Hi I was considering getting a self cleaning litter box but saw videos and reviews of them jamming up. I saw a manual one called SmartSift litter box from Catit. Does anyone have this littler box and can let me know if it works well?

I use an old open litter box that I've had for 30 years! The automatic ones make some noise and can easily clog up, especially because the cat throws the litter all over the place. I don't know how difficult it is to pick waste out of a litter box if you have a good clumping litter. My litter genie sits right next to it and "in the bag it goes."

There are 180+ reviews on Amazon for it. The main reason I wouldn't consider one is the size... it's just way too small imo, even for my female cats. And if you have a male bengal... forget it.

_________________
The little monsters 3

That's good to know, Brian. Litter boxes need to be large enough or the kitty won't use it.

Thank for the responses.

Hi! I actually have 2 bengals, 3 months old, and have 2 of these Catit Smart Sifts :)

They don't jam, just don't be overly aggressive with the sifting handle, but my kitties love it, and it's actually quite big, and plenty deep for them (they're diggers) I would definitely recommend it

Thanks

So I ended up buying the Catit SmartSift litter box it's a really big unit but only on the outside. Maybe half the size on the inside for it to be sifted. I saw some really nice litter box cover/hideaways made for regular litter boxes. They look just like furniture, but very expensive ranging from anywhere between $150-$350. Still none is big enough for the SmartSift to fit inside so I decided to be a little creative and built one in my spare time. It took a bit of training for Tiger to get used to it but after about 2 weeks of leaving his regular litter box next to it, I finally took it away and he's now 100% confident using his new litter box.

That is gorgeous! Does he have to jump that high? It looks like it's a couple of feet off the ground! You are extremely creative!!! At one time, I had a sifting system with three boxes and you lift the top box and the waste stays as the litter sifts into the center box. You then turn the box around and place it the other way at the bottom after washing and drying it and continue onward. I thought it was more cumbersome than anything else. Glad to hear your baby is using this box just fine.

Lol that sifting system does sound like a lot. This one is just made with a leaver on the side to pull very slowly and waste litter falls into a bottom tray as good litter is stored and replaced. All has its troubles I guess as sometimes waste litter gets caught on sifting grill, but it's not too bad. No he doesn't have to jump that high to get inside. I built a step it's the same color as the box. If you look closely you can see it. This one doesn't have doors for access to litter box so I added wheels to pull it foward to get to litter box. Sounds like a lot but it's really simple with wheels.

I now see the opening for the box on the front. I was thinking the box was on the top! And the step -- ingenious! What you'll do for your Tiger. My husband did build a cat mansion for a large stray I was feeding. Now it's in the cat enclosure and Raiden enjoys it (the stray went missing two weeks after I had him neutered and vaccinated).

This is what I use. I bought one to see how it worked and if my babies would use it! They love it and so do I!! It's a little more involved that pulling a lever each day but I don't dread daily litter box maintenance like I used to. I have the large one and both of my Bengals can get in it at the same time. Although, they are only a year old so they still have some growing to do. I plan to replace my other two traditional litter boxes with this style over the next few months.

http://www.omegapaw.com/products/roll-c ... r-box.html

The two rooms have windows on each side -- they aren't large, but let in some light and the can can look out. The stray loved the open porch and the "feeding" station as at the bottom. We built it like a house with wood and foam board, plus actual insulation in between the walls. Raiden is in our house mostly, but he does love laying in the top room of the cat house when it rains out -- even though his enclosure is covered. We had some left over shingles and put them on the roof. I have soft mats on top of the shingles and Raiden will use them as a bed. My husband said if I designed it, he would build it -- I think I went a little overboard, but the stray used every room in the house, especially the bottom that had a heated bed in it for winter. I have a large heated bed that I put in a box and sit it on top of the cat house because Raiden likes to see everything.