u/GarlicBastard

Photo of my curious idiots, just because <3

How on earth did you get your over-curious cats to leave the LR alone while it cycles??

My LR will start a clean cycle, my cats will hear it and come running (one or both of them), and they’ll stand right up on the step and poke their heads into the globe. They don’t try to get in it while it cycles, but they’re really interested in whatever it’s doing. Of course as soon as they get there, the LR detects them and pauses the cycle. After a minute or two of stillness, they lose interest and they sit a few feet away waiting for movement. When it resumes the cleaning cycle, they do the same thing all over again. They will do this for (seemingly) forever.

We’ve had the LR for about two weeks now. Day 1 I tried to let it run a clean cycle at a scheduled time, and the cats interrupted it 8 times before I got up to intervene. Since then it’s been on 24hr sleep mode, and I’ve been running clean cycles manually when the cats aren’t in the room or when there’s other noises to drown out the hum of the LR. They’ve caught me guarding the LR while it cycles a few times, but usually not until it’s nearly finished and/or the litter hopper dispenses. Any time I’ve tried to let it cycle non-strategically, they’re right back to their curious shenanigans and the LR can’t finish a cycle. At this point I’m just concerned they’re gonna jump in one of the times they’ve interrupted it and just cause more chaos.

Do I just… let them interrupt it several dozen times? They’re remarkably persistent and I honestly believe they could do this for an hour straight without getting bored, but I don’t want the constant start-stop to put any undue strain on the machine, nor do I want 30 notifications (which I do want enabled) that a cycle was interrupted again

Hi! I know this has been discussed before, but I have specific needs and want input from people with SIMILAR experiences. I understand some of you hate lightweight litter just because you have a better litter you prefer, or because it tracks more etc., but that isn’t the input I need. I’m hoping for responses from people who regularly use a lightweight litter and/or who have similar needs that influence their litter choice.

I have two cats and I’ve been using Tidy Cats lightweight free and clear in their regular litterbox for 5yrs. I am physically disabled, and completely unable to lift/move a 40lb bucket of litter, but can handle the 17lb without much difficulty, which is why I chose this litter years ago. That being said, I do love this litter. I understand it’s not the BEST litter on the market, but it works well enough for me and meets my needs. The tracking is manageable (my cats keep themselves well groomed, which helps), the dust is fine as long as you don’t pour a ton of litter at once (I use a cup for this anyway so I don’t have to lift the bucket), and it doesn’t irritate my asthma or allergies. I’ve never had a reason to change litters.

I finally bought a LR4, which came in this week. I’ve read suuuuper mixed things on this sub about lightweight litters, but it always seems to come down to “just deal with the heavier litter.” So how do you all manage this when the heavier litter isn’t a sustainable solution? Is there a lw litter that performs best? Is there a way to mitigate some of the downsides? It seems like TC might be more prone to making the globe messy, but Ik they aren’t the only lw option. I’m totally open to switching *within* the category of lw litters if there’s one that performs better in the LR, but a 40lb bucket of litter just isn’t a realistic option for me.

Note because I’m sure someone will ask: I am completely independent, and my partner’s job involves several-month-long absences from home, so no, there is nobody available to just do it for me all the time.

Cats won’t let the bot cycle?