Cat Mom Life: Honest Thoughts on the Litter-Robot 3

Honest Thoughts on the Litter-Robot 3

A few years ago, a good friend of ours gave us a Litter-Robot 3 for Christmas/my birthday. If you’ve not seen these automatic litter boxes before, they seriously look like space ships. I was so surprised and excited when I realized this was what came in a giant box to the apartment complex’s front desk. I had always wanted to try a scoop-free automatic litter box but was intimidated by the price. Now that I have one, though, I can confidently say that I would 100% purchase this myself. The Litter Robot really works and makes my life so much easier; it’s the best automatic litter box you can buy and totally worth the money. I think you’ll love it, too!

Table of Contents:

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Why We Love the Litter-Robot 3

This Smart Litter Box is Set Up is Super Easy

Once we got the box into the apartment, I immediately began to unpack all the litter box parts and put them together.

When I say parts, I mean the little step that slides out on the bottom and the little black rubber mat that goes on top of it. I cannot emphasize enough how easy it was to set this thing up. At first, it had looked intimidating, but the whole thing seemed to be designed to be easy to use. Two polydactyl thumbs up for that!

Cat Mom Life: Honest Thoughts on the Litter Robot

Louis was intrigued by the self-cleaning litter box from the moment we took it out of the box!
This photo was from the first night we had it. He’s such a curious boy,
he had no hesitation in checking it out.

Dimensions, Specs, and Cost of this Automatic Litter Box

Beige Litter Robot 3 Product Image

When measuring from the base of the Litter-Robot 3 to the top of the unit, this self cleaning cat litter box measures 29.5 inches. From the front of the step into the litter chamber to the back of the unit is 27 inches. From side to side, it is 24.25 inches wide. The entryway is 10.25 inches by 15.25 inches.

It runs with 15 volt DC power weighs 24 pounds empty.

Overall, it looks a lot bigger than it actually is. Sure, it takes up more space than most traditional litter boxes, but it isn’t nearly as cumbersome as I had anticipated.

The Litter-Robot 3 without wifi capabilities (the unit we have) costs $499. The unit with wifi capabilities (Litter-Robot 3 Connect) costs $549. All Litter Robots enjoy free delivery.

P.S. there’s a LitterRobot discount waiting for you at the bottom of this post,
so don’t let the cost scare you off straight away!
I really do think it’s worth the price.

How the LitterRobot 3 Works

The Litter-Robot has a large, circular chamber with an upward facing entry, which cats seem to prefer. It’s not cramped for them and they can easily get in and out (an issue we’ve had with traditional litter boxes).

There is a weight sensor that is triggered when a cat enters the automatic litter box. Cats must weigh at least 5 pounds to trigger the sensor (and, therefore, to use the litter box itself). Once the weight sensor activates, the red light on the button panel on the right hand side of the Robot will turn red, meaning it’s entered the standard 7 minute weight time before cleaning.

Assuming the cat leaves the unit within that 7 minute period, the self-cleaning box will begin to cycle after 7 minutes, sifting and removing the soiled litter to the drawer underneath. The Litter-Robot then returns to normal, the light turns back to blue, and it’s ready for use again.

For more information on the timing cycles and some Litter Robot troubleshooting tips, click here.

I recently reviewed the latest model of this automatic, self-cleaning litter box, the Litter Robot 4!
Read my full review of the Litter Robot 4 (and get an exclusive discount link for the model) here.

Do Cats Like Automatic Litter Boxes?

Are Cats Scared of the Litter Robot?

Two of our three cats took to the robot litter box immediately.

Understandably, cats can be a bit intimidated by automatic litter boxes like this one at first. It is big and new, so it doesn’t smell like their other litter boxes, and makes some noises. However, cats are quite curious and they love clean litter boxes, so it seems that most take to it just fine.

Leave the Unit Turned Off at First to Help Cats Acclimate

The Litter Robot manual suggested we leave it turned off until the cats got used to using it. My friend who gifted it to us had seconded this idea, so we set it up in our bathroom, plugged it in and had it run through the initial set up cycle. After that, we turned it off. In the process of turning it off, Louis was already getting in to use it. He was all for it from the start!

Olivia took a little longer to warm up to it than Louis, but was fully comfortable with it in a day or two. Emory began to use it exclusively once we began adding this litter attractant to the litter — I cannot recommend it enough!

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Litter-Robot Really Work? How Long Does the Smart Litter Box Last?

For us, the Litter-Robot absolutely works. Louis and Olivia took to it really quickly, and even though Emory took longer to come around, she now uses it, too.

As far as troubleshooting goes, we had an issue with the unit’s timing early on. I’m not convinced it was an issue with the timing, actually, so much as Louis jumping in to use it after Olivia, about 30 seconds before the cleaning cycle started. Typically, the sensor picks this up and would stop the cleaning cycle, but for some reason it didn’t this time. Looking back, I’m not sure Louis was fully in the box to trigger the sensor (sometimes, if they stand towards the edges, the sensor doesn’t pick them up right away). Either way, I emailed customer service and they gave me instructions on how to reset the unit and ensure that the weight and cleaning sensors worked properly.

Ultimately, we upgraded to the latest model in summer of 2023, after we’d had the previous unit for about four years. You can learn more about why we did this and the differences between the two models here.

How Often Does the Litter-Robot Need to be Emptied?

The answer to this question largely depends on the number of cats you have. With our three cats, I usually wind up emptying the waste drawer about every 5 days. Sometimes more, but rarely less often than that.

Does the Litter-Robot Smell?

Ideally, the Litter-Robot should not smell. Any time it has, in my experience, simply means that we need to replace the bag in the waste tray. Doing so resolves the problem.

Furthermore, there is a carbon filter in the waste tray, which helps combat odor. Replacement filters are available on the brand’s website.

Do You Need Whisker Branded Trash Bags for the Waste Drawer?

When we got the unit, it came with a few branded bags for the waste drawer. These branded trash bags do fit into the drawer more easily than regular trash bags, but I don’t think they’re really necessary. I’ve not bought them, myself. Instead, we just use regular trash bags, which work perfectly well.

Do You Need to Keep Other Litter Boxes in Multi-cat Homes?

Until Emory began to exclusively use the Litter-Robot (thanks to this affordable litter attractant), we did keep an extra litter box out, even in our smaller apartments. When she began to use it exclusively, we got rid of the traditional box. Now, in our house, we keep a second, traditional litter box available for the cats, simply because there is more space for them to roam. They use the Litter-Robot probably 75% of the time.

Ideally, with an automatic litter box like this, you wouldn’t need other litter boxes. However, if you have a cat that continues to hold true to the traditional litter boxes, consider leaving out a more-conventional litter box in a different spots of the home.

What is the Best Litter for a Litter-Robot?

This machine requires clumping litter, which worked out for us, since the kitties prefer the Tidy Cat Light Weight style. It doesn’t take much litter, and you really don’t need to completely change it out much since it cycles through to clean it out so often. The used litter falls into a little trash-bag lined shelf connected to the step in the front of the Robot, which you simply pull out, tie up, and toss out.

I’ll mention it again here, but we have had fantastic luck with this litter attractant. I mix a little in with the litter and press the “cycle” button to mix it all together.

Overall Thoughts on the Litter-Robot

Are Self Cleaning Litter Boxes Worth the Money?

My answer is emphatically YES.

We love our Litter-Robot! I think it’s definitely helped reduce stress with the litter boxes, and cleaning is way easier with it than with the traditional litter boxes. So, it has for sure made my life easier.

Where to Buy the Litter-Robot

The Litter-Robot is currently available from the brand’s site here, as well as from Chewy, PetSmart, BestBuy, and Amazon!

Get $75 off your own Litter Robot bundle by clicking here!
(All you need to do is follow the link; the discount will be applied automatically — no coupon code necessary!)

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*This post was originally published on December 19, 2019. It was most recently updated on October 21, 2023.

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