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Cat Forum / General Topics / October 2003Petmate Performa litterbox
I have the Littermaid but saw the new Performa box at Petsmart. Anyone have experience with this and how it compares with Littermaid? Adam > I have the Littermaid but saw the new Performa box at Petsmart. Anyone have > experience with > this and how it compares with Littermaid? We just got one installed about 3 days ago, and so far... 1. Nice overall design, visually, but... (based on Scoop-Away Litter) 2. It uses a steel rake, which is removable to clean. A very good idea, but the tines are too narrow, so it tends to break clumps apart on the way to the holding area. The speed is about half that of the LitterMaid - no big deal, and the motor/mechanism is a little quieter. 3. The design for the tracks puts it outside of the litter section, a real plus compared to the LitterMaid, which constantly gets litter in its track. And an overall shell covers that track. 4. Bad news - The holding area is a real abortion. After the rest of the PetMate, the holding area looks like someone designed it that never used it. It uses a bag similar to a shopping bag, but with an extended flap that is supposed to fit over the lid, but doesn't actually fit well. It's hard to describe how bad the design really is. We have lots of cats, and while the design of that crap holder/bag/cover might be ok for someone that empties it every few days, I don't have that luxury - it's every day with 2 LitterMaids and this PetSmart, along with a "manual-empty" litter pan.  Signature-bob- ____________________________________________ MICE Newsreader - Powered by BeOS 5.03 Pro No Blue Screen of Death, no corrupted registry, no viruses, and NO BILL GATES > > I have the Littermaid but saw the new Performa box at Petsmart. Anyone have > > experience with [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > every few days, I don't have that luxury - it's every day with 2 LitterMaids > and this PetSmart, along with a "manual-empty" litter pan. Thanks for the report. I have a Littermaid Mega. Is the steel rake the same shape as the plastic Littermaid? I find the rake sometimes misses small poop clump on the bottom because of the clearance from the bottom. Also I wished the distance between tines was a little smaller for it also missed small poops. Also my cat like to lounge on top of the privacy tent, on top of which I placed a pillow for her, and Performa shell is curved. adam > Thanks for the report. I have a Littermaid Mega. Is the steel rake the same > shape as the plastic Littermaid? The PetMate's tines are straight, round steel that extend down from a steel bar. > I find the rake sometimes misses small poop clump on the bottom because of > the clearance from the bottom. The bottom of the PetMate is a clear plastic liner, and I think the tines actually ride right on it > Also I wished the distance between tines was a little smaller > for it also missed small poops. The tines of the LitterMaid regular, Plus, & Mega are the same, at 7/16" spacing. The PetMate's tines are at 9/16" spacing, which would make your problem worse. > Also my cat like to lounge on top of the privacy tent, on top of which I > placed a pillow for her, and Performa shell is curved. No cover for ours. They have enough places to sleep, which no longer includes my old CRT that got a hairball puked into it. :( Signature-bob- ____________________________________________ MICE Newsreader - Powered by BeOS 5.03 Pro No Blue Screen of Death, no corrupted registry, no viruses, and NO BILL GATES > > Thanks for the report. I have a Littermaid Mega. Is the steel rake the same > > shape as the plastic Littermaid? [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > No cover for ours. They have enough places to sleep, which no longer includes > my old CRT that got a hairball puked into it. :( Thanks for the info. Adam I have a question for you. I have two cats, a 3 year old female and just got a 16 week old male kitten 3 weeks ago. The older cat still gets upset over the kitten but is gradually getting used to him. She uses a Littermaid and the kitten uses a regular box that I have to clean twice a day. Do you think I can eventually get both cats to use the Littermaid or do I need to get a second automatic box? Is it true I need one box per cat? If I do get another box do you recommend the Littermaid or Performa? Adam I have 2 cats that were used to using a regular litterbox. They didn't know what to think about the big noisy Littermaid litterbox, but what I did was to get it and put it right next to their old box and not clean it as often as they like. They eventually started using Littermaid box and I removed the old one. I also have 2 cats and they use the same box and I don't have a problem. The only problem is that I have to change the disposal container every few days rather than once a week. Not too bad considering I was cleaning the box nightly to begin with. If you want to see if 1 box is sufficient, maybe try moving the regular box next to the Littermaid box and see if they will use it there, don't clean it is often and see if they will switch. My cats are fine with it now, and they are very spooked by loud noises and things moving having come from an abusive home. As for the better alternative, Littermaid or Performa, I don't have an answer for that, I have only used the Littermaid. I hope this is helpful. ~Ekko > I have a question for you. I have two cats, a 3 year old female and just got a 16 week old male > kitten 3 weeks ago. The older cat still gets upset over the kitten but is gradually getting [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Adam The first Littermaid I bought -- 3 years ago and still in use -- the cats took to it as if it had always been there. As I added cats (now 7), I added 2 more LM's. I have to empty them once a day but it's still beter than scopping out 3 or 4 lippterpans several times a day, hauling huge bags of clay litter about. I can't see whre the Petmate would be any different from what I have, save more $. LT In message <epxRkhlUwRo0-pn2-uOSctxZHokeb@dialup-67.31.205.213.Dial1.Tampa1.Level3.net>, > I can't see whre the Petmate would be any > different from what I have, save more $. Both the LitterMaid & Performa have their weaknesses It looks like the PetMate people tried to address some of the problems with the LitterMaid, but introduced thier own. While the LitterMaid's rake can be removed, it's a pain. Performa's rake is an easy lift-out. BUT... Performa's teeth are farther apart, and let more "stuff" through, which leaves more broken "chunks" all over the pan. Also, the motor in the Performa is pathetically underpowered, so if more than one cat goes before the next sweep, it may jam the rake at the end ramp. This happens way too much. Pluses go to Performa for putting the drive mechanism outside of the pan - no need to clean the track. But then, they have the rake stop about 1/2" short of the storage tray's lip, and some clumps just sit there, keeping the lid open. IMO, The storage on the LitterMaid is better thought-out than the one on the Performa. Both are large enough, but for multi- Cat families, the bags on the Performa are clutzy at best. We're a multiCat family, with multiple "boxes", and so we use shopping bags for crap disposal, emptying the boxes into a bag and into the garbage. The LitterMaid makes this easier for me. The Performa leaks less litter onto the floor by virtue of its outer cover. Here, the LitterMaid could take a hint, but in a day to day multicat environment, the LitterMaid wins. Signature-bob- ____________________________________________ MICE Newsreader - Powered by BeOS 5.03 Pro No Blue Screen of Death, no corrupted registry, no viruses, and NO BILL GATES > I have 2 cats that were used to using a regular litterbox. They didn't know > what to think about the big noisy Littermaid litterbox, but what I did was [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > I have only used the Littermaid. I hope this is helpful. > ~Ekko Very good idea. Thanks. |
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