Pet Zone Smart Scoop Self-Cleaning Litter Box (Automatic Litter Box with Hands-free Litter Disposal)

This is the second automatic litter box we've ever purchased. The first was several years ago and was a Littermaid. Our cat was so scared of it that he waited until 2 in the morning and peed on the bed with us in it - two nights in a row. That box got put away and we figured we would get a new one once we had another new cat.This Pet Zone one we put together in 10 mins or so - very easy. Set it down and immediately both cats started using it (even the cat previously mentioned). Then it ran, they both sat there and watched it run and have been using it no problem ever since.I think part of the reason they aren't afraid of it is the motor sound as compared to the Littermaid is much lower. It is more like a can opener or battery powered air pump or something. I can even be on the phone with the box running in the same room and it isn't distracting.Also the scooping method works very well - better than the "raking" type system. Plus, it uses a bin that just needs any kind of bag inside so we use plastic grocery bags.We were also concerned about the sides being too low since all other boxes we had were covered previously - but have found the cats don't miss and don't spray litter everywhere (as they did with the covered boxes).We will be purchasing another one of these soon as we are so happy with it. I would recommend, especially over a Littermaid one.

Do not waste your money. I bought this automatic littler box after reading all the reviews ( Amazon must throw out all the bad ones) that raved about this product. After using one week....it broke! The motor was fine ( instructions said to make sure the gears were engaged or the motor would be damaged, ....I did). The instructions to put together could have been easier, but I did follow and had no problem. I filled liter to the line....(as instructed) and turned it on. It worked fine for ONE week. The noise was not bad at all, I could vaguely hear it from the living room. ( litter box was in an enclosed sunroom). I have four cats...and all got used to it the first day. On the 7th day I had it, I HEARD a grinding noise......a terrible gear grinding noise. ALL cats were sleeping beside me, not one was near the thing. I ran to see what was wrong..and immediately unplugged the liter box. The wire grader ( the thing that scraps the litter and brings the waste back to the covered box) was stuck in the gear. I took it all apart to see what happened. All looked well. But the gear that the wire scraper slips down in was not lined up right. Finally got the gear to line up, plugged it back in and it did the same thing. Appears the scraper is cheaply built and pops out of the gear ( the cover did spring back as instructed in the instructions). I would not buy another one, nor recommend anyone else either. Thought maybe 4 cats might be too much for the motor, but the motor works fine! The number of cats had nothing to do with it! A real piece of junk!

Over the years, I've used three different brands and varieties of automatic litter boxes. I like this one much better than either LitterMaid or ScoopFree. This one does not require proprietary cartridges like ScoopFree or proprietary waste tubs like LiterMaid. I like that I can use a small garbage bag as the liner for the waste receptacle. When it's full, you lift it out, tie it off, and put a new bag in. This beats fussing with the lids on the LitterMaid and/or the propriety litter crystal pans on the ScoopFree. It is quieter than the LitterMaid but not quite as quiet as the ScoopFree.Pros:It uses regular clumping litter.It uses a bag to line the waste receptacle. I use a generic 3-gallon bathroom size trash can bag.Emptying the waste receptacle is easier than either LitterMaid or ScoopFree.Using bags to line the receptacle makes it quick and easy to get rid of the waste.It disassembles easily for cleaning.It disassembles COMPLETELY for cleaning. You can take the motor off and literally take the other pieces outside to hose them off.It is relatively quiet.It has a shield at the front to reduce the cat scattering litter.Cons:The litter shield isn't enough. My cat tosses her litter every direction. I would like to see some kind of tent to help contain the scatter.The OEM bags are often don't fit. If you run into this, try using a 3-gallon bathroom trash bag. They work better than the branded bags.The receptacle is on the small side. It holds more than the ScoopFree but less than the LitterMaid. I replace the bag every 2 - 3 days (my cat has kidney disease and pees a lot.)

Only day two, but it's the best thing for my situation. I have two new kittens who eat and drink, and therefore use the litterbox a lot. I was cleaning the other one twice per day. I haven't had to empty the holding storage tray, yet, but it's about half full after two days. I can go away for the weekend if I want! These are feral kittens, who are very skittish, but it doesn't scare them at. They are quite curious about it.The very bottom of the box does not get scraped, so I imagine I will need to do a little scooping, but this is so much better than the one I had from when I had only one little cat.UPDATE: it still works... i think. had to turn it off because one of them is deathly afraid and has been using various places around the house - mostly on the hardwood floors. i have pee pads everywhere, now and two sand boxes to scoop. my life got considerably worse and i do lots of floor cleaning and laundry. He only peed on my bed once, but i was in it! I think it's never going to work for us. i'll have to pay someone to come in when i'm away, it seems.