Automated Litter Box vs. Giant Cats: LitterMaid Review

The automated litter box has been around for years, but does it work for big cats? This review pits the LitterMaid vs. 2 Maine Coons and a street rescue cat.

Why would I want an automated litter box?

My wife went away for a week. During her time away, I was left with the dog and 3 cats. We have two extra large Maine Coon cats and one large street rescue cat. The street rescue eats as though he’s trying to catch up to Maine Coons in size. 

These three felines produced so much waste, that I felt like all my life was only cleaning out the litter boxes. My wife came back and rescued me from the servitude of cat waste removal. I then convinced her that it was time to get an automated litter box.  

She agreed to get one, but with the following caveats: (1) It couldn’t be too loud or disruptive, (2) I had to be the force identifying, purchasing, and installing the litter box, and (3) I had to maintain it.

Which automated litter box to buy?

There are a surprising number of automated litter boxes on the market and I took my time to research options. In the end I came up with following 3 options as my top candidates:

• Litter Robot III:
  • I had major reservations about the cost of owning one which was more than the other top 2 options.
  • It was unclear whether my cats would be willing to do their business in a semi-enclosed, ovoid.
  • Check out my Litter Robot Review

• CatGenie:
  • I liked the option of cleaning reusable litter rather than using disposable litter.
  • But I read a review or two that suggested it was not suitable for large or multiple cats. 
  • The need to be close to a running water source also kept me looking for options.

• LitterMaid Automatic Multi-Cat Litter Box Automatic:
  • LitterMaid has been around for many years.
  • It seemed like the best fit for my needs as well as my wallet.

I bought the LitterMaid automatic multi-cat litter box.

Was the LitterMaid easy to assemble?

Yes.  The packaging had 4 pieces to assemble together: (1) the litter box, (2) Comb arm, (3) the ramp, and (4) the waste bins. I assembled the 4 pieces in 10 minutes. It was ready to use 5 minutes later after I added the litter.

1) Clip on the comb: This is actually easier said than done. It feels sort of like you will break the comb as you attach it to the arm. Do not force it and break the arm or the comb.

2) Attach the waste cover: The waste cover attachment is much easier than the comb attachment and does not feel like you will break something

3) Insert the waste receptacle: The waste receptacle and receptacle lid attach on 2 different grooves with the lid moving with the waste cover and the receptacle remaining stationary.

4) Affix ramp: I’m not sure the ramp actually does that much. My cats barely ever actually stepped on the ramp, and it never needed cleaning.

Do you need to use special litter for the LitterMaid?

LitterMaid suggests a hard clumping litter like their walnut cat litter.  I used it as well as the arm & hammer clump & seal platinum cat litter.  I also tried many other brands that claimed that they made hard clumps. All of them seemed to work about the same.  

Is there anything else the LitterMaid automated litter box requires?

The LitterMaid uses plastic waste receptacles that are sealable. My only concern about them is I wish they were larger (see below) and it would also be nice if they were biodegradable.

Is it easy to clean the LitterMaid?

This is something I just recently learned about the Littermaid, the bottom actually quickly and easily detaches from the box making cleanup of the bottom incredibly easy to do.

I consider this a fantastic capability and wish I had known about it during the testing period.

Did the cats use the LitterMaid?

The cats seemed to love the LitterMaid (The picture below shows their excitement). My most adventurous rescue cat jumped in to use it within 5 minutes of assembly.  Both of the other cats used it within the day. They may have liked it too much. At times there would be this series of cats rushing to use the litter box one right after the other; they would not even wait for the motor to clean the box between visits.

Did the LitterMaid work?

Yes at first, but I started noticing that the comb of the litter box would stall out. I either removed the large lump of clumped litter or cleaned the rake and reset the motor.  I realized that the problem was actually 3 problems. 

Problem 1: Do not over-fill the litter box

I missed the max-fill line and over-filled the box with litter.  That was an easy fix and eliminated half of the comb stalls. When the box is too full the comb may stall. I assume this is because it is using energy to move the clumped litter and the clean litter as well.  Kind of akin to walking in water is more challenging the higher the water is.

Problem 2: Too much liquid volume can make hard clumps into soft clumps

I still had the comb stall with the correct amount of litter.  I realized that my cats pee too much volume. As I mentioned above there are multiple hard clump cat litters out there and I tried most of them. The problem is that all have a similar max absorbance before the hard clumps start becoming soft clumps.  At least a couple times a week, my cats would enter the box one after the next. The rake became fouled by wet clumps and could not push the clumps into the waste.

Problem 3: the waste receptacles are too small

The final problem is that the removable waste-bins are too small. My cats produce an incredible volume of waste in a day. Most people think that changing bins daily is too often.  There are a couple hacks to fix this problem. A great one included cutting the bottom out of one of the plastic trays and hanging a plastic bag. That hack more than doubles the volume.  

Who should buy a LitterMaid automatic litter box?

With all the issues mentioned, I would still definitely suggest the LitterMaid for some people.

1. Multiple small cats
2. No more than 1 giant cat
3. When you know you have a litter that can clump hard even after all your cats pee sequentially. 

If any of the above are true make the purchase. If not, take time to decide if you can live with the problems I have written about. I am looking for an alternative to the LitterMaid

Is there an automated litter box option that could work for multiple giant cats?

After doing more research; and seeing that my cats are willing to do their business in multiple shapes and sizes of litter containers; I have more hope for the Litter Robot III. I have started softening my wife up to allow me to make that investment in the future.  If I get a chance to get one, I’ll let you know how it went. If you already have one and want to review it, let me know.