Say Goodbye to the Traditional Cat Litter Box

Cat owners everywhere can now throw away that old, smelly cat litter box. There are other options now, in hopes of eventually making the cleaning of the cat box a thing of the past. Here are a few options for today's cat owner, which will help make his or her job much easier. For now, the prices of these alternatives can be quite high, but it's a small price to pay for one less chore to have to deal with on a frequent basis.

LitterMaid Robotic Cat Boxes

Having bought a LitterMaid Ultra robotic cat box for my two cats a few years ago, it was very helpful and did its job dutifully. Mine was under $200 at the local pet store, but they can be found cheaper if bought on online auctions and discount retailers.

The premise of this invention is to electronically rake the cat waste into a replaceable receptacle, and then the owner just throws it away when it is full. If you have more than one cat, it is a good idea to have more than one of these boxes.

One box can do for two cats but mine died after heavy use after one year. During that time, though, it did a great job and my only concern was buying the plastic receptacles, carbon packs (to reduce smell) and add cat litter from time to time. It does what it claims to do, but buy the best one you can afford. Maybe the higher grade models are more durable than mine was. This company has added other models to their line since I owned mine.

Cat Genie

This is a new invention that acts like a toilet for cats more than a litter box. This remarkable creation hooks easily into your bathroom water supply through the toilet, and uses water to flush away cat waste once your pet has done his business and walked off. All you need to do is buy the chemical that works as litter, but it also breaks down the waste.

It can be found on Amazon.com for about $285 at the time of this writing. The Smart Cartridges can be bought individually for around $13 or in groups, to save money. As a cat owner, it looks like a winner to me. On Amazon you can read peoples' reviews of the Cat Genie, and come to your own conclusion on whether this is a good product for your cat or not.

Many cats will soil outside of the litter box if it isn't clean enough. Like people, cats don't like filth. Being clean animals, they will hunt for a cleaner spot to do their business if they aren't satisfied.

Credit: Carolyn McFann

Copyright: Carolyn McFann