So I have one very sweet cat who doesn't always use the litterbox as she should. Part of this is that she wants it very clean, and there are two other cats who use the litterbox. The really bad part is she looks for an ultra-absorbant place to pee, which usually leads her straight to the bed.

So a while ago I bought a litter-maid. Not a bad product, but definitely has it's flaws. It rakes the litter, and deposits clumps in a compartment at the end. Problems include the litter not clumping hard enough before the rake goes through and clogging up the rake, clumps getting stuck to the bottom and stalling the rake, litter getting caught up in the gears (I've actually had the thing fling poop at me as a result of this)... But all in all, the problems aren't so bad, and it makes for a generally clean litterbox. But because it is not hooded or terribly big, Sierra (Indian name: She-Who-Pees-On-Beds) won't use it.

So it gives the other cats another place to go, which helps, but what I really need is for the litter-box *Sierra* uses to be the always clean one. So I went out of my way to find a Purrforma automatic litter box. They're bigger, they have a metal rake (not plastic), the rake is removable for easy cleaning, all the gears are hidden from litter, they're hooded, they have a replaceable plastic litter liner, and are all in all very very sleek looking. I wanted it. So I go to two Petsmarts, three Targets, a few Wal*Marts, and I can't find the thing. Finally, I stop at a local petstore (duh), and I find it for $200.00. I go and work. I get paid. I go and buy it: this, my dream litter-box.

Sigh. I really like Petmate as a company. They make several neat products which work: I have a little kitty water fountain made by them, which is one of the best things EVAAR. It holds more water than a regular dish o' water, keeps it clean and free from dirt, hair, etc., and the cats LOVE drinking the running water. So Petmate, I think, does some pretty cool stuff.

Their litter box SUCKS ASS. Oh, yes, it was one of the larger purchasing mistakes I've ever made. The box looks cool, but that's about it. It never raked on its own--only when I turned it off and on to trigger the cycle. One of the cats was curious when I turned it on and went inside (remember, I have a litter-maid so they weren't scared) and the rake ACTUALLY HIT HIM. This is supposed to be "impossible". (Sensors in the Purrforma and the Litter-Maid are supposed to freeze the rake when a cat enters the box. In the Litter-Maid this worked. In the Purrforma not so much.) Sierra, who watched this happen (the little boy jumped, let me tell you) would have nothing to do with the box. The little boy himself actually didn't care and still used it, but he was the only cat who would. And when the thing ran, the entire outer shell of the box shifted--it's like there wasn't enough room for the mechanism inside and the mechano-arms were pushing on the box's carapace.

So I go to take it back. I disassemble, clean, and box it. And you know what I discover, much to my dismay? All sales are final, no returns. Since the DAMN THING DOESN'T WORK however, I did get store credit. (Yes, the thing had a warranty through the company, but frankly I didn't want to mess with it.)

I wish I'd read all the things I've now read BEFORE I bought the thing. There are a lot of negative customer reviews out there (of course, several are from people who want to do nothing with the litter-box at all, which isn't realistic). Apparently Petmate is working on the design flaws and is putting out a new model (may have already, even). It's too bad--it really did seem like a great design, but to be honest I don't think I could look at another one again. It was just too frustrating. (One day, maybe I'll get a litter-robot. But if that day ever comes, it will be many many moons from now.)

So I have $200 credit at Exotic Jungle. I'll either be buying all my cat litter for the next couple years from there, or I'll be buying a cat tree they had there I liked... Or perhaps I'll be getting some fish (cat tv, anyone?). But no more Purrforma. Grrrrrr.