Review: ScoopFree Original Self Cleaning Litter Box

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

I was eager to try tou the PetSafe ScoopFree Self Cleaning Litter Box with my two cats. I mean, c'mon, a litter box that cleans itself? That sounds like magic!

PetSafe says their ScoopFree self-cleaning litter boxes can be left alone fore weeks at a time. The litter box isn't magic, but it is a mix of technology, chemistry and clever design.

I replaced my litter box and World's Best Cat Cat Litter for a ScooFree self-cleaning litter box and the included blue crystal litter at a time when we were expecting house guests and would be busier than usual.

I have two male cats and often have to clean the litter box multiple times a day. I also restock the litter at least once a month. The clumping organic litter we've been using allows us to flush the litter or store it in bags to be disposed of as organic waste.

Easy to setup

While a bit larger than our old litter box, the ScoopFree maanged to fit in the designated area with little adjustment. One consideration was that we needed to get an extension cord so we could plug it into the closest outlet.

Once we did, we removed the packaging off the litter which comes in its own box and can be sealed for disposal after a certain period. Once everything is installed, plug in the ScoopFree litter box and it undergoes a bit of a test befor it prepares to clean.

20 minutes after ScoopFree senses movement, like a cat has been using the litter box, ScoopFree will go into self-cleaning mode. Cleaning is done by a mechanical brush that pushes poop and debris off to the side and under an enclosed space in the box. This seals the poop and litter from being seen and smelled. 

For pee, it doesn't really clump, so it seems to distribute the majority of the pee across the litter box. In a few days, the once blue litter turns yellow and brown, which can be visually disconcerting.

ScoopFree works as advertised

20 minutes after it has sensed some activity the  ScoopFree dutifully ran the sequence and cleaned up most of the litter. Some debris does get through the rake and likely needs to be cleaned up manually.

The Crystal litter does a good job at absorbing odour and, while some of it tends to spill out, were able to brush it away or vaccuum i as needed. The Crystal litter costs $22.99 for one tray or $69.99 for a set of three and these can be ordered driectly from PetSafe.

PetsSafe says that for one cat, the litter can be replaced every 20 days. With my two cats, I felt that 10 days was the maximum time I would wait before I replaced it. 

Observations

Sometimes cats can be finicky about new litter and an entirely new litterbox. The ScoopFree was not a problem and the kitties took to it normally. It's great that the device waits 20 minutes to do the cleaning because it doesn't spook the cats, although that's 20 minutes for odour to build up.

There are situations where the ScoopFree litter box is a perfect fit. In situations where you are on vacation and have a friend or cat sitter come to feed the cats yet they may not want to clean the litterbox, you can rely on this device. 

Similarly for multi-cat and multi-box homes or situations where someone has a hard time bending to clean the litter box, the PetSafe ScoopFree is a godsend. It did a notable job of handling litter cleaning duties during busy holidays and made life a lot easier for the 10 days that the Crystal litter was used.

Rating: 4 out of 5