The Litter-Robot is more than just a litter box. It’s even more than just an automated litter box.

There’s a computerized brain inside that’s constantly checking to see whether your cat has gone inside. Around 7 minutes after it’s sensed your cat has left, the Litter-Robot goes into full action.

With all three models available, the top globe area begins to rotate, and a grate along one of the inner sides sifts the used litter and extracts only the waste that’s now had time to clump. At the end of the forward rotation cycle, a hole below is now exposed and the waste is forced to fall below into the sealed drawer.

Then, the globe begins rotating back the other direction, and the clean litter slides out from the temporary holding “pocket” and returns into the bottom of the litter chamber for your cat’s next visit.

The drawer is lined with a disposable trash bag of your choice. When the bag gets full, it’s your job to give the Litter-Robot a human hand and open the drawer, pull out the bag and then refit the drawer with a new bag.

That’s really all there is to it — you’re basically done! Your kitty or kitties get a fresh clean litter box to go in every single time, and you don’t have to scoop litter — like ever again!

Well, at least, that’s what they promise. So, my wife and I decided to give a Litter-Robot a try.

Our Kitty Situation

My wife and I adopted the cutest 3-month old “Bengal” kittens — both sisters — and named them “Lyla” & “Winnie.”  On the way back to our house, we realized we were so excited to show them their new home, it hadn’t even occurred to us we didn’t have any food or even a litter box waiting for them!

So we stopped at Petco to buy the exact food their rescuer had been feeding them (to ease their transition), and to find a cheap litter box that would get them by for awhile.

We went with the Nature’s Miracle environmentally safe 2-pack of disposable litter boxes — a great temporary solution while we were trying to make up our minds on the litter box we really wanted to buy.

With our previous cat “Jade”, at one point we had “upgraded” from a simple and typical manual scooping litter box to one of the LitterMaid Automatic Self-Cleaning Litter Boxes out at the time. For the money, it actually worked out fairly well. But, for several reasons, mostly due to the way it’s designed, I told myself we would never get another automated box that used the “raking” method. But, we were certainly open to try out another automated one if it was based on a different mechanical design.

For 3 weeks, I did an insane amount of online research on all of the litter boxes that were now available. I mean, I got deep into each one and was studying not only why they were receiving positive reviews, but more importantly why they were receiving some negative comments as well.

Favorite Litter Box Options We Narrowed It Down To

Our disposable litter boxes were becoming kind of disgusting by the end of that three-week mark, so we knew we had to come to a decision. We finally narrowed down all of the choices out there to basically these 4 options:

Is the Litter-Robot Even Worth the Money?

My wife and I didn’t take buying a $350+ litter box lightly.

The Litter-Robot is an interesting machine, that for me, kind of fell outside of that rational pricing for how much my brain thinks a “cat litter box” should cost. I think for us, once the $150 line was crossed, we started to wonder if this was just too extravagant of a purchase, and was potentially falling more in to the “want” and not “need” category.

And I think that’s fair, I mean come on, it not only looks cool, but hearing about how it works just sounds cool — who wouldn’t want one?

The Mental Struggle

First the practical side of your brain kicks in with questions like these:

What if this thing is built so technologically complicated inside that it malfunctions often? Will I be spending more time fixing this thing than I am enjoying not even having to touch it at all? Oh, but wait — what if our kittens won’t even use it? Is that even possible?

Sure, there’s a 90-day return policy, but it’s going to cost us a fortune just to send this thing back if the movement and sound scares them and they won’t even go near it!

Then the emotional side of your brain engages — often at night, when you lie there and can’t sleep. It tries to argue with you why you shouldn’t even be allowed to own one.

Do I really think I’m too good to manually scoop cat litter like almost everyone else has done since this beginning of domestic cats? Do I not love my two kittens enough to even share some one-on-one time every day with their litter box? What kind of Dad am I to them then?

Oh and what will our parents think of us if they see this “crazy contraption” (I imagine that’s how they would identify it in person) and believe we’ve spent more this year on a litter box than we did investing for our retirement!

Those Online Reviews

But, then you realistically also have to weigh in what those who already own a Litter-Robot are telling us — practically yelling at us.

Sure, there are a fair amount of reviews from those who discovered the Litter-Robot wasn’t for them and either returned it or are now stuck with it. But, it seemed nearly impossible to ignore the exclamations from the countless positive reviews I was having no problems finding all over the internet.

I had to wonder, were these really people in their right state of mind, who had found something so good that our lives would truly miss out if we didn’t at least try it?

Or were they just over-sensationalizing their big ticket item purchase to help convince themselves they made the right decision parting with so much money for just an average product?

What Convinced Us to Buy a Litter-Robot

1. Always Clean — We loved knowing our two girls would have a clean litter box to walk into every time.
2. Reviews — The vast amount of glowing reviews from those now $350 or more poorer.
3. Design — The waste “evacuation method” uses gravity instead of mechanical “raking” like many other automated litter devices.
4. Extended Warranty — The company is willing to offer anyone an extended warranty for an additional $49 that will guarantee it will function properly for 18-months beyond the 18-months in the (free) manufacturer warranty (3 years total).

Bonus reason: It makes me smile every time I see a Litter-Robot Model II — they look like a little “Kenny” from the tv show “South Park”!

Choosing Which Litter-Robot Model to Buy

Now that we knew we were going to invest in a Litter-Robot, all that was left was to decide which model to buy.

When we were ready to buy one, the model III “Open Air” wasn’t for sale yet. So, the only decision we really had to make was should we get the model II with or without the bubble in the back, and then choosing which color we wanted.

The latest “Open Air” model will probably add to the confusion for you of which you should now get. So, let’s go through each model briefly and discuss the key differences.

Model II’s vs. Model III “Open Air”

Even though initially it appears there is a drastic difference between both the Model II’s and the newer Model III “Open Air”, upon deeper investigation, the differences are less about how it looks and more about requested “options” customers have asked for over time.

If you have the money, you can’t go wrong with the Model III “Open Air.” Other than a choice of colors, it has everything — all the “bells and whistles.”

But, if your cat isn’t extremely large (obese) or long, or known to be claustrophobic, and saving $50 – $100 could be important in deciding whether to purchase one or not, then either of the Model II’s might be worth considering.

Model II “Classic”

The Model II “Classic” came out and owners of small and medium-sized cats probably rejoiced. But, those with large cats must have contacted Automated Pets and let them know their cats found the inside of the dome to be too small.

Model II “Bubble”

So, they released a second model called the Model II “Bubble” that is exactly the same as the “Classic” except it includes a 3″ deep clear plastic bubble (window) in the back that not only adds a bit more room for larger cats inside, but also does a nice job of bringing in some additional light. Other than this protruding bubble, both model II’s are identical in features and size.

Model III “Open Air”

The latest Model III “Open Air”, I believe, is the direct result of customers making a wish list of how the Model II’s could be improved upon even further.

They took the model II’s globe and made it slightly bigger. Then they opened up the entry opening quite a bit, and set it at a forward upward facing angle instead of straight on. Now extra-large, the largest and longest of cats, can mostly likely use this Litter-Robot without having to stick one end out the front!

Additionally, they added a few extras that certainly aren’t necessary, but are fun and enough to delight a portion of their customers to justify the extra $50 for the “Open Air” model.

As attractive as all of the Litter-Robot models are, you still may not want this sitting in your living room next to the couch, even though your kitty just might!

So, making sure this device will fit in the corner, closet or tucked-away place you have in mind—with a little bit of room for the globe to easily rotate obstruction free—is vital before placing your order.

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Litter-Robots are trademarked products owned and sold exclusively by Automated Pet Care Products Inc. "For Kitty" is not owned or controlled in any way by Automated Pet Care Products Inc. Additionally, those who contribute to "For Kitty" are not employed by Automated Pet Care Products Inc, nor are we directly paid to promote the Litter-Robots. "For Kitty" however is registered as an affiliate with Automated Pet Care Products Inc, and any sales they receive from someone using any of our buy buttons or text hyperlinks, will earn us a small commission.