My cat, Theo, is my best mate in the whole wide world. He’s fluffy, has a knack for waking me up with ear-splitting yowls, and every morning and night, he curls up on my chest and purrs away contentedly in bed. We both have a habit of yelling at people to eat – we’re practically two peas in a pod.
But as they say, with great love comes great responsibility – and the less glamorous side of pet ownership: scooping up poo. Any cat owner can attest to the sheer agony of cleaning out clumped-together litter and its accompanying stench.
Not to mention vacuuming up the mountain of litter he scatters all over my flat.
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Thankfully, the modern world has been constructed to help us find solutions to these kinds of problems, which led me to discover Whisker’s Litter-Robot 4 (£749). This automatic cat litter box claims to put an end to the poop-scooping nightmare once and for all with its self-cleaning feature, while providing fresh litter for your cat and trapping the odour, reports MyLondon.
For those looking for more budget-friendly options, there’s the PetSafe ScoopFree Covered Self-Cleaning Litter Box available on Amazon for £169.56 (down from £269.99). While it does offer the odour-removal feature, it has a slightly lower user-rating at 3.9 out of 5,448 ratings.
The automatic cat litter aims to solve the scooping up cat poop problem forever thanks to its self-cleaning capabilities, while producing fresh litter for your cat and trapping the odour.
Alternatively, the Yaheetech Decorative Litter Box Enclosure is priced at £49.39 from B&Q. Although it’s not automatic (meaning you’ll still have to do most of the dirty work yourself) and doesn’t come with the odour-trap feature, it’s a decent low-tech solution.
I put Whisker’s Litter-Robot 4 to the test to see if it could finally liberate me from the daily chore of vacuuming up litter off the floor. Here’s what I thought:
Given the advertised features, I fully anticipated needing a Master’s Degree to get it up and running. To my relief, it was quite simple.
On a scale of ‘my mum could do it without calling me for help’ to ‘Einstein would have a hard time with this’, it definitely falls into the ‘she’d need a quick WhatsApp chat to figure it out’ category.
The Litter-Robot 4 arrives in a massive box as it comes pre-assembled. Simply remove the tape, decide if you want the small litter guard, and plug it in.
It appears robust, but one potential drawback is its size. While it’s roughly the same width as my regular litter tray (56cm), it’s about twice as tall (75cm), so ensure you have an appropriate place for it.
It also weighs 10.4kg without litter, equivalent to about two male cats.
When it comes to filling it with litter, there’s an unmistakable line to reach – although you do need fine, non-clumping litter for optimal performance. To help your cat adjust to the new box, I’d recommend keeping the new litter in your original litter box for a week prior.
Once the Litter Robot is assembled, simply follow the instructions in the booklet which involve downloading the app.
This is where things get interesting. After a straightforward setup process on the app, you can virtually control the entire Litter-Robot 4 via your app.
One thing to note is that it defaults to American dates and measurements, which can be slightly irritating. But once you’ve navigated past that, you’re onto a winner.
The app provides information on the litter’s fullness, the amount of waste, and even allows you to schedule a cleaning cycle from your phone. The real game-changer is the app’s ability to monitor your cat’s health.
While it doesn’t replace a vet visit when something seems amiss, having an early warning system can be reassuring.
During my fortnight with the Litter-Robot 4, I encountered no issues with the app. It performed as expected, providing near-perfect readings of his weight.
Once the Litter-Robot was set up, the next hurdle was getting my cats to adapt. Theo, being a timid 14 year old, posed a challenge.
Fortunately, Whisker offers a useful guide on how to familiarise your feline with their new oversized toilet. Following the instructions, I placed the litter next to his regular one for a week without cleaning the old one.
After about a week, I removed the old one and crossed my fingers. Thankfully, we avoided any floor mishaps.
Absolutely. Although the Litter-Robot 4 is certainly an investment.
You’re paying for daily convenience. If you have multiple cats, they can all use the same unit, making the cost more bearable.
Given its top-notch functionality, absence of odour, and the freedom from daily poop-scooping duties, I’m pleased to say it’s certainly worth the price tag.
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