1 Year Review Litter-Robot Open Air Self-Cleaning Litter Box
Am I really going to talk about litter boxes on my blog? And did I actually spend $500 on a LITTER BOX? Yes… to both of those questions. Here on Artsy Cupcake, I do all kinds of posts to help you out. I’ve done my Dyson vacuum review and a review on the Sleep Number mattress. When I spend a lot of money on something, I do a review for you guys because I always do my research on high ticket items before buying, so I want to provide any helpful info that I can to you. If you’re new here, I don’t always talk about litter boxes…actually, I’ve never talked about litter boxes! I do fashion, home decor, DIYs and recipe posts along with helpful reviews like this one. I also do videos to go along with my posts, in case you would rather watch than read. I do have a discount code for your first order from Litter Robot, so if you are interested, click here for $25 off.
// why I paid $500 for a litter box
I have 2 cats and one year ago my friend convinced me to buy one of these $500 litter boxes. If you look at other reviews you will see the Litter Robot is very highly rated. I ordered the Litter Robot III Open Air with the Connect app feature 1 year ago. They have a dark grey version now, which I would have gotten had it been available at the time. The Litter Robot III Open Air with the Connect app was $499. The add-on of an extended 3 year warranty was $49.99. I felt this was worth it because it was so expensive, I didn’t want to risk being stuck with it if the electronics broke. And the stairs were an extra $49.99, which I needed for one of my cats.
Now, I know it seems ridiculous to spend $600 on a litter box, but after having 2 male cats for 12 years, I have probably spent at least that on buying new litter boxes after they scratch through the old ones. And I will say you use a lot less litter with the Litter Robot, so I am saving money there too. Those cheap plastic litter boxes really do retain smells after awhile, so you just need to buy new ones over and over again. Because I have 2 BIG male cats, they needed BIG litter boxes too, and those aren’t cheap. Before buying the Litter Robot, I preferred getting one that I found on amazon.com, which looks like a planter. I still recommend it, if you are looking for a cheaper option and have a large or multiple cats. It’s really durable and big enough for my 23 pounder. Plus, it looks like a planter so no one would know its a litter box if you face it towards a wall.
Planter Litter Box
Great for large cats
With two cats, I found I was scooping every day. This is hard on the back and hard on the the knees squatting down like that. Not to mention it isn’t a pleasant task and takes up your valuable time. Since my friend told me the Litter Robot was a life changer, I decided I could try it out and always return it with their 90 day money back guarantee. It’s great they have that return option, because I heard some cats won’t use it and I was a little concerned one of my cats wouldn’t even fit in it.
It came right away and was easy to unpack and put together. There is a durable rubber lining and durable plastic parts, which I don’t see getting claw marks in them even after a year of use by two cats. There is the base and the round part which detaches from the base. This makes it easy to do a deep cleaning of it every once in awhile. You can just take that round dome outside and hose it down. Then it air dries in the sun and it’s good as new. I do this about once every month or two.
Litter Robot
Get $25 off
The Litter Robot senses when a cat has finished using it and then it spins and sifts a few minutes after the cat has left. I haven’t had an issue with it scaring the cats or starting to move while they were still in there. It also has a night light and an app so you can see if it’s working while you are away. The app notifies you when it is time to empty the bin. I have to empty mine about once a week with two cats. It has a drawer at the bottom and you just open this and replace the full bag. You can use regular trash bags, you don’t have to buy special ones from the Litter Robot company. I usually use a paper towel inside at this weekly emptying just to wipe the inside down a bit. Along with telling you when to empty the bin, the app give you stats on frequency of use, which sounds weird, but it’s good to see if the cat has a health issue by monitoring this activity. You can save $50 if you don’t get the version with the connect app.
I did not initially buy the steps for the Litter Robot. I really tried to avoid spending another $49. I left their old litter box out for a week as they transitioned to the new one. My 18 pound cat, Bentley, got in and out really easily and I noticed Bugatti, the 23 pound guy, was not using the new box. I know they are big, I think they have some Maine Coon in them, but Bugatti is a little overweight and I think has some arthritis since he’s 12 years old. So, to make it easier for him, I tried making my own stairs with some boxes and eventually he started using the new one after about 2 weeks. I did end up buying the stairs from Litter Robot to make it look a little nicer than having amazon.com boxes sitting in front of it. Plus, I don’t need one of those litter mats because the ramp captures all the tracked litter as they leave.
I have found that the Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal lightweight litter works best with the Litter Robot. This is the least tracking I have ever had with the combo of the Litter Robot and the Arm & Hammer litter. One of my guys is large and clumsy, so he would always step on any wet clumps and I was always having to clean his paws for him. And, of course, there would be clumps tracking out of the box. Now, I don’t have that problem and it is amazing. Litter Robot says their product reduces litter usage by up to 50% and I would definitely agree with that statistic.
Arm & Hammer
Lightweight litter
Some other features it has is you can put it in to sleep mode if it’s near a bedroom and you don’t want it running during the evening. The Litter Robot also has an adjustable cycle timer so you can set it to delay for 3, 7 or 15 minutes after the cat leaves.
It comes with a carbon filter, which I have not replaced after a year, but probably should now that I’m thinking about it, but really I haven’t noticed an odor issue.
It also comes with 3 waste drawer liners, but like I mentioned, you can just use your own trash bags. And it does require a plug near by since it runs electronically. It’s pretty large in size, and not the cutest looking thing. It’s total footprint is about 25x27 inches. The new ones do come in that dark grey color if you prefer that look.
// conclusion
So, friends, have I convinced you that you need one of these Litter Robot’s? I think it IS worth it for people who have trouble physically with scooping, or don’t have the time to scoop, or maybe you’re pregnant and don’t want to be exposed to the litter for health reasons. Or even if you just have multiple cats, I think it is for sure worth it. Really, I think it’s worth it in any instance, but if I had just 1 tiny little cat who sprinkled 2 raindrops every other day, I might not have been able to convince myself to buy it. But with 2 big boy cats and that 90 day guarantee, well, there was just no going back after having it for 90 days.
The benefits of time and the way it actually helped my litter tracking situation made life a lot easier and probably is even extending the life on my Dyson with not having to vacuum as much anymore! This is the best and possibly last litter box I will ever have. I have not had any technical issues with it in an entire year. I also think it has some resale value, it could probably go for $200 dollars used since it still looks like new.
I think I captured everything that I can think of that would be helpful if you’re doing research on the Litter Robot. But if you have a specific question, make sure to leave it in the comments section below and I always answer questions right away. Here is that $25 coupon in case you want to order one of these Litter Robots.
FTC: Not Sponsored. All opinions are always 100% honest and my own. Some links may be affiliate links. If you click a link and buy something, I receive a small commission for the sale. It doesn’t cost you anything extra and you are free to use the link or not as you choose. If you do use my links, I appreciate your support.
How about some Target Dollar Spot crafts and Dollar Tree coastal transformations. We’ll be putting together tiered tray miniatures to decorate our little coastal vignette.