We LOVE the Litter Robot II

My husband and I purchased a "Hooded Petmate Purrforma XL Self-Cleaning Litter Box" about 3 years ago. This was our very first automated litter box and we thought it was the coolest thing ever, at least for the first couple of months. In the beginning, it was quiet, and so easy, my only complaint at that time was that you had to buy specialized bags which I felt were too costly. After 3 months, the motor seemed to be a little more sluggish, and it would make more noise like it was straining just to move the rake. After about a year, it would on occasion malfunction in the manner of stopping cold in mid cycle, seemingly unable to move a single clump up to the compartment. We didn't want to give up on it quite yet because we saw that people had very similar problems with theirs and it just seemed to be the downfall in automatic litter boxes.

That was the case until we found the Litter Robot II. We must not have stumbled upon it previously because they tend not to carry this machine in most pet stores, typically you buy it through the manufacturers website. Two months ago, we finally caved in with the Petmate and ordered the Litter Robot II which we were somewhat hesitant because of the price ($299.00 + $30 shipping or you can buy the reconditioned units at a $70 savings), but we had a friend who swore up and down by it, and she was fairly strapped for cash, so I knew she felt that it was a good value. We of course chose the black "death star" version (an off white version is also available), and when the large box arrived at our home, we opened it and were amazed that it was virtually totally assembled. There was the base, and all you had to to was set the globe on top of it, and plug the cord into the base and the unit, and off you go! We added the litter to the machine and hoped that our cat wouldn't be turned off by the machine (there is a money back guarantee that your cat will use it). We added just a scoop of her used litter from the other machine to make sure she understood. Within 20 minutes, our Sophie was inside and doing her thing. It was so hysterical and I couldn't stop laughing at the image of her using it, but she did exactly what she was supposed to do. For a full grown cat, they are supposed to go inside, turn around, and get down to business with their head poking out of the entry hole.

Pros:
So easy to use.
Very well designed.
Uses any standard garbage bag (much cheaper than the specialized bags for other units)
Massive collection compartment
Easy removal of waste (our other covered litter box required you to remove the dome in order to get to the waste bag)
Doesn't make a mess (but I would recommend you place a small rug in front of the machine to capture any litter stuck to your cats paws.)

Cons:
A little louder than I hoped, but not too bad
Pricey (but well worth it in my opinion)
Kittens/Cats under 5 lbs can't use it because they wont trigger the weight sensor
You can't leave waste in for much more than a week without it smelling even though there is plenty of room to collect one cat's waste for 2 weeks

Litter Robot II On-line Demo

Here is a YouTube video that someone took of the Litter Robot in action for its whole cleaning cycle. The camera is pointed just inside the entry so so you can see how everything works inside: