Update: I would currently NOT recommend the Petmate Purrforma after a week of use... (see original post below) I have returned it and an again trying the Litter Sweep Ultra, which I have been told had problems with the motor that have been resolved.

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Ok, a while back I wrote about the "Litter Sweep Ultra" -- a fairly new automatic litter scooping device for cats. I wrote that I had just gotten it and loved it. I have some new feedback on it, as well as on a yet another new device, "Petmate Purrforma Plus XL".

A little background -- I have two cats and HATE cleaning litter boxes. I can't imagine anyone actually likes it, but I'm really lazy... anything I can do to reduce how often and how dirty changing a litter box is, I'll get.

The original device on the market was the "Litter Maid" auto scooper. This device is rectangular in shape, and has a plastic rake that powers through a litter box horizontally a few minutes after the cat goes, and dumps the litter into a plastic bin on the end. You buy replacement plastic "recepticals" for about $1-1.50 a piece. They are pretty expensive. The recepticals have a cover that automatically opens/closes as well. You just take the receptical out when it is full and throw it away. The negative is that they are semi-rigid and it makes them hard to throw away in the trash -- the lid falls off and they have kind of pointed edges which are annoying to put in trashbags.

The litter maid works "ok" -- it does the job but has flaws. The rake is plastic and gets clogged up sometimes, and the motor is not very powerful (at least the last few units I had (yes, I went through about 1 unit a year). If the cats had an extra heavy session, the rake would get stuck halfway and the unit would go back and forth a few times and try to get through it, and would eventually fail until I would notice and clean the spot up for it. Also this unit is medium loud -- its not quiet and not overloud, but you know its running, especially when it gets stuck and the motor "strains". This unit runs about $150 normally and $100 on sale. They claim they have made the motor more powerful but I have not tried the latest revision in about 1 year.

So next I tried the Litter Sweep Ultra, a new style that is round. It has a very clever design.... rather than the arm sweeping through the litter box, the whole litter box rotates! The arm just moves at an angle through the box slowly as it rotates, and then the arm scoops litter up and out into a side receptical. If you see it in action you can see what I mean when I say it was very clever... it worked great -- for a while. Then i started to have problems. The outer plastic ring started popping loose and causing problems, so I taped it down (which solved the problem). Just a poor manufacturing design. Next, the rake would have problems and get stuck sometimes, making a loud banging sound. The problem is that the rake does not just go horizontally like the Litter Made. It moves in about 3-4 different angles and directions during a scoop. Amazing how they did it, but way too complicated. The old rule "KISS = Keep It Simple, Stupid" comes to mind. Well, after a while, the motor just wore out and it would not complete its motion properly and would not dump the litter right. One last thing, my cats seem to crust up the bottom of the bin -- and for some reason this style unit would not clean the clumps out properly and they would just break up and the litter would get "wet" and not work properly anymore. I think this was due to some kind of flaw in the way it scooped but am not sure. It never happened with the Litter Maid. This unit is also very noisy, must more so than the other unit. The positive is that it uses bags which are much cheaper and easier to throw away, and the unit was only $79.

In fairness, I did go to PetSmart and asked about returning it, they said no problem just bring it back -- and did inform me there was a recall on the units and there was a motor problem. However, I did not bother (yet) trying a newer unit.

So I tried the Petmate Purrforma Plus XL. This unit is pretty expensive, around $170. But it comes with everything... it is basically a copy of the litter maid unit, but it seems more smartly designed. It looks like they improved upon many of the problems and flaws of the LM.

First, they made a disposable plasic liner for the bed where the litter goes -- on the LM, you had to clean the units base every once in a while -- which nobody wants to do. :) With the Petmate, you throw away a clean pastic liner when it gets too nasty, and just buy a new one for a few dollars. Second, the rake is metal and the movement mechanism was more smartly designed to not get fouled up -- its external to the unit (you have to see it) and not internal with gears. It is also MUCH more powerful. The LM you could stop with a strong force of the hand -- this one is pretty much impossible to stop. I think they decided that if your cat is stupid enough to sit there while its cleaning, it deserves to get pinched. :) The rake is also removeable (very easy) to clean.

Next, they got rid of the expensive plastic containers and changed to a plastic bag liner you buy that you place in the unit -- they work great, when you are done you just tie them up and throw them out.

Lastly, they give you all the extras with the unit, a hood, paw ramp, etc. Its probably similar in price to the LM when you count all the stuff they put in it.

I have used it a few days and so far its working well -- I realize that cleaning cat litter is actually pretty complex for a machine, and this one seems to do the best job so far... I'll let you know down the line if I have trouble. There are a few minor flaws, like the litter is slipping behind the clear plastic liner, so it will get a little dirty underneath anyway -- but thats not a big deal long term -- all of the other units dont even have the clear liner.

OH yes, this unit is also very quiet compared to the other two -- you hardly know its running. And it comes with a whole cover and charcoal filter, so if you are worried about smell this one is probably one of the top choices for that.