Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have tried several automated systems over the years and this is by far the best -- especially if your cat is getting older and has weak kidneys causing it to pee a lot. This heavy peeing and the large litter clumps it creates, completely overwhelms the hardening-type automated boxes (e.g. Littermaid) - the containers fill up fast, the still-wet clumps stick to the rake, and the sheer weight and size can overwhelm them. None of these are problems with the Petsafe - it works reliably day after day, week after week, to the point where I don't even think about it and can even trust that it will work if I need to go away for several days (leaving enough food and fresh filtered water of course). I highly recommend spending the extra few dollars for the Ultra model, just to get the usage counter that it comes with. The counter lets you accurately track how many times your cat has used the litter and when it needs to be refreshed/replaced. It also provides me with a weekly measure of whether or not my cat's kidney issues are worsening. (note - the Ultra model also includes a cover but I find it just gets in the way so I don't use it.) Reading the many reviews and comments, I have seen three concerns that I would like to address: Concern #1 - The cardboard litter boxes leak The cardboard litter tray that came with my unit and Petsafe brand replacements I have purchased are lined with heavy plastic. As noted above, my cat is peeing heavily and tends to pee in the exact same area repeatedly, but while I have observed that the litter is very wet in the area that he directly pees on I have not observed any leakage. Perhaps Petsafe has upgraded the plastic lining since those comments were made or they were not Petsafe brand boxes. However, if I ever do find that leakage is a problem, I would just purchase one of the several reusable plastic trays I've seen listed. Concern #2 - replacing the entire tray is bulky and inconvenient: I find the trays rather large and bulky and lifting the entire unit to be awkward for disposal as Petsafe recommends. Instead, I have evolved a weekly routine where I use a small 3-4" plastic dust pan and flat 3-4" plastic pusher (e.g. a cheap drywall joint knife) to scoop up the sections of the litter that are noticeably wet (it changes color) into a trash bag and then just add an equivalent amount of fresh litter. I've been doing this for over two months and have found it to be a lot less work than throwing away the entire box. And, it is definitely a lot less work than the daily litter box cleaning I was doing before. (Also the crystal litter is a lot lighter in weight to both buy and dispose of). As noted above, I am still on the same original cardboard plastic-lined container box so I plan to continue with those, but if that ever becomes a problem I will just purchase one of the permanent reusable litter trays. Concern #3 - The Petsafe replacement system of litter tray refills ($17-$20) is expensive: I have found two ways to significantly lower the cost of replacement litter and boxes a. With my weekly used litter removal / replacement routine described above, I am saving a significant amount by just purchasing the litter crystal only and either re-using the container tray or purchasing a permanent plastic tray. So far I have had good luck with the ScoopFree Premium Crystal Litter 2-Pack (two 5lb bags for $19.99, exact same crystal litter as the original), and Nature's Miracle Easy Care Crystal Litter (8-Pound for $12.80). I have seen others on Amazon for as little as 8 lbs for $9.00 that I will eventually try. b. If you want to stick with Petsafe's recommended replace-the-entire-tray system, you can buy them in packs of three ($39.99) or six ($80.50), providing significant discounts from single purchases. These costs are lower than what I was paying before for regular clumping litter on a monthly basis. And, if you purchase the replacement litter / trays using Amazon Subscribe & Save, you can save an additional 5% - 15%.