Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I already had a PetSafe ScoopFree auto-cleaning litter box that did very well. I purchased two more after we came into possession of 5 kittens and their mom. Three kittens and the mom tested positive for Feline Leukemia, so the mom has our old one and the kittens this new one. The other two kittens tested negative, so they also have their own designated litter box. Firstly, it's easy enough to set up and prepare. The bag of litter opens easily at the top. It records adequately how many times a cat has visited the litter box. As for overall performance, the rake does not get everything. We let the factory-set 20 minutes do its thing, but it seems it's not long enough, because we find balls of poo adhered to the rake tangs. It's very annoying, because it adds to the 'bouquet of litter box' permeating through our house. Also, I am sure that those who designed this decided through trial and error how much litter to use, but it seems insufficient, especially when, at the end of the first week I was finding myself replacing the disposable, one-time use box with a new one. Our last cat, whom we had to put down last year, managed to get under 3-weeks usage and she was a small, 7# cat, so one week seems hardly enough for 3 kittens. Granted, each one weighs in at 2.5 pounds, but they're collectively equivalent to a full sized cat, so it confused me as to how it could get so dirty in so little time. Needless to say, for these three we will be implementing the reusable tray and separate bags of litter. What would be nice is if we could use the clumping litter, as that would take care of the urine smell from the 'dried out' version of ScoopFree. I did try clumping litter in the tray with our other cat and it did work, but the urine clumps would often stick to the tray and then that would cause the rake to jam. I found the unit worked too hard, so we eventually switched back to the ScoopFree crystals rather than take a chance in burning out the motor. As mentioned, that one is being used by the mom-cat. We're keeping her separated from her kittens in the hope that those who test negative will be able to slough off the FeLV disease. Continuing with my review, the smell from the litter boxes is awful! We have to routinely clean out the poop reservoirs to manage the smell, but there's not much we can do with the 'dried out' urine. And this is over the course of just one week! I honestly don't understand how PetSafe's Scoopfree litter box can be advertised as having Odor Control when the litter box is the very first thing one smells when walking into our house! Maybe kitten urine smells stronger or their poop is more robust - odiferously-speaking? In any event, PetSafe ScoopFree has helped in eliminating daily scooping, but it needs big improvements with raking quality (possibly have the tines closer together?) and reducing the overall smell. I do recommend this product but with reservations based on the above issues. EDIT: We just started adding baking soda to the litter. We sprinkled a good amount in the tray, first, before adding the crystals, and then sprinkled a decent amount on top of the crystals. We initiate the 'rake' so it blends it in. We repeat this a couple times a day. Baking soda has definitely helped!!! I'm quite impressed. EDIT: It is now October 13, 2022. After nearly 2 months of use, the product is still operating as specs prescribed, but...I would encourage PetSafe ScoopFree people to consider adding one more technology; a door that automatically closes up the opening just before the rake commences to clean. My reason is thus: Kittens don't all go at the same time or line up to do their 'dooty' before the rake starts to do its thing. Sometimes I'll get two kittens one after the other, then 20-minutes goes by when another kitten decides 'it's time'. Unfortunately, by THIS time the rake is in the process of working. What happens then is, the kitten will oftentimes jump over the rake as it's progressing to the front, the sensor will sense the kitten in the litter box and stop this progress. Kitten finishes it's 'job', hops out of the litter box, and the sensor tells the rake that the box is empty, and the rake begins again - or maybe it waits, I really don't know, but nevertheless what happens is, in returning to its starting point (back of the box), the rake ends up pushing the new poo up against the back where it stays until someone realizes why the house is so stinky! Then, it's a process of not only manually scooping out the poo (we have a LitterKeeper), but also cleaning off the edge of the litter box. What would prevent this is a door that auto-closes just before the rake starts its trek towards the front. Obviously, the sensor would guarantee no kitten or cat would be in the box when this happens. In any event, having poo pushed against the back of the box, with the rake unable to do anything about it, has been a huge issue for us and it's quite annoying. And if the tech crew at PetSafe ScoopFree likes this idea and set about making it happen, could you make the new and improved lid a separate buy (for those who already have a litter box)? That would be awesome, as I would hate to have to buy a whole new unit just for the door.