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The Elephant in the Room (Aka the Litter Box)

Litter Robot III Open Air: Lets talk about the elephant in the middle of the room. That's right. You know what I'm talking about. The litter box. It's awkward, not very attractive, there is no convenient place for it, and lets face it, it can be smelly! It is easily the most important piece of equipment you will purchase for your cat or kitten. Yet, it is probably the least thought about when first contemplated. When it comes to your fickle feline, the right equipment is imperative. Think about it for a moment. Would you want to use an inferior stinky loo? I thought not! Some of you might be thinking a traditional litter box is fine for me. I completely agree. For many, once you find the right style for you, it's easy peasy, lemon squeezy. But for some of us, manually scooping multiple boxes EVERYDAY (Yes, you read that right. Litter boxes should be cleaned DAILY. AND you should have one litter box for EACH cat PLUS one .) is not only time consuming but impractical. In the D.C. area, it can take two hours to drive around the beltway to get home from work. The last thing some people want to do is clean the litter box! For people who have limited mobility, electric litter boxes are a dream come true. But hey, if you have time or kids to help then this is probably not the article for you. But if you fall into the the earlier category read on! When setting your sites on a new litter box, remember that kittens grow into cats. While they are cute and tiny now, your Siberian will most likely get to be between 12-18 pounds depending on bloodline and gender. A small litter box is just asking for trouble. Kitties also have some peculiar habits. Many like to scratch around before or after they use the facilities. Some tend to scratch hard enough that it seems a litter tornado had touched down in your home. Some kitties like privacy, a few prefer wide open spaces. Oh my goodness! It's enough to make a human guardian go cross eyed! When I first started researching an electric litter box that would last, litter robot's name came up again and again with positive reviews. But the thought of paying $300-$400 for a litter box at the time was enough to cause mild apoplexy. However, having already tried several different types of electric litter boxes that quickly died or couldn't handle the work load, I was determined to find one at a price I could afford. Imagine my surprise to find a lightly used litter robot on craigslist for $100! The kitty gods were smiling on me. (Would that be Bastet?)


After getting this monstrosity home; because lets face it, the litter robot is no small, delicate flower; I wrestled the it into the house. I was pleased to find it was very intuitive and quickly had it set up. I was afraid my cats might not take to it. To prepare for this eventuality, I had purchased "Dr. Elseys Cat Attract". (This is recommended for kittens when you first get them home if they have a problem finding the litter box.)

This turned out not to be necessary for me as the cats took right to it. To help with clean up and odor, I put a layer of baking soda in the bin w/ a slight bit of aquarium charcoal. This is completely optional, but we think it help. Then we put a litter liner in the bin. How often you will need to empty the bin will depend on how many cats you have and what you feed them. (Yes, what you feed your cats makes a difference. Raw food means less waste and less odor!)


It has been many years now since our first Litter Robot. We have tried each model and can honestly recommend them ALL! However, we love the new Open Air the best. The spacious opening, the optional timer, the full indicator just makes this model the perfect fit for out cattery. The kitties love it. And so do we!


Thanks Litter Robot!




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