Cat litter boxes. Well, not all of them are boxes anymore. Now, with many of the Litter Robot models, you can actually have an automated box that cleans your cat waste for you—and that’s not actually a box either.
Litter Robot makes the Litter Robot Bubble, which is made with a globe-like structure mounted to allow your cats a comfortable place to do their business. The Bubble is also made to be larger, which provides more space for larger cats and allowing more light into the globe.
Let your cat use the Bubble without needing to worry about cleaning up after them, especially if you have multiple cats that you take care of.
What’s so special about the Litter Robot Bubble though? Well, the fact that it has a sensor to detect your cat’s weight makes it unique, and it even has a 7-minute countdown to prevent the cleaning cycle from the beginning while your cat is still in the box.
There’s more to the Bubble though, so when you’re considering an automatic litter box for your medium or large cat, look here to learn more about it.
Features
Before you buy, you might be curious about what makes the Litter Robot Bubble unique. There are a lot of automatic litter boxes out there, after all.
Construction
When we tested out the Bubble, we first noticed that it was sturdy. It also arrived assembled, so it didn’t take all that long to set up, and it wasn’t overly complicated for us to figure out. Just connect the globe to the top, make sure the carbon filter is in, and it’s more or less good to go. As long as you plug it in.
Litter and Filters
This box is made to be used like any other litter box. The only change might be that you need to make sure that you buy litter that’s specifically made for clumping—which allows the sifting mechanism to work automatically. This will let the box do its work without you needing to lean down to do all that scooping.
You won’t need to smell any odors either. Unlike regular litter boxes where the waste sits out in the open, this box will sift the waste and the litter out and into the bin, where a carbon filter will prevent you from smelling anything.
Size
This is a fairly large receptacle, which is something to keep in mind before you buy, but the size is also a positive thing if you have a larger cat, or if you have a household with multiple cats.
The Mechanics
Thanks to the sifting mechanism that rotates the litter inside of the globe, the litter area will remain cleaner than it normally would if you’re scooping it out yourself. It will activate by itself after 7 minutes of inactivity so that you don’t need to smell odors from your cat.
Really, thanks to that sifting mechanism, all you really need to do is empty out the liner which holds your cat’s waste. Remove the liner, throw it out, and put in a completely new liner.
Capacity
This Litter Robot has a solid capacity for waste, which means that you don’t need to empty out the drawer every day, or even every other day. Depending on your cat, you might be able to avoid throwing out that drawer for a few days. Of course, if you have multiple cats, you’ll likely have to empty the drawer a little more often.
Clean Up
It is recommended that you wipe down your machine every now and again, but in terms of clean up, you’ll notice that there’s not much mess at all. This is thanks to the lip on the globe that is made to catch litter, and to the sifting mechanism that keeps the litter container inside. Ultimately, this means that you’ll be able to spend less time cleaning and more time with your pets.
Safety
You might be wondering: how do my cats stay safe if the litter box activates automatically? First off, the Bubble will not activate for 7 minutes after your cat leaves the box. The box will know because it has sensors to catch your cat’s weight, so it will know when your cat is in the box. Do be aware that these types of litter machines are not ideal for kittens, who are generally too light for the Bubble to pick up on.
In terms of safety though, the mechanism will stop working if your cat suddenly jumps into the box. This means that you won’t even need to deal with your cat getting scared off when they need to do their business.
What You Get
When your Litter Robot Bubble arrives, you already know that it already arrives fully assembled. It also arrives with a lip extender that ensures that you have less mess to struggle with.
You don’t just get the actual robot though. You also receive 3 waster drawer liners to get you started, along with one carbon filter that you can put in the machine to prevent any odors. You’ll also receive the 12V AC/DC adapter to plug in your robot, and the owner’s manual if you’re having trouble with some of the technology involved.
General Dimensions
Keep in mind that this is a fairly large machine. It measures 22 by 27 by 29, with a 6 and a half by 9 entry hole. The whole thing weighs 24 pounds too, which may make it somewhat difficult if you ever need to move the Bubble to a different part of your home.
As long as you make sure that you have the right space to fit something of this size though, you shouldn’t have any reason to move it.
How It Works
If you’ve never owned an automatic litter box with a globe-like structure, you might be wondering how the Litter Robot Bubble works. Well, basically, your cat will jump into the box to use it as they would normally do. The space of the globe is a little bit bigger, which will let even your larger cats use it comfortably.
Once they leave, seven minutes later, the box will activate and sift out the waste while leaving the litter. You’ll have to be careful to keep an eye on it though, if only because there is the potential for the globe getting blocked up if you don’t empty out the drawer.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the sensor work?
You know already that this Litter Robot works by using a sensor. It’s this sensor that understands if your cat is in the machine and whether it’s safe to activate.
The sensor, which is located right underneath the waste tray, works by sensing your cat’s weight. When your cat steps onto the step of the unit, the sensor will know that your cat is there. It’s only when your cat leaves that the 7-minute timer activates. If your cat doesn’t return in that seven minutes, the mechanism will start working to shovel the waste into the receptacle.
Keep in mind though that this sensor needs five pounds of weight to activate. While you can set it to make it more or less sensitive, your cat still needs to be five pounds. This is one of the biggest reasons why you cannot use this Bubble with kittens; you’ll have to get your kittens started in a traditional litter box.
This step is also something that you should keep an eye on when it comes to your cat. Make sure that they’re stepping on the step, or else the box won’t know that they’re there. If they’re leaping over the step to get inside, you may need to consider other litter box options.
Is this really safe?
Considering the requirement that your cat steps on the step up to the Bubble for the weight sensor to know that they’re there, you might be wondering: is this unit really safe for cats?
The answer is yes. Most cats should step up as you would expect, and beyond that, the globe won’t begin to rotate if your cat is still in the litter area. That’s because the sensor will recognize that there’s added weight in there and won’t start to activate.
So, even if your cat is sitting in the box for a while, or if you have multiple cats jumping in and out, the globe won’t activate until it senses that it’s been seven minutes since there’s no added weight inside. This means that even if your cat re-enters, or if another cat enters halfway through the seven minutes, the timer will reset to give your cat time to do its business.
But what about if your cat needs to use the box while the cleaning cycle is already going on? Provided that your cat is fine entering through the cleaning cycle, the globe will stop the cleaning while your cat is inside. It will wait for fifteen seconds, and if your cat is gone by then, then it will resume the cleaning cycle. If your cat is still inside, it won’t rotate until it senses that your cat is gone.
You can even adjust the Bubble to change the timing of the cleaning cycle if you want to give your cats even more time to jump in and out of it. Seven minutes is the standard, but you can make that longer if you’d like.
Why Buy the Litter Robot Bubble?
One of the biggest reasons to buy this automated box is a simple fact that it’s automated. The unique system makes sure that you don’t really need to bend down to scoop up anything, not when the globe will sift the waste out from the good litter. All you really need to do is collect the waste from the waste bin and replace the liner.
There are some other reasons why you should buy the Bubble too:
- It’s easy to set up since it comes fully assembled
- You don’t really ever have to do any maintenance on this unit, but maybe just some sparse cleaning
- It’s safe for your cats to use, and won’t activate while they’re inside
- It works relatively quietly, and can even be set not to activate at night
- You don’t need to scoop anything; just refill the litter
- You’ll end up saving on cat litter over time
- The odor control works really well
- Its opening is large enough even for larger cats
What are the issues?
No machine is perfect. No litter box is perfect either. The Litter Robot Bubble is no exception. The first issue you might notice is the size of this bubble. It’s a large machine and will take up a good chunk of space in your home, much more space than a traditional litter box will. It won’t even work on carpeting, so you cannot place this machine on any carpeted area if you want it to work.
Considering the size and the fact that this is an automated box, you’re also putting forth a large initial investment. You might save money on litter in the long run, but you will need to be able to pay for the Bubble.
There are other things that you need to keep in mind too if you want to know what you’re getting into before you buy. Like these things here:
- If you have a kitten, this box will not work with them. You’ll have to get them use to a regular box first
- While quieter than other brands, this robot does make noise when it works
- You might still notice litter spillage, or clumps getting stuck to the machine—or even to your cat if you have a long-haired cat
- The machine might get stopped up if you don’t empty the drawer after every few days
- Your car might just jump right over the sensor to get inside
- That control panel that you can use is not waterproof
The Newest Version
If you want to avoid some of these problems: buy the most recent Litter Robot III Open Air, which will work on carpets, keep the waste drawer sealed, and even includes a feature that stops any waste from getting stuck on your cat’s fur if you have a long-haired cat. The most recent unit even has an indicator for the waste drawer, which will tell you when it’s too full. It also includes having the sensor underneath the globe so you don’t have to worry about your rebellious cat skipping the step.
If you really want to avoid the problems with this version, it’s actually easy to just purchase the latest version, which includes a lot of noticeable improvements. A newer model might come with a higher price tag though, so it’s something to think about.
Get the Most out of Your Bubble
When it comes to getting the most out of your purchase, and ensuring that it works for you, first make sure that you buy yourself some clumping litter. The clumping litter will ensure that all of the waste is moved out of the bubble when it rotates and that there’s no waste left on the sides of the globe.
You’ll want to avoid the clay type of litter too, which doesn’t sit well with this type of automatic litter box. See this post for the best litter brands for Litter Robot.
No matter the litter though, you will also need to make sure that you buy a litter mat. Cats won’t be clean just because they’re jumping in and out of the Bubble, so use a litter mat to help you out.
Maintenance
You will need to do a little maintenance on this unit to keep it working properly, but it’s not so much that you’ll be overwhelmed. Fill the litter box when you notice the level of litter beginning to get too low and keep in mind that you’ll have to fill it more often if you have more than one cat.
You’ll also have to clean your Globe more often if you have more than one cat, although even with one cat, make sure that you still clean it maybe once a month. This is just to make sure that the smell stays fresh and that there’s no waste stuck to the insides of the Globe.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the Litter Robot Bubble is a great automatic litter box that will stop you from needing to scoop your cat litter. You only really need to replace the liner to make sure that the unit doesn’t get too full, and make sure that you wash the Globe once a month.
Comparing Litter Robot 2 Vs Litter Robot 3
Litter Robot 3 Enclosure Cabinet
If you’re still on the fence about picking yourself up a Bubble, know that it will work best for people with even heavier cats, or if you have multiple cats. It’s also a great option for avoiding litter scooping. Just be aware of using it if you have a kitten, or if your cat is larger than 15 pounds, and know that of course, every cat will not like this system.
Don’t be surprised if it takes a little time for your cat to get used to the Bubble, but if they do, you might just find this solution to be the best one when it comes to automatic litter boxes.