Automatic Litterbox Central

This is my original review of the Litterfree that appeared at my personal web site. It has been moved here. If you tried to visit the old link, you have been redirected to a forum discussing the Litterfree and other products on the market. Membership is free and open to everyone -- your participation is welcome!

Click here for the forum entrance.

Please note that the company that produced the Litterfree is no longer in business.

Thanks,

Jeff


A review of the LitterFree automatic cat litterbox
by Jeff Noxon
Feb. 19, 2002

Introduction

Have a cat or two in your household? Imagine a litterbox that only requires your attention once every six months. That's the promise of LitterFree: No more stinky litterbox, no scooping, no tracking, no cleaning... It sounds too good to be true, but I bought one anyway. I'm always on the bleeding edge of technology, and I hate dealing with cat litter. What could be better? I have two cats, and I calculated that once I got the initial US$300 purchase out of the way, the consumables for the LitterFree unit are actually a little cheaper than the Pet Gold Plus litter I buy at Petco. It seemed like it was worth a shot.

I bought my LitterFree unit from Smarthome.com. After it arrived, I discovered that they routinely sell for around US$100 less on eBay, so if you decide to buy one, you might want to look there first.

Initial Impressions

The unit looks much like a regular hooded litterbox, except that it weighs a ton. It needs to be installed in a bathroom or laundry area, because it hooks up to a cold water line, a drain, and an electrical outlet. It might sound complicated, but it really isn't. I installed it in a guest bathroom in about five minutes. I turned off the water supply to the toilet, installed the provided "T" adapter, hooked up the LitterFree's water hose, and turned the water back on. The drain hose just slips under the toilet seat. If you install the LitterFree in a laundry room, you just put the drain hose in the washing machine's drain hole. Not bad. The provided hoses and cord are long enough to offer a great deal of installation flexibility.

Once the plumbing is done, the LitterFree plugs into an electrical outlet. In my house, that was a problem. The unit is rated at 12 amps. Most electrical circuits are 15-20 amps. If you have other lights or electronic devices on the same circuit, you might run into difficulty. The first time my LitterFree turned on its dryer, the circuit breaker tripped. Keep this in mind before you buy one. You might need to get an electrician to come out and install a dedicated circuit for the LitterFree -- a costly proposition at best. In a laundry room, this is less likely to be a problem than in a bathroom. It's most likely to be an issue when installing the LitterFree in the bathroom of an older home.

Instead of litter, the LitterFree uses plastic pellets ("crystals") that are supposed to last around six months. It also uses a bottle of cleaning fluid that contains ammonia, soap, and fragrance. (It looks just like Windex, but it's slightly more complex.) The cleaning fluid is good for 60 flushes. The LitterFree can be programmed, via a timer, to flush automatically between zero and three times a day. There's also a manual flush button. Draw your own conclusions on how long the cleaning solution will last. I suspect it's between 20 days and 60 days, depending on whether you have one or two cats. I'm not sure the LitterFree would be a good idea in a household with more than two cats, unless they also go outdoors.

I am honestly surprised that the LitterFree doesn't have a mode that causes it to flush after the cat leaves it. As it is, things can get quite smelly in the LitterFree between flushes. There aren't enough pellets in the unit for the cat to bury waste. They serve two functions: First, they give the cat something to stand on to keep urine away from its feet. Second, they are circulated around the box with water during a flush, which is supposed to liquify solid waste.

Training the Cats

It turned out to be quite easy to get my cats to use the LitterFree. Your mileage may vary. First, I moved my litterbox to the bathroom where I planned to install the LitterFree. (You might need to do it in steps, depending on how resistant your cats are to change.) I also put the included plastic training "crystals" on top of the litter. I left the litterbox the bathroom for a few days while the cats got used to it Then, I replaced the litterbox with the LitterFree. I moved a few pieces of solid waste from the litterbox to the LitterFree and removed the litterbox from my home. I left the LitterFree turned off and waited for the cats to do their business. It took a little over 24 hours, and they were cross with me, but they used it.

The LitterFree in Practice

Finally, it was time to push the flush button on the LitterFree.

Wow, it's noisy. I haven't measured the sound with an SPL meter (yet), but it is definitely louder than any other appliance I own.

The box goes through three or four wash and drain cycles, which takes about 15 minutes. Then a dryer comes on and blows hot air over the pellets to dry them out. The drying process is what consumes most of the electricity used by the LitterFree. After another 15 minutes, everything is supposed to be clean, dry, and ready for your cat.

The first time I flushed the LitterFree, I was disappointed by its performance. The solid waste I put in the unit during the traning process was very hard and the LitterFree didn't do much to eliminate it. After the third flush, it was greatly reduced in size. The following day, it was gone. In normal use, solid waste seems to be removed just fine by the LitterFree. The pellets don't dry waste out the way litter does, so it's easy for the unit to liquefy it and drain it out.

Now that I've had the LitterFree for a few days, I'm reasonably happy with its performance. Right now, I have these lingering complains:

1. The cats still manage to kick the plastic pellets out of the box. It's not as messy as it is with litter, but now I have to pick them up and put them back in the box. The pellets are designed to be replaced only once every six months, and the replacement pack costs around US$40! Hopefully, this will lessen with time. The pellets are not so small that the cats can track them, so they must be kicking them out while trying to bury their waste.

2. Cats ingest fur as part of their natural grooming process. It doesn't digest, so it comes out in their stool. Unfortunately, fur floats on water, and the LitterFree can't flush it. How much of a problem this is remains to be seen. But I could imagine the fur getting tangled around the axle that stirs the waste around, much like fur attacks vacuum cleaners.

3. There is no way to abort the cleaning process once it starts. Even if you unplug the unit, it starts up where it left off. It would be nice to have a way to bypass the drying process if it needs another flush.

4. It would also be nice if the box could sense the cat leaving it, and flush automatically, instead of on a timer. That would help reduce odors.

What if the Cat is in there when it turns on?

Everyone asks me this question. The answer is simple -- the cat will leave in a hurry. They can hold it in for a while, and come back later. Soon, they will accomodate themselves to the LitterFree's schedule.

Conclusion

I think it's too early for me to draw any real conclusions. The product may live up to its hype, but I'm not sold yet. I'll have more to say in another month or two... Until then, I hope you find this review helpful!