litterboxes?

Question

which is better, selfcleaning or manual cleaning ? covered or uncovered?

thanks guys!

Answer 1

We manually clean ours, sometimes twice a day. We preferred covered because it contains the smell better.

Answer 2

We have 3 cats, so I think I might have some input on this one....

Self cleaning is not a great as you would think. The "combs" that sweep the litter into that little container box gets clumped with cat pee. So not only do you have have to clean the container that the waste gets swept into, you now have to clean the comb. Which is a very dirty, and tedious job.

Uncovered manual cleaning is the best, most efficient way. You can clean it every 2 days or so (depending on how many cats you have) to keep the sand fresh. Plush there is no dirty "comb" to clean up. The only downside is that sometimes our cats kick around the sand. But it's nothing a little hand vac. won't pick up.

Which ever way you decide, do NOT have a covered box. Eventually there will be a very power full ammonia smell, which is not very fun to clean.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Depends on the cat. I've never had a self-cleaning, so I can't answer that. I like the covered because I have a couple of, shall we say, enthusiastic coverers who toss litter around. I did have one cat who would NOT use a covered litter box-- probably because one of the first times he stepped inside it, another cat bit his tail-- but everyone else has used them without problem. Just be sure to scoop every day (or more often if you have a lot of cats-- and if you do have a lot of cats, rule of thumb is one more litterbox than you have cats.)

Good luck!

Answer 4

I have to believe that whatever type you want your cat to use, you have to start when they are a kitten. My cats use the "manual" cleaning boxes, uncovered. I even tried the boxes with high/clip on sides and one will go in but the other cat won't.
So, we use manual cleaning, uncovered. The type of litter also makes a difference too.

Answer 5

It really depends on what your cat likes.

My four cats use 18-gallon plastic storage bins, with stools placed beside them to make it easy to jump in. Two of my cats (one female, one male, all spayed/neutered) occasionally spray when they urinate in the box, so they need a solid high-sided box - the pee will just run down the back inside of a covered box & drip out, ick! The storage bins are also good because they're big enough to allow the cats room to move freely in the box.

I tried a self-cleaning box once, but it didn't do a very good job of getting clumps off the sides & out of the corners. If you keep the clumping litter deep enough (about 4 inches) it's easy to keep clean. Here's a good link: http://www.catinfo.org/litterbox.htm

Answer 6

I think it all depends on the owner and the cat. Automatic litter boxes can be expensive, and also scary. Some cats like covered litter boxes, because they are very private creatures. Some cats do not care, and it's just up to you! Good luck!

Answer 7

self cleaning is more efficient, and uncovered it better for most cats because some might be scared of the cover.

Answer 8

We have 4 cats and 3 covered boxes thru the cat door in the door to the garage. Works great.

Answer 9

I use the manual type. All three cats seem to like this better than self-cleaning. (I already tried that with them & they would not use it) I don't cover the litter pans, but today one of my cats tipped over his litter pan scattering litter all over the floor.

Answer 10

I use a "Litter Maid." 10 min. after the kitty does his business it cleans the box and dumps the "stuff" into a disposable box. Works great.