The Automatic Cat Litter Box - Advantages And Disadvantages

If you have one cat or even several, you might think it's a godsend that there is such a thing as an automatic cat litter box. Yes, they do exist, and for some people, they are truly one of the best inventions ever made. However, there are drawbacks that you should consider as well.

First, if you use this kind of litter box you should get only premium clumping litter so that clumps will not break under any circumstances. Why is this so? Because if you use a cheaper clumping litter, you will find yourself with quite a mess. If clumps do not stay intact, you will find both the rake and the litter box itself smeared with feces that you will have to clean up. Only premium clumping litters that never break are suitable for use in an automatic cat litter box.

Second, your cat(s) should be of the type that is not spooked by the automatic rake. The box itself is automated with an electric eye, where a rake automatically "scoops" used litter as soon as your cat exits the box and deposits it in a repository situated at the back end of the box. If this type of movement spooks your cat, it's likely that he or she will not enter the box at all, thus making it useless to you.

Third, if you have more than one cat and/or are gone for extended periods of time beyond a couple of hours, you should have at least two of these boxes. This is because it's not likely that the box itself will be able to accommodate multiple cats, since you only pour in litter to a depth of about one to two inches. You will constantly need to be replenishing this litter in order to make sure that the box works properly. Therefore, if you are gone for more than a couple of hours at a time, it's probably best to use a regular box where you can scoop out just once or twice a day yourself.

One note to make here is that even though some boxes use silica crystals instead of clumping litter and therefore only scoop solid waste so that litter lasts longer, many pet owners feel that this is not healthy for their cats. The choice is up to you.

Finally, these types of litter boxes are not cheap. Although some have come down somewhat in price in recent years, you're not going to be paying $16.99 for this type of box as you will with just a regular cat litter box. Expect to pay about $100-150 for a good quality automatic box.

Therefore, the choice is yours, but the convenience is not always what you might expect with an automatic cat litter box. Oftentimes, just using good quality clumping litter in a regular box and scooping it out once or twice daily is the easiest way to go.

To learn more about how an automatic cat litter box works vising http://www.catlitterboxesplus.com , a popular website devoted to cat lovers everywhere. You'll find lots of information on the different types of boxes and cat litter now available, including pine, flushable, silica and clumping litter.