I Tried the Litter-Robot 4 and Will Happily Never Scoop a Litter Box Again
My partner and I are no strangers to avoiding litter box scooping. Come to our house and you'll find an array of cat bathroom options—the tried-and-true box, a self-flushing litter box, and two generations of the Litter-Robot. So, when Whisker asked if our cats would like to try the just-released Litter-Robot 4, I said fluff yeah.
If you're not familiar with the previous iterations of the Litter-Robot, it's a genius machine that makes sure cat parents never have to scoop the litter box again. A cat enters a globe filled with clumping litter. The globe senses your cat by weight, and thanks to Litter-Robot 4 improvements, by light sensor, too. Once your cat exits the globe, the unit waits a set amount of time, then cycles. The globe rotates, separating waste from clean litter. The clean litter returns to the box and the clumps fall into a bottom waste drawer. Oh, and there's a handy app that alerts you when the drawer is full and tracks litter box use.
As happy owners of previous versions of the Litter-Robot, we weren't sure what improvements the new and improved Litter-Robot 4 had in store—or if the improvements were worth the price tag. We spoke to Jacob Zuppke, President and CEO of Litter-Robot, who said he's most excited to provide pet parents with a litter box that is so much more than just a litter box.
"I think it will give many of our customers peace of mind that they are able to monitor litter box activity, cat weight, and more through the app. The new accessories will also be a game changer for cat parents. Namely, the PetID tag. It will launch in late 2022 and recognizes individual cats for multi-cat customers, providing health insights for each of our pets in real time."
Shop now: Litter-Robot 4, $649; litter-robot.com
The Litter-Robot 4 arrived just as its previous versions had—as a complete unit in a very large box. The assembly is as easy as plugging it in and pouring your favorite clumping litter into the globe. From there, we launched the app. The step-by-step setup guide is straightforward, even for pet parents that might feel like they have two left paws when it comes to technology.
The Litter-Robot 3 is situated in our primary bedroom. The late-night poo and proceeding cycling didn't cause us to lose sleep. But at first cycle, it was clear that the improvements to the Litter-Robot 4 damped the cycling noise. If you're a light sleeper and also think the bedroom is the perfect spot for a litter box (experts say to place a box on every floor!), simply activate the sleep mode in the app. The unit won't cycle for a set period of time.
As Zuppke told Daily Paws, the Litter-Robot is so much more than a standard litter box. We've always loved that the unit cycles way sooner than I would scoop—keeping the litter fresher longer and, in turn, keeping our cats healthier. The added bonus of weight monitoring is an unexpected and welcomed upgrade. Being a pet parent to a cat with a bad knee, we're glad to ditch our weekly weigh-ins and Google Doc weight tracking.
Is more than one Litter-Robot overboard? Yeah, probably. Are we fans of the brand? Sure are—and our cats agree, visiting the Litter-Robot over our other automated box almost every time. When comparing the Litter-Robot 3 to the new Litter-Robot 4, I realize the 3 is large and a little clunky. Along with the other updates, the Litter-Robot 4 is sleeker while actually widening the globe size for bigger kitties. But don't be fooled, the Litter-Robot 4 requires more room than a typical litter box, within the proximity of a power outlet.
So, how much would you pay to never scoop, plus effortlessly monitor your cat's weight and litter box habits? If it's $649, you're in luck.
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