows that the direct contact with cat’s feces and urine is not healthy. When you scoop the litter box once or twice a day, unless you use a mask every time, you are breathing ammonia, bacteria and other infecting agents that could be harmful to you. The situation is worse If you have kids since they are also breathing this harmful ammonia or bacteria from the litter box or they have access to the cat’s waste, which is worse.
The level of contact with cat waste will depend on the mechanism of the electric litter box. If you choose a self-flushing litter box like the CatGenie you won’t have contact with cat waste at all. With devices that feature a rotating mechanism like the Litter Robot, you will only need to grab a bagged waste so the contact is minimum as well.
Other machines that feature a rake also reduce the contact with cat clumps because they minimize the frequency of scooping, although there is still some scooping to do here and there, they certainly reduce it by 70% or more, depending on how efficient the design is.
3. It Reduces Odors In Your House
If a cat litter box automatically self-cleans it means there is not waste sitting in the litter box for hours. This self-scooping action reduces the feces and urine smell dramatically. Nobody wants to have visitors that notice you have a cat in your house without actually seeing the cat.
An auto litter box can keep up with the cleaning of the litter box but to reduce the odors efficiently will also depend on how the self-cleaning litter box’s design holds the collected waste and also the quality of the litter you use. For your peace of mind, all automatic litter boxes can be cleaned, some of them can be submerged in water while other just wipe clean with a wet cloth. The frequency of cleaning the litter box will also help in controlling odors.
The last but not the least factor when it comes to odor control is paying attention to your cat’s diet. Cat foods made with by-products create more and stinkier feces. A factor to take into consideration.
4. Your Cat Enjoys A Clean Litter Box At All Times
It is very important for felines to have a clean litter box every time they need to use it. A clean litter box gives cats a sense of safety and comfort, just as human. In the wild it’s very important for a feline to cover its feces and urine smell for two reasons: to avoid alarming possible preys and also hiding from predators. The domestic cat even though is not living in the wild, its instincts still conduct its behavior of rejecting a dirty litter box.
Some cats are more finicky when it comes to accepting a dirty litter box and they plain don’t use it even if having a very little use. There are bad consequences for your cat when the litter box is dirty. Either way, if you want to make your cat happy, the best way to go is having a system that will keep your cat’s litter box clean at all times.
5. You Can Travel Without Worrying About Your Cat’s Litter Box
This is one of the best benefits in my opinion. Me, as a cat owner, have enjoyed enormously the fact that I can go on trips and not worry about my cat’s litter box anymore. I still have a friend coming over to check on my cat but she doesn’t have to clean the litter mess anymore and that’s a huge bonus.
How much you can rely on an electric litter box will depend on your choice. Personally, the system I use is the Litter Robot III Open Air which allows me to go on trips for a week and up to 10 days without worrying about a thing. You can check my in-depth review of this unit here or watch a video of my cat Sophie using this automatic litter box so you have a good idea how it works:
6. In Some Cases, It Helps You To Save On Litter
You can enjoy this benefit when using a system like the Litter Robot. Due to its rotating sifting mechanism, the clean litter doesn’t have much contact with the waste so it doesn’t get dirty.
The main reason the litter needs to be changed with regular cat boxes is due to the fact that when urine or feces get in contact with clean litter it forms a clump but in the process, some urine leaks to the surrounded litter and also pieces of clumps break down mixing with the clean litter as so scoop.
When using a unit like the Litter Robot you can save up to 50% of litter, which is a huge saving.
7. It Helps Multi-Cat Households
The bottom line is that the more cats you have, the more scooping to do and more exposure to cat waste. It’s beautiful having two or three cats playing and loving each other, but we all agree that scooping the litter box in a multi-cat household is a sacrifice that you must do on a daily basis. Sometimes you just want to lay down after work but there it is, the litter box reminding you that you just can’t.
Choosing a multi-cat auto litter box will depend on how many cats you have, whatever your case is, getting a self-cleaning litter box is a step in the right direction. An automatic device will help you to keep up with your cat’s “pooping” activity and will relieve you from doing it so much. If you make the decision of getting one of these helpful devices the first step is checking on reliable reviews to make the best purchase.
I’ve been wanting to buy a cat litter box for my cat Penny because the house is starting to smell due to her feces and pee. It’s great to know that litter boxes are created so I won’t have to deal with the stinky tasks anymore. This sounds great, but I’m hoping that I’ll be able to find a disposable litter box that is odor-free as well.
If you want a fully self-cleaning litter box you must choose an automatic option, such as the Litter Robot Open Air. On the other hand, if you don’t mind scooping manually every day and disposing the litter tray, that is a more economic option.
I’ll be traveling overseas for the next few weeks, and I’m worried about my Siamese cat because I might find the unit in a great mess after my trip. I’m hoping that I can purchase an automated cat litter, so it won’t take too much time of the unit taker to clean every now and then. I’m really thankful for your article, though because it reassured me that I can travel for days without being bothered by my cat’s wastes being scattered all over my place.
Hello Luke, effectively, having a good automatic litter box will relieve you from the worry of not being at home to scoop your cat’s litter box. If you want to use a reliable system that will take care of the scooping without mechanical fails, I highly recommend the Litter Robot 3 Open Air since it’s the system I use. If you want a Wi-Fi powered version of the Litter Robot check my review of the Litter Robot Connect. With this unit you will see how many times your cat uses the Litter Robot while you are away on a trip and when it’s time to empty it. With the Litter Robot either Open Air or Connect you can be without emptying it up to 10 days with one cat. If you are going to be out for a few weeks you may ask somebody to empty the unit after 10 days and of course check on your cat. Hope that helps!