Self Cleaning Litter Box?

With a new puppy and an ever inquisitive 10 year old schnauzer the cat's litter box is a major problem for us. I try to clean it as soon as I let the dogs out of their kennels while they are pottying but it never fails Heidi drags out cat poop. Since Jens is still a puppy I am worried he will start to do or get sick off of Heidi's "treasure hunts". I try to notice if Tortilla has gone to the bathroom and scoop immediately but this is not a good solution. Do the self cleaning litter boxes work? I see fairly poor reviews on them but wonder if anyone has decent luck with them. My husband is about at his wits end with the dog dragging out cat feces!

can't you put the cat litter where the dogs can't go?

Have you tried a top-entry box? It basically looks like a gray rubbermaid bin with a lid that has a large hole in the top. I bought one because my kitty is a super litter kicker and this has really helped with litter being tracked around the house as well as preventing other critters from snacking inside. It's not really any larger than a regular old box-style litter pan and I bought it fairly cheaply at PetsMart.

How big is the entry? Tortilla is a massive cat, about 18 lbs.

Our dearly departed massive cat clogged the self cleaning box with regularity. We would have to get up at 3AM to unstick it.

We've had good luck with baby gates (cat jumpable, but not dog jumpable) or putting the litterbox in a corner with a barrier of some sort. Of course, IIRC you've had litter problems? If so, I'd worry about any changes (location, auto cleaning, etc.).

Hang in there!

I keep the litter box in the laundry room - I think if I had a dog, I'd put a kitty door in the laundry room door and keep the room closed. But you might not be in a position to do something like that.

I have a self cleaner and LOVE it!! It does stick now and then though. It also doesn't keep the dogs out. The dogs are quick little suckers and smell it before I do. So, I use a baby gate as well.

I worry about a baby gate because Tortilla is the least graceful cat that has ever existed. Seriously, I love her but she is a like a lumbering linebacker of a cat! She can clear the baby gate we use to kennel Heidi (her room is the laundry room) but I worry if I constantly am requiring it of her Tortilla won't like it. She is very particular, only likes one type of litter and very tidy box. :rolleyes:

I was going to suggest the type of gate that has a door small enough for the cat, but too small for the dog, however it sounds like your cat may be bigger than your dogs. I'm in the same boat, and Frankie the Pug luvs her some Kitty Roca. Hehe!

We have a baby gate blocking the laundry room, then a small "2 story" cat condo by the door so the cats can jump up on the condo, then step on the gate and jump down.

Here's a few pictures so you can see what I'm talking about...

Other than that, the top-entry box sounds like your best bet.

We just keep our litter box in a room with the door partially closed and blocked with the vacuum cleaner. One dog is afraid of pushing open partially closed doors and the other one is afraid of vacuums. The cat can just walk right in. Problem solved. ;)

I do leave a opening in the baby gate for my cat. She is a lumbering waddle of a cat. My dog is slightly bigger than she is so it works.

Our cat box is in the laundry room. Luckily the door to the room was hung poorly and the door tends to swing open. So we put a security chain, like the ones on hotel room doors, on the laundry room door. It holds the door open about 6 inches, which lets the cats in, but not the dogs.

Sorry, I'm not help about the automatic cat box. With 2 cats it didn't seem feasible for us.

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Originally Posted by Aggie_Ama

How big is the entry? Tortilla is a massive cat, about 18 lbs.

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The hole is pretty big. My boy is 13 lbs, but he is pretty lean. However, a much more rotund kitty could easily get through.

We use an extra large litter box with lids that snaps onto the bottom. Keeps the dog from being able to knock off the lid.

To keep the nosey dog from sticking his head into the box from the opening, the opening is facing the wall. And the box is placed far enough away from the wall such that our cats have no problem negotiating to enter and exit the box. But too small for our lab.

The oversized litterbox is way too heavy for the dog to push around, move it about. So he can't reposition to get into the litter box, he can't remove the top so he has given it up for a while. He is just hoping that we will forget and face the litterbox opening for an easy access. FAT CHANCE!!

Just make it impossible for the dog but still easy for the cat.

If you need more idea, please let me know. I'm sure we can find a reasonable solution without having to buy an automated litter box, child barrier etc.

Remember cats are more nimble than a dog. So this makes it easier to find a solution.

How big are the dogs?

We use a baby gate, too, but mounted it about ten inches about the floor, so the cat goes under, but the labrador can't get in unless DD forgets to close the gate, which happens occasionally. The cat lives in her bedroom, so her food and litter are both in there, too. Otherwise the lab would eat both. And because they're both in the room where she sleeps, too, DD is motivated to keep the litter box clean.

Roxy

We use a gate hook at the top of the basement door. The hook is just long enough to hold the door open far enough for the cats to squeeze through. We've also done the baby gate thing that Roxy describes, and that works well. I'm not sure that either would work for you because your dogs are so small.

My kitties have disliked every self-cleaning and covered box that we've tried. Good old-fashioned flat pans for them!

What about a cat flap with a magnetic latch? The cat wears a fob on her collar, so only she can "unlock" the flap. The fobless dogs wouldn't be able to get through....

Our critters:

Tortilla (the big burly Manx) - 18 lb
Heidi (the sneaky little Schnauzer) - 8 lb
Jens (the Schnauzer puppy) - 3 lb

We do have a problem that Heidi is actually more nimble than Tortilla! We call Heidi our little mountain goat, she is into everything, bouncing from place to place, she can jump but she has to have a clear landing so the baby gate keeps her in her "kennel". But the one with the latching door might work. Tortilla was not completely opposed to the lid on the box, she is extremely particular about her box being clean and tidy. And will only use Swheat Scoop. My animals are high maintenance!

I don't have much of an idea, just a caution. The top open litter boxes are ok for smaller/younger cats. But I've heard they can be bad on the joints. Jumping up from a loose footing like litter can be hard on them, as well as the idea of jumping down into it and landing in poop. Additionally, the self cleaning boxes are pretty small litter boxes when you take all the electronic stuff into account. I hope you come up with a solution.

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Originally Posted by Aggie_Ama

Our critters:

Tortilla (the big burly Manx) - 18 lb
Heidi (the sneaky little Schnauzer) - 8 lb
Jens (the Schnauzer puppy) - 3 lb

We do have a problem that Heidi is actually more nimble than Tortilla!

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Wow, those are some tiny dogs! And here I was thinking that maybe your schnauzers were the larger version!

Maybe you could get some type of set up where the animal would need body weight to get into it? Then your cat could trigger it but the dogs couldn't...like a lever of some sort. Just thinking out loud here....

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

can't you put the cat litter where the dogs can't go?

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My friend has to put her cat's litter box on a corner of the laundry room counter. Solved the problem for her.

There's no way I could have an indoor cat. Stu would be all over that candy box, and 18 month old Zoe does whatever Stu does.

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Originally Posted by Atlas

The top open litter boxes are ok for smaller/younger cats. But I've heard they can be bad on the joints. Jumping up from a loose footing like litter can be hard on them, as well as the idea of jumping down into it and landing in poop.

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I would like to kindly disagree with this. Firstly because the box isn't deep enough for them to have to jump in or out of the box - they can simply climb in/out. My kitty uses the part away from the entry hole to do his business and doesn't step in his own waste (which he buries anyway).

But secondly because physical activity helps keep muscles strong which actually helps reduce strain on joints and allows for continued activity even in the face of arthritis. It's why we recommend swimming so much for doggies with osteoarthritis in their hips due to hip dysplasia. When many pets get degenerative joint disease it's due to changes that were there since a young age that predisposed them to arthritis and not from repetitive motion injury (not that I think jumping in and out of a box qualifies as that in the least).

We have a self-cleaner and I love it! Ours is a Litter Robot. It's 5-ish years old and still going strong. Definitely worth the money!

Wow, dog being more nimble and agile than a cat does present a very unusual and difficult problem.

18 pound cat is BIG!!!
8 pound dog is tiny.

How about a simple door that requires the needed body weight to open.
a door with a hinge on top.
a platform for the animal to open the door also hinged.
and a connecting rod to tie the platform and the door.
a counter weight to keep the door closed if the weight on the platform is below x pounds.

I think this is simple enough in concept.

That is a neat concept Smiling Cat. Tortilla is definitely overweight, my vet would like her to get down to 14-15 lb but cats are very difficult to get weight off. She would still be a large cat, they believe she is part Maine Coon and definitely Manx. We tried can food and after awhile she refused to eat. We are very diligent in measuring her food, we'll see what the vet says when she needs shots again.

I also saw this litter box, http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...ductId=4017038. It looks like enough of a chore Heidi would just ignore it but worried Tortilla is too big.

We have one of those. Our current crop of kittens isn't huge yet - but the
"potty" area of that one is a lot smaller than one would expect, so I don't think it would work for an 18lb cat. Our Maine Coon look alike is already big enough that we're going to have to trade it soon. Sucks because it's otherwise really nice.

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Originally Posted by westtexas

I would like to kindly disagree with this. Firstly because the box isn't deep enough for them to have to jump in or out of the box - they can simply climb in/out. My kitty uses the part away from the entry hole to do his business and doesn't step in his own waste (which he buries anyway).

But secondly because physical activity helps keep muscles strong which actually helps reduce strain on joints and allows for continued activity even in the face of arthritis. It's why we recommend swimming so much for doggies with osteoarthritis in their hips due to hip dysplasia. When many pets get degenerative joint disease it's due to changes that were there since a young age that predisposed them to arthritis and not from repetitive motion injury (not that I think jumping in and out of a box qualifies as that in the least).

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I don't actually have one, I was just going off of what I've read about them so I appreciate your personal experience with one. It's always nice to hear from both sides of an issue (even if it's just litterboxes) :)