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Keeping a cat as a pet is a nice thing, but keeping the house clean with a cat in the house is a challenging task as the pet would have a tendency to urinate or excrete here and there in the house, unless it is well trained. To get a cat well trained as regards elimination of faecal matter, an automatic cat litter box or tray is a very essential thing.
Various types of litter boxes
A cat litter box or litter tray is basically an indoor faecal matter collection box so that the pet does not get into the habit of excreting here and there within the house or need to go out of the house to perform the excretion activity. Initially, litter trays were used for the purpose, but with the advent of time and technology, a lot of modifications have been made to the traditional trays, and hence, litter trays or litter boxes are now available in the following types.
- Open litter trays
- Hooded Litter boxes
- Top entry litter boxes
- Automatic cat litter box or self-cleaning litter boxes
A detailed look at the types
Open litter trays or pans are the most conventional types of litter boxes and are commonly made of plastic. These are rectangular trays with outward sloped sides, around 10-15 cms. As these are open, the comfort level of the cats is very high in these and also the owner of the cat gets to see the faecal matter to understand when the tray needs to be cleaned. The major disadvantage of this type is that the whole monitoring and cleaning process is completely manual and at times the faecal matter of the cat can get scattered outside the tray and dirty the room.
Hooded litter boxes or top entry litter boxes are the next-generation litter boxes where the traditional litter trays started coming with a plastic hood. The advantage of this was that the litter would not be there in the open, and that would keep the surroundings free of the foul smell of the litter. The pet cat is to be trained to enter the litter box through the opening in the cover, which can also be lifted by the owner to scoop or clean the litter.
A touch of technology to the litter trays gave birth to the automatic cat litter box or the self cleaning litter box. These litter boxes come with a electrical combing system that scoops the litter into a disposable bag container. There is a laser system or a timer system fitted in the litter box that triggers the auto scooping and does not disturb the cat while it is using the litter box. These self cleaning litter boxes are getting very popular as the owner does not have to do much regarding scooping the litter or keep the box clean.
Apart from the methods mentioned above, there are other technologies being deployed in the self cleaning litter boxes as well to make the experience more comfortable for both the cat and the owner.