PetSafe ScoopFree Original Purple Uncovered Self Cleaning Cat Litter Box System - No More Scooping - Includes Automatic Cat Litter Box, Disposable Litter Tray, 4.5 lb Premium Blue Crystal Cat Litter

------------------------------------------------------------ UPDATE 2018 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------It has been 7 years since we purchased our first unit. We got three years from it then it died in 2014 when motor portion got flooded with water. I replaced it with a regular unit no hood and no counter to save $20. It has been going strong for four years too. We bought a second unit when we went to Europe for two weeks to give my Mom no reason to clean a box. When we got back we packed one away because we only have one plastic tray and I won't pay for the disposable one. But I just saw the Petsafe permanent tray! I'll be purchasing one soon and putting both into service one for each cat and I hope that makes them happier!Original post 2011I am a dog person mostly because I like a family member who bathrooms more agreeably with the rest of the family. I am also pretty much askeptic with hopeful tendencies now and then... sometimes. Since allowing my son to rescue a cat from shelter life (classic story of dumb human expecting cat to stop scheming to get at the caged bird and "just get along") six years ago, then adding her "sister" a stray kitten comic who wandered into the yard a year later, the litter box has been one of the sorest points of our relationship. It even trumps homework sometimes. Most times.I have a super sensitive smeller and HATE the smell of cat poop, cat urine, wet cat litter or that nasty get-into-fabrics cat/poop/urine/litter stench. You know the one that announces from across the street that a "cat person" is approaching. We have thankfully not come to that point. Honestly I would have to find new human parents if it did. Sorry ASPCA. I just can't stand that smell and I am NOT going to be a cat-slave when my son "forgets" his duties.So we were planning vacation time and the boarding of the cats for 8 days would be $500 added to the cost of the trip. No one likes to clean cat litter in our family so they don't have cats, so I am reluctant to ask family or even friends to do us the favor. Then I had the brilliant idea to get this auto cleaner. I had the thought before but the price and the idea that it was a scam to get my money was there all the time. However I spent a good 3 hours researching online and amazon read the reviews and decided on the Ultra ScoopFree. It was $147. Even with the auto feeder Large Automatic Pet Feeder Electronic Programmable Portion Control Dog Cat Feeder w/ LCD display , rechargeable batteries Sanyo SEC-N16SETEVP NEW eneloop 1500 Super Power Pack with 12 AA, 4 AAA, 2 C and D Spacers, 4 Position Charger and Storage Case , the water pump Drinkwell Big-Dog Pet Fountain and 1 day shipping(see my comments on these too) it was $340. $160 for more vacation extras! Well not quite I splurged for the tiny iams indoor cat food IAMS Indoor Weight Control Hairball Care Proactive Health Dry Cat Food, 4-Pound Bags (Pack of 5) and a new cat jungle Armarkat B6802 68-Inch Cat Tree, Ivory too... so all together it was more than $500 but everything would be ours to keep and use for daily living not $500 flying just out the window.I set it all up and it was cat haven of the 21st century! All my friend had to do was come over every couple of days to make sure the kitties were still alive and that the gadgets were doing their job! No fuss, no muss, no touching anything. Hopefully.It went PUUUURRRRRFECTLY!!! (sorry couldn't resist)I only gave it 4 stars because the jury is still out and i think that the scoopfree company should make a better price on a more complete package. I think the ULTRA should be more than a cover and a counter. It should include the mat and the teflon rake. I noticed the poop sticking to the included rake even at 20 minute waiting, so not a good thing. Also the little crystals hurt when you step on them. Near the box there are quite a few of them and at night I felt like i was walking on a gravel track to get to the bathroom. My son will have to invest in a dust buster which he was suppose to do for the other litter anyway.I also understand that they want to do what the printer companies do and get you on the refills but that is just greedy not to mention unattractive to the environmentally conscious pet family. Make a plastic tray that is standard. Package the crystals in nice 12 paks at a good price with amazon prime shipping and i'll buy them for the life of these cats.Well I will keep folks posted over the next 90 days and beyond.Thank you to all the other honest reviewers who helped us make our choice. Cat mess is a part of cat family members, but we can try to make the situation better for all. Thank you to the Scoopfree folks for their invention.Now if they can only make something that gets that homework mess on the desk cleaned up....********************************* UPDATE ****************************************************Well it's now been nearly 5 months and there have been a few hiccups but i upgraded the review to 5 stars because I can't imagine how we lived with the manual cleaning box! The only thing is how horrible the stuff smells when you do open it up and clean it out, i advise doing that outside. Also the spot that receives the most liquid will get stained but no one's going to see it but you when you've cleaning out the box!.The rake does get dirty and stuff sticks to it so i'm ordering the teflon coated one and see how that goes. Over all i am so happy with the investment. The only thing is the cost of the crystals. It just seems to be so expensive for such a tiny amount. It's as if they are charging you for the fact that you don't have to change it as often or something. The crystals are made of silica which is refined sand right? So how is that so much more expensive than the other litter?Thinking of where we can place another one to minimize the chance of smells even more. Right now the smell is slight when you get close to day 15 or so with two cats.

I have only had this SF box for 10 1/2 days but i am so happy with it, i have to share. i will update later if my opinion changes. Since the mid 90s, i've been using Litter Maids, i've had about 4 over 15+ years, used with Litter Pearls crystals the whole time. I've been really satisfied with them. Until the last 3 years, i could easily go a month, sometimes 2 months, wihtout thinking about the litter box. i have one small cat who is now 18 years old. When the Litter maid would smell, i would clean it. It went a long time without smelling. I never had problems with the motor or the litter, and would recommend using crystals with it, although i found it had to be the regular round crystals, NOT trackless ones with their jagged irregular shapes which were too abrasive for the Litter maid rake system.I have two residences and in the other one, i have a Litter Robot, and am also happy with that. There have been some problems but overall, it does a good job.I now know, i only recently figured out, that my cat had very excessive urination the last three years, caused by hyperthyroidism. The problems i had with the LItter Robot, i now know, were caused by that. With the Litter Maid, the crystals started getting saturated within only 4-5 days and i'd have to change the whole litter and clean out the box, nothing like things used to be. I can't believe how dense i was not to figure this out. i thought there were problems with these boxes or the litter.Once i realized the urine was very very excessive, i doubled Fluffy's meds and the excess urination stopped, but she still refused the litter maid, even worse than ever, probably it had an odor that bothered her from all the urine that got all over it all the time. I tried to wipe it off but i could only do so much.So that's why i got the ScoopFree. It is so cool. It's so simple. And no cleaning at all, just throwing out the tray and replacing.I was already spending a lot on the crystal litter before, about $52 every 3 weeks.Having tried these three automatic litter boxes, and being happy with all three, this is what i like best about ScoopFree:PROSI like the very long electrical cord. It gives more flexibility. I really appreciate it.I love the simplicity.the motor is much quieter than the Litter Maid, and also quieter than the Robot.No odor after 10 days, the litter is still its original color, not green or yellow.Cat has no complaints, is using it regularly.Money back guarantee 90 daysone year replacement warranty, company covers shipping.CONS:The only thing i don't like is the expense of the disposable trays. If the company could make disposable trays that cost half of what they cost now, it would be perfect for me.I have (last night) bought a Forever Tray on eBay. I would've waited to see how much time i can get out of each disposable cartridge. If i could really get 2 weeks, i might not mind the expense, about $10 a week on average ($40 a month). But since i know the Forever Trays are discontinued, i don't want to take a chance of them selling out, so i spent $100 including shipping on eBay. With the Forever Tray, i can't think of anything about the ScoopFree to complain about.EDIT: 10/23/10I've had the ScoopFree exactly one month now and i love it more every day. I love it so much that i will make a special trip to go look at it all most every day, looking at it makes me happy, it's so neat and clean. It's in an out of the way place and i have to make a special effort to see it. I feel worshipful toward it, because of how it's improved the quality of my life. I've changed the cartridge twice now (have not used the Forever Tray yet because i first want to find out what the ScoopFree can do with my particular cat, and also, i just love the idea of simply throwing away the cartridge, nothing to wipe up). I am getting a week and a half out of a cartridge, and then, my cat pees on the 30 gallon trash bag i keep under the Scoopfree and previous litter boxes. Then, i smell it. So that's how our system is working. I'm averaging 10-11 days a cartridge, the frequency is what comes with having a hyperthyroid cat.I love the Fresh Start litter. There is no litter tracked away from the litter box, just a slight amount in front of the exit of it. Like, nothing. This is the first time in years i've felt free to walk barefoot over to where the litter box is. My other crystal litter, Litter Pearls, was all over the place and i didn't want to touch it because some of the pearls seemed likely to have sewage on or in them. So i kept a pair of slip on shoes in the hall in case i would need to go near the litter box. I love the free feeling i have that i have not enjoyed in more years than i can say.The other thing i love is, it always took 15 minutes to a half hour to clean the Litter Maid and the Litter Robot. The other day, i got the urine smell alarm right before work when i was late, but i did not feel freaked out. I knew i could put in a new cartridge in 5 minutes, and i did. Amazing. No more cat box issues for the next week and a half. To me, this is heaven. I am in love with the ScoopFree, if it was a person, i would marry it.