The Definitive Littermaid Modification

I had an earlier post about modifications I made to my Littermaid kitty poop box here and here, but now I believe I have finally gotten it perfected.  So this will be the definitive post on the Littermaid modification.  I recently got a new one -- with four cats for a year and three cats for two years, the electric eye finally gave out on the old one.  Got this one off Amazon.com.  I use the Mega because I have multiple cats, and my two (former) boy kitties are big boys.

The three selling points for my getting a Littermaid were -- (1) Even with three cats, you only need one poop box because (2) it scoops itself after every use -- which means I don't raise a lot of dust scooping three cat boxes every night of the world (a big plus for me since I have asthma), and (3) one 40 lb box of cat litter does for 3 cats for a whole month.  The Littermaid will pay for itself within a year based on what you save in cat litter expenses.  My first two cats were adult when I bought my first Littermaid, and they adapted to it very quickly.   All three of the cats I have now were raised from kittens with the Littermaid being their poop box.  There is a 10 minute delay in the scooping cycle so the cat is well clear of the box when it starts its cycle and the litter has had a chance to clump hard. (You do have to use "premium clumping litter.") After scooping, the rake smooths out the litter as it returns to its "home" position.  The rake has a safety bar so that if it encounters an obstacle on its way back "home," just the slightest bump of the safety bar will stop the rake. The soiled litter is scooped into a lidded, plastic container that then closes, so odor is kept to a minimum. (I have seen my cats sit there and wait for the Littermaid to cycle so they can use a "fresh" box.)   So here's the whole setup:

This is what it looks like fresh out of the box.  It comes with a package of 12 disposable containers, each with its own lid.  The grey thing on the right end is where the container goes.  The grey bar on the left side is the rake assembly.  That's the part that does the automatic scooping.  You might can see a little dot in the middle of the top side wall.  That's one of a pair of electronic eyes.  The cat interrupts the beam between the electronic eyes by getting into the box to "do its thing."  Ten minutes after the cat leaves the box,  the scooping cycle  happens.  (The electronic eye work like the automatic doors at the grocery store.)  The Littermaid comes with a little ramp for cleaning litter off paws but I don't use it because it goes on the end of the box and where I keep the Littermaid, I don't have room for it.

You have to cut the plastic ties that hold the rake assembly.  It says use scissors, but wire snips work much better.
The Littermaid comes with a power cord that plugs into any household electrical outlet.  The cord is at least a yard long.  It has a little plug on the end that plugs into the outside rim on the rake side of the box.  If you look carefully at the the part you plug into the wall, you will see a combination of letters and numbers stamped into the metal on the outside of one of the prongs.  -- write it down.  That's your serial number.  You'll need it to register your product for warranty purposes. 

 But here's the cool thing.  You can use a Littermaid in an RV or trailer even if you don't have a wall outlet because it will run off batteries.  It takes eight AA batteries.  I'd use rechargeable ones.   It also comes with a scoop with teeth you can use to clean off the rake tines.

Now here's where we depart from the booklet of instructions.  Instead of the little plastic containers, you need one of these (left) a Littermaid Receptacle Chute.  Good ol' Amazon.com is where you can get one.  It costs less than a dozen of the containers it replaces.  You will need a container lid, however, unless you get one of these, which are out of stock as of this writing.  The chute is what holds the trash bags, but more of that later. 

The container/chute goes on the "business end" of the Littermaid, and is covered by the lid unless scooping is in progress.   Here you see where it goes.  You can also get a look at the rake tines.

The motor that drives the rake is a little high-pitched and whiny, but it is much quieter than the earlier models, and also has more "oomph."  The lid isn't lifted until the rake is actually at the end of the box ready to deposit the clumps.   If for some reason the rake cannot displace the clump (mine like to make a big pile of litter over their poop) The rake will make three attempts to shift it, and then stop and the red "on" light goes from steady red to blinking red. You will need to "manually" fix the problem, then restart it.

 Now, here's where the good part comes in.  I went to Wal-Mart and got one of those under-the-bed storage boxes with a lid that latches on each end (about $15).  I set the Littermaid on top of it and marked where the container would sit.  Then I cut that shape out of the lid.

Now I take a regular old draw string type 20 gallon size trash can liner, bring it up through the chute and turn it down over the sides.  I use clips to hold the bag down.   The chute has one long side that has a wide lip on it.  That side goes under a little flange on the side of the Littermaid.

 On the left is the Littermaid in place with no bag in.  It's a straight shot down into the plastic storage box. On the right is the Littermaid with the chute and bag in.  You'll want to spread the bag out under the chute so it can fill more easily.  Now you won't have to change the bag for at least 3 weeks. 

Next comes the lid.  This is what the container lids look like and  on the right is what it looks like installed.  The new Littermaids come with packets of activated charcoal that you stick under the lid. (see below left.)
 When the  bag gets as full as you want to deal with -- a month's worth of clumps from three cats weighs about 40 lbs -- you unclip the sides of the bag from the chute, pull them up off the sides  and pull the drawstring.  You can then lift Littermaid and box lid up, set it aside, remove the "dirty"  bag, put a new bag on and there you are.

Fifty 20-gallon trash bags are around $4-$5.   A dozen Littermaid containers are about $20.  You will need to keep an eye on the Littermaid though, to refill it with clean litter from time to time. Minimum and maximum fill lines are printed on both sides of the litter tray.  (See left.)

Having the Littermaid up on the box like that does make it about 8 inches higher but enough of the box sticks out that it acts as a step.  My white cat is 12, and he has no problem hopping in and out.

I will also mention that the rake easily detaches and the litter tray has latches on the sides so it can be dropped out for cleaning.

I change bags every three to four weeks -- and that's for three cats.  Of course, if you just have one cat, you might want to go ahead and use containers, but line them with a plastic grocery bag.  You might could go 4-5 days before you have to change bags.  If you line them with grocery bags, one container could last you 5-6 months, and a dozen of them comes with the Littermaid.

Oh, and did I mention the white one likes boxes?