Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

After using this litter box for 3 months, I can say that it performs extremely well. Based on my experience, complaints in some reviews seem to be due more to customers not following instructions and/or expecting it to somehow due more than is realistically feasible for any product for managing waste. I bought the hooded box with the refillable forever tray for my large male adult cat. He goes quite a bit and one package of litter does last him for the whole month. My only caveat is that while you can go a whole month without touching the box (I did so for one month), I find it preferable to do some very minor maintenance. One is to occasionally mix up the litter as there will be areas where fresh unused litter collects (corners, behind the rake). This is especially helpful if your cat tends to urinate in the exact same spot each time. It takes literally a few seconds to do, how often would depend on how frequent & much your cat goes.`For me it's not a daily thing, maybe 1x a week (when I remember). Another thing that helps is to clean out the container holding solid waste about half-way through the month. It can and will hold an entire month of waste but doing so really tests its capacity. I prefer to empty it after the first two weeks and stir up the litter at that time too. With a regular litter scoop and a plastic grocery bag, you're looking at a minute of effort. As for tracking, there is far less than compared to clay litter. Though, like any other litter, you need a mat in front of the box to catch what may come out on your cat's paws. I have one that's designed for this type of litter (mine is by Gorilla Grip but there are other brands too). The litter box is on a tiled floor and I'm often am bare foot walking past it. If there were crystals, I would absolutely feel them. Once in a while there may be a stray crystal or two (literally) that manages to get to the floor. Otherwise, 99.9% of stray crystals are caught in the mat. As for how well it reduces smells, this again is where I think complaints are due to customers rather than the product. Firstly, the litter does not work instantaneously. So yes, if your cat just went, there will be some odor that wafts out (air, molecules, hello). But the litter does evaporate urine and desiccates solids which is what reduces the majority of odors. However, it needs a chance to do its job and it appears some people think it should do so within seconds, it won't. The default timer setting is 20 mins which is what I've left mine at. If you set it to rake 5 mins after the cat goes, it may not be long enough for your situation. If you have a kitten or a cat that produces a little, that may be long enough. If you have a cat that leaves a lot or more than one cat, well that's more to absorb and dry out, which means you need to give the litter time to do so. Play with the timer, see what works best for your situation. For most of the month there is no odor, though there is a minor loss of efficacy towards the end of the month and you may, if you're standing right at the box, get a whiff. But very minor compared to regular litter. I'll sprinkle a little deodorizer on it to help it through the last few days (I've got some Arm & Hammer left over from our clay litter days). But seriously, even then any odor is minor and local, there is no smell through out the room. I've been out in fresh air, come in and smelled nothing. The litter absolutely changes color after extensive use (I've used the blue and the purple litters), that's unavoidable. It takes on a yellow tinge but that's not a big deal and helps you to see where there is fresh litter to move to the high use areas. The rake tines haven't gotten messy. Twice I've had an instance where some waste did stick, but it was no big deal. I just wiped them clean with a disposable disinfectant towel. Most of the time, there's nothing. But this is something that will happen/not happen depending on what your cat leaves, a loose stool can end up sticking. Finally, my cat had only known a clay litter box but took to this one right away, no adjustment period. it's also very quiet which is really nice. He's curious and watches it rake, but isn't scared of it. Overall, this is great for anyone who has difficulty bending for an extended time to clean out a box and/or struggles to lift pounds of dirty clay litter. It's excellent for anyone who is busy or out a lot: no more setting out extra boxes, the cat always has a freshly cleaned box. It definitely lessens the amount of work involved in keeping a clean litter box.