I recently purchased the Litter Robot 3 Connect after using a normal litter box for a little more than 2 years. At $499, this is by far one of the most expensive litter boxes. For example, another popular automatic litter box, the PetSafe Ultra Self-Cleaning Litter Box, comes in at $170. Thankfully it comes with a 90-day money back guarantee and an 18-month warranty. I ended up purchasing the Essentials Bundle for $650, which came with a ramp, fence, 100 waste drawer liners, 3 carbon filters, and a 36-month warranty.
The Litter Robot 3 is spacious and inviting, and claims to be good for households with multiple cats. It detects when a cat has recently used it, and sifts waste into a fully enclosed waste drawer equipped with a carbon filter within minutes to greatly reduce odors. There is also an optional fence to prevent cats from kicking litter outside of the box.
Additionally, the Connect version of the Litter Robot has an app compatible with both iOS and Android. The app helps you monitor usage and will notify you when the waste bin is full.
Why did I make this purchase?
I recently adopted another cat (I have 2 now), and found myself cleaning the litter box 2 to 3 times per day. Up until this point, I was only cleaning the litter box once per day and I wanted to save time and cognitive overhead.
With two cats, the litter box would become smelly very quickly. It was quite nauseating to deal with the first thing every morning. It’s also embarrassing to have these odors when friends and family visit. I wanted a litter box that would control odors well.
Lastly, after my cats finish their business and cover it, they would kick litter out of the box. In addition to cleaning the litter box, I would also have to sweep/vacuum around it, adding another chore to do multiple times a day.
So overall, my goal with this purchase was to save time, reduce odor, and reduce mess outside of the litter box.
I was also quite hesitant because an automatic litter box I bought 15 or so years ago was a total fail. It had a raking mechanism that would often jam and constantly fixing it added more work than just using a normal litter box. However, an old coworker recommended the Litter Robot, so I decided to give it a try.
Odor
So, did the Litter Robot 3 eliminate odor as it claims to? Yes, absolutely. Whereas with my old litter box I would randomly catch a whiff of something gross throughout the day, with the Litter Robot I don’t smell anything. At all. The Litter Robot 3 detects when a cat has used it and sifts the waste into the waste drawer within minutes. The carbon filters seem to be doing their job. My girlfriend and I were amazed at how effectively this thing deals with odor. I keep the Litter Robot in my office about 5 feet away from me, and the room always smells fresh.
Odor is gone.
Time Saving
I mentioned that a previous automatic litter box I owned ended up costing me more time than a traditional litter box because of maintenance. This is not the case with the Litter Robot 3. Instead of spending time cleaning the litter box 2 to 3 times a day, I now empty the waste bin once every 5 days or so. Replacing the waste bin liner bag is also easy and done in about 10 seconds. Additionally, I like to wipe down the top part of the inside of the Litter Robot every week with an alcohol pad, which takes 30 seconds or so.
The Litter Robot has saved me time while eliminating a not-so-fun chore.
Reducing Mess
The Litter Robot also effectively prevents litter from being kicked outside onto the floor. The fence I opted for when purchasing the bundle does it’s job. Additionally, the ramp the bundle comes with has a removable rubber mat which may catch any litter that does make its way out. I don’t need to sweep and vacuum around the litter box anymore.
So, the area around the Litter Robot is clean.
Set up
Setting up the Litter Robot was extremely easy. It comes fully assembled in a large box. I simply had to remove a few pieces of cardboard from various parts. Even the waste bin already had the liner installed. I simply had to fill it with clumping litter, plug it in, and it was good to go. Installing the additional fence and ramp was also easy and took under 2 minutes.
It was extremely easy to set up.
Do the cats like it?
Another concern I had before making this purchase is that my cats wouldn’t like it or want to use it. While one of my cats easily made the transition, the other one had a harder time. I kept the other litter box near the new one so he had the option to use both. It is also recommended that you transfer some of your cat’s waste from the old litter box to the Litter Robot to help with the transition.
So, your cat may or may not like it. Thankfully it comes with a 90-day money back guarantee, so if your cat ends up not wanting to use it, you aren’t out $450 or more.
The App
The Connect is $50 more expensive than the base model and allows you to connect your phone to the Litter Robot. The app lets you see usage history and notifies you when the bin is full. Seeing usage history would be great if you only have one cat, but with multiple cats you can’t differentiate who used it when. It also lets you cycle the litter (which it does automatically, but if you don’t want to wait a few minutes, it’s there to use). That’s about it. It’s nice to have and it isn’t bad by any means but if you want to save $50 don’t worry about missing out on anything game-changing. Just make sure to check the bin every 5 days or so, or more depending on how many cats you have and their bathroom habits.
Do I recommend it?
Yes, absolutely. If you want to eliminate odors, save time, and have the money to spend, it is totally worth it. I would buy it again for sure.
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