automatic litter box accidents

Pets quickly become part of the family. It doesn't seem to matter how you become the forever home for the pet, they have a way of sneaking in to that part of your heart you didn't know they could get to. Cats with their aloof reputation are not exempt from worming their way into the hearts of humans.

But there's been an oversight that is causing cat owners to ring alarms across the internet about a dangerous product marketed to make cat owners' lives easier. There's no secret agenda behind humans disliking scooping poop from litter boxes. It's simply an unpleasant task that people would prefer to delegate so when automatic litter boxes became a thing, they quickly gained popularity.

One brand of litter boxes is the Holy Grail of self cleaning litter boxes–the Litter Robot.

This automatic litter box spins to quickly sift and empty a cat's bathroom business to keep the litter fresh. It comes with a hefty price tag that has cat owners searching for a knock off version that promises to do the same thing at a fraction of the astronomical price. That's where the unassuming cat owners are running into tragedy.

In July 2024, a woman shared the tragic story of finding her cat deceased after the automatic litter box trapped her cat inside. The woman later explains that the litter box used was not the costly Litter Robot that touts itself as a safe product designed to make cat owners' lives easier. The litter box the woman used was an imitation she got from Amazon that has cat ears on the dome, distinguishing it from the official Litter Robot.

Since the woman's video, there have been multiple people complaining of the same tragedy occurring with the same litter box and another off brand Litter Robot. One demonstration of the imposter litter box shared on ItsNickHoliday's page, uses a stuffed cat to show the dangers of the automatic box for smaller cats. Thankfully, no living cats were harmed in the reenactment and the stuffed Garfield cat is just fine now, but the video is truly a pearl clutching moment.

The stuffed cat's head is caught between the plastic lip and the oscillating dome so tightly that even removing the outside over of the dome doesn't release poor Garfield. The video shows a man using his hand to demonstrate how tightly the litter box holds onto the unsuspecting cat attempting to use the bathroom. It's shocking.

One person comments, "I'd literally have a mental breakdown thank you for the new fear I'm okay with scooping my own box."

Another shares under the same video of the malfunctioning litter box, "this is why the litter robot is worth it!! Expensive yes but it's worth the [price] for a reason!!! Or keep up with the litter box."

The good news for cat parents is the problem with the knock off automatic litter boxes doesn't translate to the name brand Litter Robot.

When it comes to the generic versions of the litter box, the sensors don't seem to be strong enough to pick up when a cat sticks their head into the litter box to stop the sifting of the litter.

selective focus photography of gray cat peeking at the table Photo by Biel Morro on Unsplash

Another cat owner, McKenna Barry, shows exactly how the Litter Robot senses not only the weight of the cat but the presence of a cat even mid sift. The sensors cause the Litter Robot to immediately stop turning when a cat is detected. The name brand litter box also doesn't fully oscillate, instead it sort of turns side to side, never completing a full circle. These distinctions are extremely important when attempting to find an alternative to the pricey litter box.

"The sensor in my litter robot won't let the drum turn even if I put too much litter in it. Let alone if my cat is inside," someone recounts.

Another commenter concurs with others about the sensitivity of the Litter Robot, "the sensor is so good on the litter robot! I have a very curious cat that is obsessed with watching it spin so I get about 20 notifications that the sensor paused the cycle every day."

orange and white tabby cat sitting on brown wooden table in kitchen room Photo by Paul Hanaoka on Unsplash

But not everyone is a fan of automatic litter boxes in general.

The famous "cat daddy," Jackson Galaxy argues against the use of any automatic litter boxes for a completely different reason.

"You basically don't have your finger on the pulse of your cat's day to day physical health, so take my advice on this and just don't do it. Just have a box, and litter and a scoop and do the work and that way you will know what's going on with your cat's health much better," he explains.

Not all automatic litter boxes have a spinning drum, some have an open top with a metal rake that drags the content under a hidden cover. But if you're concerned about being able to keep tabs on your cat's health, maybe sticking with manually scooping the poop would be best.