LitterMaid LM900 Mega Self-Cleaning Litter Box

1) It "rakes" the box itself, so you'll always have a clean, Zen garden-like litter box. This is the biggest plus to the LitterMaid, especially if you have a meticulous cat and are too busy/lazy to clean a litter box on a daily basis.
2) It's relatively easy to clean because of all the removable parts, like the rake, tray, and "paw cleaning" ramp. You'll want to wear gloves for this job.
3) It's already assembled and virtually foolproof. It's almost impossible for your cat to be harmed by it, though they do recommend only healthy adult cats use it, not geriatric cats or young kittens that can't get in or out of the box.

Although the LitterMaid is great (I'd recommend it), don't expect it to be the perfect alternative to the regular litter box. It has its drawbacks, like:

1) It takes 10 minutes to activate the rake. Believe me, when your cat leaves something stinky in there, you're not going to wait 10 minutes. It's much quicker to either use a scooper or reset the power so it'll automatically start up again.
2) It requires more cleaning than a regular litter box because of all the corners, etc. I find myself cleaning it every day, whether it's just to sweep/vacuum on or around it, wipe up messes, or empty the waste receptacle bin. But then, I have six cats. I'm constantly having to do that anyway. (Note: It does come with a small cleaning brush, but it's not really good for much, just brushing off little bits of litter.)
3) (This goes with #2.) Sometimes the rake will get clogged, and the tray will have clumps adhering to it. One solution: After removing and cleaning the rake and tray, spray them lightly with a silicon spray or baby oil to help prevent clumping.
4) It can be operated by eight D-cell batteries. Though this isn't really a drawback (especially in the event of a power outage), it's better--and less expensive--to just use the AC adapter provided. But if you are going to use batteries, I'd recommend rechargeable ones. It's cheaper in the long-run.
5) It's a little noisy. It sounds a lot like a paper shredder and woke me up a few times. I've gotten used to it by now though.

As with any machine, you should read the instructions first, though most of the rules are just common sense sort of things. Here are a couple important notes, though the last two aren't in the instruction manual:

1) Only use premium clumping litters, like the four brands they list: LitterMaid Premium Clumping Litter, Arm & Hammer Super Scoop, Fresh Step, or Ever Clean. Do NOT use crystal or pearl-like litters.
2) The main case (the exoskeleton of the litter box) can NOT be immersed in water.
3) Don't buy new waste receptacles. Your litter box will come with several bins--they can be reused. You can either use a plastic bag inside of them for easier disposal, or just wash out the receptacles when necessary. However, they are rather flimsy and can't handle too much bending or they'll break, so you may need to purchase replacements later on.
4) As with all litter boxes, place the LitterMaid on a hard surface (not carpet), in case of accidents.

Overall, I'm very happy with this product. It's held up to six cats so far, and they actually prefer using it over the regular litter boxes (though I'm still keeping those), probably because 1) it's entertaining, and 2) it's always clean. Although I really enjoy it, it's not a necessary item for all cat owners. Some people will prefer the old method, particularly if you only have a few cats; but for those who don't have a lot of time--or don't want to spend their time cleaning litter boxes--the LitterMaid is certainly worth your money. However, I'd recommend shopping around first. You can definitely find a better price.


LM900 Mega Shines!   April 18, 2006
Cynthia Raxter (BYNUM, NC USA)
60 out of 61 found this review helpful

I have 5 cats. Once I had 5 litter boxes to scoop twice a day. 2 Booda boxes, 2 extra large pans, and a 3-part sifter pan (which I did not like as it dropped used litter all over after you sifted). My life has been transformed by a Litter Maid Mega automatic litter box. All five cats use the same box now.

I use plastic grocery sacks to line the storage container. I put in about 4-5 at once. About once every two days, I just pull the full one out and tie it closed, dress over the litter and make sure the rake is clean. They give you a tool to clean the rake. I use a regular litter rake to make sure any used litter is scraped loose from the bottom of the pan. (One of my boys uses the same spot for every urine break. The litter in that corner sticks to the bottom of the pan.) This whole process takes about 5 minutes.

About once a month, I Dust Buster the mechanical parts and use a bathroom wipe as needed. I have always used disposable blue plastic-lined bed pads under litter boxes so any accidents are easy to take care of. You can get them in the Depends aisle at the drug store -- or search for "underpads" here at Amazon. Accidents are few and far between with the LitterMaid as the sides are very high. I had one dear sweet princess that would, at times, stand in the box with her back-end over the storage container. Until she passed away we just didn't use a lid. The Littermaid even kept her from peeing on the floor.

I clean the whole box about twice a year. The bottom pan pops off. I spray it with bathroom cleaner -- Scrubbing Bubbles -- let it sit a bit and then rinse it with a garden hose. I vacumm the upper (mechanical) part of the pan and then wipe it off with a bathroom cleaning wipe. (The rake will unscrew from the motorized arm and I could soak it in a bucket of Clorox water - but this is a litter box and I am not that fastidious.) All this takes about 20 minutes. Make sure all the parts are bone dry before reloading with new litter.

Some people have had problems with the automatic mechanism jamming, etc. The trick is to not overfill the litter pan. Keep the level between the two red marks. I used a ruler and a red Sharpie to extended the "FULL" mark all the way across the pan so it was easier to tell where the "DO NOT GO ABOVE THIS LINE" was. Secondly you have to use premimum litter.

I have had best results with "Scoop Away" litter. Scoop Away worked better than Tidy Cat Scoop or Arm and Hammer Scooping litter -- the granules seemed to be a bit larger so clumps did not get dense and stick to the rake. I have never tried the Littermaid litter. I have never tried or needed to use silicon spray or Pam cooking spray.

Even though the Scoop Away litter costs more than a store brand, it last longer with the LitterMaid. Because the waste is scooped automatically 10 minutes after the cat uses the box, the litter stays cleaner. Even with 5 cats, we use 7 pound bucket of litter every 2 months or so.

I don't think the sound is too obnoxious -- much quieter than a washing machine or vaccumm -- about equal to a dishwasher. I have the box in the laundry room next to the kitchen. If I hear it working, I say, "Thank God."

To get your cats to accept it very fast: set it up with litter beside your present box, but leave it unplugged. Manually scoop it for a day or so. Be diligent. Don't scoop the old box at all. Then, plug the Littermaid in, and turn on the switch on to rake, and off when done. Do this for a day or so. Then start leaving the switch on for a few hours and off for a few hours. If the cats go in the Littermaid while the switch is off, go turn it on after they are done and admire their progress. Continue to keep the Littermaid clean all week and leave the old box smelly. The cats naturally prefer a clean box.

I had 18, 19 and 20 year old cats, feral cats, shy cats and nervous cats all learn to use the box in one week with no problems. I laugh -- one cat I have insists on coming back inside to use the Littermaid. He was a neighbors cat and disappeared when he was a year old. He returned a year later and adopted me. He spent a year in the woods, but, by hokies, he is going to use his own special, automatic poopy-scooper box now.

If you have a cat that is terrorized by a dominant cat and you use two litter boxes -- you may want to leave the scaredy cat his "safe zone" box in place. When I first got the Littermaid, the cats used 5 boxes in different locations around the house. At first I left 3 of them in place. They got less and less use, so I decommissioned one after another -- probably over 6-8 months. Now we just have the Littermaid. I have used the same LM900 Mega since March of 2004.

With one cat it may not be worth the financial investment to have an auto poopy-scooper ($100-150 US). It has added an hour to my life every day -- plus added to my cats' health and well-being so it was well worth it for me.

Best of luck to you and your kittens!



Illusions: Confessions of a Littermaid owner   May 19, 2005
Todd B. Bauer (Akron, OH USA)
51 out of 53 found this review helpful

I have two cats and would never consider going without a Littermaid unless cats were somehow outlawed or child services took them away from me.

I find it interesting that people have such complaints about how the Littermaid is different from a manual litter box. Yes, it definitely is different. If you are a person who lives in fear and does not take well to change, please, keep doing what you are doing, this device is not for you. However, if you embrace change and can handle two things: 1) The Littermaid is not magic, you have to do periodic maintenance and 2) The Littermaid is different than a manual litter box, so there are some new factors to cope with (such as the litter tray), then you might want to give this home automation device a spin.

I have used the device (Mega-model, two cats (7 and 10 lbs)) for two years now. Here are some observations:
* It's great, I would never even consider using a manual litter box
* Dunno what abuse come cats/people dish out, but it has never broken in the two years time
* It is easy to control the smell by purchasing some of those pink urinal blocks from a janitorial supply. Break one up and put a piece in the tray between changes. Any little odor that attempts to sneak out will be caught
* It runs better with less litter than more. Remember, this is a different concept here. The device is raking out the waste. The waste is not intended to be buried. I never fill mine anywhere close to the fill line and tend to keep it closer to empty. It sounds gross, but trust me, the problem with waste sticking to the rake goes away with less litter in the pan
* It does conserve litter since only what sticks to the waste or clumps up is discarded (raked into the tray).
* I don't know what some cats or people are doing to this thing, but I never clean it outside of changing the tray and wiping down the exposed plastic now and again. I don't understand the complaint about "it's a pain to clean"
* The tent is a complete waste of resources. If you want to keep the Littermaid out of sight, build a cabinet to keep it in. There are a variety of vendors who sell these online if you don't feel that handy in a woodshop
* To avoid issues with waste sticking to the rake, use super-premium clumping litter (Petsmart house-brand will do) and keep the litter level low, low, low.
* (Ultimate Hack) Build a cabinet that goes underneath the Littermaid. Cut a hole in the top that matches the dimensions of the litter tray. Cut the buttom out of the litter tray, tape a trash back into it (double-bag is best). Place trash bag inside the cabinet (mine hinges opens on the side). Now the unit rakes into a trash bag instead of into a teeny tray. I empty mine about once every 3 months. Note the trick above about using urinal cakes to cover the smell. I never smell the thing, ever. It sounds gross, but you never see a thing and never smell a thing. The only reason I have to empty it so often is that 3 months of waste weighs about 80 lbs. Much more than and my back will break.
* Enjoy. The logic and design of this device is well though-out and proven by thousands of happy owners. It can also be modified to become almost maintenance free (I fill mine about once a week, change the bag and clean about once every quarter). There are other hacks such as automatic litter refill that I haven't even tried to do, but wouldn't be that hard.
* Thank God we live in an age of such cheap accessible technology

Enjoy.


Was worth the price for us   July 30, 2003
31 out of 31 found this review helpful

Okay, so it's not perfect. But for that price, can you find someone willing to pick up after every cat in your household, every time it goes to the litterbox? Day after day? I really appreciate the help. It's a robot, really. Sure, it seems a bit pricey at first, but it was well worth the money for me, for us. The cats adjusted to it very quickly. At first they ran to the box and watched it every time it went off, but now they completely ignore it. I find that I need to clean out the receptacle every day, but without it, I'd be cleaning two or three old-fashioned litterboxes every day anyway. And, yes, sometimes the small "pieces" roll into the side rails or stay in the tines, and often times the clumps like pancakes at the bottom have to be manually scraped up, but still, overall it's a great help. We have three cats and one LM mega unit. When they say to fill only to the recommended fill line, they mean it. The poor unit cannot handle any more than that--honestly, that's important. Also, we tried all sorts of clumping litter and the one that is corn-based seems to work the best for us. We've had it for six months now and I'm happy with it.
p.s. It helps to line the collection receptacle with a plastic bag. Don't know who could afford to throw it out each time!


LitterMaids come in all sizes!   December 7, 2003
Kasey Shields (Wahiawa, Hawaii USA)
47 out of 51 found this review helpful

I recommend the Littermaid for everyone!

If you have a small cat get a small one if you have big cats get a big one. People are under the impression it only comes in one size. It doesn't! A fifteen pound cat like my Zeus does not fit in the LM900. He fits in the LM950. There is also the LM500. So be careful which Littermaid you purchase and what size you are getting. And get the right one for your cat... Use the brush that comes with it when the rake gets clumped.

The Littermaid is a wonderful product when used right. My cats think its great and so do I.

I found the most useful item to go with the littermaid. Petmates Purrforma Easy-tie Wastebags are great to line the receptacles with! The wastebags cost less as well. And they are shaped similar to the receptacle. I now buy wastebags instead of receptacles (as the wastebag lines the receptacle never dirtying it).