"David T. Ashley" <dta@e3ft.com> wrote in message

I've owned three Littermaids. The first one failed when one of the metal
contact points broke off and got lost in the litter. It was replaced under
warranty by Littermaid. That one I tossed out when it started making an
irritating screeching noise when it was functioning. I went and bought a
slightly new model. After about a month, it too failed when one of the metal
contact points failed. I didn't bother doing the warranty replacement thing.

To replace the third unit, I bought myself a Rubbermade container with 8"
high sides and cut a slot in it to make it easy for my kitty to jump into.
The slot wasn't really necessary since she rarely used it. That Rubbermade
container I realized at some point had sides that were too low when my kitty
would pee and aim her butt into a corner of it and some of it splashed out.
So, I replaced that one with the highest sided Rubbermade container I could
buy that had a relatively flat bottom. I cut a jump into slot in that one
too and it's seen stellar use the year I've been using it.

My reasoning for not getting anymore Littermaids is not so much that they
fail, but that the Rubbermade container is actually easier to use. Sure,
usually I could go two or three days before I had to empty the Littermaid
waste tray, but the fact that the Littermaid had so many nooks and crannies
made it a bear to even clean partially. With the Rubbermade container it's
square, easy to scoop and catches everything. I usually scoop it every
second day into a small cardboard box I've nested three shopping bags. It's
clean, easy and fast. No more breakdowns, no more screeching noises from
anything running and no having to reset anything.

It also helps that I've got a great cat. Those few times when I've neglected
to promptly clean out her litterbox, she uses it anyway. Not once in the
three years from six month old kitten to the present that I've had my Deetoo
has she not used the litterbox no matter how negligent I've been. Never seen
or heard her cough up any hairballs either. Aside from a little too much cat
hair collecting in my apartment (an occupation hazard with a cat) she's been
a perfect cat, the most trouble free cat I've ever had. I love her and she
loves me and we're both happy to see each other whenever I come home. :)

Sun, 9 Dec 2007 16:49:02 -0500 from David T. Ashley <dta@e3ft.com>:

I can understand maybe buying another one when the first fails.

But after two have failed why on earth would you give them a third
opportunity, let alone a sixth?

What word do 12-step groups use for repeating the same behavior and
expecting different results? :-)