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145 of 146 found the following review helpful:
 Good helper with some minor flaws Sep 13, 2005
By David
[Review updated after 3 months' use, in brackets. Now that I'm used to it, I'm even more satisfied than I was at first, and I'm spending less time dealing with litter.]
I've had the LitterMaid for about 2-1/2 weeks, after having dealt with conventional litter boxes for years. Before I bought it, I read many of the Amazon reviews, and that led to some conclusions both about the product and about the people who use it. I have 3 indoor/outdoor cats.
You'll be happiest with LitterMaid if you're willing to perform a check for 10 seconds every 1-2 nights, consisting of glancing at the unit to see if everything is in order and if the waste disposal tub is full.
About twice a week, you may need to use the scoop (included) to smooth out the litter or to remove any waste that's gotten caught between the rake tines. I'd suggest also using the scoop to scrape up any mounds of dirty litter that have adhered to the bottom of the box underneath the litter surface. Unless the scoop is very dirty, just keep it in a baggie near the box without washing it each time. This whole process should take less than 60 seconds [well, maybe a few minutes, at times].
Every 2-3 weeks, depending on how many cats you have, you'll need to snap out the main litterbox and do a more thorough cleaning. This is definitely a drag, but no moreso than with every other litterbox in the world. [I've now gone more than a month without taking apart and cleaning the main compartment. As long as you do the routine cleaning above, it's possible to go longer between major cleanings without problems or odor, though I do have an additional litter strainer with finer openings than the included scoop to remove smaller waste particles.]
While you can't use plastic liner bags in the main compartment, you definitely should use silicone or non-fat cooking spray on the bottom of the main litterbox and on the rake tines, as recommended in the instructions. This will help to keep waste from sticking. Use the end of the scoop to quickly scrape waste off the rake tines. [Using small amounts of baking soda on the bottom and top of the main littertray helps also to prevent sticking and seems to improve clumping.]
The costs associated with this box can be kept quite low. Don't dispose of the "disposable" waste tubs, just reuse them, lining them each time with a thin plastic grocery bag. It's true you'll need a premium clumping litter. I recommend "Scoop Away," which clumps quicker and harder than "Arm and Hammer" or "Tidy Cats" litter, but is not on the manufacturer's recommended list. You'll use far less litter than with a conventional litter box.
Generally, this litterbox is a huge help in reducing odor. Place a small amount of baking soda in the bag and on top of the litter in the main litterbox from time to time to reduce occasional odors.
To prevent loose litter and waste from shooting upward when you remove the waste tub, use the brush first, then cover the tub, and lift it gently from one side. [Also, pull the tub forward from under the perforated front tabs before lifting.]
As other reviewers have suggested:
Keep a small mat in front of the box (under the tub) or place the entire box on a piece of carpet to keep stray litter from spreading. Keep a hand vacuum nearby.
If your cat, or the box mechanism, should knock a small piece of waste out, be brave and pick it up with a tissue and put it in the waste tub.
A couple of flaws: There a too many little crevices for litter to get caught in. These could have been eliminated by changing the design a little. Use the small enclosed brush to clean these out occasionally. Also, an easily removable cover would be good (the tent accessory generally has not gotten good reviews, but I haven't tried it myself).
It is mildly noisy, but sleeping directly upstairs from it, I don't hear it at all. Maybe in a small apartment or near a bedroom it would be loud enough to wake someone. It can be turned off at night and then restarted in the morning.
If you're the kind of person who wants to avoid looking at the litterbox for weeks at a time until the smell becomes unbearable, this box is not for you. The mechanism will become jammed, and the box has no cover to contain odors. You'd be better off with a covered conventional litterbox.
You'll also be happiest with this litterbox if you're not too much of a perfectionist . . . if you can deal with a little litter on or around the box or small pieces of buried waste sometimes visible. Trying to clean it perfectly (or, conversely, not enough) will make you hate it. Remember, it's only a litterbox. It doesn't come with running water or a waste "vaporizer".
113 of 118 found the following review helpful:
I like it, but could live without it... Apr 16, 2002
By Jodie Pierce
I bought the Littermaid about three months ago, and so far I have had no mechanical problems. It tends to jam alot though, requiring me to go downstairs and manually scoop the litter and clean off the tines. I have a female that doesn't like to cover her poo, so she is usually the culprit in the jamming problem...the poo doesn't have a chance to harden in the litter and it sticks to the tines creating a shovel effect rather than the raking effect. If you have a cat that doesn't cover well, skip this product.It is loud! It wakes me up frequently, and the replacement waste bins for it are expensive ... and with three cats I change it every two days. It is very particular about litter. You have to get the really good kind for it to work to your satisfaction (no dampness or small clumps of waste left in the litter). Annoyingly, there are always wet pancakes of litter stuck on the bottom that the rakes can't reach. Overall, it really doesn't save much time. I have found that I have to completely change out my litter every three days or so, because the thing just jams up unless you have maximum clumping power going. The time spent unjamming, scraping the bottom, scraping stuck poo off the tines etc. is about equal to what it would take a person to care for a regular litter box. I would recommend it to anyone with a very picky cat who demands pristine litter all the time...you will get that with this machine maybe 50% of the time. More if you buy super expensive litter and have a cat who covers their poo very well.
51 of 52 found the following review helpful:
LitterMaid functional review Nov 27, 2001
The LitterMaid works reasonably well. It does make a lot of noise when it cleans the box - enough to be heard thoughout a small house. Sometimes the waste gets stuck in the rake or breaks into smaller pieces that are not collected but, it is still far easier than doing it manually. Ours did jam mid-rake cycle about 3 months after we got it. Their customer service was outstanding. I only had to return the wire that powers the rake to secure shipment of a brand new LitterMaid. The new LitterMaid arrived in about two weeks and I did not have to ship the old one back.
24 of 24 found the following review helpful:
Works well , cuts down about 80% of the work Nov 14, 2006
By Gurnie
I have 4 cats, a total of 4 litter boxes including the maid. I bought the LME700 when it was on sale a few weeks ago. Here are my tips / thoughts.
After opening the box I wiped down the entire unit, including the rake with mineral oil. This will help presents from being stuck to the bottom. After that we used tidy cat multi cats / world's best cat litter mix for litter. So far it has worked well, but I hear arm and hammer's high performance is a good litter to use with this machine. I will be trying this next.
So far 2 of the 4 cats are using the box on regular bases (2-5 times a day) in the week I have owned the unit. The other two haven't tried because Cat #3 is a 17 year old cat; he's set in his ways. Cat #4 needs to go on xanax; she's a bit high strung to say the least.
We line the bins with plastic grocery bags and that seems to work well. I don't find it difficult to remove the bags, and this saves spending money on bins.
Occasionally if your cat takes a monster sized pee the rake might get some litter/pee attached. The unit comes with a scooper with teeth on the end. These teeth fit in-between the rake teeth, and make for an easy quick clean. If you cover it it'll scoop up the next time around. Of course since you rubbed the unit down with mineral oil (hint) you'll find that the clumps come off very easily.
It will not pick-up pieces that are smaller than the space in-between the rakes (about 1/2 an inch). Big deal, I'm not fussy about that. As long as massive turds aren't sitting and stinking, I'm happy.
I also do not find the unit to be loud. We live in a small 1100 sq ft condo and the unit is a doorway down and it does not both us when we are asleep. It does not scare cat 1 or 2, in fact sometimes they run over to watch the unit scoop their mess. (I watch too sometimes. Yes, we have a very exciting life).
Make sure you get a unit with a 1000ma power unit. The older models came with a lower power source (12volts but lower "ma"). This seems to power the unit better and prevents the unit from getting stuck going back and forth.
And of course, don't fill past the fill line, or you will burn out the motor.
So far my two cats loved the maid and are using it more than the regular boxes. I say it cuts down at least 80% of the work associated with owning a litter box. Just check on it daily and it'll be fine.
**update**
So I liked my LM700 so much i bought the LM900 when it went on sale. So now we have two 'maids, two "manual" litterboxes.
The LM900 is a little bigger and I think works slightly better than the LM700. That is not to say the LM700 is a bad product. I think b/c the LM700 is slightly smaller then the LM900, the rake doesn't get an extra 3 inches to cover the pee/poo if your cat is not very good at cleaning up after him/herself. But that doesn't mean that the LM700 can't scoop uncovered pee/poo, it's just a little easier and more efficient if your cat is good at covering after him/herself. (Just think, if your cat takes a massive pee and doesn't cover the top, it doesn't form that outer hard clumped layer. So when the machine goes to scoop it MAY fall apart b/c it doesn't have that outer top covered layer)
So I believe all four cats are using the box now b/c the manual boxes are aren't as full as they were about a month or so ago. I have seen our "old-man" cat use it, and Ms Xanax... I've seen her use it a few times. They will all watch the box if it is scooping and they are close by, but I have two that RACE over to watch it scoop. Dang cats need lives besides watching the box scoop their "matter" and eating my food.
Two other things need to be accounted for when using a LM that I haven't mentioned. 1) Your Cat's Diet 2)Litter
1) If you're feeding your kitty anything with meat/chicken/beef "by product," just stop now. It's why your cats poo smells and may be "soft." Look at it this way; you're feeding your cats the equivalent of a Big Mac, or worse. You know that awful rumbling sensation you have after eating a Big Mac? (No, not the craving for another Big Mac... the OTHER rumbling feeling...) Same thing for your cat, so feed your cat something better. Purina One is a good choice (sold at most grocery stores), we feed our cats PetGuard and Wellness, excellent cat foods (In fact our cats eat better than us. No joke, one of the wellness foods has lobster in it. Freaking lobster! Can you believe it?) Anyways, better food, more solid waste comes out of your cat = less stinky litter box because you don't have runny turds sitting in the box. Also feeding your cat better food means better health for the cat (male cats tend to get their urethra blocked less), meaning less vet visits. So you're spending more money on the food, but it may save you a 10pm visit to the vet (like we had to unblock our male cat before we fed them better food).
2) Litter: I find a mix of Arm and Hammer high performance and World's Best Cat litter is excellent. Both are light litters (not as much resistance for your maid to work through). Clay litters tend to suck with this machine, they don't dry up the pee quick enough, and I had the rakes get clogged a few times with the clay. So try that mix if you are having issues w/ your maid and clay litter.
That's it, hope you took some notes.
23 of 23 found the following review helpful:
think carefully before you buy Aug 17, 2002
By wort
We have two cats. We didn't buy the Littermaid to cut down on work (although we hoped it would), but more to cut down on smells and to keep the box cleaner for the cats (who would then, in theory, be cleaner when they walked all over everything else). The one way that this is a cost-saver is that you will use less litter. When they say "do not fill above this line", they mean it; the rake can't go through more litter than that. The cats got used to the noise (and it is noisy). But it doesn't take them very long to fill up the waste receptacle. And it's a smelly mess if the receptacle overflows before you get around to emptying it. Using a new receptacle every time was out of the question; we would have gone through too many.
So you will be briefly exposed to the scent of concentrated cat waste, when you remove the lid to empty the receptacle. Cleaning the box thoroughly is a real chore, if you want to clean every nook and cranny. A small tool for cleaning the rake was included, but it really wasn't up to the task. Things will stick, to the bottom of the pan and to the rake. The best way to avoid that is to clean the box thoroughly and then spray the bottom and the rake with silicone spray. But you need to let it set outside until it is completely dry; otherwise the silicone is a real health hazard (read the can before you use it). We used the box for about six months, then went back to our old system (plastic grocery bags are great for holding/sealing in the scoopings). We didn't seem to be saving anything in time, money, smell, or cleanliness. We have friends who love the Littermaid, though. I'm sure that if one is very good about keeping it clean and emptied, then it does cut down on odors, which is good for anyone who is sensitive to such things. And in theory, I would think it might reduce the spread of toxoplasmosis (a concern if anyone in the house is pregnant or has a compromised immue system). If you have friends who have tried the Littermaid, ask them for opinions before you shell out the big $$$.
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