this post was submitted on 12 Dec 2023
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I and many people I know swear by the litter robot. Off the top of my head I can think of 5 different households in my social circle with 1 or more litter robots.
For 4 cats you might want two litter robots as they tend to fill up quickly with multiple cats. Or set up the litter robot in addition to a traditional litter box so the cats can choose where to poop.
I have a LR3 it is great until it isn't.. Both my cats used it for several months but my oldest cat with joint issues refuses to use anything but an open litter box now (doesn't like the confined space).. Also possibly fixed in the LR4 the LR3 FULL sensor easily gets false positives due to dust build up from litter and is a PITA to clean.
I have been looking at a lot of reviews for alternatives but all of them eventually seems to have some flaw around reliability.
The LR4 is such a nice upgrade from the 3. I now own both due to having 4 cats. It's a night and day difference between the two. Not saying the 3 isn't amazing at what it does, but the 4 addresses so many issues I've had with the 3.
What issues does it address?
For one, it's so much quieter than the 3. The drawer was redesigned to be much easier to replace the bag. Sleep timers can now be defined with start and end times for both weekdays and weekends. The 3 only allows an 8 hour sleep with a given start time. The cat detection sensors are much better at detecting cats. There is now a litter level sensor. The cat weight sensor is probably nice, but with 4 cats, they're too close in weight to get any good use out of it. It also looks nicer.
Cost and my old cat not willing to try it are the two things that hold me back from getting an LR4.. It it is wider but still not open so I am not sure he would use it.
These things are ridiculously expensive. I will say that we have a hesitant cat, and she eventually started using these litter boxes as well.
As previously stated I have an LR3 already that my cat STOPPED using... Not sure the LR4 opening is different enough to get him back in one.
LR4 sensors are easy as hell to clean, no removal necessary just stick a stop into a hole and wipe the sensors
I’ve been using my LR4 since May with no issues in functionality only a few WiFi disconnects
I've been having tons of issues recently with the pinch sensor on my LR3. Basically it'll stop rotating mid cycle and I have to either take it apart and clean the sensor or sometimes just power cycling works.
If that's not an issue on the LR4, I'd be tempted to get one eventually
I can't speak to any of the newer litter robots as I have a LR1 and an LR2. The only issue I had was with the LR1. The hall effect sensor wore out and I was able to replace it with parts from their site.
This post right here.
I have gone through 4 replacements of the LR3.
When it works it is good but when it doesn’t it usually is due to a hardware fault.