LitterMaid

My LitterMaid does not clean the litter. I have to clean it every morning. The rake goes back and forth like it is suppose to but does not do the job it is supposed to do. The rake does not go to the bottom of the pan to reach all of the dirty litter. I can understand it not picking up small particles, but my God, it's supposed to pick up large clumps. Will someone explain this to me without beating around the bush? I have only one cat, but I just wish this LitterMaid would work like it is advertised. Thanks.

I am giving one star only because my old, old LitterMaid that I found years ago when a neighbor moved worked for years and I have no idea how old it was when I found it. That is the end of any praise I have for LitterMaid.

A few years ago I bought a large LitterMaid to set up while I went on vacation. By the time my 3 day vacation was over, I returned to find it had already quit working. I took it back to PetsMart and got a full refund.

I purchased a regular sized LitterMaid from Wal-Mart for $89.00. It worked for a few weeks and then started making a clacking noise and the "scooper" would not move back and forth. Unfortunately, I still have it sitting idle in the garage.

You would think I would know better but I went to PetsMart and bought the new Elite Mega with the ramp and the "new, more powerful motor". At checkout, I told the cashier that I was not sure if I should purchase it because I already had a different model at home that only worked a short time and I had returned another large one to PetsMart. She wished me luck and told me that the LitterMaids came back faster than they went out. I paid $169 (on sale) and took it home. I only used it for a short time and put it away. When my oldest one finally died I put the "new" one back into commission. It has hardly been used. At first it worked fine but after one month it will not operate. The fact that my old one worked for so many years and the newer ones have not lasted at all says to me that the company has cheapened the product.

I would not recommend buying one. Be afraid, very afraid of this product and it you do buy one, be sure to keep you receipts and the box. You will need them.

I bought the LitterMaid multicat litter box. A few months later, it stopped working. I called the company and a man told me that he may be able to fix it by phone but that didn't work, so he said to send the upc symbol, battery compartment and end of power cord and they would replace the unit. This has been a couple of months and I have not received another litter box. I will no longer buy another LitterMaid self-cleaning litter box again and I will let everyone know to buy something else. I am out $120 for a litter box that lasted two months.

I am very disappointed but I did purchase three litter boxes from Omega Paw for less than the one I paid for one LitterMaid multicat litter box. Buy an Omega Paw. All you do is roll the box back and forth and the debris goes into a scoop disposer that you toss.

I had purchased the model before they came out with the Mega Elite (for multiple cats). It was easy to take care of and it eventually died. I then bought the Mega Elite model (their latest model) more times than I can remember. Probably 4 or 5 times (I am ashamed to admit). However, I must say, it was because their customer service was so good and they kept thorough records of my complaints with each one (dates, etc.) that I got lured into it. They would warrant each purchase for a year (not a one lasted that long ) so I'd call them, they'd have me send them a $10 check, along with a piece of the circuit board from the battery compartment area, and in less than a week I'd have the new box. (By the way, the circuit board piece and the check required no extra postage at all.)

This happened repeatedly until I finally said enough is enough. It's been over a year that I've been without one and I'm about to try again because I found a chute/cabinet "thing" (online) that the box sits on and the chute, replaces the plastic receptacles and there's no spilled litter underneath as a result. It's $149 and I haven't read one bad review about it. Nothing but really good reviews as a matter-of-fact! I'm sure I'll regret it but if I don't check it out, I'll regret that also. What can I say?

This Littermaid Catbox is the worst piece of *** I ever had. I had previous models but this one is the worst. The rake never gathers the litter so you end up with a dirty catbox. So what's the point of having a self-cleaning litter box int the first place? For some reason when it does run, it flicks the top of the receptacle area so then the whole house smells of dirty cat litter. The rake comes off all the time. They have the wost customer service. When I have needed to replace one that broke 24 hours after I set it up, I was told to cut off the rake and send it back to them and they would send me a new one in 4-6 weeks. Thank God Amazon would take it right back without the 4-6 week delay.

This Littermaid Elite is a terrible product; it doesn't work as promised and it's more work than a pan of litter. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone! The rake just slices up the litter and the clumps from the urine aren't taken out. What a rip-off!

I also owned older version of self cleaning litter box. It worked great but the motor stopped. Now the newer version is awful. There is no scooping action at all. It pushes litter out to the edges. It is much louder than the older one. I hate it. I regret buying this one. How can I return a used litter box? It's very disappointing!

I have had the previous model for about 14 years. I never had a problem until the motor finally died. Being thrilled with the first self-cleaning box by Littermaid, I immediately went out to get a new one.

It is the worst thing on the face of the earth! It does not clean out the droppings, but slices them into little pieces. The urine sticks to the bottom and you have to scrap it off. The entire box is messier than a plain litter box and a lot more work to clean up. I will never buy Littermaid again! In the meantime, I will have to redesign this box until I find a better company to give my money to.

I agree with all the complaints I have read about the LitterMaid Elite Series for multi-cat households. I, too, had the older version--LitterMaid Pro--and it worked fine, was sturdy, and not too messy. The Elite Series is a piece of junk! It is very flimsy, doesn't stay together so you can't pick it up easily, doesn't clean out urine clumps, leaks litter from where the top and the bottom meet, and where the litter tray meets the box. I am so sorry that I bought this "newer, better" version. I am glad that I kept the old one.

I owned an original LitterMaid for almost 13 years. Actually, I owned two over that period. They worked well. When my current one died of old age, I purchased the Elite, which was all that I could find. It is a piece of junk. Sand is poured under the box. The pieces keep falling off. Urine sticks to the sides instead of being pushed into the bin. I am junking it and kissing $120 good bye. I don't know what I will replace it with. But I am terribly disappointed with a company that could cheapen their product this much.

Automatic litter box stopped working 30 days after purchase. Eight runaround emails later and no return phone calls (which were promised in emails), I still have a broken litter box that I paid $175 for. I basically had to break apart the unit to find the things they want returned (at my additional cost). Some of them do not exist in the unit. Now on the 8th email, they were basically giving me the runaround verbatim from the first email.

I have had a couple of LitterMaids for years, so I decided to buy the eliteMLE5500 when my other one died. I hate it; hate it every day it is being used. I still have to scrape out waste because the rack does not get it all, and the urine sticks to the pan. It is useless for the money we pay for them! I am going back to the older style, at least they work right. I am so fed up with the elite model that I am ready to throw it out the door, and I only have 1 cat.

It's the same sad story. I owned the LitterMaid box for one year. The string got caught in the tines. Since it was under warranty, they replaced it. I always had to clean the box with a scooper because the tines never seemed to clean it up. Finally, it stopped working. I called to complain and they offered me another one for $99. I'm back to a simple litter tray and I'm scooping. It is way easier and a lot less messy! What's up with this company?

The new litter replace cardboard - one soak right through. Now I needed to clean my rug. I am still happy with the LitterMaid but not with the cardboard replacement. You need to do a better study of this replacement. I would like somebody to call me or replace my money for the pans and carpet cleaning. Thank you.

I have purchased the Littermaid Elite self-cleaning litter box, not once but four times over the past 10 years. These things are a piece of junk. My first auto litter box was by Sharper Image and it lasted a very long time. When it finally gave out, I have been on a serious love-hate relationship with these litter boxes. They stink. I am back to the old fashion box with litterhand scooping it and laughing at myself that I actually have spent over $400 on four separate boxes that eventually gave out.

They are a mess! Not only do they eventually give out, but the rakes collect excrement and it is just gross. I just cannot believe that people like me continue to spend money on this **. $400 in 10 years is just too much to spend for restroom accommodations for a cat. I think that people should just be informed that the cost of these boxes and the longevity of them are not worth it.

I've had 1 littermaid, it worked great. My wife bought a LME 5000 before the old one stop working. I didn't want to use the LME 5000 till the old one quit working. So it set in the boxes for months. I got tired of the new one in the way. So I started using it. I've tried 3 different cat liter & the LME 5000 is junk. I have to remove the litter more than it does. If it does work, it drags out way to much litter. I've given up on the LME 5000 & went back to the old one. There has to be someway to exchange this LME 5000.

Had original LitterMaid for 10 years. Finally wore itself out. Bought new & improved model. Not true. Owned this model for 15 months. Motor was always weak and seemed to lag. Cleaning out litter box after being away on vacation. Upon noticing the unit had no power and noticed plug unit looked like it had been broken apart. Looking at it closer, it exploded. No breaker was triggered. We are lucky there was no fire as the adaptor and wires were completely blackened on the inside and melted.

The Littermaid rakes stop at the receptacle end of the box. I have replaced two of them. I believe the company is not being responsible with their product. The litter box cost $185. A considerable amount of money. I am quite frustrated as it appears many other are as well with this company.

I bought my original Littermaid automatic litter box about 9 years ago. I replaced the first one after about 4 years with the same model. In Dec.2010, the replacement unit gave out and I was unable to find a basic Littermaid box at the pet store. So I bought an Elite model with the clock on it and some other fancy options I don't use.

The quality for the Elite model is cheap compared to the original. It was more difficult to figure out how to put it together. It is much flimsier. The metal rake pushes the waste only to the edge of the waste receptacle instead of up and over the waste receptacle like the original model did. The waste receptacle is supposed to fit with "no gaps" but the replacement receptacles are so flimsy that within a couple cycles of cleaning, it gaps in the middle and I get a pile of litter and small pieces of waste falling down between the body and the receptacle onto my floor. It's a big pain to clean it up. This unit retailed for about $130 but with a coupon and sale I got it for just under $100. It is the worst $100 I've spent. The only nice thing about it is the rake is easier to get to & take off to clean than the original model but that one thing doesn't make it worth the extra money the fancy model costs. I won't ever buy another one!

I bought the LitterMaid self cleaning mega litter box to replace my old one and it is the worse thing I've ever bought. It is very cheaply made, comes apart easily and does not clean box. The rack spicks are too thin and does not scoop up litter. I've tried different litter but nothing works. I wanted to return it but didn't have the box. My old LitterMaid box lasted 5 years and cleaned well. It was made a lot better and had locks on the sides. The gear on the rack wore out and couldn't replace it. This was a good automatic litter box. I even tried to put a screen on the rack but it didn't work. They need to fix this problem. I am not happy with this product. I will call the service department Monday.

After using LitterMaid automatic litter machines (four of them), I decided to get a new one. I bought a LitterMaid (Model: LME5000) Elite self-cleaning litter box. This is the worse LitterMaid that I have ever used. The new and improved is the new and improved piece of junk. I bought it at Target and am still within the 90 days so I am going to clean it up and see if I can return it. I am out $100.00 because of this purchase.

Well, I received my Litter Maid (new) with purchase of my new house! I thought this is great --not! This Litter Maid works like **! It worked for one stinking day. Now, it wont rake and beeps constantly. I had the original and it was a good unit, but this XL sucks big time! I'm physically disabled and can't clean the cat box alone! Help!

I have purchased three of their automatic litter boxes. The first one worked great but the motor burned out almost immediately after the warranty period. The second one also quit working again just after the warranty expired. The last one is the "Elite" model which is a different design. It is lightweight plastic whose sections do not fit tightly. Litter spills under the tray during scooping. The disposal tray top does not stay in place and allows odors to escape. This box is of poor design and is more trouble than manually scooping. I am so frustrated in the poor design that I am throwing this product out and will purchase a competitor brand.

I bought a self cleaning cat box at a local store, and have regretted it since the second day! It is supposed to clean itself by raking the soiled litter into a covered container after the cat exits. Well, it does rake the litter, but not just into the container. There is kitty litter all over the floor, and it doesn't just rake the soiled litter, but the good litter into the container as well. I am using the litter made by Littermaid, so unless they make faulty litter too, they can't complain about my comments. They charge $12.00 for a small bag of litter, to put into a messier kitty box than I had, scooping by hand. I would not recommend this product to anyone. It is a terrible product. It is in no way more convenient. It is in fact more work, and a bigger mess than scooping yourself.

I purchased my Original Littermaid Self-scooping cat box about 6 years ago. It lasted for 5+ years. When it broke in June 2010, I went to Wal-mart and purchased the current model. It broke in Oct 2010. As I was tired of replacing this unit at a cost of $90.00 each, I called customer service. After a 7-minute wait time, I spoke to a gentleman who led me through the various fixes but nothing worked.

At the end of our conversation, he offered to replace the unit. All I had to do was peel a label, cut the battery holder off, cut 3" of the power cord off, write a $10.00 check, find my receipt and mail all of these items at my expense to some place called ACP in Ohio. Then it will be 2-4 weeks before I would receive a new unit. Meanwhile, I have no working box which means I have to scoop litter daily.

The roller on the rake assembly for the Littermaid Elite automatic cat litter box broke and caused the rake to continue the raking cycle until I discovered this and turned the unit off. I have read many reports on this website stating that this manufacturer does not have replacement parts. I emailed the manufacturer's customer service and was given the website (http://www.foxpartstore.com). This website has replacement parts for multiple models and for other household items. The cost was small and shipping is free.

Wish I had stumbled upon these complaints 3 months ago before I wasted nearly $200.00 on the Elite! Never have been very impressed with the model considering the cost. I also have had issues with the rake getting stuck and then this morning, one of the plastic pegs broke off the rake frame after the device tried to run and run and run. I thought it should've lasted longer than 3 months - but oh well, guess I'll simply order a replacement rake - guess not.

Purchase the LitterMaid elite self cleaning pan from Target on 9/22/10. Does not work as stated. Does not rake the dirty litter to the box, does not rake all of the clunks to the waste receptacle. This product is defective from the beginning, should be taken off the market for false advertising. Advise anyone not to purchase this product. Paid $107 which was a waste.

I needed a replacement part for the LitterMaid Elite Mega Model LME 9250. I was told LitterMaid does not provide the replacement part. I have to purchase a whole new LitterMaid which I will never do again.

I too am having problems with the rake not going through the cycle without some help from me. But also one of the plastic rollers has broken so it won't go back into the "sitting" position by itself. I'm looking for a replacement rake.

My name is Donna. I live in Long Beach, CA. I'm so glad I saw this website while trying to get a replacement part for the Littermaid elite cat box. Ditto plus more. I had one of the first Littermaid boxes when they first came out. Like everyone said it was really great. Had no problems with it at all. During our remodeling, the AC adapter got lost. I tried to contact the company for a replacement but wasn't successful. So I had to buy another.

I have 2 cats so I went for the larger one. Or so I thought it was. Sorry to say it was smaller than the old style for 1 cat. Box configuration is really bad. Litter falls out, rake gets stuck and keeps on going and going and going. My big problem is the little wheels that roll the rake back into it's holding position. Now, the entire rake assembly is out of whack by about 1 plus inches. So we're trying to make a new wheel to help it last a bit longer.

Next one I get, will not be a Littermaid product. I'm right on board if people want to file a class action against the company. I could use the money to buy another one, a better one. You would think if you have a good product, stick with the old model. Guess it's all about dollars and cents. No doubt they probably make this product in some foreign country, that doesn't even like cats. Here's a good motto: If it ain't broke, don't fix it! My gosh, I spent almost $200.00 for the **** thing.

Just like everyone else, I had issues with the Littermaid Elite. The metal rake had issues cleaning up the waste, and constantly got stuck. It finally died after the rake got stuck in the middle of cleaning. We were out of town, so who knows how long it kept running. I am now using it like a normal litter box, and just ran to Petco to purchase a plain old litter box.

I would like to say I've owned 3 or 4 Littermaids over 14 years, and this is the only one I had issues with. The plastic rake on the older models was much better than the metal rake on the Elite. Plus, I didn't like that the rake did not stop running after it hit an obstacle. Luckily it didn't heat up and burn anything!

My suggestion is don't purchase the Elite model.

I bought an automated litter box from Littermaid. I bought the top of the line item which is $189.99. It broke after a couple months, so they sent me a new one. That one broke and they sent me a smaller cheaper one that retails for about $109.99. I told them and they sent me the same cheaper one. I bought the larger one because I have multiple cats and the larger one is for large multiple cats. The smaller one is for 1 small cat. I have called 3 times to get this corrected. They are sending an inferior product that makes a mess. I spent good money on the correct one and now they are not honoring their warranty.

I have had a LitterMaid litter box for 10 years and had no problems with it. It finally crapped out, so I bought a new LitterMaid Elite. What a disappointment! More litter ends up underneath the liter box than in the holding tank. The whole thing is poorly designed. The only thing good with the new design is the ability to take the rake off. They need to go back to the old design. I will never buy another one of these again.

DITTO! I am as Furious as my cats are. I have a LitterMaid plus and thought getting an "Elite" when I got a second cat would keep them (and me) both happier. The "Elite" is a piece of garbage. I've turned it off and line it with a box liner. What a waste of $169. No response from complaint department. What a bunch of losers. Time, expense, yeah, physical. I got it because I love the cats and rescued the two of them from shelters, but I can't climb the stairs everyday or lift--one arm!

I bought a litter maid and had it six years. I think it just wore out. I bought another litter maid, the "new improved" Elite LME 9000 in April and it didn't work a week. The plastic lid with the two tabs that stick up through the plastic holes will not catch and stay and the plastic catch tray would not fit. The rake would push the waste up to the tray and push it on the floor or on the lid which kept falling out of the two holes that didn't fit to start with. That's the worst product ever and should be recalled.

We purchased a LitterMaid automatic cat litter box 8 years ago. It worked great for years. So, we decided it was time to purchase a new one due to it seemed to be running out of pushing power. We purchased the new LitterMaid box in April 2010 at Wal-Mart in Aberdeen, WA. This new LitterMaid electric box is just horrible. It won't work any way near the old model. We are going to put it in the garage and just use a regular litter box instead. We hope to be compensated for the price we paid and are willing to exchange the box for the compensation. Thank you very much.

This is the 3rd LM680 I have acquired. The first lasted almost a year, during which time the rake would stop just short of returning to its home position and refuse to move until I left it unplugged for a few days at a time to reset it. This happened numerous times. Each time I was about to return it to the store when it would start working again. The day before leaving on vacation it had stopped again, so I bought a new one to help the sitter. She reported on my return that it had stopped working the first week. Wal-Mart refunded it and I got another. This last one lasted for one week. Today I got on the Littermaid Customer Service website to seek help. The form required a "Date code" before it would submit. The site told me first to look in the battery compartment for the code. There was none. Then, when I tried submitting again, it said the code would be printed on the "metal blade" of the power supply. Wrong! Since I can't even tell them, I'm telling you.

I, like everyone else, had the old LitterMaid for about 12 years. It finally died and I bought the new and improved, elite one. It is the worst! It, like everyone says, does not pick up anything. I clean it all the time, use the correct kitty litter and hate this thing. I was just writing to the company when I found this website. The part I loved, the rake, that comes out doesn't work. It should be sitting lower and the blades need to be stronger. I also get a ton of litter underneath the pan. Weird. The old one was so much better.

I have talked to numerous people at this outfit. Do not pay over $100 for the Littermaid elite. Mine ran for 23 hours before I turned it off.

I recently bought a Littermaid Elite. I had a regular Littermaid I had for about six years that had stopped working properly. Since that one worked a long time, I thought I would get another Littermaid but for more cats, since I now have three cats. I liked the idea that you could take the bottom half off and clean it easier. It cost me about 128 dollars and I have barely had it for two months and it quit. All it does is both lights blink but before that, it had a difficult time just even scooping out the litter. I went in to see and it would only that the cat had pushed more litter to one side after they went. One cat hates this one for some reason. When it scoops, the litter ends up going through the cracks where it is put together and I have a pile of litter under the catcher that I have to clean up every time.

Now, no matter what I do, all it does is blink both lights. I should have ordered the kit to try and fix my old one because the motor still worked; only thing wrong was that the cord wouldn't go back and it would tangle up. Both myself and my partner have difficulty bending over the litter box for scooping and it was a great idea if we went away for the weekend. We didn't have to pay for someone to come scoop out the litter box now. So it would have helped financially.

This is worst made litter box I have ever bought. I lost $128 during this recession that I can't get back. Money is tight since they have cut my hours at work.

My LE9000 works fine for two cats. Oh, you have to change the collection bag once a week and also clean it once a month but it does not look nor smell like a litter box.

I have purchased three litter maid self scooping cat boxes. I have purchased the elite, and two of the classics. The cat boxes do not even last a year before they stop scooping. The elite does not even scoop the urine or the feces out of the box. I have tried the cheapest to the most expensive litter to make the boxes work correctly, with no results. At this time I am forced to go back to using the old scoop by hand boxes. My daughter also had the elite, which I purchased for her, and it also failed her immediately. I will never purchase another litter maid again.

I have a bad back and I am unable to bend constantly to scoop out the box, however, now I am forced to go back to the scooping myself. I am also out at least $400 dollars for the purchase of the litter maid self scooping cat boxes. I have also got to replace carpet, due to one of my cats being unable to use the boxes, because of there inability to clean themselves. I also fear that I may have to get rid of one of my cats because she has now been using the floor as her litter box.

the Littermaid was the worst purchase I have ever made. It costs $100 and I am on a limited income. I bought the littermaid box because I am physically limited, and cannot lift anything over 5lbs. Littermaid advertises its product as self-cleaning. Their tv ads show the ease with which it offerss. Everything about them is a fraud. a deception. Disingenuous at best. I have had to clean it out every other daay--including lifting the box-because, among other things: it does a poor to low job of self-cleaning- The expensive litter is not absorbing the waste so some is always left behind. There is always used litter in the track of the rake.

The rake doesn't always work and at times it doesn't stop working, even when I put weight (like a cats body weight) down. It kept moving. I had to turn it off so the cats wouldn't be injured. There is always urine on the floor of the pan under the litter. Stool gets caught in the rake. Now I know what the "suffering" is in tort. I have only had this box for a few weeks. I bought it when I came to PA to help with a retarded sister who had an operation and subsequent physical therapy. I don't have time or the leftover physical and emotional stamina to spare to deal with this nightmare. I feel duped. I was duped.

We purchased a Littermaid Elite automatic litter box. It did not work right from the beginning. It got hung up almost every time it tried to clean. The older model was much better. I have used it for six months, not very happily, but now it won't work at all. The cleaning rake won't move at all now. The motor runs constantly but the rake doesn't move. This product is very inferior and the cost is $100+.

I had the original Littermaid self cleaning litter box which lasted 10 years and finally gave out. I obviously purchased another one and thought I'd have not problems. After a week of having the Littermaid Elite we started having issues with the rake. I thought it was because of the amount of litter in the tray but I was following the instructions and wasn't filling past the line. After a month, I had to turn the unit off and start cleaning it out myself. The rake would go an inch, back up and start over, go an inch, back up and start over... there was not shut off. I was scared it was going to catch fire while we were away so just turned it off. I really hope this product is pulled off the shelf and some restitution is given to those who have purchased the product. Given all the complaints filed, it obviously doesn't work and isn't worth the $100+. Product doesn't work as promised. We're out the full cost of the product - purchased at PetSmart for $100.

I purchased my Litter Maid Elite because after 4 years, my original one stopped working. I had my new unit 4 weeks when the sensor stopped working. I paid over $100.00 for the unit, I purchased it at target. They would not take it back because it was jsut over the 30 days. After reading so many complaints about the company that makes this product, I am surprised that some action hasn't been taken against them at this point.

I thought it would be good if someone 'over the pond' chipped in. I read the comments on this website before buying a littermaid LME9000 and ignored them at my peril!! I bought a new unit off eBay at quite a good price- it worked brill and I was really pleased- until 4 days later when the rake just started going forward an inch, back an inch on the spot all the time- there is nothing jammed or stuck, no reason it should not work after 5 days- so now I have to box it up (an pain in itself!) and try and get the eBay seller to take it back! Good idea if it actually worked!

Littermaid elite mega. I ordered it from Petco online, it lasted 8 days before the rake broke off. I contacted the company, and they wanted me to pay to ship out a replacement. I already spent $180 dollars on a cat box that lasted 8 days, how many times should I plan on sending them $ for shipping?

Litter Maid Elite. It is all true as described by others. I spent over $150 on the Elite unit, right out of the box, the machine has issues. By the time, I realized my cats had already used it. Litter Maid sent a one time replacement, after receiving the circuit board, after paying for shipment of the circuit board, 2nd day air UPS, I received the replacement 2 weeks later. The machine is under powered and noisy. After a week or two, scratch caused by the cats covering on the bottom of the main tray, provided a key for the recommended litter to adhere, causing the machine to jam, not complete its cycle, obviously useless.

Having previously owning the Scoop-Free machine, I switched from using the recommended type clumping litter, to the Scoop-free type crystals. The Litter Maid has been using the Crystals now for a year with no problems. However, the Photo eye sensor has been, and continues to be unreliable, fails to sense the cat. A manual cleaning cycle is required every couple of days or so. I would not recommend the litter maid to any one. Save your money, try other solutions. Don't buy a litter-maid.

I purchased the Littermaid LM680 self-cleaning litter-box. It lasted 3 days and did exactly as the other complaints here have said. I didn't have the box but still had the receipt. Walmart was kind enough to let me exchange it for another one. This second one has lasted for about 3 weeks and the same thing has happened. Of course, customer service has you do all the "trouble-shooting" steps, to no avail. Imagine that! I, like so many others, had one years ago and it was awesome.

That is why I purchased another one. I was even confident that when I returned the first one, the second one would be great. Sometimes, a "bad seed" makes it to a store shelf. However, I am now convinced that society today is only interested in "quantity" and could care less about "quality". As long as there are trusting people like me who are willing to purchase items of this expense, thinking they are getting a good deal! Stress, aggravation, having to spend more money to replace existing malfunctioning product.

I am on my second Litter Maid Elite and I can tell you I would never purchase another! I had the old Litter Maid and it was great except it was hard to clean. When I saw the Elite, I thought it was worth spending the extra money to get this new litter box, boy was I mistaken. They where very nice and sent me a new one, but I had to spend the money to send in the computer chip. The sent me the Litter Maid Elite and this is worse than the one I had before. Do not, I mean do not think just because it looks great it will work. It has no power and would push a pea. I spoke to Fred and he was nice but did tell me that the complaints are pouring in. Keep scooping, save your money.

We had the original Littermaid self-cleaning box and it worked great, even with three cats. The motor eventually wore out after several years. Then, we purchased the Littermaid Elite and it was terrible! I had to clean out the litter box constantly. It appeared that the motor wasn't powerful enough to scoop even the smallest amount. Then, the grate would only go halfway and that was after I had taken most of the kitty litter out! Don't waste your money on this product! I wish we had the original one again!

In 2002, I had one indoor cat and purchased a Littermaid for the self-cleaning aspect and it was a gem! Our household grew by 2 cats and the automatic litter box would not work anymore. I thought this was due to the additional traffic and gave it away. For years, I have been scooping and felt destined to do so until recently while at a pet shop, I saw the Littermaid elite for multiple cats. I was so happy, I purchased the machine, additional receptacles, and plenty of the "correct" litter. I could not have been more disappointed.

The machine only dumped for 1 week into the receptacle and will no longer work a full cycle without jamming. That annoying noise can be heard all through the house as the motor runs over and over again until someone clears the jam (too much litter gathered in one spot usually; I can't get my cats to level off the litter when they have completed their business) or it finally stops with a flashing warning. The machine is over $100 and I feel that I have been ripped off!

We purchased the older LitterMaid Elite model with the clock/timer. It worked lovely for about 8 months and then began getting stuck midway. We used the proper litter and tried all the troubleshooting "tips" the manual had. Nothing helped. You'd think for a $100+ product, it would at least be able to rake up a clump of cat urine. We got the newer model Elite one, but this one doesn't have a clock/timer. Not sure why they took that away as it was actually pretty handy. This unit lasted less than 2 months. It barely made it over a 1 month, really. Same thing again, rake would get stuck midway and just sit there making that loud grinding noise.

We ended up having to unplug it and use it as a regular litter box. What a joke. When it worked, it worked lovely. This was partly why we purchased it. I have Lupus and with my immune system, I shouldn't be cleaning out the litter box. The LitterMaid was a wonderful solution to this. But considering how worthless it turned out to be; now my husband has to clean it out every day. What a huge waste of money.

We're sorely disappointed and after our friends have heard about all the trouble we've had with the bloody thing, they are too. It's appalling to see so many complaints of the exact same problem and the company seems not to care - in fact, they produce "new" models made of even shabbier material. Obviously, they need new leadership or something to change how they're doing business.

I had purchased a LitterMaid model LM500 self-cleaning cat litter box which is the older unit and I was using it with three cats and never had a problem till it finally gave up after about 5 years of service. It had the plastic tines to scoop out the litter and worked just fine. After it finally did quit I ended up purchasing their newer model LME5000 with the metals tines to scoop out the litter. I now have only two cats and this unit has now quit before having it in use less than a year. The rake assembly will only go about half way and then return to the home position and then try again till it finally stops and the green light is flashing, indicating a problem or a cycle that hasn't been completed.

I emailed LitterMaid to see what they suggested might be wrong and they replied that I was using the wrong litter when I mentioned in the email what litter I was using they in turn gave me suggestions of which litter to use. They must not have read my email completely because one of the litters they recommended is what I am using. After further investigating the unit itself I found that under the rake assembly where the ribbon from the photo eyes attaches the bracket holding the ribbon in place is broken and puts the rake assembly in a bind when it goes half way down the track of the litter box and then returns to home.

This unit is junk and I have no idea what to do with it. I do not have the receipt from when I purchased it, and I have used it enough I don't think the store from where I purchased it will take it back. I am now in a position of cleaning the litter box twice a day after spending more than $100 for a piece of junk that doesn't do what it claims it will do. I have tried to search on the internet to find replacement parts and so far have had no luck. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

I have gone through several Littermaid litter boxes. I love the concept, but they do not last! For the price, I should get more than a couple of months of use. This is very upsetting!

My husband and I bought the older version of the Littermaid and it worked great for a while, but then wouldn't stop cycling. We returned it to the store from which we bought it, and we upgraded to the Elite model. The Elite model doesn't work as well, and we wish we hadn't spent the extra money. It dumps a lot of litter on the floor, which is quite messy. Also, the metal tines aren't as effective as the plastic ones on the older model, so we end up doing some of the scooping ourselves. We're looking for a different self-cleaning litterbox to add to our home, because we will not purchase another LitterMaid Elite, and the older model doesn't seem to be available for purchase in pet stores anymore. A lot of extra mess to clean up, and wasted money on a product that doesn't work very well.

This is the 3rd model that has broken within 30 days. I do not want to clean litter and thought the idea was great. The first model broke and I did not have the receipt. The second purchase did not work and was returned within 10 days. The 3rd purchase just broke within 35 days. I will find my receipt and return it to the store. This is totally unacceptable, poor quality and very expensive. It does not work.

I purchased 3 of the regular LitterMaid litter boxes and was generally pleased. I recently purchased the new model LitterMaid Elite Mega and it is not a good product at all. I have to unclog the litter twice a day as the rake stops at the clumps and will not deposit them. The LitterMaid would not stop recycling so I had to return to the store and they replaced it. The replacement works as long as I'm here to unclog it morning and night. What's the use? I was pleased enough with the first 3 units, but will not purchase another unless they acknowledge the product is faulty. I logged a complaint on their website.

I bought a unit the on 2nd week of December. Besides the cat getting the electric cord tangled in the rake on Christmas, now the darn rake won't move. What a waste of money! Don't buy this.

I purchased a Littermaid Elite self-cleaning litter box in July 2009. It broke in October 2009, and I purchased a replacement. The replacement worked for 2 months, and then broke in January 2010. Both times, contacting the company's customer service line was unsatisfactory, and resulted in an offer to replace the unit(s), as they were under warranty, and registered online, provided that I cut off various pieces of the units, wrote a detailed letter describing what was wrong, included a check for $10 to cover their shipping costs. The Littermaid Elite costs $129 at PetSmart, so I am now out $260.

i just bought two of these things because I just got two cats One worked for two weeks and the second broke down a week later.

I purchesed two of the new supposedly multicat Littermaid max & chloe model. I had the old version and used it til it gave out. I am shocked at seeing the same complaints I have already posted. Along with the fact that it doesn't work as well as the old one, they didn't increase the size of the receptacle. So, multi cat plus same size receptacle as one cat equals mess and need to replace receptacle quicker. At some point it actually stopped working altogether because the thinner metal spines wasn't cleaning th box.

I now have more cats so I bought an additional box---the 9250. WORST BOX I'VE EVER USED !!!!!!!! It has a metal rake with thin tines and a rather weak motor. The timer sets the rake off before the litter has time to really clump. The litter breaks apart into little pieces then the rake usually just goes over them and passes them by. Sometimes though, the litter is picked up by the rake. Then, when the rake opens the lid, the top of the recepticle falls down and blocks the clumps that have luckily been picked up--usually along with some unused litter---and instead of making it into the tub, it all of it falls onto the floor. I wish I could find another OLD MEGA so that I'd have something that works. I guess littermaid never heard: WHY FIX SOMETHING THAT ISN'T BROKEN?????

K I purchased a very expensive useless litter box. It does not work and the warranty does absolutely nothing. My unit lost power so i called the 800 number on the box for replacement or warranty work. Well to my surprise there is no such thing after a year and they will not even suggest any helpful hints to make it work again. It never did rake the litter that well and I found myself scooping more then the machine itself. So when a person purchases such an awful product and there is nothing the company will do to help you I say complain and hope that enough people out there read the reviews and not purchase this product. I am very disgused that I spent that kind of money in the first place but then to have a company not stand behind there product is even more frustrating. So to all of you out there thinking that self cleaning litter box is the way to go I tell no it is not and beleive you me scooping is not that bad once you think about the money you spend on a unit like litter maid that doesn't stand behind there product!!!! Be warned it is not worth the money and time to purchase this product.

The Littermaid Litter Box: the first one I had was great until it stopped working, I upgraded to the elite, the worst thing ever, the rack sits in the back and causes clumps and extra noise and more work for me. I feel they should correct the design and send a new one that works properly. Also you can never find the cat liter thats associated with the Littermaid box.

i had a littermaid 950 or 500 old style it lasted 3 years and worked great. when it broke, i bought the new littermaid elite. it was too wide to fit in my closet, it also would jam up because it couldn't make it through the litter often times. finally after 6 months it just stopped working, will never buy this again or recommend it

Littermaid Self-Cleaning Litter Box. Wheel on rake broke off and the company won't do anything. The rake is also not a replaceable part. Very disgusted. Expensive bad product and no customer service.

This must be the worst product I've ever purchased. The motor is not even strong enough to rake through 1 1/2 inches of clean litter (which the manufacturer recommends), much less one clump of peed in litter. It will cycle 5 times and still not work. It's very loud, meaning you can't sleep if it goes off at night. If you try to turn it on in the morning you might as well have a conventional litter box because the only option is to scoop.The maker will offer no help at all. If you're not able to return it to the store of purchase, you're out the price of the box. In my case, my husband took out the packaging and receipt to recycle before I could tell him not to. Litter maid customer service offers no help or relief. This is a really bad product.

Called customer service and they ran me through reset buttons and chip ID's which has nothing to do with the problem of the electric motor. Finally, their answer is to take it back to Colorado where I purchased it on vacation (I live in Ohio). How convenient to hold a pet store responsible when I'm talking to the manufacturers representative. Oh well, I will NEVER purchase another Littermaid product and I warn you not to either.

I called and lady I spoke with said I had to much litter in box. I had no litter in box for I had just assembled and plugged in to make sure product worked. Then lady on phone told me to take it back to target where I purchaed it, that they couldn't do anything for me. Since when is it Target's problem? Target didn't make it. Lady on phone gave me an ID code to use at store if I have any trouble returning it. Will try to return, but when I called target on phone, they said if item is used they can not return.

I've used littermaid for close to 10 years. I had the old school model for all, but the last month. I purchased a new one due to the addition of another cat in order to have two cat restrooms around the house. I got the Mega Elite thinking the new design is much better looking than the old one. Immediately I noticed problems. Instead of a plastic rake it has a metal tines. The feces and clumped chunks of urine seem to stick to it. It's removable, where the rake wasn't. However, wher exactly in your house is the best place to wash that? I don't really want it in any of my sinks or tubs. Yuck!

The point of the automated box is NOT to touch urine and feces, let alone spread it around the house. Okay, so at least that part I can deal with. My biggest complaint is that it not only pushes the cat waste out into the bin, but it pushes out the good litter too. I read their recomendations for using 'premium' litter and tried the brands they recommended. No go. The clumping is just fine. It's the enormous waste of having to check the little level, change the waste receptacle more often and the cost and bother of wasted clean litter.

With the old school unit I used to change the recepacle every week or so and top off the litter. Now I have to check it every day. Becuase of the clean litter being pushed out it sometimes cases the waste lid to not close, so it emits stinky smell and requires me to adjust the contents of the bin so the lid will seat and keep the stench in.

I would never get another of the newer models. However, while I was away the person taking care of my cats the old one broke. They bought me another Elite Mega. I only discovered after returning from my trip. They said the old one's motor just stopped. If I had known it happened I would have bought a different type/brand.

Now I change the receptacles every two or three day because they fill up with the clean litter. I expirmented with sifting out the used stuff and returning the loose litter back to the box. Mistake. After being in such close proximity to the waste in the receptacle it was totally tainted. I'm buying 35 lb bags of litter ever three weeks and going through receptacles like water. On top of that is the time it's supposed to save me is somehow been sucked away like the good litter. I don't want anything, but it is worth warning people to NOT buy the new boxes.

This is the first automaic litterbox I've ever owned. I will never buy another, and wouldn't recommend it to my worst enemy. The litterbox stopped working a little after 30 days of purchase. The motor simply burned out. Since I could not return it to the store I purchased it from, I tried to contact the company's customer service department. I have been going round and round with them for the past 5 months!

The REFUSE to give me my money back, the REFUSE to take the product back. They've offered to exchange it for another small house appliance.

I've since bought another litter box. It's one of those you just roll over on its side and all the "clumps" collect in a little bin. It cost $50 less than the "automatic" litter box, but I would pay it 5 times over.

DO NOT buy any of the Littermaid automatic litterboxes. They are simply a waste of money and you will spend MONTHS trying to get things straightened out! In this tough economy $100 goes a long way. We splurged a little to get a "fancy" litterbox, but now I wish we would have paid something off!

No one should ever buy this product or ant item made by Littermaid. They have no idea about what they are talking about.

Littermaid quality is hit or miss at best, mostly miss. I have used them for years and max life is a year. I had a replacement last just a week. My Elite just dumped after a year, gears are stripped, tries to cycle. Spent a lot of time trying to repair but most important components are sealed. Made to fail. In the past I have been able to correct cycling issues with the reset button, have any of you tried that for your problems? It's not in the manual. Found one of the old style for $80 on line and seems to be working ok. I would never buy another and hope somebody comes up with a better system, if it works I would gladly pay more.

Over the years, we've had two or three Littermaid cat boxes. They had their own idiosyncrasies but for the most part worked well. The last one finally broke after two or three years so we bought the new "upgrade," Littermaid Elite. The new system is completely different than the old. While its physical appearance may seem fancier, the product just doesn't work. It is no better than a manual cat box which you can buy for $10.

The new rake is made of metal tines which stick to the feces in the box. Cat pee also collects in areas and even with the correct litter the rake just breaks up the clumps and leaves them there. Feces is simply dragged back and forth and left in the tray. Some of it gets into the bin, but you have to manually scoop the rest of it out, defeating the whole purpose of buying this expensive machine to begin with.

Another flaw to the new design is that the crap in the box is simply shoved into the bin. While this might make sense at first, the tines of the rake ride on a track that slightly lifts them up in the process -- allowing the crud to stay in the box while the tines simply pass over it or stick into it. Such design flaws are unexplainable. The rake should be positioned behind the **** and push it, not sit on top of it. The volume levels of litter are correct in our box. A plastic track for the rake may be the problem, but the old box never had such problems at all.

I heard that Littermaid has been bought out by another company, and it seems that whoever is now responsible for their products had no idea of what they're doing. The rep at Littemaid suggested using a non-stick spray on the tines and the box every 30 days (!) That would mean a lot of unnecessary work. We are planning on returning the unit and hope to find one of the older models that worked. It was a good product but not any more.

Expensive box over $100 dollars, plus necessary expendables like littler bins, etc. We're busy people and if the cat box doesn't stay clean our cat pees on other things around the house. That's the way cats are.

I had a Littermaid cat box for years and years. It finally broke after about five years of two cat use. I bought a new LME5500 almost a year ago and it works fine.

I purchased the Littermaid self-cleaning Litter box at Wal-Mart in Shelby N.C. The device stopped working less than 60 days after purchase. The device is plugged in and the on/off indicator lights up when it is turned on and goes out when it is turned out. However the motor on the device does not function it will not even make a sound like it would be trying to engage. I am very dis-satisfied with this product. I have purchased Littermaids in the past and they have lasted for at least 2 years before malfuctioning. I always keep the litter just below the full line yet well above the fill line. The previous products I purchased had the Ionic Breeze built in yet I believe this part of the product did not perform well. So this time I purchased the LitterMaid without this extra feature. I would hope the company would replace my device since I have had it so short a time.

consulted the above complaint web site before I purchesed this product. It is a piece of junk Not only was it difficult to put together but it just doesn't clean the litter box like it says I still have to remove the urine and fecal matter. what good it it anyway.

I purchased a littermaid 500 in November of 2008. It was the second machine that I have had. Loved the first one. This one has been nothing but trouble. It will run continually until turned off and then I have to take it apart to get it all straightened out. Since I am gone all day this is not good for the cat not to have his litter box all day long.

We had the previous LitterMaid self cleaning litterbox(es) all of them worked with a few hitches every now and then. We had been buying their product since 2000. After our last MultiCat box broke we decided to go to the store and buy their Elite product figuring newest product would be an upgrade. Boy what a mistake! The first machine that we bought from Target had the motor installed backwards. Once we completed assembly and plugged it in, it kept making a noise that the motor was starting but wouldn't go anywhere.

I looked at it carefully and found that the rake was trying to go backward. I called customer service and they told me to return that to Target and get a new one. We did that. After assembling it we found that not only the new product was horrible, it seemed like they stopped doing quality assurance on their products. I am not sure if their engineers are still working at their company because no one can go from a good working product to the P.O.S that we bought recently. The new product was horrible even with their recommended special litter. It never cleaned the box if one of our cat passed a lot of urine. The Motor had no power, it would hit the clumpped up litter and start going back to reset, you all know what I am talking about. So I resorted to cleaning big clumps with a hand rake, but then in less than 30 days of buying the new one, the motor decide to quit altogether. When we called the Customer service rep. (very ******, I might add), he was so rude. When I asked to speak to his supervisor, he actually said to me, "Why? What would you like to say to him." I was so mad, I informed him that

I will never ever buy another of their product because I essentially bought the most expensive manual litter box ever. He basically said, "If you don't have anything else then I have reported your incident. You can return it back to Target." At which time I informed him that my cats have been using it for the last month and that I can't return a used product to Target. To which he replied, "Well then I can't do anything about it." DO NOT BE FOOLED. If you had their old product, it was good. This new product is made with cheap plastic parts that break within days of use. Maybe they sold the company to some mainland Chinese operator who is making cheap, worthless products and selling them here.

The product does not work. Did research on line and found hundreds of complaints concerning the product not working like it should.

We had a Littermaid unit for several years with no problems. Once it wore out I had no problem buying a new model, the LME5500. It is a horrible product. It started to bind up and we experienced the same problems other hear complain about. There was no response to two e-mails and I too got just voice mail. I kept trying and finally got a live person that was very nice and agreed to replace the box. The new box arrived and it is simply a lousy product. Everything sticks to the rack and tray. It is extremely noisy. It is nothing like the origianl product we purchased years ago BUYER BEWARE!!!

Purchased LitterMaid Litter Box as a Christmas gift for our cat. We got a new puppy that was constantly eating from the cat's litter box and we wanted to get something that would regularly keep the box clean and keep the contents away from the puppy.

Our main complaint about the machine is that the motor is simply not strong enough to get the rake to scoop through the now-hardened litter that is congealed to the box. I think it has to do with the 10 minutes that goes by before the rake will activate. I have turned the box off and then immediately back on right after the cat uses it and it scoops everything out of the box perfectly. But the ten minutes that the machine gives the litter to harden is too long. So either Tim T needs to a *ahem* modification on this machine or the manufacturer needs to adjust the time delay. I think that will solve most of the complaints that people have.

We have issues with the rake not reaching down far enough and there is usually this very hard layer of hardened litter at the bottom of the box. Again, the painter's scraper (the kind that they use to take gum off of walls and stuff) works beautifully to break it up. I also don't use the small scooper that comes with the machine. I went out and bought a very large heavy duty scooper that makes it much easier to clean out the box. I put that waste into the old bin and seal it.

We haven't tried using non-stick cooking spray on the box or the rakes yet. But, we have tried lining the bottom of the box with wax paper. I should warn you though that this technique doesn't work.

Another useful thing we do is to put the machine on top of the bottom section of the puppy's old kennel. We're currently looking for something that's a little higher than just a tray because our cat doesn't just bury his waste. He flings mountains of litter on top of it. In fact, after he uses the bathroom there is litter flung up to 10 feet in all directions. The tray works wonders for helping to catch the majority of the litter that's found on the floor right next to and underneath the machine.

The ramp is a total and complete waste of time. My cat is an eight year old male tabby that can not only jump on top of the couch from the floor, he can jump over it. So the little ramp that he's supposed to walk on to get the litter off his feet simply doesn't work because he just jumps over the ramp.

All in all, definitely not a perfect design but with a little ingenuity it can be quite a practical investment. Thanks by the way for the heads up on their customer service (or lack thereof). We won't bother calling them.

I just wanted to say that I have had two units for years and have never had the problems all you people are experiencing. I use Tidy Cat Clumping Antibacterial Litter. Occasionally it gets clogged, but that is what the cleaning brushes it comes with are for.

Even with this minor issue, I would still never go back to using a manual litter box. You people are crazy!

I love Litter Maid litter boxes. I've had about three over the last 10+ years. I'm about to buy one for my grandmother for mother's day. I don't use the clumping litter, but a harder-to-find, specialized kind. It's about $5 for 4lbs, lasts about 2 months and I clean the litter box every other week, but it won't actually get full for a full month with one cat. This is the only litter box my cat has ever known and he's perfectly fine with it. I currently have an older model, at least 5 years old. It still works perfectly.

This is one of most useless products I've ever purchased and I don't think I've ever been so disappointed in a product before. The rake barely scoops any of the waste and when it does half the time the waste gets stuck in the rake. When it scoops it's so loud and sounds so strenuous, it sounds like the whole thing might just blow up. I scoop more of the **** out of the box than the rake does. I makes me so mad just to think I purchased such a useless piece of equipment. Those scammers got they're 130.00 out of me and I hope it comes back to bite them later.

Well bought the littermaid box from walmart. After 3 days the rake just stopped. Never ran again. So luckly I still had the box. As soon as I walked into walmart to return it the lady at the counter said, Go ahead and grab another one and I said excuse me. She said the rake not working is most of all the complaints about the litterbox.

So after I got home with the new box it was so much quieter then the other one so I was thinking maybe that one was just broke from the beginning. And a month later I am looking up walmarts return policy without a box and came accross this site. Well I will be off to walmart tomorrow hoping they will return it without a box if not I am out 100 dollars and ALOT of frustration!!

I have had a Littermaid for over 8 years. Well I have had two of them. At one point it stopped to function properly then I found this guy on E-Bay that had written a repair manual. I fixed it within minutes! Best Litterbox ever!

Less than one week old, my Littermaid auto cat box won't stop running. Cleans continually. I followed all instructions to make it stop and it won't. I called Littermaid and they wouldn't believe I only bought it a week ago and told me I had to take it back to the store to exchange. But from the looks of the other comments on the board, I'll just get my money back.

We had the older style of litermaid cat box and it worked GREAT ! Then after years of use it broke. We purchased the new "litermaid elite" model and it SUCKS ! We have 1 cat and it doesnt scoop the mess at all. It TRIES TO but I have to end up scooping it. Why then did I even WASTE my money on this newer model???? I wanted the EXACT same older one but of course they either dont make them or you cant find them in stores any more. Liter maid elite is a BIG RIP OFF ! ! ! !

I've had two littermaids over the past 6+ years. First one my ex took with her but it managed to keep up with 3 cats for the longest time, never had a problem. Second one I bought used a year ago for my maltese dog and I've been very happy with it. I see a lot of complaints about them on here but I've never had a problem, I recommend them to my friends and family.

The Littermaid Elite does not work the tray fills up in 1 1/2 days and at 21.00 for 18 of them it's very expensive not to mention the price of special litter It misses half the crap it needs to pick up, runs when the cat hasn't been near it and clogs up all the time I hate it It is more work than convenience

With the litter and filters I've spent over 200 dollars

I purchased a Littermaid LM500 litter box, and two days after using it, the wire came lose and the raking element became stuck. The online retailer I purchased it from said to have the company replace it per Magnus & Moss Legislature Act of 1975. I called Littermaid and they said to send it back to the store. I stated it was an online purchase and per Magnus & Moss Legislature Act of 1975 that they are responsible for it. The company still said I had to return it to the store I purchased it from per company policy.

I have owned a LitterMaid and a LitterMaid Mega Elite. After the first one burned out within a year, the company was kind enough to send me the bigger one because I have multiple cats. Not many comments have been related to whether they purchased the smalled ones or the bigger ones made for multiple cats. Yes, it does not scoop perfect but, hey, it saves me from scooping several times a day. I don't use the expensive litter or the litter they tell me and mine has just died after 2 years. It hangs up, at times, I clean it, and it keeps going. I am ready to buy another. Maybe it's the litter. I do confess that I don't clean it as well as I should (take it apart, clean and spray it with Pam, etc) but I have had great success. Even when I had to deal with their customer service.

The receptables are made in China, Maybe they should start the production in the USA.

I'm on my 3rd Littermaid box. Petsmart just keeps giving me a new one every time I return the broken one I have purchases. Each time it's something new that breaks on the litter box. No one answers the 1-800 number on the instruction manual. Can't get any help. VERY frustrating!!

This time the red sleep button is stuck on. The litter box quit working, I have to scoop it myself.

The quality of product is so bad that it does not work and I can't even take it back to Petsmart because the flyer that came with tells you that you can't return it to the store and can only contact either by phone or on-line. It's total rip off and they should be banned from further sales as I believe it is scam to sell something that does NOT work.

I am out over 300.00.

I purchased a litermaid automatic box cleaner. It did not perform like they said or advertised. It does not self clean. The product does not do what they said it would. I purchased this product to save me some time, but I still have to sift the liter. The product doesn't go close enough to the bottom of the box. As any cat owner knows, cats bury their elimination. I'very disapointed. False advertising, great idea if it worked.

Having to take the time to clean the box, or else rude smelling home.

I am on my SECOND Littermaid litter box. I received the first one as a gift from my mother after rescuing three kittens from the junk yard by my home. It worked for about a month before it started running constantly - the rake would rake up the litter, return to the start position, and then run again. I had to manually turn it off to get it to stop and turn it on several times each day to keep the box clean.

When I attempted to contact the company using the phone number in the instruction manual, I repeatedly got all lines are busy messages and was many times transferred directly to their voice mail system. No one ever returned ANY of my messages. My mother was finally able to get through to them after spending nearly an hour on hold and got them to replace the defunct litter box.

I am now on my SECOND box, and after less than a week of use I'm having the same problem. The rake runs constantly even though I've taken it apart, cleaned it, put it back together, made sure there were NO blocks anywhere. I am now once again in the run-around trying to get ahold of someone at Littermaid about the broken litte box. Same story - all lines are busy, leave a message or send an e-mail. No response to messages by phone or e-mail.

The first box was a gift and the second was a replacement, so I'm not personally out any money. But at over $100 a pop for the litter box, I think it's completely rediculous that the things don't last more than a few months (at best). Don't the people at Littermaid realize that a self-cleaning litter box is a LUXURY item in an economy already hurting? You would think they'd asess all the negative reports and fix their customer service and workmanship issues in order to keep their customers.

rake broke after only a couple of months. They do not offer replacement part and you can't get anyone at this company to call back or respond to complaint form on web site. This is the second one I have purchased and the first one the motor burned up after only about 6 months of use.

Rake and now just a very expensive litter box.

I have made attempts to contact this company about a rake that broke after only a couple of months of use and this is the second litter box purchased from them. They will not return my call or answer my email. There is no telephone number listed so I can't contact them by telephone. I am tired of shotty workmanship and I want something done!

I can't afford another litterbox and have 2 cats.

I have purchased the Littermaid Litter Box. I have had to replace it twice. I had a Littermaid previously, The old Littermaid worked great. The upgrade on the Litter Box is terrible. It keeps jamming up and I have to unplug the box for about 12 hours just so it resets. It only works for about 6 hours then I have to unplug it again. I am extremely unsatified with this upgrade.

I am on my second Littermaid. I must say that the one I had previously was not as hard to clean, didn't get stuck as often, and did not make such a big mess. I believe I had that one for two years. The newest purchase is an elite, which gets stuck constantly,it is a total pain to clean, I too have dealt with the urine clump at the bottom which the rake doesn't ever seem to pick up. The tray that catches the feces just doesn't seem to want to stay in the slot it has been placed, so much of the urine filled litter is broken into pieces all over the floor. This new model is a down grade more than anything.....to bad people cannot be protected from such poor quality of merchandise without the company having to refund their money.

I have a lot of Cats so we have 3 LitterMaids which only 6 Cats use. The problem is that I am just over my 1 year warranty and 2 of them are going bad. One is completely fried. It was working fine until I unplugged it to move it when I put it back in place and refilled it the motor only wants to go backwards and stops. The other wants to run all the time. It does it's pass to clean the box, comes back to the beginning, stops, and then starts up again immediatly. I have left it shut off then I go in a few times a day and turn it on, let it clean, then shut it off again. No one answers when I call and I am over the warranty by just a few weeks.

I can't afford 2 more litter boxes at over $100 apiece. I got them for my animals health as well as mine. It's hard for me to clean regular boxes all the time, especially with 8 cats. And we were discussing buying one more for our 3 season room where our outdoor cats hide out for the winter.

I called the toll free no. for e-mail address, hope this is it. I have purchased 3 littermaids in 3 1/2 years. The motor must burn up. No I don't under or overfill. Lots of money for something that keeps burning up. Have a daughter that has had one for 4 years.

Economic, money spent on the automatic littermaid, receptacles, litter etc. Might as well get regular one. Can't get through the red tape to talk to anyone.

I, too, bought the littermade electric kitty litter box and I am terribly disappointed. The tray doesn't stay in place and I have kitty litter all over the floor. And the tines of the rake get clogged all the time. Am now looking for a better electric kitty litter box or I'll go back to a plain ordinary kitty litter box

I've had 3 Littermaid litter boxes. The first one I bought in 2002 or so and worked fine. I unfortunately lost that one in a move. Now I have 2 Littermaid litter boxes. One is the single cat one and the other is the Mega Elite. The single one constantly pops and grinds when the rake moves. It doesn't really even scoop the waste into the receptacle. I have to scoop the thing several times a day. I also have to dig and scrape the bottom of the tray because of the wet waste the clumps get stuck to the tray like cement. I've broken several scoopers doing this.

The Mega Elite I've had for about 2 weeks. The rake got hung in the middle of the litter box and something snapped. I took the housing off and looked underneath to find that a little plastic part under there that is connected to a power ribbon had snapped in two. Now the rake is just stuck in the middle of the box and won't do anything even if I reset the box. It's like the motor is not getting any power. I paid $170.00 for it ($182.00 after taxes) and I'm extremely dissappointed that it has such shoddy workmanship. I, unfortunately, lost the receipt.

I really didn't think I would need it because even though the other one pops and grinds and I have to scoop it a lot, it still sort of works. I figured since this one was bigger and supposed to have a better motor that it would work better. That was a mistake I'll not make again. I only work a part-time job and I would not have paid that much money for it if I had known what a piece of crap it was. The reason I bought it in the first place is because I love my cats and I want them to be as healthy as possible. I alos hate digging around in cat **** and pee, but that was only a secondary reason for the purchase. Now, I don't know what to do.

If you don't read any further read this first paragraph. If you are thinking of purchacing a Litter Maid litter box save your money, don't do it. We are always cleaning the box as it just makes a bigger mess than the cat leaves. The forks are always clogged and pieces of feces are left after the rake makes it's pass. It seems the rakes are to high and not doing their job. Also, we are always scraping the tray for urine that is stuck to it. Note that I have been using the word always and that is exactly what it is, always a mess.

It will also break pieces into small particles that then become difficult to remove, even with the hand scoop. We have followed the instructions to the letter, even the part where it suggests coating the tray and fork's with a nonstick cooking spray. We do use premium clumping too. I have come to the conclusion to simply use the lower section for a litter box and get rid of the mechanical part, it will be a wery expensive litter box. The unit reminds me of a project at a school where the children try to invent something, the idea is good but without further consideration and research the end result is far from useful.

I have had THREE Littermaid elite 9000 in the past three months. I will never again own a littermaid elite. the motor is too weak to push NOTHING around, let alot a lump of stuff left by my little kitten1 This is rediculous. The only responses I get from littermaid are the same spam something is in the way of the rake for it to return home instructions that are absolutely basic. I'm aware that if there was something in it's way.. and NOTHING is there. I cannot believe I wasted my money on this litterbox.

My litter box lasted a WEEK before it defaulted back into it's constant raking. I've cleaned it SPOTLESS and it will not stop. I've scrubbed this item clean and it still will not work properly. Is there not a satisfactory guarantee somewhere? I will never again buy from littermaid if this is the type of product i receive each time a replacement is mailed to me. nothing [they] have said have EVER helped the faulty computer chip and the weak rake motor. I regret not reading the reviews on such an expensive item before I purchased it... Never again will this happen!

My Littermaid only lasted 6 weeks. I don't have the receipt or box. My cat is still a kitten, he doesn't even have big **** yet.

I'm screwed for $150.00.

i have had 3 litte[r] maids with each supposedly being an upgrade. The first one was the basic model under $100 adn the motor butned out after 4 months, the second one was the delux model for 2 cats and that to burnt out. The most recetn one is 2 months old and when putting together, the plastic guide that lifts the receptacle broke off first day and then the rake part with the 2 little balls at the corners that helps move it down towards the receptacle both broke off. If i had saved parts from the first one or second one i may have a complete box.

I know why Litter maid does not offer replacement parts. they would be doing more replacement then units actually being purchased.

financially out 89 + 149 + 149 not to mention tax or shipping. Units are useless due to motors burign out or parts breaking that render it useless.

This is our second littermaid in two years. The first one kept on running to claen the box, littermaid replaced it. The Second one was great until we hit the year mark once again, continually keeps cleaning. I called the 800 number unable to get through, it said phone lines all busy. I do like the product otherwise, a little messy, but it does work, until you hit the one year mark. They need to address this problem.

I bought the LitterMaid Mega Elite aprroximately five months ago. I had to switch out THREE different boxes until one finally worked OK. Petco was great about swapping them out. However, I have had to scoop out a lot of ***** myself and the **** often ends up on the floor. However, it worked reasonably well until a few days ago when I found two little plastic parts mixed in with the litter. Apparently, something had broken off and the back end to the unit was rising up while the rake would only scrape about half way clean.

I was determined to buy a different brand and simply junk this one. However, I was at Wal-mart and we were very pressed for time and the only unit available was the smaller unit, so I went ahead and bought it thinking that maybe a smaller unit would have so much trouble raking. (Apparently, LitterMaid uses the same sized receptacle for ALL their units.) Anyhow, I set up the new one, put in the batteries and plugged it in. Everything seemed fine and it was much quieter than the larger one. About an hour or so later, however, I went back and the light wasn't on! The entire unit had died within minutes.

I called LitterMaid in the morning and they said they would send me a new unit (they didn't hesitate, so apparently this business of the units dying immediately isn't news to them). They also agreed to send me a new rake for the old unit. They were aware of this problem, too -- the plastic wheels on the rake break off! I must say that both times I have called LitterMaid, I have been put on hold and have had do deal with EXTREMELY RUDE AND OBNOXIOUS tech help. They aren't very good at explaining issues and they get angry easily and mouth off at the customer. I have a master's degree, so following reasonable instructions is something I am good at. I wish this company would go out of business. Their products are horrible.

bought a cat litter box (litter-maid) automatic litter cleaner, but never worked good. I think they should be made to recall these inferior litter maids, refund peoples money or a gift certificate. I had one a few years ago and it worked great till the motor burnt our and then I purchased this mega one and it's terrible, makes more mess than the cats. I read the reviews and there are a lot of unhappy people over these litter boxes

it was constantly putting litter out on the floor, and beleive me with my broken hip it was no easy task cleaning it up.

bought a cat litter box (litter-maid) automatic litter cleaner, but never worked good. I think they should be made to recall these inferior litter maids, refund peoples money or a gift certificate. I had one a few years ago and it worked great till the motor burnt our and then I purchased this mega one and it's terrible, makes more mess than the cats. I read the reviews and there are a lot of unhappy people over these litter boxes

it was constantly putting litter out on the floor, and beleive me with my broken hip it was no easy task cleaning it up.

I have owned a littermaid since they first came out and I have never had a problem my first littermaid quit working five years after I had it. I called the 800 number and they sent me a replacement for free. If people are having trouble with the rakes not working you may be putting to much cat litter in the box and if you use silicon spray on the rakes it keeps the litter from sticking on the rakes. You have to use fine cat litter and you do not need much. Do not go over the line that is marked in the litter box, reading the manual helps it gives you a lot of good types.

Mine is still working till this day without any problems.

I purchased a Litter Maid Elite Mega, but it's not quite what I had expected. If you fill the unit with Premium Litter to the suggested line, 90% of the waste receptacle will be filled with "clean" litter and only 10% will be from the cat. The Rake also has a hard time moving back and forth by itself and requires that I "help" it along. Additionally, I have to manually clean the unit several times a week. Just a month ago, the rake itself finally broke. I was going to buy a new one, but after reading all of the reviews on this site, I'll see if I can just fix it myself. So, until then, I've been cleaning the litter box manually, the whole reason I purchased this unit in the first place was to prevent this.

We owned 2 Littermaids. Each died after a few years. Because we were happy with the product, we bought the new model-the Mega. It is worthless. The motor is too weak to rake the feces from the litter. Their website says you can return it w/in 30 days, but has no address or contact information, except an 800 number and email address. We sent an email, but no reply. The place we purchased the unit told us to deal witrh Littermaid. We will use their competitor's product.

$110 wasted

My unit has trouble with the rake moving back and forth nonstop, and i found that the problem is with the switch that the rake comes in contact with to shut it off - the rake just wasn't quite making it. I padded the switch with a little paper and some tape, and now it shuts off every time.

We bought our littermaid plus from wal-mart in June '07. It worked too well at 1st ...it would pass, and pass, and pass. The unit passed 5 times everytime the cats used it.It scared my 2 cats. They refused to use it. Soon they began to use my laundry basket on my work clothes, then they graduated to my rugs. Finally they began to use it and it stopped making so many passes. Just as they were comfortable my husband and I were awakend 4 nights a week with a loud banging. It seemed that the gears were stripped. The banging was unnerving from a sound sleep. We then had to turn it off before bed so that we wouldn't get the day lights scared out of us. With in a few weeks it stopped working all together and now it's just work. Taking that unit apart to clean it and going through the motions to do what I payed $90 not to do.

The irony is that I signed on tonight to get info on how to by replacement parts and found this site. It's sad now I'm out my money, no receipt, and it's over a year old. My cats have turned on me for it too. They are now used to it and want it back. I know this because my laudry basket is back to daily surprises. My husband is begging me to buy another. I just can't bring myself to do it. I wonder if that is littermaids intent.....

I have to admit we had a good experience with our first littermaid mega automatic litter box. It did it's job as advertised for about 5 years with 2 cats using it. When the motor burned out we had no reservations buying another. However our second experience was terrible. The new unit cost 190.00 and was a waist. From the first time we set it up as the directions instructed the motor was so weak it could not pass through the litter before the cats ever used it. We took it back and got another. Same results. Took it back and got a third unit and same thing. Complete junk. Lost this loyal customer. Never again!

Out $190.00 plus Tax !!!

I have had a LitterMaid in the past and loved it! So, I now have two of the newer ones -- one I bought and the other was a gift -- and the boxes themselves are great -- it's the receptacles I have a problem with. They don't seem to fit right. If I get one side under the tabs, the other side slips out -- and if I get both sides under the tabs, the middle bows out. I have complained and complained to the LitterMaid Company and they have tried to satisfy me by sending me two different sets of receptacles at no charge -- but they are all the same. It seems that once the box is assembled, the opening for the receptacle is not wide enough to fit the length of the receptacal. It's a frustration. I am keeping the boxes because my cats seem to like them -- but they are nothing like the ones I had in the '90's. The boxes produced in the years since 2000 seem to have a LOT of complaints from consumers.

Because the receptacles didn't fit well, I have litter on the floor beneath the box. I've put newspaper under it to keep it off the floor itself. Sometimes I have even had problems with the lids -- the tabs that hold the edges of the lid don't seem sufficient, so there have been times when the lid closes and stays on top of the receptacle, then the waste from the litterbox ends up on TOP of the lid and not in the receptacle. It really is a frustration.

Contacted litter maid regarding their new automatic litter maid box w/ionic and carbon filters. In the past have had several old style litter maid boxes without all the frills and they lasted about 3 years or so and I was satisfied with that and purchased another. This time I could not locate another and had to settle for this new style. It does not rake the litter; it does not cycle. The only time I get it to cycle is to plug and unplug. My older style machines were never a problem.

Now the cats were litering outside their box, so I put in a non auto box and they prefer it as I scoop it clean whereas the automatic one does not clean. The manufacturer will replace my new machine ($169) for an older model ($99) but will not refund the difference. They said I need to take it to the retailer, however I did not save the box, so the retailer will not take it back even though I have a receipt. They also advised my purchase of 11/26/08 was out of warranty with their warranty (1 Year from manufacturing), so it obviously sat on the shelf. I guess you need to call the manufacturer when purchasing a unit to be sure it is still under warranty and not an old product on the retailer shelf.

I will have to remove the circuit board from the new product and return it so they will then replace with a unit of lesser value. The end result is my cats have no auto box in the meantime, I need to scoop the old style way and I'm out of pocket $70.00.

I purchased a Littermaid Elite model self cleaning litter box in July of 08 from PetCo. 5 months later, it no longer works. The rake was constantly getting clogged with litter and the motor appeared to be on its last leg every time the sensor was tripped. We used the recommended litter and even filled it below the recommended fill line. At the end of its short 5 month life, it started cycling constantly. We had to disconnect the power supply, much to my cats dismay, and scoop it out manually. I spent $190 on a product that is totally unsatisfactory and believe that the manufacturers should totally be held responsible and refund the consumers hard earned money.

$190 down the drain, not to mention my cat's angst about getting run over by the rake.

I just wanted to comment on the Littermaid cat boxes, I've had mine for over 15 years. One I kept on the porch, in all kinds of weather, and to this day they still both work. However my son moved into a new townhouse, so I bought him one as a gift, it has been nothing but a pain in the a--. So evidentally Litter maid has decided to go with cheaper building products, of their new machines. I was thinking of purchasing a new one, but after my sons experience, and reading all the complaints the comsumers are haveing, which mirror my sons problems, I cannot afford to spend money on a product that evidentlly no longer works.

I have owned 3 Litter-Maid cat boxes in a period of 2 years. Either the rake stopped working or the sensors quit working. My wife and myself kept the boxes cleaned constantly but to no avail. Way to much money spent on such a sorry product. Rest assured I won't buy another one of their products!

The newly designed LME9000 is a flawed product and a poor decision to change the old design. I spent $232.08 on the product and it constantly clogged, did not rake completely, had to be changed manually often, and did not live up to its promise. I have since replaced it with a competitor's product that has so far out performed it. From reading your website, I now know that I am not alone in my assessment. Others should read this before purchasing this product.

I was so disspointed in the product, I just absorbed the lost investment.

WE purchased a littermaid box and it lasted over 5 years. When the motor went out we emailed the company and ordered a new one. Within a couple of months the motor went out. WE contacted Littermaid and they replaced it. With 6 weeks or so the replaced one went out too. We have sent emails to them 4 times and no response. We sent another one today asking for replacement with an upgraded model and we would pay the difference. WE noticed in a pet store that this model is not being made anymore. It most likely was n ot reliable any longer with defective manufacturing.

The damage is our cat does not have an operating litterbox and it causes odors and it affects my asthma.

I have owned 2 Littermaid Elites and BOTH have failed me now. I love the idea of automatic cat litter boxes but Littermaid has let our family down for the last time. I will NOT buy another Littermaid product.

Two littermaid litter boxes purchased 4-22-08 have both broken - one in Oct 2008 the othere Nov 2008. I have been trying to get the warranty honored but they have made me jump thru hoops and want me to send them money to replace the products. These litter boxes didn't even last a year. I have had two others in the past that lasted a little over a year. But all have broken with the rake freezing up making it unusable.

The C/S online for this company keeps asking for numbers that are not on the units. I have given them my order # unit #'s, etc., but they want more; a serial number that is not on the unit, for example. I just want these units replaced or my money refunded.

I spent a total of 307.98 with s/h on this units. I don't want other consumers to buy this litter box and get the same results.

The littermaid is flawed on so many levels. The gears and the track that the gears ride on are made of cheap plastic and pop out of place, causing the track to run crooked and therefore not settle in the off position, leaving the machine to run back and forth until turned off.

This is also not a clean solution as the advertise. The will are far too low and the cats end up scattering litter everywhere. The suggested level of litter is too deep to allow the machine to work properly and yet too low for cats to feel comfortable using it, especially when you adjust the level so that the machine works. This low level of litter causes even more mess. Not to mention the mess associated with the disposal bin. I have come into contact with far more cat feces using this product than with years of old fashioned boxes. It furthermore wastes a great deal of very expensive litter in its cleaning process.

This is a cheap, poorly made product with a high price tag that should be pulled from the market.

As a consequence we are out the approximately $180 for the two units as well as additional supplies to go along with the machine.

Echoing so many fellow complainers above and below, I am quite sure this Littermaid Elite product is simply a poorly put together product. Specifically, the top part that holds the rake DOES NOT fit properly onto the base part, so the rake does not go low enough and does not sufficiently rake the waste.

This is a terrible waste of time. Littermaid should be held accountable for their irresponsible, unethical business practice.

I bought this Littermaid just 2 months ago it no longer works.

I have ONLY PRAISE for the Littermaid cat box. I have two boxes that have served 4 to 7 cats over 10 years. I replaced the first one (that died after about 6 years) and I am about to replace another. They are GREAT. I couldn't have had this many cats without them.

I am BUYING ANOTHER to replace the original unit that I bought the first time saw the box advertised.

I purchaed my first box January 2007. It worked well for about 9 months then the gears on the rake broke off rendering it useless. $150 not well spent. I ordered another and it last only 3 months before the motor failed to retract the rake and stalled. I used the recommended litter, emptied the collection box daily and still have another useless box. I will not buy from them again and would advise anyone NOT to purchase this product.

The model I have is not shown: It is the Elite mega w/ionic air: It has stopped self cleaning. I have made sure the sensors are cleaned etc... it appears that the systems motor is not engaging. I have only used the liter suggested. This was not cheap and I want a new unit expressed or my money back now. I bought it a pEt smart store- the first unit I bought had to be returned as the box was missing several parts to the unit.

On October 13th 2008 I called and left a message with their machine - it said they would call back within 48 hours, I also filled out their on line complaint form on the same day, with the same comment- THEY WOULD RESPOND IN 48 Hrs. On October 20th, 2008 I emailed them again asking that they respond- again no response.

On October 29th 2008 today I got another phone number to call them and was told not to push any buttons and stay on line and someone will answer (15 minutes, they acknowledge they had received my message and email however wanted me to start all over again and mail them my receipt etc... and they would take care of it...now why would I trust this. The pet store I bought the unit told me this unit HAS ISSUES only after I return the first unit due to parts missing in the unopenned box, I have also read many blogs of how this unit HAS ISSUES and behold they claim they are not aware of any ISSUES according to Leona #1034- at their call center 1-800-231-9786

Economic: cost of the unit $165.00 and misc sundries required with the unit $ 50.00 plus the cost of carpet and bed soreads due to cats not being able to use the box. We are a Competitive softball family and the first weekend we used the automatic unit we came home to find a messy carpets and beds- We can only quess to what scared the cats in not using the unit. cost of carpet and bedding- over $2,000

After 4 years, the first one failed due to a switch problem. The second one failed cause the retractable wire for the rake broke beyond repair. I repaired it several times with electrical tape. I threw out the box for the new model so I am stuck with it. Haven't had it home for 30 days yet. Littermaid's New design is not an improvement over the old design. I will not be recommending Littermaid products anymore.

What a rip off. A 200.00$ rip off. The machine does not scoop the mess. The rake can't handle the waste on one cat. I had the previous model and it worked great after a few years it broke. I hurried to replace it with the NEW and IMPROVED model what a waste of my hard earned money. You can bet I will not buy anything from Litter Maid again and I tell my Friends to avoid that machine like the plague.

After 10 years of having a LitterMaid cat box I decided to replace it with the newest model, a LitterMaid Elite. This product in no way compares to the older model, it does not clean the litter, it just rakes over the waste and keeps going. I tried changing the litter, filling it up more, but nothing helped. In order for the rake to clean, the litter was too high and then it just went back to starting position.

We have been researching other units and none seem to be problem free. We were told they make the units in China now and the product cost is so low that Littermaid just expects they will [go bad] in a short period of time. At $170, they can afford to replace them but it is time consuming and irritating to the consumer.

Okay so I bought one of the original LtterMaids way back when. 1997! Loved that unit. Never had a problem. A friend of mine gave me her recently purchased unit in 2004. Her cat hated it, but with 3 cats of my own...I welcomed having the newer unit. Only problem one as soon as my own unit went out, the newer one soon followed. I was able to get the unit replaced with the $10.00 S&H fee. No problem...only the replacement unit lasted all of four months before it went out. Like another consumer referenced it was like no power was getting to it.

So back on the phone I am with Littermaid, couple of suggested tests, piece of the wiring, and another $10.00 and I was off to the races to try the Elite model. Putting the thing together was a breeze and I like the rake unit. It completely comes out as compared to the original model where the rake could not be removed for cleaning, etc. This unit last about 4 months. $10.00 again later and the Elite unit was replaced. Rake rollers broke, spent more in shipping than on the replacement rake, but off I go again.

This unit lasted just at a year - whew! Its problem...it won't stop raking. Swear to god the rake just keeps sweeping. Swept so much that one of my three cats risked relieving itself while the unit was still raking! Called littermaid. Out of warranty this time. Tried the reset buttons - there are two and placed under the under along the track so that the unit has to completely disassembled to get to them. Of course trying to have the unit run and hitting both resets at the same time...quite the challenge. AND this does not work! Back to scooping manually daily (sometimes five times a day!) Maybe I will try the cat genie.

I have been using Littermaid since 1995. My orignal product lasted many yeas and I had 5 indoor cats! It seems that the design or components have changed. Each subsquent box has not had as long a life as the first. Unlike the others who have posted here, I purchase my boxes at the big national discount store for less than $99.00. I also use only the cat litter from the big national discount store's members only store. It comes in a 35 lb recyclable plastic container and clumps quickly-so there is no mess and no burned out motor.

I have also learned over the years that you cannot fill the box to the marked fill line-it is too full. I use the plastic waste containers until they WEAR OUT-I remove them, empty them and put them back in. When a box malfunctions, I call Customer Service (I keep the receipt in the battery compartment) and they have replaced them at little or no charge. The big box national discount store will only replace or refund electronics (this is considered electronics) for 90 days. I hope this information will help some of the others out there!

I have been using Littermaid litter boxes since they first came out, and Ive always been satisfied with the product. Considering that they last about 4-5 years before they die, and I own two at all times, I have owned many units over the years. That brings me to my present problem. One of my Littermaid units needed to be replaced a couple of weeks ago. The second one has now broken and needs to be replaced also. I bought newly designed unit which is blue and slightly larger than the older model. Instead of buying a unit that was totally put together, apparently now the only way to buy a Littermaid is in pieces which I then had to assemble. Im sure there was a good reason to change the design and make it necessary for the new owner to put it together.

I am having significant problems. Ive had to change the litter I am using because the Fresh Start litter that Ive always used caused the litter to stick to the bottom of the box. Thus, it kept trying to work (over and over) but was unsuccessful. (I asked at the pet store if there was another litter that would be more successful, and they told me to use The Worlds Best Litter which of course costs more.) So I was spending lots of time scraping the bottom in order to get it to work.

In the meantime, instead of having a switch to turn the unit off and then on again, I now have a clock which needs to be set every time. I guess I could put batteries in it, however, Ive never had to do this with my old units. I guess the night mode is a good idea, however not for my cats. They are used to standing outside the litter box waiting for it to turn on after they have used it. I couldnt convince them that this feature was good for them, so I am not able to use it.

I purchased the LitterMaidTM Elite Mega - Advanced Automatic Self-Cleaning Litter Box (Model: LME9250). It was the worst decision I ever made! This product does not work how it claims it should. It consistently gets stuck when trying to scoop the litter. It just mashs the clumps of littler so they become a mess of small littler clumps spread throughout the litter. 95% it can not get the littler into the waste basket. And the waste baskets always crack and break or the lid falls out so then the waste gets scooped on top of the lid.

Since it always gets stuck and is not powerful enough to actually scoop through the clumps of litter it shuts it self down, so I no longer have an automatic cat litter box. I have a nasty mess that is worse than my original plain cat litter boxes, that I have to scoop multiple times a day. The litter box makes such a mess, it throws litter all of over my floor, litter falls through the cracks... And there is no reset button, so everytime it gets stuck, I have to turn the power off to get it to automatically scoop again, only that means that I have to reset the time and sleeper everytime!

I could continue to complain but now I know to check before I ever purchase any other product. I am so mad, I spent over $200 on a mess maker not a solution. The only reason I decided to purchase the product is because I am so busy with work that I am away from my house.

$218 lost on a product that doesn't work.

I've had my current littermaid for 3 years without a problem. The previous one worked well, but I was lazy and threw it out when we moved (preferring to purchase a nice new one.) The only issue I find with it, is that the rake occ. gets wet litter clumped to it. After the litter dries, a quick wack with a scoop and it falls off. There is an occ. time where litter sticks to the bottom (if we let the litter level go down too low,) but again, a quick flick with the litter scoop and all is well again.

I'm shocked at what others have gone through since we've not had those experiences. We are facing another job related move next month and again, I'll pitch the one we have and purchase new for the new house. In researching the various models, I came across your web site. Now I'm hoping that all goes well. Of particular interest is the new models with the removable metal rake

I love the convenience

I bought two standard litter maids and 1 elite. The litter gunked up from pee and it clogged the rakes. That burns out the motor. The company replaced two of the burned out units at no charge. I have succeeded in modifying the litter maid elite so that it will no longer get jammed in the pee saturated litter. I believe that all of the models of litter maid can be modified by the owner or by the company inexpensively and will not have the problems that the current models have.

I lost two litter maids, one standard and one elite but the company replaced them at no charge. So I guess that I broke even.

I can see that I've made a huge mistake in purchasing the Litter Maid litter box. I bought it the day before yesterday (9-14-08)and am already having serious problems with it. I filled the box with litter to just below the line as instructed. Within the first two uses the motor started whining and seemed to strain while moving the rake. Even though I know I did NOT overfill the machine I had to remove most of the litter to almost nothing before it would actually work properly. I thought I had solved the problem by removing the litter. Not so. A few moments later the rake began to continuously run and would not stop raking. I turned it off then back on again just for it to continue raking. I soon discovered that although in front of the rake was nearly bare, behind it all the litter had backed up against the wall.

I had to use the scoop and manually sift out the few clumps that were already there myself and smooth out the remaining litter. Then the rake finally backed into place and shut down. The next problem is that after every couple of uses the same problem kept reoccurring. I would have to come back in and scrape the clumped clay from the rake and sift them and put them in the little box at the front myself. Of course it was left on over night and this morning it was full of unsifted clumps. I went through the same process of cleaning it out and when I turned it back on it started the raking process immediately. This time when it reached the box that its supposed to dump into it seemed to catch on something and made this popping noise. Of course the result of this was everything that was actually in the rake was thrown across the room.

This has happened three times now. Also as many other people have mentioned, there is always a mess of litter on the outside of the box and I'm constantly vacuuming. I thought the whole point behind having this litter box was so that we didn't have to handle cat waste as much as the old fashioned way. This was not only a waste of money ($110.00) but of my time as well. At least the old way was as near to no fuss no mess as is possible with four adult cats. I would love to disassemble it and cart it back to Wal-mart and ask for a refund, but of course I not only threw away the receipt but I used the box to dump out the old box.

my littermaid product stopped working after only 2 months of use, i was given a hard time asked to speak with a supervisor and they were extremely ignorant

stopped working

I dont' see how this is going to help considering there is no power going through the switch and told them so. That's like turning off the mains to your house, then cycling a light switch to reset your VCR. It just isn't going to have any affect. Anyway, that's LitterMaid solution for what it's worth. I'll be returning this product and going with another brand.

Have 3 littermaids. In June 2008 the box purchased in 2005 and 2007 started having problems. I tried everything I could to fix the problems nothing seemed to correct the problem. I contacted Littermaid understanding the 2005 box was out of warranty but the 2007 box had just gone out of warranty when I contacted them. They have told me to call a number to get a special purchase price for the 2007 littermaid. I responded that I can not contact them during their hours and to please tell me what this special purchase price is. They have still not responded to my email. Littermaid can not tell me why a unit that is a year old dies just as the warranty ends and can not explain why a unit from 2004 still works?

The racking piece is stuck in the middle of the box. I have tried all of the suggestions by littermaid and the rake will not move from the location is stuck in.

I purchased the new and improved littermaid auto cleaning liter box and it is junk, the rake does not lift the liter and the plastic receptacles do not fit. the liter clumps under the rake. my orginal littermaid system lasted for 6 years. the improved version is cheap plastic. i'll go back to cleaning manually.

I have purchased 2 LitterMaid Elite Mega Self-Cleaning litter boxes. The first one I had for about 6 months and it kept getting stuck until it finally just died. It appeared that no power was getting to it. I then purchased another (both about $150 each) and it started acting up immediately...getting stuck in the grating position or the rake not moving at all. I have disassembled it and managed to get it running again...but lo and behold this one too has stopped working all together. So I too am back to scooping the litter box on a daily basis. These machines are expensive enough and then tack on the supplies that you need for it. It's appalling!

I received the LitterMaid via UPS. It wasn't packaged in a shipping box, but arrived in the store shelf box which was all broken up and torn apart. Thankfully, the unit itself had been strapped to a few sturdy cardboard pieces in the flimsy box itself. I ordered in through Amazon.com and they had it shipped from Dennroo.

I called Denroo to complained about the broken box. Their comment was: we always ship them out that way. My daughter helped me get it going last night and I have to admit it was exciting until it raked wet urine which hadn't had time to harden and the wet mess stuck to the rake and smeared the back and bottom of the unit. It isn't raking out a couple of poops this morning. I am thoroughly disgusted that our Government allows such EXPENSIVE junk to be purchased by unknowing consumers!

I'm on a fixed income with two loving cats. Because of the advertising it looked like that would be worth the money for me ($130). As far as I am concerned, this product is a scam.

I bought the Litter Maid Elite from Target twice, both times it was missing huge pieces to the equiptment, i returned them both imes. I finally got one that had all the parts, ive had it now for 4 months and it does not work.I am constantly cleaning it out, the rake isnt strong enough to scoop the waste into the receptacle, its constantly raking anyways and is always clogged. This product is the worst investment i have ever made!

My floor is always filled with cat litter due to a gap between the receptacle and the base so i am vaccuming all the time, its disgusting, and unhealthy for my children, it was safer before when i had a normal box!

Purchased new Elite Mega automatic litter box -- rarely scoops without jamming, which leaves a mess for me to clean up. I've been using Littermaid products since 1999 (I know how to use them) and they've always been slightly irritating, but no on has produced anything better. Thought I'd upgrade to this new one -- it's an AWFUL piece of garbage!

Littermaid will not take it back -- they say to return to vendor. Vendor says to return it to Littermaid. I'm stuck.

i've had this product 3 yrs. and at least twice ayr. i have disassembled it like litermaid on line told me to do...i like the idea when it works, but having to disassemble it really makes me mad...they refuse to send anew one even if i send the reciept - and they should stand behind their product, other electrical product companies do and send people replacements or refunds. people should not have to fix the flaw, in the product. at least make the buyer feel better with apartial credit toward a new one.

its frustrating when it takes over an hr. to get it working again on its track, believe me i know....

I bought a LitterMaid Elite 950 on 7/1/08 and by 7/05 it had stopped working, the sensor would not activate. Lucky for me I am offered a full refund from Pet Smart, and will purchace another brand.

Wasting my time and gas, taking it to be returned made me mad.

Well I've had the problem of the scooper going back and forth on mine plenty of times. But I've always fixed it. But just recently it went all the acrossed but stops after it reaches the box. So I tryed pushing the scooper back and fliping the switch but it keeps doing the same thing.

so now while im out of my house my cats will probably **** all over the floor.

I purchased the LitterMaid Mega about 8 months ago. The string that allows the comb to extend to the receptacles got wrapped around the comb and snapped.

This machine is only a few months old (I still have the box) but Applica will not replace it without a receipt for proof of purchase date. Who keeps a receipt for more than 30 days? I paid over $100 for this product! The motor isn't strong enough to push the the clumps into the receptacles and CONSTANTLY gets stuck...usually in the middle of the night. The receptacle, with three cats, has to be emptied every other day and still doesn't get everthing so I'm still having to scoop like I would with a regular litter box. Then, when I pick up the litter box, large amounts of litter are sitting under the box where the comb has dumped it because there is a space between the receptacle and the box itself.

In addition, litter gets stuck to the bottom of the box where the comb can't get to, so I have to use a putty knife to scrape the molded clay litter from the bottom of the box. There is no way to detach the comb from this model so you have to live with the **** that is constantly stuck to it or use your hands to clean it. And beware, if you have a cat that does not cover up **** well, you will ALWAYS have **** stuck to the comb, leaving you to manually use paper towels to clean between the combs with your hands. Yea...that's real healthy! THIS PRODUCT DOES NOT PERFORM AS ADVERTISED!

I received the Littermaid automated scooper for Christmas and it started breaking down pretty much from the beginning with the rake getting stuck mid scoop. I called Customer Service and they had me reset it. After more breakdowns including it not working completely, I was sent a 2nd unit. That unit was received a month ago and has already broken down. They refuse to refund my money and I cannot return the item to the store because it is not the same one.

I'm about to receive my 3rd unit and have no expectations that it will work. I'm more afraid that if I leave it on, it will start a fire since it seems the electrical work is what does not work. I know have a litterbox that does not work and no way to return it for something that would. My next step is to see if the store I purchased it from can assist, but that will take time to wade through the red tape.

I bought two 9250 heavy duty littermaid boxes and both the metal rack broke. They have a pastic roller on the end that keep the rack line up man its junk. The plastic roller is design to lift. It need to be a steel roller that screws on or something. but I can't get them to replace them

just can't use them without that rack so they become a very expense $200. cat box that you have to rack out by hand. might as will buy a 99 cent cat box

I have had them for 3 years and have gone through 6 of them (3 have been replaced by littermaid and I have 2 in use. The 3 suggestions are: 1. Use ONLY TIDY CATS SCOOP, MULTIPLE CATS. I have tried every other litter made and this is the only one that works. No sticking to the bottom, excellent clumping. 2. Do not overfill - This is the major cause of the contineous run. It is better to have a little less litter than too much. 3. If you have a contineous run problem, it is probably the switch at the front of the unit, left side, facing the unit). If you place a piece of paper (folded is better) in the slot in front of the switch, it will work. You may have to put a little super glue to hold it in place. I used a thin piece of rubber. The main cause of motor problems is too much litter in the box.

I have followed the above for the past 5 months. I empty the two boxes twice a week, add a little litter and thats all! I have 2 very large male cats.

I bought one of the older littermaid boxes for 110.00 at Target about 3 years ago. The product worked for about 2 months and then the thing just got stuck. After getting stuck, a tremendous noise was coming from the box. I ran over to see what was going on and saw that the rake was broken and hanging by the string. I took this one back and bought another, after 4 months the cord broke. I knew something was bound to happen because it was already missing the track and making a squealing noise.

So as senseless as I am, I purchased one on ebay the Elite Model for about 145.00 or so. At first I thought this was going to solve all of my problems, but actually this is more of a piece of crap than the old versions. First off, I spent so much time cleaning the waste off the rake and having to reset it back in the tracks. Also, I saw that there was so much waste on the side of the receptacle and underneath the box. I blamed my cat like some of the other posts I have read. Thought it was the little one, but now I know this thing was designed by a moron. The two biggest problems with this machine is this.

First off, when you fill the box all is fine and dandy, until the rake runs its cycle, then it ends up returning about 90 percent of the waste behind the metal rake, which you will be lifting the rake and scooping behind it continuously. Also it does a fine job of neatly raking the litter, makes it look neat on top ha! But, underneath is where the waste is and it does not touch this until most of the litter is out of the box. By the time it reaches the bottom(litter box will be near empty by this point) the waste is stuck to the bottom and you need a bulldozer to scrape it off. After many days of coming home from work wanting to relax, I had to constantly clean this thing. Underneath the machine, the receptacle the sides, the rake. After looking all shiny and new for so many months, took about 3 days and would have to do it again and again.

Anyway, finally the thing got really stuck and made a noise and of course the cheap plastic roller broke off one side of the rake. I applied some superglue to this, even managed to superglue my fingers to the rake, which i quickly pulled them off. When the wheel was finally reattached, it worked about 3 cleaning cycles and then it broke off again beyond repair. If you think about it, this product is very poorly designed, does not do what it is supposed to do.

And if Littermaid continuously sells these, they should write on the box telling the customer This product is not completely automatic, some maintenence may be required on your part in keeping your machine in somewhat of a working condition. This product can possibly malfunction and cause side effects, some side effects or affects can result in a headache, possible fire, and many nights of lack of sleep which could result in depression or anxiety.

the small roller broke off one side of the rake now it want work, My I buy a new rake ?

I think they only hire designers that got an F in design school because they work for less. Hope that their increased profit falls off sharply, as they are ripping us off folks! DON'T BUY one of these boxes. they are absolutely DISFUNCTIONAL! Gummed up rake, gummed up crap on the bottom, waste receptacle won't stay in place, litter all over the floor, and not from my cats, but from the scooping mechanism itself. HORRIBLE PRODUCT!

I have purchased three littermaid automatic cat boxes and I thought that maybe I was doing something wrong. The first one lasted one year and a half and it seemed to have a strong motor. The second one lasted less than a year. The third one has a horrible motor and lasted probably 5 months.

I started looking for another one and found that they are not sold in stores. I usually have a reason for purchasing one like right before a long trip and leaving my cat in the care of a kind neighbor that I don't want to have scoop the litterbox. I have started researching the catbox on the internet and find that these automatic catboxes by LitterMaid are just not worth the money. TOO bad. Although I will say that they should have kept the better motor as in the older models.

I have been reading all the complaints about the Litter maid product and disagree wholeheartedly! I have been using this automatic litter box for about 6 years and each of my litter boxes work for about a year or so. This set-up has to be monitored and the litter containers must be emptied minimally twice a week (put a small garbage bag in the container so you use a bag instead of a container each time). Mine will run back and forth and get stuck sometimes too. I love my Litter maid and I will continue to buy this product!

I have had a litter maid for the last 18 years and love the product. The complaints I have read can be mostly attributed to not using the product correctly either by overfilling it or not using the right type of litter. I do have to replace it about every 2 to 3 years but with the wear and tear of 5 cats on it I figure that is a pretty good longivity for the product.

I purchased a Littermaid Elite Self-Cleaning cat box in April, 2007. I opted for the more expensive Elite series. It has a 1 year warranty. It quit working in late August. I contacted Applica, they sent a replacement unit for a $10 charge (plus mailing costs) in October. That unit quit working in December.

Again, I contacted Applica. I received another replacement unit in February that died about 3 weeks ago. Each time it dies, I am required to mail a piece of the unit to Applica Consumer Products. They only asked for a replacement fee the first time. I am not seeking anything other than to warn other consumers that this product is a piece of garbage.

Just wasted money (approximately $150 - including purchase price, replacement fee and mailing costs) and time.

I have had my Littermaid Catbox for a few years now, and ya...I have had some problems. The rake stopped moving, seemed as if the motor died, or the rake continuesly ran. One thing you people have to realize is that you need to call Littermaid and explain to them what the problem is.

I talked with littermaid, and the trouble shooting that they have provided me, has worked every time. Littermaid is a great company and they know what they are doing. The problem with most of you, is that your box stops working and you automatically think its broken and you think bad of the company. Things break...it happens....but there are fixes, and the companies take care of their companies.

I thought I would love this product. But in the time I have had it it throws litter and the easte out of the litter box. I thougth at first it was my cats until I saw a waste product pop out as a result of the rack touching it. When I first had it the rake was going constantly after I turned it on so I had to turn it off. I can't even fill the litter up to the fill line or it will do this. Now with the amount of litter I can put in it the rack either can't reach it or it is not strong enough to rake it out. Not to mention it will no longer come on automaticly I have to manually turn it on and off to get it to scoop. But even then I still have to scoop what is stuck to the bottom of the litter box or what ends up behind or stuck to the rake.

It is mostly just a pain to have an auto scoop litter box that I have to maually scoop myself. It defeats the purpose of why I bought the product in the first place.

I saw a lot of complaints reguarding the newest litter box. I had the same problems, but called right away and talked to someone, and they had me cut out the sensor, and mail it to them and I got one of the original cat litter boxes, and I am happy as can beThanks to litter maid for helping me.

Everything worked out well.

I have owned a littermaid for years and the old one was wonderful! It finally broke and I bought the new elite model. That was a big mistake, the motor is not even as strong as the old one and I have to constantly clean the litter box out myself. So much for the self cleaning part! Cat poo gets stuck behind the rake and there is litter all over the place. I paid about $158.00 for it and what a waste of money. They should have never change the motor in it. I am very disappointed with the product.

I am on my 4th littermaid in less than a year. The first just died and was replaced. Second refused to move after first week. Store gave another one. Third was DOA on purchase, also exchanged. Now, the 4th, one month old, scoops continuously, getting very hot and creating what appears to be a fire hazard. I have taken to turning it on to scoop the litter and shutting it back off. These things are dangerous and a rip off. Everyone should be given their money back and a recall should be done before there is a real tragedy! P.S. It also scatters litter up underneath the machine.

I am disabled and this kind of money was a big investment for me! I was truly hoping that it would make my life easier. It has not. I cannot afford a house fire from the motor overheating. The company is not interested. Isn't there anyway to get this fire hazard off the market?

I tried emailing Littermaid a couple of times via their website regarding the carbon filters to no response (until I contacted consumer affairs). The issue is that no matter how securely I apply the carbon filters into the lid of the waste container, they fall off into the waste. I finally heard back from them after my contact with consumer affairs and they suggested that I use DOUBLE SIDED TAPE to affix the carbon filters to the inside of the waste container lid. I replied that I don't think that this is a very good suggestion, given that the filters already have an adhesive square for this purpose, but told them I'd give it a try. After several minutes on the phone, they finally offered to send me another box of filters (after I've purchased at least four now and NONE of the filters stayed affixed to the inside of the waste container).

I received them and tried them out over the weekend, hoping that they would stay affixed better than the ones I'd purchased, but they didn't. Within an hour, the carbon filter was laying in the waste container. THIS time the adhesive stuck, but the filter fell off into the waste. Stranger yet, I went to a nearby pet supply company to purchase the Littermaid litter as we were out, and they've discontinued selling it. So I went to Target, and they too have stopped selling it...

I am DONE with this company. One box of replacement yet still faulty carbon filters and a suggestion to use double sided tape and unavailability of the litter has done it for me... Too bad too, because I was thinking of purchasing a second box, as we now have two cats. But I'll go back to manually scooping cat crap to avoid the frustration of faulty and unreliable products from Littermaid again.

I've spent over $50 in carbon filters which has been a waste since they don't stick to the lid of the waste container, NOW I can't find any retailer that sells the litter! Too much hassle-I give up.

I purchased the Litter Maid from Target on 3/22/08. It is now 2 days later and I regret the purchase. The Litter Maid misses 95% of waste in the box. When it does seem to shuffle part of the waste to the bin, pieces fall in the gap between the bin and unit. The motor isn't strong enough to scoop up much; my cat is only 12 weeks old and the unit makes a horrible noise when trying to clean up the tiny bit of waste. This product was a waste. For the quality, I would have been satisfied spending $30. I have to clean my self-cleaning box several times per day. It seems to make a bigger mess than the old cheapo boxes you buy and clean yourself. I am going to look for another brand. Great idea, poor design.

I also had years of satisfaction with the original large size Litter maid for my two cats. It had a strong motor, strong structure, no real problems, and did all I expected to do. It was even replaced by litter maid as it broke prior to the warranty expiring. At the time I thought this is a company that really takes care of its customers. Needless to say I felt an allegiance to litter maid and bought the new version of the litter maid unit when my old one broke. WHAT A MISTAKE THAT WAS.

There is constant stopping of the machine due to the motor not being strong enough to move through my cats' waste. Not to mention the fact that I have to use my hands to snap the container under the tabs when emptying. There is spillage of litter dropping through the slightest opening between the tabs, and the waste container. Therefore, you must take apart the machine (as you can't pick up the new version like the old) to clean the litter that falls through that slight opening, or the new waste container won't fit into the opening. I have read other complaints about the motor being to loud, but it actually is a blessing. You are alerted when the rake can't get through the liter and bogs down and returns back to the home position as the motor is so loud you can hear when that happens from other rooms in my Condo.

In conclusion I called litter maid and told them of my opinion of the new version of their product. The representative politely wrote down my complaints and thanked me for my call. I no longer feel any allegiance to a company that changes a product that worked well, and then updates it with an inferior, cheaply made unit. When the unit stops working I will never purchase another litter maid product again. I will look at other manufacturers and check for reviews of that product before I make a buying decision.

We also had years of satisfaction with the original large size Littermaid for my two cats. It had a strong motor, strong structure, no real problems other than some side spillage around the container. After about 4 years of heavy duty work, it finally broke down, and we decided to buy the new Elite model. We wanted to just buy the old version, but it was discontinued. We should have known that corporations just have to make more money, and this good machine was not breaking down enough! The new plastic replacement is horrible. My husband could not even put it together and carry it to place it, without it falling apart. He was livid. The motor is horribly loud, and the moving cleaning tines are fragile and miss picking up a lot of material. They catch on the leading edge of the plastic container and pull it up, dumping litter down below the container well. You can't pick the machine up to clean it without it falling apart. Large waste particles get left behind or get caught behind the movable mechanism, and it needs constant cleaning. **** falls out on the sides. The container lids come loose and jam the machine as it's dumping.

We had constant clogging and stopping of the machine due to the litter and waste being too heavy for the machine to move. We called a local PetCo (who told us they'd been getting complaints), and they told us we had to use lighter weight corn husk based litter which would allow the machine to work less hard, trying to move the waste. The new litter stinks like the material used in a petting zoo. It is horrible. There was no solution but to purchase and keep an air purifier on full blast to try to control the odor. Our cats have even protested by ******* outside the Littermaid, which never happened before. This company made a horrible decision, no doubt based in greed, and ruined a great product. We are on the hunt now for any other company that sees this market opportunity! I can't imagine that any market test group would have approved of this new machine. Something stinks, and it's more than the mess this new and improved Littermaid causes in our house! Two thumbs down for Littermaid.

Had to buy more expensive litter. Wasting my time (which could be spent in my business) always fixing the containers that come loose, or cleaning up the clumps that jam, or cleaning behind the movable head where the clumps get caught. Had to buy an air purifier to clean up the smell from the corn husk based litter we had to buy since regular litter won't work.

I bought the older style Littermaid LM900 model a long time ago and loved it. However, after a few years of owning it, the motor died. I was very pleased with this model and decided to upgrade to the Elite Mega Advanced model. Like the other complaints on here, I too, experienced the knob falling off, and the rake broke; and then the motor wouldn't stop going back and forth, so the motor eventually died. I had the Littermaid maybe 6 months before this all happened. When I called to have my 'knob' on the track replaced, they told me the item was on backorder, and it took a month to get here! I found that this was a waste of money, and I plan on buying the older model soon since it worked rather well.

I owned the original littermaid for many many years, and was very happy with it. I have two cats, and it worked perfectly, never need a replacement part in all the time I owned it. When it finally broke, I went right out and purchased the LitterMaid Elite LME5000, assuming it would be better than the original. I was mistaken. Not only is it incredibly loud, but the rake gets stuck ALL the time, and when it rakes, the litter falls between the box and receptical, all on the floor under the unit. The rake broke after 6 months (which i am assuming is due to the fact that the top and bottom piece do not clip together like the original, so if the rake meets any resistance, the two pieces shift and the rake goes off center).

LitterMaid sent me another, which I installed a few months after receipt (I had moved, it was packed in the box it arrived in and I had to find it), and don't you know, it broke in the same manner again a few weeks ago. The rake went ever so slightly off-center, and one of the rollers broke. I wrote an email to the customer service address I found on line, and was informed that my unit was no longer under warranty and directed to a site where I could purchase a new rake for $18, PLUS $11 shipping and handling. Not to mention that there does not appear to be any encrypting/security features in place for your credit card info (no verisign symbol or anything of the like). Now, if you ask me, when you pay over $100 for a cat litter box, it should last, and the company should stand by its product. I shouldn't have to buy a rake a year at $38 a pop! I will not be purchasing another littermaid product. This experience has turned me into a VERY dissatisfied formerly loyal littermaid customer.

Need to purchase a new rake for $40, which lasts less than one year OR I will need to new litter pan - cost of a new self-cleaning (NON Littermaid) pan is $100-$200

This works for about one month only then stops. I think Litter Maid is a rip off.

Cost $150.00 and only worked for one month.

I purchased a Littermaid Elite (LME9000) on 4/22/06 at Target for the cost of $170.49. This is not the first Littermaid product I have owned. I had an older model which my mother passed on to me, and I had that unit for over 3 years before it died. I am not sure how long my mother had used the unit. On May 30, 2007 one the wheels on the rake unit broke, and I emailed Applica Consumer Service which handles the warranty parts for Littermaid. The responded by saying they were sending me a replacement rake (LME5500-02) at no cost. In January of this year the part broke again in the same exact place! I contacted them via email and attached the emails from 5/07 and explained although the unit was out of warranty there obviously is a defect in the design as this part should not have broken after six months. Joe wanted to know what kind of litter I was using and asked if the litter was below the fill line. He stated that obviously it was my fault and not the design of the unit that the rake had broken again. He said obviously the waste was sticking to the bottom of the box and putting stress on the rake.

I requested to speak with a supervisor and was transferred to Josh who advised me not only was the warranty up on the litterbox itself, but the replacement parts couldn't be warrantied for more than 90 days. I asked what I needed to do to get a replacement part, and he informed my the cost would be $30.90 ($19.95 for the part and 10.95 for S&H). This is totally ridiculous as you can order a new litterbox at the cost of $118.92 and only pay $10.95 for S&H. I am so disappointed in this new, improved litterbox. I would never recommend Littermaid to anyone and will be looking for a replacement self-cleaning litterbox made by someone other than Littermaid.

I now have to clean the litterbox 2-3 times a day as my cats are so used to the self cleaning litterbox that if I do not clean it often one of them will soil the floor. This increases the amount of time I spend cleaning up after them when I have spent almost $200 to prevent my having to deal with this duty.

I bought LitterMaid in Oct. of '07 and it works great. I have three cats in the house, and it has eliminated odors and NOT using the litter box. It has been a God-send to me. I would wish it were longer than the length it is, and I think the fingers that scoop the litter could be closer together, but overall so far I love this product!

I purchased the Litter Maid Elite almost five years ago from a supplier on E-bay. It worked great for about one month and then quit working. I have been using it as a manual litter box since. I was going to attempt to purchase a newer version, however, after reading these complaints I have changed my mind. I wonder why there hasn't been a class action lawsuit filed against this company. I haven't heard much good about the product, the company that designed it, or the customer service department.

I paid $100 for a litter box to make my life simpler; however, it is useless. I now have a huge litter box that should work and doesn't.

I went on LitterMaid site to see if I could buy a bigger one, and I have. I'm so surprised to see ALL the bad comments! I got mine when my husband bought me a Rage Doll kitten back in 2002. It has been the most wonderful thing I ever bought! Oh yes I had a few spills, but it's from such a BIG cat He loves it and so do I. Our problem is it's just to little for a almost 20 lb. cat! Now do I want to buy the larger one or not?

I bought a Littermaid electric cat box two days ago, and the rake won't stop going back and forth. It's making me nuts! I did everything the manual said to do to troubleshoot it, but it's still broken. Gah!

This has cost me $200 for 3 months of use, and now the problem of re-training my cats !!

We have used the littermaid for a number of years starting out with the 600 I believe. The first one we used to keep in the bathroom. After a few months it quit working and when I tried to fix it it looked like parts had rusted. We purchased a new one and moved it to the basement. After a month it quit working so we purchased another one and this goes on and on and on. Several times, to the point we lost count. We thought maybe they were just to small to handle our 2 cats so we purchased the Mega Elite, sounds good huh? Well the first one was and lasted at least 6 months. It has quit working so we went and bought another one, got it home and it raked without litter in and then we put litter in and it wouldn't work so we took that one back and exchanged it. We got home put the other one together and it wouldn't stop raking so we took it back and exchanged it. This one we put together and tried it without litter and it wouldn't move more than 1/4 of an inch. We are taking it back and NOT exchanging it. We will be using a normal litter box for a while. Besides most the time we have to scoop the litter out of the way so the rake will rake nothing!

Over the years we have probably wasted about $1000.00 on a product that doesn't really work for very long. You would have thought we would have learned long long ago..

I`m sorry that some people seem to of had problems with the Litter Maid. I have two cats and have owned the Litter Maid for over 4 years, and I've NEVER had a problem. The unit has never flung stuff out of the box, the raking system works as advertised, and never suffered a break down. I would not hesitate to recommend the Litter Maid.

I purchased my first Litter Maid over six years ago. Over the past two years I've adopted two more cats to my family. As both were entering my home, I purchased a new Litter Maid for them. Unfortunately, both of the new Litter Maids have stopped working. I had one replaced (by sending money for the replacement to Litter Maid) and replaced the second by purchasing it at Target. The two newest units don't work as well as the old one I purchased over six years ago. Plus, I find that I am the one that is bending over and scooping the litter into the box. So, yesterday I went to PetSmart to price the old standard litter pans and will be returning to using them. Unfortunately, I don't recommend this product to future consumers, unless you like paying over $100.00 for something that you have to manually scoop anyway. This is the first product that hasn't improved with the upgrades.

This product, while it appears everyone thinks is a great idea, is very poorly made. We are now on our 4th unit-- the last two units purchased within the last three weeks. I purchased a unit from WalMart (LM600 Littermaid); the unit went into a continual rake mode and would never stop. The transformer got very hot and unit failed to cut out. (This is a legal requirement for sealed transformers.) Returned unit to Wall Mart and got a replacement unit. Tried new unit without any filling in it on table; it immediately went into the same mode as the last unit. I see from previous units they have now removed two of the limit switches from the previous design. Tapping these switches got the unit to stop cycling. This product needs a recall; it's not only dangerous to animals, but the heat the transformer gives off when continually running is a fire hazard. I tried writing to the company 3 times. I got stock letters back. They did not read what I wrote. Tried calling them; they do not answer their phone, and just divert you to voicemail. Overall, I don't think I have ever dealt with a company so bad as Salton, Inc. I'm going back to the store again for a re-fund this time.

Pain and suffering having to travel to return units twice, taking 3 hours. I have an unhappy cat. Attitude of Salton Inc. is priceless.

I carefully read assembly instructions, they looked easy but assembly required snapping brittle plastic hinges together (they broke) after gluing my brand new broken product back together I finished assembly and installed.

After 3-4 days I noticed a horrible cat waste smell, the automatic rake was pushing cat waste under the box. I though maybe I assembled it wrong so I cleaned up everything, put a new waist receptacle in and tried again...same thing. so I tried putting tape on it, why not? there's already glue holding it. the poorly designed system has a fatal flaw where the waste receptacle and tray meet. removal and installation of waste receptacle also requires prolonged contact with animal urine and feces.

Since the box was so enormous I had to throw it away after two weeks so I could not return it.

I purchased another thinking the first might just be defective. Not the case, It's simply an idiotic design.
I started reading your consumer affairs blog I realized I'm only one of many burned consumers.
I'm certainly going to return the second one and Ide like to warn everyone...don't buy poorly designed products from LitterMaid ..... It's.. litter-rally-crap!


Hours of lost time and effort. Frustration. I had to pay an assistant to help shop for, load. unload, unpack, assemble .... twice.

also, I was so annoyed, I E-mailed the littermaid company..no response at all.

I had to purchase a box with a lid for odor control and the cats were not used to this new type of box and decided to deficate in plants, on clothes, on the carpet, homework, etc... I had to replace several items and have the carpet removed or cleaned!!! My money and time are very valuable.

I purchased the BIG Littermaid. Bad idea. I haven't had constant running issues like I've read, but I might as well have the good old manual scoop. This thing is useless. Barely scoops what was left behind. What it does scoop gets mostly caught in between the box and bin it's supposed to go in. The plastic rake bends, so anything stuck to the bottom is going to stay there, or fight the rake on it's way back by. The sound of the motor scared my cats into the neighbor's house, so they won't even go into the same room as the thing. Taking it back was not an option. The store I got it from is an hour away. Not worth the gas and aggravation.

Tell you what though, 'cat genie' is awesome for those of us looking to make cleaning up after our cats easier. Only good if it's possible to put a cat recepticle in the bathroom, though.

I'm out a lot of money and still cleaning the box myself. Physical damage? Does the molding on the side of the door I threw the Littermaid through, count?

Our first LitterMaid had some trouble with a weak motor that would often get stuck, and we would have to manually scoop it. Then it completely wore out--one day past our warranty period. So we bought another, and this one almost never rakes the clumps into the trough. It habitually gets stuck, and we have to manually scoop and reset it. The only thing it is good for is freshening the air when the cat uses it--not worth over $100.

Purchased Litter Maid Elite less than a month ago. Worked great at first. Loved the product. BUT, I quickly noticed the motor was under-powered to reliably scoop or push the hard and partly-hard, wet clumps that had stuck to the bottom of the pan or pan-ramp. Close to a month after starting to use it ,the motor would start kicking in, move about a half inch, then reverse, and kick in again--in an end-less loop.

Everyone who had a problem with this, go to the place you purchased it and complain--not for your money, but for the store to stop carrying their products. Maybe then the manufacturer will start paying attention.

Out my purchase price of a bit over $100.

I bought my first Littermaid at Wal-Mart and was excited about a product that would help our family keep up with two very active cats. The first one in less than a week, started raking continuously. I returned it and got a second one. It did the same thing immediately. I called customer service and was told to clean this, reset that and jump through a ring of fire; and if that didn't work, return it to the place of purchase. I don't know why, but I thought that I would give it one more shot. We got a third box, and it worked beautifully....until a few months later. Now it rakes continuously, and we have to unplug it and manually activate the raking mechanism.

Great idea - lousy design, company, and customer service. Steer clear of this product and company. I will be looking for another product with the same concept as this one, or my two teenagers will begrudgingly go back to doing the old fashioned litter boxes and raking of their cats' waste!

I bought the LitterMaid Elite about three weeks ago. When the rake reaches the automatic door and passes the debris to the receptacle, it spills litter through the opening where the receptacle meets the litter box. I tried putting tape over the area, but that caused an enormous amount of litter to be raked into the receptacle. The problem is that the rake pushes too much gravel with it. Each night, there is a tall mound of litter under the box.

Having to lift the heavy box to clean under it each night is unacceptable, not only because the box cost just under $200, but also because lifting the box causes the parts to come apart which requires me to have to reassemble the front of the box. I am planning to buy a Scoop Free box.

This is my second LitterMaid. I loved the first one; it lasted 3 years and finally gave out. No problem, I just purchased the Elite and Woah! What a mess. Whoever invented such an inadequate product should be ashamed of themselves. I have one normal sized cat, basically maintenance free. When she is finished, the rake doesn't generally pass through for at least 10 minutes, leaving plenty of time to clump. When it begins it's belabored journey to the waste receptacle, it simply skims the top of the litter, evenly distributing it in the litter box. I left the lid and not one spec of litter is in it--but a very nicely groomed litter box with all of the clumps neatly beneath it. I have to scoop after every use. It was a total waste of $179.00. If Pet Smart will take it back, I will be forever grateful. Litter-Maid should discontinue their product or at the very least reimburse it's consumers until they can come up with a product that actually does what they promise. I can't imagine that an actual cat was ever used during the Litter-Maid development stages, certainly not the Elite.

I am out $179.00 for a piece of junk.

I am going to return it to Target. They will take back defective merchandise.

Add me to the list of disatisfied customers. After the initial investment of $100.00, mine worked fine for about a month, then stopped. It seemed to me like the motor was overworked and I also had trouble keeping the rake clean of debris - it still required daily checkups to insure it worked correctly. Then it just stopped working. The light stayed solid, like it should be okay but it just didn't scoop, its most important function. Others have mentioned the possibility of a wet circuit board being the culprit and it wouldn't surprise me to know that's what happened to mine, you can't exactly train the cats to only go in the center of the box. I've sent them an email and haven't heard a word. Given the amount of complaints on this and other forums, I'm pretty well resigned to kissing my investment goodbye.

Add me to the list of those who made a mistake of buying an LM900. I should have done my homework first. Only had it a day, and the motor is very weak and it does not auto clean. I have to manually cycle it. I will use it until it quits, which sounds like it will be sooner than later. I filed a complaint with them, but don't expect to hear from them. Never again.

Had to replace the unit while still in warranty with my own money.

In March of 2007, I bought my second LitterMaid Automatic Litterbox (the Deluxe Elite edition), hoping that the newer model with the metal rake would be better and have a stronger motor. It did not. As of Novermber 2007, the machine has stopped working altogether (not that it ever worked properly to begin with). I have one normal sized cat, so you would think there wouldn't be a problem, especially with a product listed as perfect for multiple cat households. Needless to say, I found myself awoken each morning by the sound of the machine grinding back and forth trying to remove waste. I was having to clean the thing manually on a daily basis, not to mention having to empty and dismantle it on a weekly basis to clean it and unclog the rake. You would think a product where I was doing most of the work, wouldn't breakdown as quickly as this did. I have written to the company to find out about warranty coverage, explaining the consistent problems with the machine, but as of yet have not received a response. I guess they are too busy coming up with the next bells and whistles (air filtration devices and privacy tents) to add to the product to focus on the problems with the general function.

No action taken by the company yet in response to my inquiry about compensation, replacement or repair.

I have purchased three Litter Maid automatic litter boxes over the years. Call me a sucker! I kept hoping that they would improve but to no avail! They last a year if I'm lucky before totally breaking and don't work the way they advertise. It doesn't matter what type of litter you put in it. It clumps and jams the rake. The motor on the unit is not strong enough to work through it. Its expensive to buy the plastic refills, but I would do it happily if this thing would work the way it's supposed to. The unit itself is difficult to clean thoroughly as well. This company should either drastically improve their invention or be taken out of business. It must be cleaned daily to prevent build up, and then its harder to clean than a normal litter box. I'm completely disgusted with this company and wish someone would stop them.

What a waste of money; it takes me 20 minutes each day to clean the Litter Maid, and I bought it to save time. Besides, the accessories are $25 for 12 soft plastic boxes. It is a total waste.

The Littermaid does what it does very poorly; the rake does not clean to the bottom of the pan, allowing a layer of wet litter to sometimes remain. When the rake has passed through the litter and is beginning to move up, some clumps will just fall back into the pan and not be deposited into the litter pan. When the rake moves back to it's home position, it drags back the fallen clumps, then squishes them against the back wall of the pan as the rake goes back to it's home position. This, of course, will continue to grow in size because once it is stuck on the rake, there is no way gravity will pull it off, requiring a manual cleaning--the reason the box was purchased in the first place.

My wife sent an email to the company advising them of our experience, and received a formulated, extensive reply. Bottom line: they are clearly not interested in helping dissatisfied consumers who purchase their product.

I have a major complaint about the larger, supposedly deluxe Littermaid Cat Box.

I returned one for an exchange a couple of months ago and had to wait a few weeks for restocking. I paid $89.95 for this box. I finally was able to pick up another and brought it home only to have it stop working properly within a week or so. I followed all the instructions on troubleshooting with no results. The rake will not shut off by itself and it continually flings hardened litter all over and mostly missing the litter collection container all together.

I am very disappointed because I had an older smaller model years ago and it never had any problems. I owned it in perfect working condition for over 10 years with 2 cats.

I bought the original model and it lasted 3.5 years before the cord snapped, that was worth the money. I bought the new & improved Mega Elite in July 07 and within a month literally, the PLASTIC side wheel broke off from strain pressure.

At the beginning of Sept I sent them $10 and got a whole new unit in about 2 weeks. On Oct 6th, the same thing happened, the plastic side wheel broke off again. Ridiculous!

In a time span of 3 months the same thing broke on two brand new store bought units. What a waste of $200.

We purchased our first Litter Maid litter box 10 years ago. It was awesome and lasted about 5 years. Over the past 5 years, we have purchased 4 more Litter Maids. They just are not lasting and all of them have had to be repaired in some way. The current one we have keeps breaking the little plastic wheels off both sides of the rake.

I have repaired them numerous times now but yesterday, it broke to where it is now unrepairable. I am so disappointed.

Unable to use it, we have had to go back to the original machine, turning it off and then back on to make it cycle several times a day. We want to get parts but don't know where to get them.

I will be off to Pet Smart tomorrow. I am so disappointed in my LitterMaid Product. The one from several years ago worked so well. What ever happened? I have spent several hundred dollars with this company on new products, elimination pans, odor pads, cat litter, tents (3 different types), trips to Pet Smart, Home fragrances, etc. Need I go on? I am done.

The first box I purchased worked well but lasted only two years before the string broke. The new one I purchased two weeks ago is not working well as the rake accumulates waste and does not dump it into the receptacle. Why they call this an improved model, I cannot say.

It worked great for about a year and then the other day it stopped. It's stuck and won't move. This has rendered the box useless.

This has resulted in my cat going on my carpet before I noticed what was happening. This is because the Litter Maid box is supposed to literally maintenance free and needs attention only rarely when additional litter needs to be added. The replacement cost of the carpet and carpet pad is going to be astronomical, in addition, there will be labor costs as well. I cannot afford this, just because the litter box failed.

I had the older model litter maid for three years before it hatched. I paid $100 for the newer model and it hasn't worked since the day I bought it.

I complained to the company and they sent me a new rake. It stll doesn' work.

I have purchased three of these litterboxes within the past two years. The first one I bought I LOVED IT then the string broke after a year so I decided to go buy a new one. The second one lasted all of three months before the plastic rollers on the rake broke. I called customer service and emailed however they told me I was not using their litter so that is the reason it broke. I then went out and bought a new one three months ago and used the LitterMaid litter.....the motor just burned out this morning. I doubt I will waste another 150 dollars.

I purchased a littermaid box several years ago. After just a few months it stopped working. I called littermaid and was told to clean the sensors. wab. It didnt work, and then got no answer when I tried to call back.

$89.99 for a manual litterbox.

I have bought three Littermaid boxes in the past two years. On each one the motor only lasted about three months.

There is no way that you can get to the motor to replace it, let along any way to get a motor to replace the burn out one. I have spent about $300 for these junk items.

I had my first LitterMaid for 6 years. I have had 4 in the last 2 years. The motor stops working, or the rake doesn't dig deep enough to actually scoop the litter. The string that pulls the rake back and forth has snapped.

I get no help from the company by calling. They always say give us the number on the power plug and then tell me that it is out of date. (How can that be?)

I am not home a lot and need help with 4 cats.

I purchased the Elite-Mega series. I think the operation and design of it is poor. The motor is very weak when trying to go thru its cycle. Now the plastic rollers on the rake panel snapped off on both sides when it got bound up on its own.

This one lasted 6 months and cost $200. I now have to go back to the old conventional way of the standard litterbox & manual cleaning.

Had an older Littermaid unit but needed a new one. I purchased our second Littermaid, but it is not as advertised.

In my opinion it does not do the job as advertised. I get no satisfaction from manufacturer.

I recently upgraded to the Mega Elite and 2 months later the rake is broken. I had the original Littermaid that lasted 6 years, so when I purchased the Elite I figured it was a new and improved version.

$140 later and I have a very expensive manual litterbox!

My husband bought Littermaid Elite for our 2, now 3, cats a year ago. I wish it would sift without clogging, make all that noise, have a liner that you can keep at the bottom to pull up when cats keep one corner wet all the time. Every day I have to go in and dig out clumped, stuck to bottom litter.

I was much better off with my old kitty litter pan that I lined with a trash bag, lifted it out of the bag and into a new one with no scraping or cleaning box!!

We have spent $120 plus liners, recepticles, different types of cat litter trying to find one that will not clog up the rake, scent sprays, etc.

I have purchased two Littermaid litter boxes in the last five months. I think it's a waste of money.

It breaks after a few months and I can't even keep it plugged in because it make a strange sound all night.

I now have to clean out the box myself and deal with the smell.

I've had two of these over the last 10 years. Both worked fine for about 4 - 5 years before they wore out. I bought them online for about $90 dollars each. I've used many different types of premium scoopable litter with no problem.

Just thought someone should report that they have had good experiences with them as well.

I have had 2 of the earlier models of Litter Maid and they worked fairly well for several years. I decided to upgrade to a Litter Maid Mega because we have a fairly large cat. I mistakenly assumed that the new models would incorporate all new features and would surpass the quality of past units. WRONG!

This unit is extremely messy and the worst part is that the litter clumps stick to the floor of the unit and then cause the unit to stall. We have tried all the recommended litters and with the same result.

The absoulute worst waste of money I have spent on a product.

As a result, the box is never as clean as it should be and our cat is afraid of the box because of the awful sound it makes.

$159 + tax DOWN THE DRAIN.

My third Littermaid in about 5 years just broke yesterday. The cord that moves the rake back and forth snapped because it was stuck. The idea of this box is great BUT there are many problems with this item. Mine got stuck all the time and had to be turned off and then back on, it makes a mess with the litter underneath the box, there are areas that get wet nasty litter in them that is impossible and gross to clean. I am just tired of buying a new one of these every year and a half.

Same story as everyone else, except I even read everyone's complaints and thought I would give it a try anyhow, don't know what I was thinking and I apologize to everyone for not heeding the warnings.

I purchased the Littermaid LME9000 Advanced Automatic self cleaning litter box. It worked excellent for the first week, then slowly I began to notice litter being scattered everywhere. So naturally this new high tech device could not be at fault, so I blamed the cat. Then slowly over time the rake began sticking, it wouldn't even move the litter. Now of course you would think that was due to the low cost litter I was using, however I wasn't using low cost litter. IN fact at the recommendation of the clerk at PetSmart I purchased probably their most expensive fine clumping litter.

The unit was purchased 12/16/2006, and quit working today 04/21/2006. Wow that's almost a full 5-months I feel so honored compared to others who have been lucky enough to get a few weeks before failure occurs.

Now unlike some I do still have my receipt, however to date have not been able to get through to what I have learned could be the worst customer service ever encountered, but I'm still trying.

I can not believe that a consumer advocacy group hasn't gone after this company yet, I mean come on one person even stated that her apartment caught fire and the fire investigator stated it the cause was clearly the electronic automatic litter box. Maybe Automatic to this company means Automaticly doesn't work and will cause great pain and yes even fire.

We have bought 2 of these int the last 3 years. The last one we bought was in November, and it burned out today. I have had it...$200 in 3 years, on a product that is supposed to last, is a waste of money!

I have been trying since February 2007 to get a new rake from LitterMaid as the LitterMaid Elite I purchased in December has lasted all of two months. I have repeatedly emailed to no avail.

Litter Maid Elite worked for 8 months and has died. The motor makes a lot of noise and cannot pus the rake or the clumped litter. Instead it just sits and makes lots of noise. This unit works very poorly. The older model that I had worked 3 years before it died.

I bought the LitterMaid LM500 and it worked for about 6 months. The product has a one year warranty but I get not response from the LitterMaid website. I will not buy another one. Wasted money to buy this cheap made product.

I am out the $90.00 purchase price plus the cost of a new litter box to replace the one I originally threw away. I am very dissatisfied.

I am on the THIRD LitterMaid In 15 months. No water exposed to it-Not outside-no abuse-one cat. they seem to last 5 months.or less. I am currently manually scooping from the latest-largest LitterMaid.I refuse to buy yet another-and I want to get some moneys worth from it. Think Long and Hard before you purchase one!

This is a great place to be able to voice our displeasure with the Littermaid, however, is there anyone doing anything about the problems? All these complaints and the thing is STILL on the market and functioning very much the same. I have had to return THREE Littermaid Automatic kitty Litter boxes and was given nothing but another each time. they all start out working well, and then either die or the motor keeps running. The rake teeth are TOO far apart to get the smaller pieces and if the litter is moved around by the cats, it will not rake that area at all.

Many sleepless nights of getting up to turn the thing off because it keeps running. Now the newest one that we have will not START unless we physically turn it on. I recommend this product to no one! To top it off, if I actually DO call customer Service and get a human, they all act as if I don't know what I am talking about and how much EVERYONE else just loves this machine. Please!

After purchasing an older version which worked wonderfully we decided to upgrade to the Litter Maid Mega Elite. It has been nothing but problems from day one. Rake clogged up and would keep running until you cleaned it up. Litter all over the place from it jerking and throwing it everywhere. More litter ends up on the floor under the unit than in the unit as rather than screening the litter it pushes it all to the collection container.

Now it has turned into a very expensive manual litter box as the removable rake has broke and I can not find replacement parts. I want my money back. That would be 149.99 + 7% tax.

We bought the Mega Elite. We noticed the rake didn't sift the litter like our older model, but thought 'hey, it's the improved version'. Ha! The most annoying thing is how much litter it wastes, dumping clean litter in the receptacle along with the other -- because the rake doesn't sift like the old one.

Purchased a Litter Maid Elite Mega Litter Box LME9250 on December 28, 2006. The small plastic rollers on the rake broke off today. Unit is useless since these rollers are required to lift up the receptacle where the waste goes.

We already had to purchase the electrical plug, since the box does not make it clear that it is located in the styrofoam packing. Unit cost us $130.00 dollars.

I am scheduled for surgery in March, was so excited about his new box, as I will need help with the box after my surgery. Right now it is 1:30 am, I woke to the litter box motor, it sounded like the motor was stuck, emptying, recoiling with absolutely no break right back to emptying, and recoiling. I tried to reset the motor by unplugging it, but when the power was turned back on the motor continued to run the same way. I took the box apart thinking maybe one of the cats bumped something, turned it back on and got the same with the motor. There is no reason the thing should be running this way except there seems to be a wheel missing from the side of the rake.

The web site provides no replacement parts, but there is a book I found for $49.95 that is the manual that tells you how to repair it. I have already put $175.00 out for the box and accessories, and will not spend any more money for something THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED WITH THE PRODUCT.

My Littermaid automatic litter box died after six months and I decided to live with my mistake.

I bought the Littermaid and after a month it stopped working. The rake is stuck at the back where the litter container is and it will not budge.

I wish I would have read the complaints on the Littermaid Mega Elite cat litter box before I spent $150.00. The R&D guys need to go back to the drawing board on this one. I'm very disappointed...and would never recommend this brand to another cat owner.

I bought new littermaid after using an old one for 3 years. The new one doesn't put all the litter into the disposal unit, the bottom seems warped and doesn't fit properly. After 6 months the unit started making a noise and would not clean and finally quit working.

Company has not responded to either of my letters.

I bought a littermaid elite mega. It worked wonderful for 1 day, then started to jam. We found the problem, it was missing a washer on the wheel that the rake rolls on. Littermaid would not fix it, even though it should be under warranty, because I bought it on ebay. It was new, in factory sealed box, and the guy sells hundreds of them...he is a supplier, for crying out loud.

We got the box to work again, but within two weeks the motor burned out. The supplier on ebay was nice enough to send us a new one for only $22 shipping and handling. Guess what, after two weeks, the motor has burned out on the new one too. So now we have two big hunks of junk, worth $150 collectively, and neither of them works, and I have a very expensive MANUAL litterbox!

I received a LitterMaid Elite; model Lme9500 for my 2 cats, as a birthday gift from someone who knew that I was interested in this item. I am so very sorry that they took the time to purchase this for me. The litter receptacle does not stay in place and the litter just ends up everywhere, the "top" of the box does not sit properly, and therefore does not allow the rake to operate properly, the rake does not "clean" the box. My rake is now broken and I am using this "very expensive" litter box as just an old ordinary "litter box". I will never purchase a product from this company again.

I purchased a Littermaid automatic litterbox last year. It worked well for about a week, then it started sticking. It would rake the waste about halfway and then it would get stuck, then with a huge jolt it would send the waste flying out of the box and onto the floor.

Although good for some initial amusement, it just made a bigger mess for me.

I purchased a 500 littermaid for $59.95 and it had been in stock so long it was rusted out. It simply did not work. They (litermaid) replaced it with a LM900 which broke after 2 weeks. The power cord to the rake broke loose. They replaced it with a LM 950. I also purchased a Littermaid mega elite (I got a second cat.) It did not work at all. It hung up and would stop working until reset This was daily and often two or 3 times a day.They replaced it with a newer model saying it has a stronger motor. It worked for about a month and now is the same as the one they replaced. They now refuse to do anything! They need to be taken to court. I have read dozens of complaints about how bad they are. They are all true.

I have spent about $250 for products that have casused me nothing but grief and misery. I have damaged carpet from litter being scattered over the rug.

On 11/20/06 I bought a littermaid elite so I wouldn't have to deal with scooping cat mess. It worked until today 12/05/06. Guessing the motor died. I paid $115.00 for this dumb thing and now I am stuck with a box that don't work.

I purchased the original littermaid automatic cat box 3 years ago. Loved it and recommended it to anyone who would listen. When it died a few months ago, I replaced it with the new improved MEGA5000. Spent over $120.00. It does not work at all. I spend more time unclogging the rake and manually scooping then I ever did before. I can't get any type of response from Littermaid and of course, no longer have the reciept, so I am just out my money. Littermaid would do well to listen to all these complaints and get back to whatever made the original work. I hope no one bought one on my recommendation. I have started telling everyone I know to STEER CLEAR of any product made by Littermaid. May as well have let my cat use my $120.00 as toilet paper.

Spent $120, returned unit to store after a few days thinking it was a fluke. Had to clean it up, find the box and reciept, take another trip into town. Second one just as bad. My money is just gone.

My wife and I bought the LME5500 in July of 06 and it stopped working in November of 06. We called Customer Support and they gave us some unintelligible instructions to push a so-called reset button on the power unit. We never found it.

The website and the customer support service were not responsive to calls or search for technical help. After having read others' experience with this product it is logical to conclude that the product is only functional for a few months. The motor unit is not strong enough to carry on for a longer time. Until they fix the defect, the company should be liable for knowingly selling or advertising for a faulty product.

My 3rd littermaid just quit on me. This one is a littermaid elite (with the metal rake) and I can say that the original one I bought 5 years ago used a string or cord to operate the raking aparatus. This new littermaid instead has the motor inside the rake which is connected to a metal rod. Both the motor and the rod have plastic gears inside. Another set of plastic gears is at the end of the rod only serve to guide the rake. The internal plastic gears have stripped and now the whole thing is shot. Ive only had this elite for less then 6 months.

I purchased the Mega LitterMaid in 2004. After only months of use it ceased to operate because the cable that operates the rake snapped off.

Rather than return it and go through the hassle, I decided to purchase another model of LitterMaid. After months of use this one stopped working, as it seems the motor is faulty. I went to the Littermaid site, and they suggested wiping off the censors to activate it, but that technique did not make the product work.

I have spent over $200 on two different models of Littermaid, both of which failed to work after only a few months of operation.

Having used two Litter Maids in the past (LM900), I ordered the new LME9000 when the last 900 burned out. The LME9000 must have been designed by a committee of dog lovers who never owned a cat because where the 900 worked so well, the 9000 fails.

1. Primary mission: extract the clumps and place them into the container. 900 was excellent -- 9000 scatters the stuff all over the floor and leves much of it in the litter. 2. IONIC whatever -- a worthless device without any need. The money wasted on building this feature was taken from the quality of everything else. 3. Stick on deoderant pads: they don't stick! 4. Washable comb: who cares? Its path does not get all the clumps, it scatters debris everywhere, and allows stuff to stich to the walls. The 900 was very effective. 5. Baskets: They were easy to replace on the 900. The 9000 insists that you pry the pan away from the chassis in order to secure the basket. Yuck! 6. Support: I called Customer Service to ask for an exchange. Nope, return the 9000 to the retailer -- then order a 900 from your limited inventory.

Littermaid - Fire your new product managers, they failed to see what cats need.

We purchased the self-cleaning litter box model LM500-LM950 for over $200 a year ago. It has been the most labor intensive device ever. The clumping of the litter is mud, it takes a putty knife on a daily basis to unplug the rake and the 30 minutes a day I spend on it is absurd.

What a waste of money and time I've spent to accommodate what I thought would be a healthier way to survive my feline children. I positively do not recommend this litter box or the litter.

The littermaid elite mega that I purchased for $200+ at a local PetSmart has been non-operational for over a month. On July 3, 2006 my littermaid stopped working when the wheel that pulls the rake across the box sheared off completely. Customer service said to remove and return the circuit board to littermaid and a new unit would be shipped to me upon receipt. I sent the board on July the 10th and it was received (according to the tracking records) on July 14th...here it is August 14, 2006 and I still have no littermaid elite mega.

I called after ten days and was told that the issue was documented and that we were slated to receive a new unit, but it was backordered. Fine. How long? No one would say...not a customer service rep and not a manager. So here I sit with Kitty **** in a non operational $200+ littermaid.

Basically, the **** in the box is more impressive than the customer service I have received thus far.

I bought a Littermaid Electronic Litterbox 1 year ago. I never had any problems with it. Ever. I went to work one night, and I received a call from my boyfriend telling me to come home right away because there had been a fire in the apartment. I came home and my apartment was completly on fire. Flames and smoke billowing from my kitchen. Once the flames were out, the fire inspector took us on a walk through of the apartment. He pointed at the corner of the kitchen where my Littermaid used to be, and stated with absolute certainty that the electronic litter box was to blame. My cat was pulled out of the apartment foaming at the mouth from smoke inhalation. He had o be revived by my boyfriend.

I have lost my apartment, and many of the things that I own and hold dear. My kitchen is a complete loss. I have no dishes, everything I own is covered in a thick black soot. My furniture is ruined.

I originally purchased the LitterMaid Plus (about 12-18 months ago) because I was pregnant and was told that I was to avoid contact with cat boxes. The unit worked o.k. when the rake did not get stuck mid-way or the litter did not clump onto the rake. However this morning (approx. 12-18 months later)I noticed that the rake was frozen in place above the recepticle. The reason being was that the wire that pulls the rake back and forth had gotten wrapped around two of the teeth.

I gently tried to unwrap the wire from around the teeth and without much force the wire broke. I called the customer service number to find out about a replacement part and was told I would have to buy a new unit. It could be a good product IF Applica would address some of the common annoying problems that many others also seem to have. I am not spending another $90-100 for something that only lasts a year and a half + $15 for 12 recepticles every few months. I think it is really crappy that Applica is, more than likely, aware of the same problem others have with their product and not even offer replacement parts for your product or respond to your concerns with little more than a generic automated email response.

I have two Littermaid units. One unit has not worked since the day I purchased it and I have unfortunately lost the sales receipt. Are there replacement electronic parts available for these units? My other unit has worked flawlessly until two weeks ago. Somehow the cable for the motorized rake got wrapped around two of the rake fingers and was pulled too far. This broke the wires in the cable and the spring inside the unit that pulls the wire back in. I was able to salvage some of the spring and splice the wires and successfully repaired the unit. The timer board is WAY over designed though for what it does.

I purchased a Littermaid Plus from Walmart a couple of months ago and now it refuses to work. It locks in the full forward position and will not reset by turning the power off then on again.Being a mechanic and tinkerer, I took the thing apart. I noticed that the switches and motor inside the rake mechanism were severely corroded and beyond repair. I will never purchase a similiar product in the future.

Cleaning up my storage locker I came across my 2 LitterMaid units which had been gathering dust. Reading the previous comments I realized it would be unkind to foist them on friends. I see I'm not the only one who had to continually clean caked lumps of litter from the rake. After trying various clumping litters for over 2 months I came to my senses and went back to manual scooping which was less time consuming. An overhyped and ineffective product.

I purchased a litter box from this company before deploying to IRAQ. Two weeks later it did not work. My family returned it to Wal-Mart to ease the pain of going through the company. A migraine later, WALMART allowed them to exchange it for a new one exactly like the first. Less than a week later that one stopped working also! Needless to say I am more than a little upset. Since returning home I have called and written numerous letters and as of yet gotten no response. Not to mention the units are more than $100.00 each.

Less than a year and half ago we purchased a Littermaid self-cleaning cat litter box. The rake stopped in the middle of the box and the gears inside the motor compartment started to spin. We contacted Applica Consumer Products to get the two gears that are spinning and they said that they don't sell parts. Also, they said that at the Petsmart I purchased the machine from had it on the shelf for over fours years before I purchased it. It was out of warranty before I purchased the machine. I feel that if I would have known up front with labeling on the box that you can't purchase parts I would not have bought this item.

I bought a LitterMaid Mega cat litter and after about 1 1/2 months, the motor burnt out, and it didn't work. Returned to PetSmart where they happily exchanged the unit. Took the replacement home, and after about 4 hours of use, the rake got stuck in the forward position, and wouldn't retract.

I have had to replace this product every year. They always malfunction right after the one year warranty runs out. This one, being my 4th... has quit resetting its sensors and has started scooping while another cat is in the box.

My cats are refusing to do their business in the box now.

The original Littermaid which we had for almost 4 years with three Siamese cats using several times a day worked beautifully! No jamming, no problems at all. When that one wore out we bought the new "IMPROVED" MEGA Littermaid. After about a week in use we noticed that we were up and down 5 times a night unjamming the rake. A week after that the motor died. WHAT a hassle getting any satisifaction from anyone, so we had to clean it out and return it to the store where it was purchased. None in stock! Went to another store and bought another. We have had this one now for about 2 month ands it is doing the SAME thing! You know what, at $160 it is worth it to scoop your own! In this case, improved does NOT mean better!

I purchased a litter Maid Mega LM920 in May, 2005 2 months later it stuck in the storage position and made clicking sounds, and would not move forward anymore. I purchased a new one then, and 2 weeks later, it will not work at all. I tried turning it on/off, wiping off the sensors - still - nothing! I know it has power-the red indicator light is lit. BUT IT WILL NOT MOVE! I am totally disgusted with these things.

Littermaid overflows waste onto my floor! I purchased a Littermaid Mega about 2 years ago and it basically worked fine, except for the fact that if you did not empty the receptacle in time it would overflow all over the floor. I heard of a product by a company called litterworks.com in Cat Fancy magazine that claims to solve this and am thinking of trying it out.

The product basically worked as advertised, but the supposed benefit of having a more sanitary system was not to be achieved, and certainly not will less work than a manual litter box!

I purchased a LitterMaid system about two years ago and it has been a good product until the plastic guides on both sides broke. I contacted the company to see if I could get replacement parts and they told me that the parts were internal parts and could not be replaced. The funny thing is that I was able to get to the part without taking anything off of the LitterMaid unit.

Not to mention, the customer service was not nice at all. All they could offer was a discount on another unit. Are you kidding? I told them that I had read about other complaints with this part and they said they had not had any problems with those parts. I refuse to buy another LitterMaid because of the customer service. I will use the LitterMaid for parts for my Mom's LitterMaid (the rake broke on her LitterMaid). Also, there are other units available such as the Litter-Robot.

Used automatic litter box to handle one small cat. Worked for perhaps 60 cycles before useless roller guide on motor arn snspped off (extremely poor design) I machined new end plates and rollers out of aluminum. Once installed machine worked for 10 more cycles before timer circuit broke. Machine must now be worked manually by using on off switch. One solution for timer would be to attach a timer used to turn lamps on and off. Cycle would not be cat dependant but it would automate cycling to some degree. All in all a very unimpressive product as far as durability.

At the end of Feb. I bought the $90 Littermaid from Wal mart. On March 12th it broke. I called the company and they sent me a replacement (with at ten dollar s&h charge)I set the new one up on March 31st. And this morning it broke again, same problem. The rake sticks in the dumping position. I called the company again. And for another ten dollars they will replace it... That makes a total of $120.00 and I've gotten less than 5 weeks use out of it. Is this the quality of merchandise that Wal Mart endorses?

So far it has cost me $120 Plus I've had to buy a regular litter box for the time I spend waiting for replacements (about two weeks)

I contacted Littermaid about my $175 cat box failure. They said they would not replace unit since cat urine found its way to the circuit board and corroded the circuit traces. They claim that this is an "accidental" failure and not related to faulty workmanship. I told them it was a cat box and what am I supposed to do, get training for my cat to not pee against the side.

It appears that the cat pee can enter under the lip of the unit and also the battery box. Cat urine is extremely corrosive and Littermaid didn't use any method to protect the circuit board. Also, the timing circuit of the board fails after a determined amount of time. You can almost time it to the week when the units power will simply shut down. I wouldn't be so angry if it weren't for the fact that I tried to work with them on some suggestions that would make the unit more viable and less prone to failure.

I bought my Littermaid on 09-30-2002 and have been arguing on the phone with different people since the purchase. The unit did not work when it arrived. The warranty dept. for littermaid is bogus, they give you the runaround and will not refund money or replace products. I am a professional electronic repair person and have told them exactly what is wrong with the unit and they repeatedly deny any wrongdoing.The green boards (electric circuit boards) in these units are sloppy and do not work correctly. I have worked on several of these Littermaid mega's and they are simply not made to work for any extended period of time if they do work at all.

I purchased the Littermaid from their TV ads as an anniversary gift for my daughter. They told me it came with extra refills, the paw cleaning tray and a tent. It didn't come with the tent or the cleaning mat. When my daughter tried to order the missing parts she couldn't find the model number on their web site to match parts to.

I called and told them it was missing parts and they said it didn't come with them. I said that it wasn't what I had ordered then and I wanted to return it. They told me that since my 30 day "free trial" had passed (ordered 2/24/03 - given 4/12/03 at party) I could send it back but I wasn't entitled to a refund. How can I not be entitled to a refund for something still in the box, never opened?

My Littermaid Mega litter box worked well for about 15 months, then stopped. The rake stopped at the receptacle. I turned it off and on, heard a click, but no movement. Finally, I disconnected the transformer, put 8 D batteries in it, and it works again. I noticed a number of complaints were similar to mine. I am planning on taking the transformer to Radio Shack to find a replacement as I think this is the problem.