I Wish I Thought Of That!

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Introducing… the best cat invention ever.

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While browsing cat litter boxes on Amazon (hello, Amazon Prime – free 2-day shipping – is the best. thing. that. ever. happened. to. me), I came across the Roll ‘N Clean Litter Box.  It was subtitled, “The litter box that cleans itself,” and has over 2,400 customer reviews ranking it an average of four stars.  My attention was immediately piqued.  A litter box that cleans itself?  And is only $29?  Let me check it out.

 

This litter box is AMAZING.  There is a grate inside it on the right wall, and to clean it, you roll it on to its top, and the shift it back into place.  The poop and pee gets trapped into this nifty side drawer, and all that is left behind is clean litter.  (This video explains it better than I can.)

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Then, all you do is dump the drawer’s contents into the trash bin.  Easy!  The first time I used it, I thought, “DAMN! I wish I had thought of this!”  You don’t have to touch a scoop or even LOOK at the cat’s business.

 

My only complaints about the box is that the latches attaching the top to the bottom could be of higher quality.  That’s why there’s pink duct tape on mine – I secured the inside grate to the box with tape, per some reviewer’s recommendations.  I also sprayed the inside with non-stick cooking spray before filling.  Honestly, I would like the product to be $10 more expensive and be sturdier, but it’s still an awesome box.

 

Do you have any inventions floating around your mind?  I have a really great idea that runners would love but can’t figure out how to execute it.  Maybe some day!  I recently read a story about Boogie Wipes – basically baby wipes for wiping away stubborn snot.  They were invented by a mom who sprayed saline solution on a tissue and realized it could be an epic product.  Now it’s a bajillion dollar company.  Well, maybe not quite that much, but it just goes to show… you can actually make a ton off cat piss and baby snot.

{ 69 comments }

 

  • RH November 8, 2012, 11:02 am

    Christ, that thing is HUGE.

    • Caitlin November 8, 2012, 11:04 am

      its the large

  • Rachel (Two Healthy Plates) November 8, 2012, 11:03 am

    When digital cameras first came out I always said there should be a digital picture frame. Shortly after, they became all of the rage!! Truly a million dollar idea =( sad

  • Alex @ Raw Recovery November 8, 2012, 11:04 am

    Wow, I just moved into a new apartment and haven’t had internet for a few days and when I return I find that you have a cat!! I am SO excited for you and think it is so wonderful that you rescued her. Cats have so much personality (I think many people, especially dog lovers have a misconception that cats can be rather boring). When we adopted my cat, we found that he loves, LOVES wads of paper that are all rolled up. It’s the cheapest toy but he went banana sandwich over them. He even “plays soccer” and catches the balls between his paws.

  • Sarena (The Non Dairy Queen) November 8, 2012, 11:07 am

    HHHMMMM, with two cats, this is something to look into. I really need a better solution. I n a house of four people, I’m the only one that tends to the cats’ business.

    • Sonia the Mexigarian November 8, 2012, 12:16 pm

      i hear you on being the only one tending to the litter box :\

  • Suzanne November 8, 2012, 11:07 am

    Assuming your cat will use a box with a lid- mine won’t. I wish, though… it would make it all much more pleasant!

    • Lauren November 8, 2012, 11:47 am

      Good point.

      I have two cats – one will use a box with a lid, the other won’t. So I hope this works out for you.

      That thing is crazy big!

      Lauren

      • Melanie November 8, 2012, 12:32 pm

        Yea one of mine prefers a box without a lid too. Once in while I’ll put the lid back on and try it but that’s when I find he left me a surprise on the carpet. Oh well 🙂

  • Allison November 8, 2012, 11:15 am

    Oh wow! That is the neatest thing ever! I don’t have a cat but my parents do and my Mom is the only one who cleans the box at home… wonder how she’d feel if I got that litter box for her as a Christmas gift….:)

  • Megan@ The Running Doc November 8, 2012, 11:34 am

    I’m going to go order this thing right now! I have been so terrible lately about cleaning out my cat’s litter box (seriously, I just forget) and this will make it so much easier!

  • Kelley November 8, 2012, 11:41 am

    Be careful with this. Cats are extremely clean and anal creatures, and refuse to use unclean litter boxes. This type of litter box essentially coats the entire inside with urine and feces and quickly can stop using it and will go to the bathroom right outside of it. There is an episode of My Cat From Hell on Animal Planet that dealt with this exact model. He made them get rid of the box and then it stopped using their bed as a litter box.

    • Caitlin November 8, 2012, 12:11 pm

      Hahaha My Cat From Hell sounds like the best show ever. I guess the remedy to this issue would be to clean the inside when you do change out the litter? I’ll let you know if I have any problems but judging from the Amazon rates I think this is prob the exception and not the rule (thank god).

      • Beks November 8, 2012, 1:43 pm

        That show is amazing. We have one cat who constantly nips, and when my parents were watching an episode, the host said playing with the cat with one of those feather attached to a string/stick toys until he gets tired will stop it. It worked for awhile, and he’s definitely more cuddly than he was, but he still nips at times. Just not as much.

    • Jessi November 8, 2012, 3:52 pm

      That’s exactly what happened with me!!! I had this exact box and because you’re rolling it all around, their scents are going all over the inside of the box. Needless to say, we got rid of it. We now use the Breeze Litter system (we get refills at Petsmart, but they also have it on Amazon). I have 4 cats..and the Breeze system is definitely the best I’ve ever used. Good luck!

  • Sorayya November 8, 2012, 11:45 am

    Have you heard of http://www.quirky.com?! My boss just told me about it last week…basically you work with them to get your idea made, and take part of the proceeds!

  • Lindsay @ Fuel My Family November 8, 2012, 11:48 am

    Any baby invention that catches on would be a huge money maker…I made my own cloth diapers for my 4 year old and so wish I would have started selling them back then because there were only a handful of brands. Now there are hundreds of brands as cloth diapering is becoming more and more popular. I am no longer the only one of my friends who cloth diapers (my 1 year old).

  • Deanne November 8, 2012, 11:54 am

    Jackson from My Cat from Hell (on Animal Planet) recently worked with a cat that resorted to peeing on the bed because of this box. The inside gets coated in urine and waste and makes it very unappealing to cats. Think about it, all the stuff you don’t want to scoop gets thrown onto the walls it becomes a giant smelly cave for the cat. Plastic absorbs the odors and even if it looks clean a picky cat may not use it. I just scoop out the litter by hand and toss it. You have to change out the litter anyway, otherwise it’s still going to smell from all the little pieces left behind. We completely change our litter every weekend and scoop the box in the middle of the week, but we have two cats.

  • Courtney Leigh November 8, 2012, 11:55 am

    Just a heads up that I have heard of some cats not using them after awhile because in rolling them the pee and poop get ALL OVER the inside and they find it too dirty.

    Now obviously this isn’t a problem with every cat, or they wouldn’t have such a high rating, but just something to be aware of if Pippa starts having accidents outside of the box!

  • Katie November 8, 2012, 12:01 pm

    I’ve been on the fence about buying this litter box but now I’m absolutely convinced, thanks Caitlin! I am also a slave to amazon prime, so awesome!

  • Stephanie @ Live Cook Love November 8, 2012, 12:01 pm

    This is amazing!!!!! Right now, I use a liner for my litter box, its just like an oversized heavy duty trash bag. The reason I use the liner is so I don’t have to wash the litter box every month or so. Do you think I could still use the liner and have it work the same?

  • Sonia the mexigarian November 8, 2012, 12:03 pm

    You’re right. This is big news. For me at least. Going to amazon to check the specs, but it sounds awesome for my 3 kitties. Thank you for sharing!!

  • Mara@ What's For Dinner? November 8, 2012, 12:10 pm

    We use that same litter box for our two cats, and its fantastic!! The only thing is that you have to make sure to turn it ALL the way over, then ALL the way back. Oh, and use the “multiple cat” litter even if you don’t have multiple cats. It makes the smell issue almost non-existent!

  • Colleen November 8, 2012, 12:28 pm

    That is huge! And clever! Not sure if someone already mentioned this, but watch Maggie and James with that opening. It is big enough for them to grab a few ‘treats’ from inside. For some reason, dogs love cat poop. I had to face my cat’s litter box to the wall so my dogs wouldn’t get to it.

  • Reenie November 8, 2012, 12:29 pm

    hmmmm ~ it is kind of kewel. But, I’ll stick to my brown paper bags to scoop my poop in 😉

  • Nina November 8, 2012, 12:46 pm

    Does Pippa like it?

    • Caitlin November 8, 2012, 2:21 pm

      Yes!

      • Kelly November 8, 2012, 5:30 pm

        LOL Scrolling through comments, and of course, forgetting what you named your kitty, I was like, “Why would she be consulting Pippa Middleton?” Hahahaha. That would be one awesome connection, but alas, I realize you’re talking about the kitty Pippa Middleton and not the sister of royalty. 🙂

  • Margaret November 8, 2012, 12:49 pm

    Eh, I have to say, while I understand it’s convenient, that’s a big chunk of plastic being produced into something that could use less than half the materials. Surely there’s a closet or extra bathroom somewhere in your house to put an uncovered litter box without having to look at it all day? Also, I’ve always thought that it’s important to look at your pets’ crap (literally) when you scoop the litter, because that’s a way to tell if they’re sick. Don’t you pay some degree of attention to what’s in a baby’s diaper, because if it changes color/texture/etc. that can indicate a health problem, that he wouldn’t be able to communicate to you himself?

    • Jen November 8, 2012, 3:00 pm

      This is an excellent point. One of our boys had a urinary infection and I was able to catch it early and get him treated largely because I noticed him going into his box a lot and not having much come out (UIs can be fatal to cats if left untreated or left too long before treatment)

      • Caitlin November 8, 2012, 4:17 pm

        You can still look at the droppings as you normally would of you wish. Glad your baby is okay Jen!

        • Jen November 8, 2012, 6:36 pm

          Thanks Caitlin! His UI was the reason we switched them to wet food – they had been on 100% dry food before that. Fortunately he’s been perfectly healthy ever since (and as an added bonus, both cats have lost some weight since being on wet food and are looking much less um, robust, these days, lol)

  • Katherina November 8, 2012, 12:56 pm

    Wouldn’t it take just as must effort to clean out a regular litter box as it would to tip this box (maybe have to clean it out if your cats a fuss) and then discard the pee/poop anyway?

  • Katie @ Peace Love & Oats November 8, 2012, 12:58 pm

    I immediately sent this to my friend! She has a cat and anything cat related I forward to her. Lol she’s the only cat-person I know…

  • Sharon November 8, 2012, 1:36 pm

    I have three cats and we use Breeze cat boxes. They use pellets and have a slide out tray that you put “pee pads” in that you can replace. They are the best things ever clean wise but unfortunatley one of our cats refuses to use it so we have one old box with the clay litter that I absolutley hate! This box you got looks interesting. I may check it out. But is it the way the camera shows it or is that thing humongous??

    • Jen November 8, 2012, 2:26 pm

      You should try one of the alternatives to clay litter in the extra box!

      • Sharon November 8, 2012, 9:57 pm

        Done that. I have tried everything from switching to every kind of litter there is to using litter boxes with no lids, tried covered ones, tried moving it to another location, nothing works. She insists on pooping right outside the box. She will, however, pee in the Breeze box. Go figure.

        • Jen November 9, 2012, 8:10 am

          Cats are a mystery sometimes! Sorry you are having trouble with the boxes. It’s so hard to cope when you don’t know why your cat is doing something!

  • Ashlee November 8, 2012, 1:43 pm

    Awesome! I like the end tables on sky mall that are kitty homes too 🙂 There are some pretty ridiculous things in that mag though! ha.

  • Beks November 8, 2012, 1:46 pm

    We have two boxes for our three cats. One upstairs, one downstairs. We also have those sifting liners, and they work pretty well. Two of our cats are fastidious, and wouldn’t use a box like that. The other OWNS the litter boxes (He’s always there when we’re cleaning them so he can be the first to use it).

  • Natalie @ Free Range Human November 8, 2012, 1:53 pm

    Wow! It’s so big! I think that might be a downside.

  • Liz @ Tip Top Shape November 8, 2012, 1:54 pm

    That is such a cool invention!!

  • Susan November 8, 2012, 2:07 pm

    Just a caution, make sure the doggies can’t get in the box. Dogs are notorious for loving the taste of kitty poo. (Sorry I know really gross.) I didn’t know this when I adopted my kitty. The litter can expand in the doggie’s intestine and cause a bowel obstruction. I found this out the hard and expensive way. Very scary medical issue for a pup.

    • Emily November 8, 2012, 2:27 pm

      We always used to find a single poop in the hallway and thought the cats were having issues with the litterbox until we caught the dog bringing them out of the litterbox to eat them. So gross.

    • Vicki November 9, 2012, 12:33 pm

      If you have issues with Maggie showing interest in Pippa’s poo (I just have a feeling it would be Maggie interested and not James!), sprinkle meat tenderizer on Pippa’s food! Most likely Pippa won’t notice it (it doesn’t take much), and it will make her twosies unappealing to the pups. It totally works. My weenie won’t touch our cat’s poo when we use it (we just ran out and suddenly the Wien has VERY nasty breath). This is a good tip for dogs who like their own poo, too.

  • Kelly November 8, 2012, 2:10 pm

    That thing is HUGE! It almost needs it’s own room. Cool idea though, just a bit large.

  • Erin November 8, 2012, 2:50 pm

    We have two of these for our two cats and love them. So easy to clean!

  • Sara November 8, 2012, 3:16 pm

    That is huge! My husband sure would appreciate it. I’m pregnant so he is on litterbox duty. Tip that may help you (or not) we use heavy duty trash bags to line the litter box so when you do have to change the litter, you just pick up the entire bag. We have three cats so I wonder how well this would work for us … intrigued!

    • Sara November 8, 2012, 3:16 pm

      Oh and you have the large or regular size? I see it comes in both.

      • Sara November 8, 2012, 3:16 pm

        Never mind–saw you answered above!

  • Angela November 8, 2012, 3:54 pm

    Don’t get too carried away with buying specific kitty related stuff as I’ve found that cats are just like kids. They’ll enjoy the box the stuff came in more than what you’ve bought them!! Our cat beds are now just used for toy storage and the cat has been chasing after a balled up envelope for 3 days now.

    • Jen November 8, 2012, 6:44 pm

      THIS! The only kitty specific toys I buy any more are cat-nip stuffed pillows, and even those only intrigue them for a short time. Most of their “real” toys just end up under the couch where nobody (us included) can get them easily. Their favourite toys are old shoelaces (hubby just changed the laces on his skates last night – cats are in kitty heaven!), toilet paper/paper towel rolls, empty boxes of any kind (oh, Maru! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbiedguhyvM), and of course, the laser pointer that hubby used to use while teaching but has now been appropriated by the cats.

    • Deanne November 9, 2012, 12:32 pm

      Over a year ago I bought a bed for our two cats. They were lying on top of my suitcase and wrecking it. They avoided it like the plague, every time we put them in it they would run away like it was going to eat them. I was getting ready to donate it till one day last week Trouble jumped off the couch and went and laid in it. Now both her and Flair use it.

      Other cheap toys the cats love are bobby pins, hair clips, elastic bands, straws and plastic forks. Flair will fetch straws and plastic forks all day long if you let her. We used the straws on Trouble when she was teething. She would chew on our hands so we got straws to hold so she would chew them instead of fingers. Worked perfectly and she still enjoys attacking them.

  • Crystal V November 8, 2012, 5:01 pm

    I have to agree with everyone about the Breeze system. I despise the tiny granules of cat litter that standard litterboxes get everywhere. The Breeze uses clay pellets that don’t track all over the place! Kitty pee filters through to a pee pad that you’ll only need to change about 1x per week for a single cat. Kitty poop does have to just be scooped right off top still. Pellets only need to get changed about 1x per month. It’s a super alternative to dusty, tracking scoopable litter.

    Alternatively, if you want to go all out, I seriously highly recommend the Litter Robot. That thing is freaking awesome. It’s pricey, but awesome for a single cat. All you have to do is pull the bin a couple of times a week, tie the bag, and toss it into the trash. Plus, it’s funny to watch the cat looking out the giant port hole in the back =)

    So glad you are loving the new feline family member!

  • Morgan November 8, 2012, 5:17 pm

    I dunno, there are several reasons (some listed above) why this thing might not be a great idea.

    Do you have a garage? We put in a cat door and keep the litter in the garage where it bothers no one, but we can still see the business (to look out for health issues) and the box stays nice and clean and doesn’t get coated with pee/poop like this will. We live in Florida so it stays warm in there for him, too.

  • Samantha @ Mama Notes November 8, 2012, 5:20 pm

    Um, this things is huge!! How do you even have space for this in your house? Maybe your picture makes it look larger than it really is? I would not want this in my house, but that’s just me! I would think the babe would try to climb/play in it too — eventually.

  • Bonnie November 8, 2012, 6:17 pm

    what kind of litter are you using? I remember hearing that the clumping litter can be pretty toxic, and when you consider that little Pippa will be walking around in it and then walking around the house, you might want to think about using a feline pine (if it works with the rolling cat box) because it’s made out of natural pine.

    • Caitlin November 8, 2012, 8:09 pm

      I need to investigate this further!

      • M November 8, 2012, 9:45 pm

        Clumping litter can cause some problems for cats when they lick their paws. It is also very dusty and messy. I leave my cat’s litter box in one of my spare bedrooms and everything gets covered in dust. It’s ridiculous. I’ve actually been looking for a “dustless” litter, not because I’m so worried about the litter being toxic but just because of the mess it makes with the dust. Here is a good article by Dr. Andrew Weil about clumping litter.
        http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400717/Is-Kitty-Litter-Dangerous.html

  • M November 8, 2012, 7:18 pm

    I will have to check those boxes out. It doesn’t look that big to me. I have a covered box but my cat is so messy – he kicks litter all over the place! I don’t know if the opening on that one would be any different.

    Have you ever watched The Shark Tank? It’s a show where people bring their inventions to millionaire/billionaire investors and see if they can get them to invest in their company or product. Great show!

  • Kristina November 8, 2012, 7:32 pm

    We have that litterbox at home, have had it for our kitties for maybe four years now. It’s nice, but it can be a pain to clean thoroughly. Having to take all the parts out, scrubbing the grate part in the middle (sometimes pee will cake on to there). That’s really my only complaint!

  • S. November 8, 2012, 7:42 pm

    I bought two of these in the larger sizes. Had them for a couple of months. They are great!

    • S. November 8, 2012, 7:42 pm

      Doh, I mean in the smaller size.

  • Stacia November 8, 2012, 11:33 pm

    I once got made fun of for researching litter boxes. I wanted that one but didn’t want to order it. It looks awesome though!

  • Lauren November 9, 2012, 5:38 am

    I don’t know what you use for litter tray contents at the moment, but we’ve found that the crystals work best. It doesn’t make the wee clump, but it does absorb it and doesn’t smell at all. You just scoop out the poop. We clean (our) Pippa’s tray every evening and change the crystals twice a month. It also doesn’t track all over the place when she hops out of her tray. And it doesn’t stick to her claws like the fine clumping sand did, which is WAY more hygienic.

    A random suggestion: grow some grass in a little bowl that Pippa can chew on, they love it and is good for their digestion. We also have an indoor cat and it’s so nice to see her enjoying her mini piece of grass. We got ours from a pet store. It rocks seeing it grow!! Like, we check it every morning!

    Have fun with your friendly Pippa cat! ( I loved the image of James bouncing into a room looking for kitty friend!)

  • Emily November 9, 2012, 7:51 am

    That litter tray is a purrfect idea! I know cleaning the litter tray is in my top 3 most hated chores. There’s special food designed for indoor cats so their stools aren’t as smelly but I guess you don’t need it 🙂

  • Lisa November 9, 2012, 12:13 pm

    Interesting. I might have to check that out.

    Recently joined Amazon prime. It’s awesome! And my bf set up the plan so that it sends us our vitamins every 60 days or so and we don’t have to do anything. It’s automatic. Awesome.

  • Emma November 10, 2012, 5:41 am

    Best cat toy ever… String! Seriously good old fashioned string (maybe you call it twine?) Only thing is you have to be on the other end of it pulling it around the house but our kitty adores her string. A fresh piece is like Christmas round here.

  • Sarah December 7, 2012, 5:33 pm

    While I am deathly allergic to cats… i do agree that AMAZON PRIME IS THE BEST THING EVER!!!!

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