17.1.2015

Our two cats have been using this litter box for the past month and it has actually made life so much easier and really does work so why not five stars? Purely and simply down to the cost of the refills which at the time of writing this review were just under 50pound for three on subscribe and save. This unfortunately makes this an unfeasible expense for us in a household with two young children and other bills to pay and so as much as I would love our cats to continue using this litter box once our tester re-fills run out it just won't be practical for us. If the refills were reduced down to a more manageable level at say maybe around the twenty pound mark then we would continue using it andpay out for this luxury but at the current price it is an unnecessary expenditure which we can't afford.We have two cats and the trays are currently lasting us 10 days each. Below is the summary of the trays longevity and times used but please bear in mind that with the first tray used we didn't stir the litter halfway through and this does help the litter to last that tiny bit longer.Tray 1 - 9 Days and used 48 timesTray 2 - 10 Days and used 54 timesTray 3 - 10 Days and used 53 timesI must also say that both of our cats whilst they do go outdoors actually come back home to use the loo rather than doing their business outside somewhere and so effectively they could be considered for example purposes as being house cats.So for us to continue using the litter box it would mean buying the three refills each month which when compared to our old litter box costs of £12.40 for a 4 week period (10 litre bag cost us £1.55 and we use two a week) makes this substantially more expensive.Anyway I'll stop harping on about the cost as others may have the disposable income to afford this and I can honestly say hand on heart if money wasn't an issue we would continue using it. The drastic reduction in smell alone has been wonderful. There is still the initial stink when one of the cats does their business but once it is scooped away weirdly enough the smell stops and that's just the solid materials alone as the ammonia smell that was there lurking in the background just isn't there while using this tray and I haven't had to get the air freshener out all month! There is minimal interaction required with the tray and you can literally change the box underneath and forget about it until you get to the trays limit (which for us is around the 10 day mark) but with a little stir halfway through of the crystals we manage to get another days use out of the trays. You can set the rake for 5, 10 or 20 minutes after your cat has done their business and it recognises this by when the cat breaks the activity beam. We originally had it set for 5 minutes and then 10 but had to change it to the 20 minute timer as our youngest cat thought it was a brilliant game to jump in the litter tray at first and then jump back out and wait for the rake to start!I believe there is a permanent tray you can buy for this box which you'd fill with litter crystals and then treat as a normal litter tray in that you'd have to empty and clean it at the end of each cycle (for us 10 days). I would be very interested in finding out about this however the reviews don't seem to cover if it all fits correctly etc. Yes I know it may seem a bit bonkers to take away some of the point of this litter box by having to clean a tray every 10 days or so but the fact you don't have to clean it out every day or after every poop and the smell reduction alone from the litter crystals and rake system is seriously making me think about researching it some more. So in summary a brilliant invention that truly does work but un-affordable to continue on for us in the future unless the refill tray prices are drastically reduced.EDIT 30/04/15:We have been using the Forever Tray with the Scoopfree for a couple of months now and so have been able to use the Scoopfree again as normal. Unfortunately the manufacturers refill trays are just too expensive for us and our monthly budget but thanks to being able to use the permanent tray and empty and refill it with crystals ourselves (not as convenient as a throw away obviously, but a lot cheaper) we can one again have the convenience of the Scoopfree. I don't think we could go back to using a 'normal' litter tray now we have had the convenience of the Scoopfree. We went away for 4 days the other day and had a family member popping in to feed the cats for us while we were away but they didn't have to clean the litter tray as we are using the Scoopfree and so they answered yes to looking after the cats for us a lot quicker than in the past as they didn't have to clean up the poop!EDIT 22/06/15:I can confirm that we are still using the Scoopfree alongside a permanent re-usable Forever Litter Tray and that the Scoopfree is still working perfectly and making life that little bit easier.EDIT 07/04/2017:-I can confirm that we are still using the Scoopfree alongside the permanent re-usable Forever Litter Tray that we have. The Scoopfree is still working perfectly and is in use every single day with our two cats. We have had absolutely no issues with the Scoopfree and I still couldn't imagine going back to using a 'normal' cat litter tray. We just use normal cat litter crystals with the permanent tray and it all still works perfectly scooping the poop out of sight and drying up the poop and urine.

5.9.2017

UPDATE: after owning for a few months, i'm still more of a fan than not. Couple of things i have found though:- the disposable boxes, not sure what has happened, but they went from lasting around 10 days, to 7 as a max. I can only assume they have once again changed the litter, and its not for the better. It was becoming prohibitively expensive to actually keep replacing the disposable units, so i have forked out for the forever tray.- the forever tray is great. I feel much better from an environmental POV using this tray. I went with Tigerino as people recommended using this as a suitable alternative. I have found however that the crystals are too large,meaning i have to mix things around far more frequently than i should have to. I am about to try the Bob Martin Felight crystals, which do appear to be much smaller, so i'm hoping they will work much better. It is however so much cheaper, and i'll actually have saved money by month 2, even with the tray being around £60! I'll update once i have tested properly.I have two cats, one who is elderly and solely uses a litter tray, and the other who only uses one if in the house for a prolonged period of time. I bought this as to be honest I was sick of regular litter trays and wanted something that was closer to odourless, and much less fuss! After a lot of research (and let's face It, soul searching around spending £130 on a cat toilet!), I decided to bite the bullet and purchase this. I was aware it would be expensive for refills. However, assuming a 15 day average life for the boxes, and finding a great deal for 3 packs at Argos, I figured it wouldn't be too excessive and the additional cost (and it WILL cost more, don't be fooled by the description) would be more than outweighed by never having to scoop again.It's super easy to assemble (BTW the plug connects to the unit at on the right hand side at the very back - instructions don't tell you). I got the hooded version as my cats were used to it. Putting the box with it is also easy - simply lift the unit and slide under. Make sure you always put the box lid underneath the base of the box!I was worried it would take my cats time to adjust, but it was literally instant! They both loved it immediately. There was definitely some confusion on the rake though. My oldest sat there staring at it for half an hour! I suggest starting with 20 mins until the cat gets used to the sound and movement.The counter is really useful to see how they use it at first, but after that I didn't find it that useful.Easy enough to change the trays, and I cannot explain how much i love the fact I don't have to look at the poo!However...- The disposable trays do not last anywhere near as long. Given I have effectively 1.5 cats using It, if I get more than 10 days I'm doing well. It also starts to smell around day 9 - other users think they might have changed the litter to which I say at nearly £17 for an individual tray, change it blooming back!- It WILL need a clean every so often. The rake will get clogged. A quick wipe with a sponge should sort it out.- Because the litter is quite small, and cats dont use stilts to walk, you will get litter trail. I put my old litter mat in front but it still comes out.- you can get more life out of a box by clearing out the 'poo hidy place' but trust me on this, you will need Environmental Health to help you. I attempted on the first box I used, and I'm still suffering flashbacks!- removing and replacing the litter trays is very easy. But have a brush and shovel or vaccuum handy as there will be some spillage behind no matter how careful you are.I'm considering getting the forever tray (and seriously Mr Manufacturer - you need to have this available in the UK, or make the disposable boxes less of a rip off!), as it really is quite expensive to get the trays, but for the cost of a case of wine a month, it's worth it to me for the significantly decreased mess, fuss and time!

22.10.2014

First things first; be aware that this is a rather large litter tray. The dimensions are given on the technical detail section, but in case one hadn't read that far the unit measures 27 x 19 x 16 inches (L W H). Also, this is not suitable for kittens under six months' old.When I first opened the box I could not believe the size of it. Anyway, after checking the available space was big enough (it was), I set about reading the instruction book (it's big as well - A4); it's very well laid out and is easy to understand. My only niggle is that it does not tell you where the power adapter plugs in ... it's an unmarked hole on the right-hand-side of the box, lower-back.Anyway,make sure one removes all of the packaging and locate the power adapter and clip-in the correct pin layout (it's suitable for other types of socket). The litter tray is essentially a plastic coated cardboard box, so make sure that doesn't end up getting cut up and sent for recycling!I had a few test runs without loading the crystals (a blue substance) and soon got the hang of the controls. When one's cat pops in to poop a sensor detects the cat's presence; this starts a timer (a small green LED flashes to indicate the countdown has begun).The default is time is 20 minutes, but can be adjusted to 5 or 10 minutes. When the time has elapsed a chrome-plated (I think) rake moves forwards, pushing the cat's waste towards a compartment that is integral with the waste tray. It then returns to base. Should one's cat decide to return to the tray before the countdown has finished, the timer is reset (so no terrified moggy). The device also records how many times the rake has operated, so it's easy to tell if it's being used and how frequently.So what's it like then? Well; our cat (a sixteen-year-old tortoiseshell) used it straight away. There are some useful tips in the instructions about how to encourage the transition from the old to the new for reluctant cats (and very sensible they are too). The odour-control is better than our highly-regarded Pettex and so far we haven't cleared or changed the tray. One can see how many times the rake has operated and also press a button to perform a `manual' sweep.When the tray needs replacing it's a simple matter of removing it; putting the lid on (the lid doubles as an extra base), taping it together and popping it in the bin. Owners with one cat should see 20 - 30 days before the tray will need replacing (2 cats 10 -15 days; 3 cats 7 -10 days).Now of course this is where one might start to do the maths and calculate the yearly running costs. The replacement trays are not cheap (and have been the main source of criticism for the product). Well I always try and work out the on-costs and if one reads around and does some research there should be no surprises, if we can get away with 12 trays a year, that's going to cost £190 a year - all in; that's it.There is a solution to the cardboard trays but it will involve an element of scooping. At some point one has to decide how much value they put on not having to scoop-out a litter box every day; it's clearly a personal choice v one's financial situation.I have tried to provide product links in this review but at the moment it is not possible. As I said in the title; read about it, cost it and then decide. Personally I think it is a very good product.

11.10.2014

I didn't expect to be able to review this for a while because I assumed my cat would be wary of it at first and take a while to start using it, but actually after a day of inspecting it suspiciously and having watched me assemble it and test the electronics and rake mechanism, he has used it three times already. (I followed the instruction booklet recommendations for getting cat to use the new unit)First, after about 4 hours from installing it next to his main litter box, he was inspecting it and walking in and out and scraping around to get the feel of the crystals. You need to watch this part because it sets off the countdown to self clean mode, so switch it off.Then, I switched it on,and overnight I heard him scrape around again, but wasn't sure if it was the new or old litter box. So in the morning I looked at the counter, and sure enough the usage counter had ticked up. There was nothing in the waste compartment though, so I took one of his favourite playthings (a clean cotton ear-bud swab stick) and threw it to the back of the new litter box, and he followed it in to grab it. Then scraped around again, brought the swab out played with it. And a few minutes later he went back into the litter box and ... Well he used it properly. Success, he's been in again twice.Now about the size of it, the box itself is about the size of the XXL litter box I normally have for my cat (he's a big lad not pure bread, but fluffy Siberian, or Maine Coone equivalent size). But the usable space inside is about 75% of the available surface area because the other quarter is beneath the waste compartment lid. However there seems to be enough space for him to climb over the enclosed waste part (at the front) and settle with enough space to move to the side and use it comfortably and have space to scrape and cover. After he leaves the box, the countdown to the autoclean starts up. It must be a motion detector as opposed to an odour detector because the countdown goes off even when he just scraped but didn't use it.The blue crystals are very absorbent, and the smell is masked after about 10 minutes or so of the cat covering his business, and more or less eliminated after the automatic raking takes place and moves the stuff into the waste compartment.The one thing that stops me giving 5 stars is the length of the power cable. It's about a metre which is ok if where you want to keep the litter box is near a power point, or reachable with extension; but any modern bathrooms don't have electricity sockets for good reason, and if you are like me and keep the litter boxes in bathrooms where it is best (keep smells out from rest of the home) unless you have a utility room or big house to keep a room for your cat :) then you might find it difficult to house this unit. Fortunately one of my two bathrooms has a socket just outside the door with enough reach for the power adapter to be plugged outside the bathroom and reach around to the litter box inside, but well away from the sink or other source of water.Apparently for one cat, the disposable litter section lasts about a month, so I will come back to report how that goes.

7.1.2019

I bought this litter box as we were adopting a cat and my girlfriend and I didn't want the nasty job of scooping the litter box out each day.Normally, I get my packages delivered to an Amazon locker however, this box was way too big to fit inside so I got it delivered to a pick-up location instead. The box was very big and heavy and the handles on the box ripped due to the weight of the contents and the bottom fell out the box. Despite some previous reviews saying that there had been no litter included in the box, there was one tray and bag of silica litter inside which is why it was so heavy. Perhaps the manufacturer can use stronger tape on the box and strengthen the handles to ensure this doesn'happen in future?When I opened the box, the instructions were easy to follow and it took less than a minute to assemble the litter box. The instructions had said to leave the privacy hood off and don't power the device on until the cat is used to the litter tray. I can understand why this is written as my cat was very intrigued when she first saw her waste being swept away and I can imagine that it might put some cats off using the tray if they're easilly scared.The litter tray is really easy to operate. One button to reset the counter, another to change the delay on the rake and a third to begin the raking process manually. I initially had the delay set to 5 minutes as I didn't want any smells hanging around however, I found that small pieces of poo were getting stuck on the rake so I've increased it to 10 minutes to try and dry it out a bit more before raking.The silica crystals are really good at keeping the tray dry, and our house doesn't smell of cat urine, something which I found to be a problem with my last cat and ordinary mineral based litter. There is a smell of poo just after the cat uses the tray, but this quickly disappears after the rake has swept it into the hidden compartment.The manufacturer says that each litter tray will be good for 20-30 days (depending on frequency of use and number of cats), and I've found that I've had to change it after around 3 weeks because the poo compartment was full. Its also useful to stir the litter from side to side every few days to disperse the urine in the crystals. My cat tends to pee in the same place in the litter box and the rake is linear, so the crystals at that side of the tray were becoming saturated.In conclusion, I would definitely recommend this litter tray. It's an expensive piece of kit to buy, but the ongoing maintenance costs (around £45 for three litter trays that last up to a month each) are on-par with normal cat litter, and the fact that I don't have to scoop poop or smell cat urine every day is definitely worth the £100 or so that I paid for this tray. It's also reassuring to know that my cat will always have a clean, odour-free toilet when she goes to use it, even when I'm at work all day.

1.2.2018

This is one of the best purchases I've ever made. I have had it for about 2 years now, I thought I had actually already written a review. Basically the inventors of this deserve medals and riches bestowed upon them. They have at once solved the problem of cleaning disgusting litter boxes/trays, and having a stinky house after your cat curls a fresh one out for you.The instructions say that you should slowly introduce your cat to the new box by at first putting some of the new type of litter into their box, and then putting some of the old litter into this one.Yeah, I skipped that, I threw his old litter out as soon as this one arrived, I did however sprinkle a bit of his old litter on top and left the lid off,thinking that would be less weird for him. After 2 days he still hadn't used it, whining at us to go out to do his business elsewhere, I then decided to put the cover on and he used it almost instantly. Which makes sense seeing as his old one had a cover, so I think I could have had him using it on the first day.Now, he can take the smelliest cat poo you can imagine and 5 minutes later you wouldn't know anything had done something so foul in your midst. Bonus features include entertaining/freaking out your cat as he comes back to check it scraping away the offender articles.As far as cleaning is concerned, in 2 years I have had to clean the blades once, however every couple of empties or so, I have to hoover underneath near the back, as some of the litter does end up underneath the box.When it comes to value I don't think you can really put into words what this is worth. I mean, I place an immensley high value in not having to constantly clean up cat poo and not having my house smell of the stuff (which by the way you get used to, so you don't know that your visitors are thinking, eugh, why doesn't he empty that tray?). I put a massive value on that, if this didn't exist and I could afford it, I'd pay someone else to do it, so to me the money that this costs, and the ongoing litter costs are great value.I buy four packs a year, each tray lasts about a month, I've found if I just do a manual clear every 10-15 cat visits, it seems to keep it fresh for the month. Plus I've found that you have to be quite generous with how much you put under the flap when you first change/install it, make it a good few handfuls, and run the manual clear just to make sure you've clicked it in place properly and to scoop a bit more in there, don't worry, you won't run out, it doesn't look much but it is.One last thing on cost, I think it's actually better, because the 'nice' kitty litter was costing around £5 every 2 weeks, which is £230 per year as opposed to the £200 I pay now.So yeah, if you can afford it, buy it, if you can't, save up until you can.

13.10.2014

Litter Tray Freedom!I am the owner of two cats and both use a litter tray indoors for their toiletting needs. Usually I change the litter three times a week and scoop out solids in a daily basis. It's a grim job even for the most devoted cat lover, we do it because we have to. Despite this litter usually develops a smell after 48 hours of so even with the antibacterial litter which manufacturers claim reduces smells.So I was delighted to find this on my Customer Review list as I have wanted to try one for a long time but found the cost too high to just "try out" in case it was an expensive mistake.So far the litter tray/box has been in place for nearly a week and I haven't touched it.....and there is no smell, none, nothing at all. I know the litter box has been used as the box has a display counter which tells me that it has been used 22 times since I plugged it in. So far I am very impressed with it.So some thingA prospective buyers might find useful.1. The litter is claimed to last a month for one cat and 15-17 days for two cats.2. It is advisable to keep a second normal litter tray in the initial stages so that the cats have a choice and can adjust to the new one. Of my two cats. One used it right from the word go and the other one is more cautious of it., I plan to add some of the normal litter to the new box this week to encourage the second cat in.3. The box won't start operating while your cat is in it....such activity would reduce mine to gibbering wrecks. Instead the box detects when a cat climbs into the box. Twenty minutes later it rakes the litter and cleans any solids into a disposable container at the back. If the cat returns within the twenty minute period the countdown starts again.4. The counter is a useful visual guide to how often your cat is using the tray which is useful is they develop urine or bowel issues. Change in their habit is much easier to detect.5. The litter tray is easy to set up, you then just find a spot for it close to a plug point, you plug it in and leave it.6. Refills seem expensive for a replacement pack of three disposable bases and litter however,as each is supposed to last a month , each refill set of three should last three months. When you then calculate the cost of the standard litter (I spend about £6 per week usually) and work this out over 12 weeks then this litter does work out to be fairly cost effective. At the very least it evens out, but I would like to know if the replacement packs can be bought singly and how cost effective that would be.All in all I am very impressed with this product and I was very wary given some of the reviews I have read, I can only say that there are no smells here after a week.I will edit this post as the month goes on to record how long this litter lasts.

29.12.2014

The PetSafe ScoopFree Ultra Self-Cleaning Litter Box is the 'container ' which holds the replacement crystal litter trays, of which I have also reviewed. Look for 'The PetSafe ScoopFree Replacement Crystal Litter Tray, Blue, Pack of 3'.I found this to quite large when it arrived, but that is good, as the ultra self-cleaning litter box comes with a lovely privacy hood, so your cat can poo without being watched. This keeps everything self-contained and looks rather smart.The ultra version, also comes with additional features; an adjustable rake tray, which can increase or decrease the time the rake sweeps the used litter to 5, 10 or 20 minutes after the sensor works out the cat has left the tray.

18.10.2014

I've been using this for ten days: Stop and rephrase, my cats have been using this for ten days, and I've just had to change the litter box. I've three NFC's and an elderly Ragdoll. Two of the NFC's have used it regularly, with the third using it occasionally since I put it together. The Ragdoll and the occasional user have continued to use the normal litter tray.It's very easy to put together once you've read the instruction manual. The part's click together easily and the cardboard disposable litter tray is easy enough to install. I would suggest doing everything at ground level and filling the tray before you put the top on,

22.1.2020

I got this from another supplier after my cat started to become a little fussy (not wanting to use his "normal" litter tray after he had pooped in it - it led to a few puddles on the floor) as I was going away for xmas for a couple of days I decided to give this a go. He used it straight away without any problem. My cat is normally an outdoor cat, so he tends to go to toilet outside, but I don't let him out overnight, so this is when he normally uses the litter tray. My ONLY criticism is that the tray refills are extortionate at £15-£20 each - the "reusable" tray is also far too expensive at £50 and the reviews aren't particularly good. I saw on the US amazon site a different reusable tray that has much better reviews (not a petsafe one)

11.12.2014

I saw this on this year's Lightning Deals and thought the original price was expensive, but the Lightning Deals price made this £79.99, so was half price. Ok, for a litter tray this sounds expensive but we thought it was a great idea so took advantage of the offer.We have two indoor cats and the oldest cat is very particular about a clean litter tray. If it is slightly dirty or not changed soon enough for her liking (we do regular changes) she will have accidents, so we thought this would be ideal for her.Previous reviews have mentioned it's size. Yes it is big, but the other litter tray is one that has a lid and a flap door, which is not too much smaller really. I thought it was heavy,

16.11.2014

This is a lovely little device. The idea is that your cat wanders in, feeling screened by the ‘privacy hood, does it’s business, and then leaves. The box then self-rakes, taking all of the mess and shifting it into a small storage area – leaving the rest of the litter usable. There’s a timer you can set that kicks off the raking at a configurable period after the cat has left the box. After “up to thirty days”, you pull out the litter tray, chuck it all out, and start again.So, does it work? Weeeeelll, mostly. The cat does, absolutely, do it’s business in the box. You may have to encourage it to do so though! The raking system is pretty good – it seems to pick up all sorts of waste and move them into the containment area.

9.2.2019

My wife bought this tray to make life that little bit easier, and after having read so many positive reviews on it. We have two cats, both unrelated, both little pooping machines, and both have their own odd toilet habits.The first 5 days or so were great. No smell, no paw shaped trails of sticky urine trailing from the box all over the hard wood flooring, and no poop to scoop. In fact, no poop to actually have to look at in the first place, as it all gets raked into a flappy 'bin' at the front of the box.Alas, however, such bliss does not last long. As my wife is pregnant, I am currently on litter tray duties. The 5th day in, I checked the box on a Wednesday night and noticed nothing to report home about.

13.1.2015

My partner and I are converts. We were a little sceptical but having used it for about a month are now completely converted and would not go back to using conventional litter / litter trays. It's a well designed system that's easy to set-up and use. The box automatically detects when your cat has entered and rakes the crystals some 20 minutes afterwards, removing any poop into a hidden compartment at one of the end box. You can change the time delay if you want - between 5, 10 and 20 minutes. You don't need to worry about your cat getting trapped when it rakes as it will detect if a cat enters again and resets the timer back to 20 mins (or whatever you've set it to).The version we received has a top which helps to prevent overspill of crystals when your cat gets out again,

30.6.2020

This self-cleaning litter box is an absolute God-send in my opinion! My other half bought one himself a few weeks ago which is being used in the hall upstairs as, having 9 cats, were using so much of the regular non-clumping cat litter - about 5-6 large bags a week - it was getting ridiculous (not to mention messy despite having a hooded catlit box) that I decided to buy a second one of these for downstairs too. Honestly, I have never looked back. We have a multi-cat household and they have no trouble using this tray: it did take them a few moments to get used to it, some longer than others, so I sprinkled a very small amount of their existing cat litter (non clumping variety)

Petsafe ScoopFree Original Self-Cleaning Litter Box - Reviews

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