PetSafe ScoopFree Purple Front-Entry Covered Ultra Self Cleaning Cat Litter Box System - Hands Free Cleaning - Crystal Litter - Disposable Tray - Hooded Design

I rated this 4 stars, but that rating has to do with using the "Forever Tray" that you can also buy on Amazon instead of the disposable trays that come with this product.I have 2 cats plus a third part-time cat that belongs to my boyfriend that comes to visit every few days. Three cats make a lot of bathroom stops and I scooped my cats' box every day using clumping cat litter. This is fine, except I often am away for the weekend and two days is the absolute max the box can go without being cleaned. I wanted something that would auto-clean and allow me to be worry-free on weekends away.I splurged and got the ScoopFree with the hood and kitty counter since I have cats that like to dig for hours in their box and fling cat litter everywhere. Turns out it was a good choice. It's kind of fun in a weird way to see how many times your cats use the litter box per day. So far, the average is about 8-9x per day for 3 cats.Setting up the ScoopFree was pretty easy. It comes in one piece, so no set up is really necessary other than setting up the disposable litter tray with the magnetic hood under the frame, putting the frame over it, and "snapping" the magnets together that hold the tray flap down. The litter comes pre-portioned so all you do is dump the bag in and smooth the litter level. Plug it in and pick your delay timer for scooping (I went with 10 mins) and away it goes.My cats were a little wary of the new type of litter. Crystal litter is very granular compared to the more sand-like litter they had used before. After a few mins of getting used to it they were fine and used it as normal. However, they were startled the first time the litter box went off to clean. The motor is very quiet, like a dull hum, but the cats had never seen it before so they steered clear of their box for a good hour after its first clean to see what the sentient litter box would do. I was afraid they'd be too freaked out to use it again and have accidents, but after a few days of use the cats seem to have gotten used to the hum of the box cleaner, but they still run up to watch the rake sweep across the litter. :) The rake very evenly distributes the litter so you do not get a pile up of litter at the back or front of the box.So far the cats seem to love it. It provides entertainment plus a tidy box for them to do their business in. I would recommend getting the Forever Tray ($50 on Amazon) instead of the disposable trays that come with the ScoopFree. It's expensive up front, but will save you money overall since the disposable trays don't last too long and are $15 each. With the Forever Tray you only need to pay for crystal litter which you can get anywhere.Odor has been a worse than with TidyCats clumping cat litter, but I do empty the poo trap every 2-3 days or so so it's not too noticably bad unless you're right up with your face near it.Edit: Been using the ScoopFree system for almost 2 months now and I have some updates.1. This thing is smelly. I have 3 cats so I'm sure that contributes, but the crystal litter that comes with the system in refillable trays and the brand Fresh Step has for scoopable litter doesn't hold up smell-wise for more than few days. After some experimentation I've noticed there are about half inch gaps on either side of the container that holds the waste. I've stuffed those so the smell is less, but it's still kind of a weird design flaw.2. Crystal litter isn't great with smell control. I've discovered that you do not have to use crystal litter with this thing. Just do NOT use clumping litter. I switched to Fresh Step non-clumping clay litter and it works much better at smell control. It also works with the machine and it's $5 for 25lbs of the stuff vs $13 for 8lbs of crystal. The only downside I've noticed with "sand" litter is the sweeper in the ScoopFree does not as evenly redistribute the litter as it goes about its cleaning cycle. No big deal. The cats shift it around themselves.3. For 3 cats sharing one box I do a full dump of the litter every 7 days or about 70 bathroom uses. I think around 70 uses the litter is just done. I also clean the trap out every 2-3 days which is much less than my 1-2x a day it used to be before ScoopFree.Edit 7/9/12: Been using ScoopFree for a number of months and this is my second update. I've experimented with clumping litter (in particular using FreshStep clumping litter) and guess what? It works and it has completely got rid of the odor problems. The only issue with using clumping litter is sometimes a little bit of the clumping litter sticks to the bottom of the pan, so every 2-3 days I scrape the bottom of the pan (this is with 3 cats using it). I empty the collection bin every 3-4 days with 3 cats using it. So yes, you can use clumping litter with this baby. With this being the case, I give this product 5 stars!

I have only had this SF box for 10 1/2 days but i am so happy with it, i have to share. i will update later if my opinion changes. Since the mid 90s, i've been using Litter Maids, i've had about 4 over 15+ years, used with Litter Pearls crystals the whole time. I've been really satisfied with them. Until the last 3 years, i could easily go a month, sometimes 2 months, wihtout thinking about the litter box. i have one small cat who is now 18 years old. When the Litter maid would smell, i would clean it. It went a long time without smelling. I never had problems with the motor or the litter, and would recommend using crystals with it, although i found it had to be the regular round crystals, NOT trackless ones with their jagged irregular shapes which were too abrasive for the Litter maid rake system.I have two residences and in the other one, i have a Litter Robot, and am also happy with that. There have been some problems but overall, it does a good job.I now know, i only recently figured out, that my cat had very excessive urination the last three years, caused by hyperthyroidism. The problems i had with the LItter Robot, i now know, were caused by that. With the Litter Maid, the crystals started getting saturated within only 4-5 days and i'd have to change the whole litter and clean out the box, nothing like things used to be. I can't believe how dense i was not to figure this out. i thought there were problems with these boxes or the litter.Once i realized the urine was very very excessive, i doubled Fluffy's meds and the excess urination stopped, but she still refused the litter maid, even worse than ever, probably it had an odor that bothered her from all the urine that got all over it all the time. I tried to wipe it off but i could only do so much.So that's why i got the ScoopFree. It is so cool. It's so simple. And no cleaning at all, just throwing out the tray and replacing.I was already spending a lot on the crystal litter before, about $52 every 3 weeks.Having tried these three automatic litter boxes, and being happy with all three, this is what i like best about ScoopFree:PROSI like the very long electrical cord. It gives more flexibility. I really appreciate it.I love the simplicity.the motor is much quieter than the Litter Maid, and also quieter than the Robot.No odor after 10 days, the litter is still its original color, not green or yellow.Cat has no complaints, is using it regularly.Money back guarantee 90 daysone year replacement warranty, company covers shipping.CONS:The only thing i don't like is the expense of the disposable trays. If the company could make disposable trays that cost half of what they cost now, it would be perfect for me.I have (last night) bought a Forever Tray on eBay. I would've waited to see how much time i can get out of each disposable cartridge. If i could really get 2 weeks, i might not mind the expense, about $10 a week on average ($40 a month). But since i know the Forever Trays are discontinued, i don't want to take a chance of them selling out, so i spent $100 including shipping on eBay. With the Forever Tray, i can't think of anything about the ScoopFree to complain about.EDIT: 10/23/10I've had the ScoopFree exactly one month now and i love it more every day. I love it so much that i will make a special trip to go look at it all most every day, looking at it makes me happy, it's so neat and clean. It's in an out of the way place and i have to make a special effort to see it. I feel worshipful toward it, because of how it's improved the quality of my life. I've changed the cartridge twice now (have not used the Forever Tray yet because i first want to find out what the ScoopFree can do with my particular cat, and also, i just love the idea of simply throwing away the cartridge, nothing to wipe up). I am getting a week and a half out of a cartridge, and then, my cat pees on the 30 gallon trash bag i keep under the Scoopfree and previous litter boxes. Then, i smell it. So that's how our system is working. I'm averaging 10-11 days a cartridge, the frequency is what comes with having a hyperthyroid cat.I love the Fresh Start litter. There is no litter tracked away from the litter box, just a slight amount in front of the exit of it. Like, nothing. This is the first time in years i've felt free to walk barefoot over to where the litter box is. My other crystal litter, Litter Pearls, was all over the place and i didn't want to touch it because some of the pearls seemed likely to have sewage on or in them. So i kept a pair of slip on shoes in the hall in case i would need to go near the litter box. I love the free feeling i have that i have not enjoyed in more years than i can say.The other thing i love is, it always took 15 minutes to a half hour to clean the Litter Maid and the Litter Robot. The other day, i got the urine smell alarm right before work when i was late, but i did not feel freaked out. I knew i could put in a new cartridge in 5 minutes, and i did. Amazing. No more cat box issues for the next week and a half. To me, this is heaven. I am in love with the ScoopFree, if it was a person, i would marry it.