Littermaid Reviews

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 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!

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!

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.

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

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

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

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

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

I have had them for 3 years and have gone through 6 of them (3 have been replaced by littermaid and I have 2 in use.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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I have owned two other Littermaids. When I saw the Elite model, I figured this one would be the best. So, I threw away my old one (stupid) and I put together the Elite model. I never had to actually put together anything with the older models. And since the first week, the rake just doesn't work like the older models. It clogs, the litter sticks to the bottom, and I am cleaning it just like a manual litter box. I spent $150 on a piece of crap and the one I had before worked better. They need to pull these off the market as they do not work well at all.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I am just done with my 3rd Littermaid. It quit, dead in the water, so to speak. I have only had this one 6 months, one cat-best clumping litter. I've bought 3 in the last 18 months brand new and they all just quit. What is up with this awesome idea but bad product?! Can't someone perfect this machine? I will use clumping litter and manually scoop until someone shows me that there is a product that will work more than 6 months. It seems to average out to $22 a month plus litter and bags (and worry). What a racket!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Product is a very expensive ripoff with huge sales because public doesn't know how badly it is engineered. Supposedly when your cat leaves his waste in the litter, a rake automatically scoops the clump of litter 10 minutes after the cat exits the box. The litter is dumped into a tray that closes once the rake retracts. Littermaid claims this sequence works as advertised as long as high quality clumping litter is used. This is utterly and patently false.

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

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

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

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

Littermaid's customer service is awful. First of all, I ordered a Littermaid unit, and it took 3 weeks for them to even recognize that I placed the order. The second thing, is the comb stopped midway in between coming back to its original area. It made the whole unit stop working.

Purchased first Littermaid L600 in September 03 just prior to surgery in the hope of making cat-housekeeping easier. It worked beautifully and our cat took to it immediately. Its motor stopped working after 5 months. We replaced it with another L600 from Walmart after the cleaning arm reversed itself and was not repairable (it actually broke off the hinge). We returned it to Walmart for a full refund.

I have not had any problems with the motor, it just is not a very good product. I lost the receipt and could not take it back to Wal-Mart. Today I have disassembled this unit and am going back to the original kitty litter box. I feel that this product does not live up to what is advertised and should be taken off the market. This thing makes more of a mess and is more time-consuming than a manual cat litter box.

I bought a Littermaid self-scooping cat box at Walmart for $89.00 on Sunday, Jan.11, 2004. On Friday, Jan. 16, 2004, the plastic guides on both gears broke off. The rake goes all over the litterbox. Of course, the trash man picked up the carton and all of the paperwork, so I have no recourse. The only damage is the money I am out for buying it, unless you count the time I spent cleaning up the mess when it flipped the contents of the rake all over the laundry room.

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

I bought the Littermaid privacy tent and had it for maybe 2 weeks and my kitten jumped on top of it and it busted into pieces. I contacted the customer service department at Littermaid hoping to leave a comment about the cheap design and they were very rude and didn't care to hear about my problem. I spent $40.00 for the tent and it is junk.

I purchased a Littermaid and in less than 6 months it has quit working It seems to not be getting any power. It will not run at all. I feel that I should receive a new one as this is the second one that I have purchased and was very pleased with the other one. It lasted several years.

I have purchased the Littermaid and I also purchased the tent that goes around it. The litter box works great, I have had it for almost a year and so far no problems. The problem I do have is I spent $30.00 on the tent and some of the plastic poles broke. Also, the ramp that comes with the litter box broke. I think if you are going to sell products that cost over $88 and sell other things like the tent for $30 you should have replacement parts. Sell the ramp separately and the plastic poles separately or make the product better so it doesn't break to begin with.

I have had two LitterMaids in the last six months and both of them have malfunctioned. The first LitterMaid I purchased, the guide wire got wrapped around the scoop and snapped the wire. The second LitterMaid, just stopped working. It will only scoop when there isn't any cat litter in the pan. This company needs to recall and improve their system.

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

We paid $199 for this product and got about 6 months of use before it broke down. I looked inside and found they use cheap plastic gears and the pinion gear had a broken tooth. When it was working, it was so noisy that we could hear it from the other end of our house. Also, the inside diameter of the box is too small for an average-sized cat. The odor from the litter collection box was so bad that it was necessary to dispose of it every day. I tried several times to call Littermaid but could never get past the "on hold" to discuss my problem. I finally just gave up and threw the box in the trash.

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

I purchased a Littermaid Mega on 11/21/02. The electric eye that operates the rake quit working on 3/14/03. This was 2 days before I was to leave on vacation. I called LitterMaid and they said they do not offer internal parts to fix their units.

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

We bought Littermaid auto-maid litter box and one month later it no longer works. It was $99.99 -- that's a lot of money to spend on a cat box so you would think it would work longer then a month. We tried to call the service number given on the box for assistance and it says this number has been disconnected and is no longer available and that no information is available. My wife is pregnant and can't touch cat litter or cat waste and that's why we bought it. Now we are back to scooping the poop again.

I have 2 spoiled cats very much used to this thing. One is starting to tear up the house and he is 3 times older than the cat box is. I'm not just out the 200 bucks for the first Littermaid, I have to replace it ASAP or replace everything else. I can't be home every time he needs to use the cat box!

I wasn't surprised to see the numerous complaints about this product as we are on our 4th unit in 15 months. For the first 90 days, it works perfectly. Then, as others have written, the unit would stop raking on its own. We would need to manually move the ON button to OFF to reset it. Calling Littermaid to complain got us nowhere and rather than waiting the 8-12 weeks to receive a replacement, we continue to return them to the retail store for a new one. We have two sets of friends that do the same. It's a great product - too bad the manufacturer can't perfect it.

We called Littermaid and they said that without the sales receipt that there was nothing that they could do. We tried to explain that it was a gift and the receipt was not available. We enjoyed the Littermaid so much that for Christmas last year, I bought my daughter another Littermaid that was supposed to have the new and improved/stronger motor installed. Well the unit worked for about 6 months and now the electric eye for indicating when a cat has visited the cat box is not operating, which causes the rake not to move at all, unless you manually turn the unit off and then back on again, thus negating the term "automatic."

I purchased a LitterMaid self-cleaning litter box at a local Complete Pet Mart in April of 1998. I paid $149.95 for the unit at the time of purchase.

I purchased a LitterMaid Mega Deluxe in July. After about a month, it failed to sense when a cat had used the box and would only run if it was turned off and then on again. LitterMaid replaced the unit but only after waiting for 6 weeks because it was "out of stock and on backorder".

Well, only two weeks after I had the BRAND NEW cat litter box, IT ENDS UP DOING THE SAME THING THE OTHER LITTER BOX DID -- it acts like it has a short or something in it. I have checked the outlet in my wall and it's fine. On the actual litter box where the plug in is, if you push on it it will start but then when the rake gets to the top of the litter box it stops and you have to push it in, again, to get it to complete the cycle! I don't have time to do that every five minutes and that is the whole purpose of the automatic litter box, to do it automatically. This is unbelievable.

We had the first Littermaid for about six months, then it failed. It took about three months to finally get the second one. Two weeks later it has failed. I would love to have one but I would like one that works.

We purchased a Littemaid at the Pet Expo in Sacramento on 10/24/98. It was to be sent to us in 2 wks along with the tent that goes with it. We had to call, long distance because their 800 number reps would not help us. They did not send the Littermaid until 11/13/98 when we called them again.