The litter box ranks second only to food and water as the most important item in a feline’s life. Cats are fastidious and do not enjoy a messy or smelly toileting place. Automatic litter boxes can help reduce the mess and smell along with the amount of cleaning required. But, they also have some drawbacks. Learn whether self cleaning litter boxes are right for your kitty.

Automatic litter boxes are great for people who do not care for the chore of scooping every day. These self cleaning litter boxes use robotic trays where your cat’s waste is mechanically raked into a sealed container shortly after your cat eliminates. These will not operate until your cat gets out of the box since motion detectors and a safety bar are used to stop the cleaning rake from harming your feline.

Once the cat’s waste is in the container, it will automatically seal itself and cause the odor to be trapped inside. You must remember to empty this container when full or its odor will become noticeable. Simply empty the storage container and reinsert it or buy a replacement container.

In theory, no scooping and reduced odor sounds great. A few drawbacks are present, though. These litter boxes run either on electricity or batteries. So, if the power is out or you have no batteries, the litter box will not get scooped.

Automatic litter boxes are more expensive to buy. Since one litter box per cat in a household plus one extra is recommended, you could easily spend hundreds of dollars outfitting your house with these boxes. Costly premium litter is necessary for them to work properly. You may also have to purchase replacement waste cartridges.

Some cats never adjust to the noise and motion of the raking mechanism. It is best to introduce this type of litter box when the cat is young. The boxes can malfunction at times such as the rake can get stuck or fail to kick on.

Most cat owners who try automatic litter boxes are happy with them and prefer them to scooping. Often, the cats are the determining factor. If they refuse to use automatic litter boxes, you will have to resort once again to scooping.