LitterMaid

I received for Christmas December 2011 three brand new LM680 Littermaid boxes. After installing them a couple of days later, we noticed one of them didn't sound right when the motor ran. Within a week, it stopped working altogether. I called Littermaid Customer Service, and after several frustrating minutes, they determined the unit was bad and said if I sent them the black battery holder, the end of the power cord and the sticker from the inside of the unit, I would get a full replacement.

I mailed that to them on January 18, 2012, with my claim #. By mid-February, I still had heard nothing so I called back to Littermaid Customer Service and was told the unit was on back-order and I was "guaranteed" to have the unit by the end of February 2012. When by March 13th I still had heard nothing, I called again and was told that they still were on back-order, and I would be "guaranteed" to receive on by the end of March. On April 17th, I called again, and was told it would be June before I would see a new unit, but this time it was "guaranteed" to arrive. Yeah, right! At that time, I was so frustrated that the customer service rep agreed that if I fax in my receipt, that they would just refund me instead of sending me the unit.

By this time, the 2nd box had stopped working. And the rake was stopped dead center in the middle, so the cats can't even get in the box now. I faxed them a copy of my receipt on April 18th, 2012, and waited again. By May 21st, I called back to customer service and was told that my fax was received and the refund was authorized on May 17th, one month after they received my fax(!) and it would take 4 to 6 weeks to receive the refund! Two days later, I called back to Littermaid and a very snooty customer service rep refused letting me speak to a manager and told me I would be getting my replacement unit by the end of June. I explained that two days prior, I was told I was getting a refund. She said she had nothing in her notes about that, but I was "guaranteed" to receive the new unit by June 30th.

At this point, I told her that since the 2nd unit is now broken, was I going to have 6 full months before they refund or replace that one. She said if I fax them a copy of the receipt, that I will be "guaranteed" to get a refund for the 2nd one within 6 weeks. They already have a copy of the receipt! I faxed it to them on April the 17th. The Claim # for the 2nd one is # **. I doubt I will ever see a new unit or any refund back from Littermaid. This is a scam! They have been, "6 more weeks" for the last 6 months. I never get to speak to a manager. I have owned Littermaid boxes in the past, but sure, a few have stopped working within the 1st year. But, never have I had such bad customer service! Do not buy a Littermaid! They aren't worth the $129.99 you pay for, even the basic model!

Back in March of this year, my wife and I were shopping at a Walmart store in Las Vegas and my wife wanted a LitterMaid for our cat. It worked for about a week and then it just jammed. I then took it back to the Walmart store and got a replacement. That worked well for about two weeks and then that stopped working also. I went back to Walmart, but this time they would not give me back my money. I then called LitterMaid's customer care. They told me to send them a piece of the power cord and the battery compartment. This was done on April 4. As of yet, I have not received a replacement LitterMaid or my money back. Every time I call them I get a new line of **. I hope you can do something to help me. I am at my wit's end. I paid $64.00 for that piece of junk. My wife and I are on Social Security and $64.00 is a lot of money to us. Please help.

LME9000 - I should have known when I pulled this cheap plastic thing out of the box that it would not make us happy. I have had LitterMaid products for more than 10 years. The 980 was the best for my multi-cat family. I have owned a few of them because at one time, we were 6 cats. The 980 worked the best and was the quietest and still sturdy. This last box really stinks. I would trade the bells and whistles for another 980. I don't need it to have a sleep timer so that it won't be able to move if 2 cats use it at the same time within an hour. It broke up the "premium" clumping litter clumps. For the most part now, the box is never actually clean. It is cheaply built and I like nothing about it. I went to the website to see if I could get another 980 and they are out of stock. LitterMaid, I am very disappointed and angry.

I have purchased LitterMaid products for several years and I bought 2 of the LME9000MW and have tried for quite some time to get help with the LitterMaid litter box. The pet store where I purchased the litter box would not exchange it anymore after the first time they exchanged it. The pet store told me to contact LitterMaid and let them know about my problems with the LitterMaid litter box. I did contact them on several different occasions for help. My machine has completely stopped working now, so I am back to hand scooping litter by hand and a useless few hundred dollars litter machine that should have been very useful to me, like the other LitterMaid litter machines I have purchased in the past.

I am disabled and in a wheelchair, it is very hard on me to have to go back to hand scooping, which is not right. The litter box should be working and/or they (LitterMaid) should have replaced the litter box. I would love for it to work because the other ones I had purchased over the years worked 100 times better than this one and they were a lot less expensive. LitterMaid has not helped me at all and also has no records of my complaints. Luckily, I kept my own records and now they can't even find where I registered my product. LitterMaid, do the right thing and help me! I cannot afford to replace the litter box with a new one because I am disabled and I am on a fixed income.

I bought a Littermaid 680, which is a basic box, after reading the complaints about other models with bells and whistles. This thing never worked properly (rakes not going down deep enough to scoop the junk plus rake falling numerous times) and after 3 months of usage, it stopped working completely. It is a piece of junk.

Looking at the number of complaints, it seems like Littermaid litter boxes should be taken off the market. I registered this thing on ProdProtect/Applica site, so I filled out a form to get the situation resolved as this product is supposedly under 1 year warranty. The form will not get submitted and I am asked to call an 800 number which is not answered. I have spent half a day trying to figure out how to resolve this situation to no avail. Littermaid's 800 number doesn't answer either. I feel ripped off and am angry.

Horrible box! I have been a LitterMaid customer for years. I had purchased two boxes before. I kept the last one until it died. Then I purchased the Elite box during Fall 2011. The tines on the rake do not reach the bottom of the box. I have to scoop the box daily. I even sprayed the bottom with Pam to keep the urine from sticking. I am using more litter than I have ever used with my previous LitterMaid boxes. After reading that people were having the same problems, I went and purchased the classic version. The Elite model is not worth it.

I purchased this LitterMaid elite box after my old one "LitterMaid ultra" died. I had a fantastic experience with the ultra and thought the elite would give me the same great product. I had it for a month when I noticed the unit was not working properly. When I emailed my concerns to their customer service department, I was asked to make sure the box was assembled properly. Once I confirmed my box was assembled properly, I was told there was nothing they could do to help me.

It was disappointing to spend $100 on this unit. I still battle the self scooping combs to remove all the waste and find myself scooping litter waste on a daily basis. This is a poor, poor product. The LitterMaid ultra worked far better. However, at this point, I am not willing to shell out more money to a company that does not take care of terrible products.

Strip out gears - This is the second Littermaid we have owned the first was great. Years of service, the new replacement is a piece of junk. The forks don't reach the bottom of the box and keeps falling off. We always watched how much litter we put because a little over the level line, watch out. More trouble cycle back and forth.

I bought the LitterMaid Elite from PetSmart back in Dec. of 2011. I thought I'd be one of the lucky ones for whom this box works - not. After one month of iffy performance, the thing completely died. I called customer service - after waiting an hour on hold - they made me prove the thing was dead. I tried everything the agent suggested, nothing happened, still dead, so I sent in the list of things they wanted so they could send me a replacement box.

They received my package on Feb. 2, 2012, and as of the first week in April, they're still saying it's going to be months before they can send me a new one. To top it off, the customer service agent was rude and bossy, like this was my fault, and I was silly for thinking that a company should stand behind its product. If I can go to PetSmart and purchase a new one, why can't they go ahead and send me a replacement? They're being shipped from the same supplier - if you have them to sell, you have them to be able to send out to your customers waiting on replacements for broken boxes. They just want to keep snagging suckers, then walking away from their responsibility as a company to fulfill their warranty.

The tines do not reach far enough into the litter to scoop the poop. I have to hand scoop daily. I had one of these before and it worked fine for a long time, but this new one is a bust. Checking the LitterMaid website, they show out of stock on their automatic litter trays and the online complaints I read are saying the same thing, so maybe they are doing something about it? They need to. They aren't worth it with the tines not doing their job! The unit works fine otherwise.

The rake does not work forward. My box has never been used electrically since I got it. For the money, it is a huge waste. I had a Littermaid before and got help over the internet; I have it repaired twice and then the motor dies. I paid $191.00 for this on March 1, 2012. I need a whole new top that works. The whole Littermaid Elite is very poorly made. The waste container doesn't work the connections for the ramp and the cover of waste container is flimsy. I would never advise any one to buy this product again. Please respect this complaint and reimburse me the money or send me new workings. I cannot get anyone on the phone or internet to answer a call. Very poor service.

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 litter—hand 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 5 lbs. Littermaid advertises its product as self-cleaning. Their TV ads show the ease with which it offers. Everything about them is a fraud, a deception and disingenuous at best. I have had to clean it out every other day -- 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 cat's 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 not have 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 no shut off. I was scared it was going to catch fire while we were away so I just turn 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 $100+. This product doesn't work as promised. We're out the full cost of this 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 just 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 am self-supporting and do not have extra money to spend to replace products that do not work and have no oversight. I paid over $100.00 for this product and cannot afford to purchase a replacement. If a company makes an inferior product continuously, they should be replacing them at no cost to the consumer.

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 (a 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 on a cat box that lasted 8 days. How many times should I plan on sending them money for shipping?

I got the LitterMaid Elite for my two cats to make cleaning easier on me. Not a chance! The LitterMaid Elite wastes cat litter by dumping it over the sides right before the holding container and I only fill the bottom to the fill line, plus, it always leaves urine on the bottom of the tray. It also smears and smashes cat feces against the walls of the tray, the rake and the lid of the holding container when the lid doesn't open soon enough, not to mention it gets stuck 50% of the time. They have replaced the unit three times so far and they seem to be getting worse.

You don't save time or money using LitterMaid automated litter boxes. It requires attention at least three times a day, compared to once a day and a thorough cleaning (soap and water) once a week compared to once a month with a normal litter box. I compare the sound of the motor to that of a cheap hair dryer. I've been buying at least 25lbs of premium clumping cat litter every two weeks just to keep the ** thing filled. I went back to the regular "do it yourself" cat box and it's much better. You never know how good a product was until you've tried something worse.

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 dissatisfied with this product. I have purchased LitterMaids in the past and they have lasted for at least 2 years before malfunctioning. 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.

I know of several people who have this product. I only wish that I had consulted the above complaint website before I purchased 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 is it anyway?

I purchased a LitterMaid 500 in November of 2008. It was the second machine that I have had. I 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 litter boxes. 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 the 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 clumped 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 pissed, 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." informed him that my cats have been using it for the last month and that I can't return a used product to Target. 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....