LitterMaid LM680C Automatic Self-Cleaning Classic Litter Box (LM680C)

I am a dog lover. I do not understand cats and I am actually afraid of cats. Yup, afraid of cats because I am highly allergic, and don't want to die yet. 😊 After I moved in with my fiancé, a cat lover, I realized his 13-year old cat was not well "toilet trained". Last week we got this litter box. I thought we might start to retrain the cat slowly, but my fiancé had a different idea and went cold-turkey, blocking all other options for the cat. The cat has used this box from the day we set it up!! The timing is perfect (10 minutes) to allow him to finish his business before automatically raking the clumps into the waste bin! The only time the waste is exposed to the air is during the raking; the rest of the time the clumps are sealed in the receptacle. I like the ramp/mat which traps litter so he doesn't track it throughout the house. One issue I have is that the power cord is very short. There is a battery back-up, so this is good. We are using an extension cord until we have an outlet installed within reach of the litter box. We have one cat and have to change the receptacle twice/week - just FYI. In my opinion this is a BRILLIANT invention! It works great!! The way the receptacles seal pretty much eliminates cat box, cat waste odor!! There is little or no scooping of litter box clumps!! I highly recommend this machine!! Update: I still love this machine and it works great! I have noticed this week that, in the emptiness of the spare bathroom, the sound of the motor is amplified.

Bought this so my older cat would stop peeing on the floor just because there was a clump of his own pee somewhere that was missed. Well it has worked for that reason but by the gods there is a price to pay!!! We had an old litter maid auto box so I thought hey litter maid why not go for this one, newer model should be just as a good right?? NOPE, this has been a disgusting nightmare, from the clumps clinging to the rake the little parts falling in between the plastic tray and sitting on the floor to just pushing the poop onto my floor. Have you ever wanted to finger your cats pee clumps?! No? Then I would recommend not buying this as that will become a common occurrence. So let me run down a daily trend with this abomination. I would go to empty the tray, first I must scrap the top of the littler box lid (because those plastic lids can never stay on, and my cat likes to pee in one spot causing a pile up, then he steps on it causing it to be mushed into the lid) So after scrapping the lid I would then go to remove the tray well fun times because of the weight of the cat pee the tray would slip under the little section that holds it, so I would need to pull the little bit of the tray I can all while pushing past the feeling of my finger in my cats pee clump, then pull it up to throw it away and as I pull it up the little bit of the tray will snap spraying me in the face with bits of litter and pee (because for some reason it likes to scoop as soon as the cat has gone and the clumps are not dry but nice wet chunks of pee and litter). This brings in the fact that the clumps will leak, and the cheap trays will break under the weight causing the pee to leak under the tray, so there is a giant nice mess right under where the tray sits! Because the clumps don't dry out before they are moved the will stick to the rake and then somehow end up behind the rack so you have to stop it half way to scoop those out, let it continue and attempt to empty the tray. Even using plastic bags does not save this mess!! We use them now sitting in the tray and it will still miss the parts and cause litter and pee to sit under the tray. There is also a nice section that allows the pee clumps to fall out of the litter box on your floor, look at the side see those neat little curves? Yeah they suck! My fix for that is I have taped some cardboard to the side so the clumps cannot fall onto the floor (not that it matters with this disgusting thing) But all that does is cause the littler and pee to sit on the ledge until you scoop it off into the tray for garbage (good luck getting all of it) This has been the most disgusting litter box I have ever seen, it constantly will miss the scoop and cause the piles of poop to roll down the ramp and lay on the floor, I know it was in the littler box because there is litter on it and this old timer of a cat doesn't like to bury his crap anymore! Not to mention how messy it is around it you are always walking on littler and the fact it is in the bathroom and you get out of a shower its so nice to see grey foot prints as you walk away!! It also seems to use a lot of litter, it doesn't seem to last a week at this rate, and daily changes of the trays will be costly. One of my fixes for the tray slipping thru was to put a lid under it, nope might need a couple more lids to keep it up from not falling thru. So because I really didn't want to send a used litter box back I tried to make it work, I used different litters, try to make some fixes and because of this I missed the Return Window even though it said I had a day left!! I have been extremely unhappy with this purchase, and once I can replace it I will happily run it over with a car, as this is a punishment that doesn't deserve to be pushed on anyone!

Over the course of the last 25 years I've owned 4 of these. One was destroyed by the movers. The original one is still going, daughter is still using it for her 2 cats! I have never had one scare the cat because there is a time lapse after the cat uses it. The rake will NOT run if the cat is in the litter box. I even had one outside on the front porch for an elderly outside cat. I just love these. Short of buying a fully automatic cat box that hooks up to the toilet, these are durable and easy. I put a plastic grocery store bag in the pan and remove it and throw the bag away. A pan lasts me about 6 months. I am currently using 3 of these for my 2 Siamese cats. One is in my bedroom, for a lack of a better place, and odor is not an issue. You can use any kind of clumping litter and they go and go and go. For the money these cat litter boxes are just ideal. With 3 boxes I can go 10 days before I have to change the bags. I clean the 3 boxes all on the same day and then I'm done for a long time.

The sensor did not work in the first one I received so It was replaced by amazon. Then the replacement also had an issue, the left side of the blue flap was warped so it would get stuck all the way open by catching on the left side of the wall. I was UPSET. I called littermaid customer support and was advised to remove both sides of the casing, 5 screws on each side, then 2 screws that hold the front blue flap in, and I could use the good flap from the original unit with the broken sensor. Now after taking them both apart I have a working automatic litter box, and don't have to wait for another replacement, that I'm thinking would probably just have another issue. I have had a few clumps take rides on the rake after sticking to it, but my guess is it's due to the brand of litter. I am using a refillable clumping litter from a major pet chain. I'm going to switch brands and I think that will help.. Two units with 2 separate defects raise warning flags for me that each new unit may have some type of defect. So 3 stars it is. The motor is a bit loud and loud clicking sounds from the receptacle can sometimes also be heard depending on how you have placed the receptacle. Motor is loud enough that it can be heard anywhere in my 1500 sq. ft. apartment with the AC and fans on. I put a lid on the box this helped a Little bit with noise. If you have, or once you get a fully functional one, the bottom line is it works. Just note the motor is a bit loud. Update: Our cat just happened to be next to the litter box when the rake cycle went off. She has been sitting in front of the litter box for about 20 minutes just staring at the box. Looks like she's performing guard duty on it. She went half way in at one point then came back out and sat down again. Too funny. I petted her and told her everything was cool, she looked at the box, looked at me and meowed, then walked away. Now every time the rake cycle goes off she goes in to investigate and just stares at it for a while. UPDATE: Have now owned this for over 4 months. Our cat has fully adjusted to the litter box and no longer stares at it. She never walks on the ramp, just jumps right over it. I have tried a few different "Premium" kitty litters and have stuck with The World's Best Kitty Litter brand. It has resolved the issue of clumps taking rides on the rake by at least 90% It doesn't have the best odor control but I now add some baking soda to it and that has helps. I also put some baking soda in the receptacle. No matter what kitty litter I tried, there is ALWAYS about 1/8 of a dustpan worth of kitty litter that somehow manages to get under the unit in between receptacle changes. The groves that the rake travels along end up collecting kitty litter. I use a small brush to clean the litter out of the groves, turn the power off then on again to start a rake cycle, then turn it off half way through the cycle to clean part of the groves where the rake sits when not in use. If not cleaned it causes the engine to have to work harder. Maybe the groves could have been designed with a downward slope? The idea behind this unit is still great. It has eliminated the need to deal with the litter box every day, which was the reason for this purchase. Hopefully they will put more effort into designing future models. When changing receptacles I immediately spray some Lysol right in the receptacle as soon as I open the lid.

I purchased the older model (3.1) because it had better reviews. It’s been 5 days that I’ve used it. I’ll update in a month. I was skeptical about buying it because my mom has had one in the past and it broke and the reviews are mixed. One thing I will, say this litter box has changed my life in the last five days that I have used it. I really do love it. PROS: It does keep the litter clean I lined the disposable pan with a shopping bag to help cut cost on buying disposable bins. I’ve noticed a significant decrease in odor in the household. I do have a traditional litter box as well but between the 3 cats I had to empty the pan roughly 2-3 days. I didn’t change my litter brand, I continued to use the Fresh Step clumping litter with febreeze and have no issues. The manufacturer lists brands acceptable to use. Cons: It’s not noisy to the point that it’s disruptive but you will notice it. It’s never woken up anyone but in a dead silent house at 3am you’ll hear it. Sounds like one of the kids remote operated toys. No big deal From the first day I set it out.. it sometimes malfunctions. It’ll start to rake the litter and then for some reason can’t empty it. When that happens the machine will start over and keep trying. I think that may be why the motor wears out for some. I took a look and it appears from time to time the rake wheel comes off track. And it’s been 5 days! So I’m worried about how long it’ll last. The litter does spill in between the pan and the box. It’s not much. But just enough to be annoying. I read that someone used tape in that crevice to combat that. I may try that. And..Some how some way a poop nugget or 2 will miss the bin. Idk go figure. Other than that I do love it and wish I bought one sooner. I’m trying to find out if there’s a warranty on it. I really hope it lasts. UPDATE: i’ve had this litter box for a year now. I am thinking of purchasing a second model to get rid of the other traditional box I have. The problem with the rake malfunctioning, I believe it is because too much litter gets into the track. I swipe the track with a paper towel doused in olive oil and for some reason this works. The noise, I won’t lie it irritates me at night. Especially when the rake gets stuck. The heavy plug is not polarized and it falls out of the wall easily causing waste product to build up. And then when you do plug it in the litter box has a hard time removing the waste and will get stuck and then repeat that movement for about four or five times. At that point you have to manual scoop. I had to tape the plug into the outlet with duct tape and for the most part it does hold it in. The litter spillage is annoying. I never added a strip of tape to prevent this. But another pro is I have yet to buy replacement bins and decreased odor. Again I feel the pros outweigh the cons hence why I would like to purchase a second one.

This thing is awesome. This is my downstairs litter box. It is recommended for one cat. But both my cats use it when they are downstairs. I follow the 1.5 rule and have 3 boxes. Amy is 11 lbs/Ana is 9. They have no difficulty fitting and moving around. The only issue with the box is the sound of the motor. Its is not as loud as my vacuum, more like my dishwasher. But it is still getting 5 stars. The manufacturer gives instructions on how to phase in use of an automatic box. What I've done for the past two weeks is hit the on button twice a day instead of have it in full automatic mode. It was on sale when so bought it, $30 off the list price. I only wish I had bought two or three AND bought it sooner!

UPDATED: I absolutely loved this litter box. It made having cats so much easier. As many others have noted though, it breaks. Ours lasted six months, six glorious months of limited interaction between me and my cats' poop. First it started screeching and getting stuck on big clumps of litter. Then even little tiny pieces seemed to jam it. Then one day it got stuck altogether and never worked again. We are back to scooping it old school. Original post: This litter box does exactly what it claims to do - automatically scoops the cat litter neatly and tidily. The huge downside is that it screeches so loudly we can not leave it turned on to automatically scoop at night - it would wake up the whole household, and we don't live in a tiny house. The litter box is way down the hall in the kids' bathroom but even with our master bedroom doors closed we can hear it quite clearly, not to mention the kids whose rooms are right next door. Therefore we keep this litterbox set to automatically scoop during the day, but turn it off at night. We are using Nature's Miracle Intense Clumping litter, one that was recommended in the user's guide that comes with the box. There are four or five litters recommended and, from reading other reviews, it sounds like the product works just fine so long as you use one of the recommended litters, which are easily found at most pet stores. We are still using this in conjunction with a conventional litter box and our cat uses both. We took in a stray who was fine using a litter box, so long as it 100% clean. Probably from using outdoors for so long, she was not used to having to go to the bathroom on top of old waste and so she won't. Eventually I hope we can phase out the second litter box but we're taking things slowly and, at least with the automatic option, we know when we're gone during the day there will always be a clean spot for her to go. This has helped tremendously with her bad habit of pooping right next to the litter box if it was even a tiny bit dirty. Along those same lines, to help her stop going outside the box we purchased Angry Orange cleaner and cleaned the entire tile floor area where she had been pooping anytime the box wasn't 100% clean. Then we covered that area with tin foil, which we had heard deterred cats. This combination (with the new box) has meant 48 hours so far of all waste being left IN the box. UPDATE 2/2/18: We have now had this litter box for three months and we love it. I have left my review at four starts because it is so loud, but otherwise it's fantastic. We found a new home for the stray mama cat, but we kept two of her kittens who share this box. I think the only reason to get the bigger multi-cat version is that the container on this fills up faster, but we just empty it more often. This uses very little cat litter as well, and we have found we have saved a ton of money on using far less cat litter than we were with the regular box. I love this box, if and when it does die as some users have commented, I would definitely purchase another as it does everything we need it to do.

I will be getting the stand and chute for bag use as the trays fill up so fast and even with deodorizer it will make the house the smell. But my cats now refuse to use the regular box unless it is completely clean. I have to full size cats who use this just fine. My boy is 13 pounds and my girl is 8.5. If your cat is smaller you can get privacy screen if you have bigger cat I would advise against it get a fireplace screen if you don't want to see it. I have also had them in a one bed room apartment with 2 cats and two kittens. Mine you the apartment was maybe 600 sq. ft. We never smelled a thing. Even guest commented on the fact there was no smell. We never go back to house without. The only reason we had reg. was out old one quit and we had to wait till 3rd to replace. Its worth every penny. Please note that mega is not a good one. It makes huge mess under tray as it never stays where it is suppose to. So after 10 years of using LitterMaid's stick with small one buy two if you need to. But don't buy the Mega.