I wanted to make sure that I got the best letterbox that could clean itself. That way, it would lessen the hassle of having to clean your litter box regularly, especially if you have multi-cat households that smell up the room. That’s when the Littermaid Litter Box comes to play, known as one of the best self-cleaning litter boxes in the market.
However, do you know which one’s suitable for you? I tried the litter box myself to see if performs as well as many people say it does. So read on for my full review on how the Littermaid Litter Box works and if it’s a good investment for you.
Littermaid Litter Box
**Below, you’ll find more detailed review, but you can also click links above to see current prices and read customer’s reviews on Amazon.
About Littermaid
Littermaid is one of the most famous and trusted brands that many cat owners trust. They’re best known for their cat litter products, believing that they understand and love cats more than anyone! For over a decade now, the company proves itself as frontrunners in the cat litter industry.
There are many different automatic litter boxes available in their market. Each model has its unique features which make it an excellent investment, coming at different prices. That way, you can choose one that caters best for your cat and household.
They aim to provide quality products to lessen the hassle of cleaning while keeping your cat’s comfortable. With that said, I’ll be talking about the Littermaid LM980, one of their bestsellers and latest in their product selections.
The LM980 Littermaid Litter Box Overview
The Littermaid LM980 litter box is made for the strong and large cats, as well as multi-cat households. It has an excellent design that makes it more suitable for most cats, no matter what their toilet habits are.
As most automatic litter boxes work, it has an automatic rake which cleans everything on its own. It uses dual motion sensors to detect when the cat comes in and leaves to commence cleaning, also having a safety bar for efficient and safe cleaning.
Besides this, the litter box runs on electricity, requiring a power outlet and AC adapter. It can also use eight AA batteries as a backup in case of power loss, though not to be used as the main source of power!
Design and Appearance
What I like about the LM980 Littermaid Litter Box is its interesting and complete design. For starters, it’s got the high wall design which prevents cats from kicking litter away. Its high walls also keep urine within the litter box, especially if your cat has a habit of NOT squatting while peeing.
The litter box also comes with a ramp, which prevents any more trailing and litter tracking. Furthermore, it has the sizeable litter tray, good enough for the regular-sized cat to move around and find the optimal position to do his business.
Besides this, it’s designed in such a way that it’s easy to clean and maintain. With smooth edges and solid plastic construction, I can see this lasting for a long time.
Features and Specifications
These are my favorite features and specs the litter box offers:
- Has a high wall design with sturdy construction for mess-free business
- Rake scoops most waste automatically, no need to manually do it
- Includes a safety bar for your unit’s protection
- You can either set it up automatically or manually according to your need
- Very spacious waste container compared to other litter boxes
- Comes with four carbon filters and waste receptacles
- Suitable for multiple cats with its size and strength
- Can use any type of clumping clay litter to easily clean automatically
- Strong plastic rake and body for durability
- The body includes a paw cleaning ramp to lessen messes and litter tracking
- Can run on both AC or AA batteries
- Dimensions (HxWxL): 10x18x27 inches
- Weight: 13 pounds
How the LM980 Littermaid Litter Box Works
This particular litter box from Littermaid works by scooping out your cat’s waste ten minutes after your cat does his business. It uses strong plastic rake to gather up all the waste and clumps.
All the waste will then go straight to the disposable waste receptacle, with a carbon filter activating right after to absorb its odors to make it more pleasant when disposing of it.
The 10-minute cleaning cycle will be triggered with dual-motion sensors, which activate thanks to your cat’s movement as they enter and exit the litter tray. If your cat enters the unit while it cleans, the power resets, restarting a new 10-minute delay before it cleans again. You can choose between different times, also cleaning it immediately!
Pros and Cons
These are the pros and cons I found upon testing out the litter box:
Pros
- Rake is made of strong plastic to automatically scoop up litter clumps and stool
- Reduces cleaning time and effort, making less contact with your cat’s waste
- Has a new design to make it easier to remove the unit’s parts
- Better scooping ability compared to other previous models
- Has a ten-minute wait time or can program to clean immediately
- Has a good paw cleaning ramp for less mess
Cons
- It makes a loud motor noise, may spook some cats
- You’ll have to scoop some waste from the sides or floor sometimes
- The soft stool may get stuck in the rake, though you can remedy this with cooking oil
- Some complaints about slow customer service and part replacement
- Litter box depth may be too shallow when placing three inches of litter
Tips on Using the Litter Box
Here are helpful tips you can look into if you decide to invest in the litter box:
- Make sure that the litter levels should stab between the two red lines on the litter box’s side. Too much would end up with the rake messing up the surrounding area
- In case of a power outage, switch off the unit. When turning it back on, you’ll need to program it again.
- Avoid using low-quality clumping litter, which would strain the rake and make the cleaning process difficult
- Do NOT get the sensor yet wet, which might damage the entire motor
- Since it has a noisy operation, it’s best to switch it off at night. While it isn’t as loud, it can wake up light sleepers and spook cats!
Do the Cats Like It?
As for the cats, they were able to adapt to the new cat litter box, though it took some time. Since it was a bit loud, you’ll have to expect them to adapt to the noises it makes after using the unit. For me, it took a few days until the cats got used to it, just switch it off at night and resume operation in the morning.
Besides this, they seem to appreciate more space, especially the larger cat. It did accommodate up to three cats comfortably, and maintenance was a breeze because of its huge waste capacity.
Is the Littermaid Litter Box Worth It?
I can say that the Littermaid LM980 is definitely worth the price for its excellent quality. Yes, it’s a bit higher-priced compared to others, but it cleans up well. It requires LESS cleaning around the sides and floor compared to other units.
Besides that, this is one of the only litter boxes I know that’s made for multiple cats! It’s sizeable enough and as long as you have space, two to three regular-sized cats can use it without worry about disposing of waste too frequently.
The Littermaid P-70000 Disposable Litter Box
Besides the LM980, I also want to talk about the Littermaid P-70000, which is another one of their bestsellers. It isn’t exactly the best out of their product selection, but an interesting one especially for owners who don’t want to continue cleaning cat waste repeatedly! This one also comes at such an affordable price and caters to those on a budget and want something simple.
It’s a very lightweight and easy-to-use litter box made from a strong material to keep litter and waste from leaking out. The box has absorbent materials, made with a mix of strong recycled paper. It also keeps litter dry and fresh for longer periods, also keeping odors within the box.
While it isn’t fully-biodegradable, it tapers slowly over time, until you’ll need to replace it. It isn’t a permanent litter box, but something I’d recommend if you’re traveling with your cat or require something temporary first. Fortunately, they don’t break easily and are compact, easy to bring around.
Wrapping It Up
I hope that my article on the Littermaid Litter Box helped you out! So don’t wait any longer and check out more deals from this company if you see it suitable for your cats.
Do you have any questions or want to share your own experiences with the Littermaid Litter Box? Then comment below, all your thoughts are much appreciated!