Kitten Stork

Review by Kathy J. O’bryant:

The large holes and sturdiness of this scoop makes cleaning the boxes quicker than most, even the larger, wider models.

It is much sturdier than some of the larger scoops, making it easier to get to the bottom of the box, since some of the furfolk like to go to China before they can use the box.

The smaller size makes it easier to scoop around the furfolk when they just ‘have’ to use the box while you’re scooping.

Review by Hazel Watson:

I wanted cheap, and this scoop IRIS Cat Litter Scoop, Navy was under .00. When it came I thought it was too small to be worthwhile, but to my surprise, it’s my favorite! With multiple cats, we have multiple litter pans, with a scoop at each. This one is sturdy and works as well as any of them, plus it hooks onto the side of the pan! Easy on my arthritic hands, too. I recommend it to anyone in the market for a litter scoop!

Review by Chicken Jim:

I’ve tried several scoops for clumping litter over the past few years, from simple molded plastic scoops, to high end plastic and wire scoops. This is the best one I’ve found.

It’s made of chrome-plated, cast steel, with a wide, deep scoop. The scoop is slotted to sift litter from clumps and small bits of feces, and has steel-shafted handle covered by a comfortable rubberized grip. Box cleaning is quick, and I can use this scoop to remove those clumps that get cemented to the cat box bottom without worrying about breaking a plastic handle.

This scoop costs a few dollars more, but it’s well worth the price.

Review by Charles B. Firth:

The DuraScoop is not chrome plated steel, it is solid cast aluminum and hand polished to a mirror finish. As such, the finish will not eventually peel off or rust. It can oxidize like any aluminum utensil and become dull but it will not rust like steel or other iron-based metal.

Review by Ashok Aiyar:

The ScoopFree automated litter-box is the best thing that’s happened to my two cats. They have a clean litter-box five minutes after they’re done, and I need to clean it just once a week. That being said, ScoopFree Litter Tray Refills are expensive, running about 0 every two months. So like many others in the “ScoopFree family”, I switched from using the pre-packaged trays to the permanent Forever Litter Tray®, designed by Rick Weldon. This works very well, and has significantly dropped the cost of use, and can be used with any crystal litter that is small enough to fit between the grills of the ScoopFree. And therein lie two problems: 1) A crystal size that is too small is less effective at absorbing liquids; 2) Most pre-packaged litter is sold in 8 lb bags (eg. FreshStep) – and each fill of the ScoopFree Litter Tray takes 4.4 lbs.

In one move, Just the Crystals solves both problems. It is a perfect fit for the ScoopFree grill, and not so small that it doesn’t soak up liquids efficiently. Also, it is shipped as two 4.4 lbs per box – which is two refills of the ScoopFree. The litter doesn’t have as much of a perfume associated with it as FreshStep, and is close to being completely perfume-free. The ratio of white to blue crystals is skewed toward white – this makes it easier to visually the state of the litter, and rake it if necessary.

Finally, what could be more convenient than having it delivered straight to your door? This is a quality product that perfectly complements that Forever Litter Tray®.

I recommend the product very very highly!

[Edited 5-8-2010 with some tips ...]

I’ve noticed that the negative reviews of this product complain about two issues: a) poor absorbance, and consequently more frequent litter changes; and b) odor control. We have two large Maine Coons (>15 lb), and yet change the litter only every two weeks. During this time, the cats have used the litter box between 55 – 65 times (about 2 times per cat per day). Here is what we do, using suggestions from Rick Weldon’s Forever Litter Tray website.

1) We rake the litter twice a week.

2) We have a small fan diagonally above the Scoopfree that continuously blows a gentle breeze on the litter.

3) I scoop the dried poop after 1 week because our cats poop a lot.

4) We clip an old sock filled with 1-2 oz of activated charcoal above the litter box. We replace the activated charcoal in the sock every month, but it can probably go much longer.

With the raking and fan, no more than 20% of the crystals are water-saturated after two weeks (chalky white or blue in appearance). Scooping the poop at the end of the first week and using activated charcoal provides really good odor control. The fan probably helps with this as well.

Before we started using these tips from Rick’s website, I had to change the litter every week – sometimes after 5 days otherwise one of our cats, Allie – who’s really fastidious, would pee and/or poop right outside the Scoopfree. I started with steps 1 & 3, and that helped quite a bit; Allie would get queasy around the 10 days time-point. After adding 2 & 4 we’ve never had an issue for as long as we’ve tested – which is two weeks.

I hope this helps …..

Review by Charlie Howard:

UPDATE September 27, 2010.

Changed rating from 3 stars to 4 stars.

1. No more jams. Added small plastic sleeves to the lifting mechanism of the litter box, and it solved the problem.

2. As others have noted, Target no longer sells their own brand, so the price comparison now is between genuine ScoopFree crystals and JTC. JTC’s price went up by a dollar recently, so it costs a bit more at Amazon than Scoopfree costs at Target; but considering Amazon’s free delivery to my doorstep and the pre-measured bags, the convenience is worth the difference.

3. JTC now lasts longer than before, usually about two weeks (for two cats). The litter box has a counter, and with stirring, JTC can go about 50 cycles before needing replacement. This is almost as good as ScoopFree, but I think JTC needs more frequent stirring, or liquid begins to accumulate sooner at the bottom of the tray.

4. I think ScoopFree does a slightly better job of controlling odor. The litter box is in the garage, so this isn’t a serious problem for me, but if it had to be in the house, I’d run more comparison tests to be certain about this.

So why 4, not 5 stars? Because, if it was more convenient for me to shop at Target, I’d still be buying the ScoopFree crystals because they seem to last longer, don’t need stirring quite as soon, and seem to do a better job of odor control. Since Target is a bit of a trip, I’ll continue buying JTC through Amazon.

P.S. The vendor provides excellent customer support for his products. Who’d a thunk that could matter with silica gel for a litter box? but it does.

==Original Review follows==

My cats have been using the Forever Litter tray for 2-1/2 years. It works well and being able to refill it cuts operating costs in half, as compared with ScoopFree’s cartridges.

Mostly, I was buying the 8-pound ScoopFree Crystals at Target, and with 2 cats, half a jug lasted 10-15 days. Then, Target raised the price and introduced its own brand for .59, so, taking the hint, I switched. The Target brand works well enough, but not quite as well as Scoopfree’s. Half a jug lasts about 10 days, rarely 14; and there’s more of a “crunch” sound when the rake moves under the blue lid of the catbox.

Now, I’ve tried “Just the Crystals” (JTC), and have mixed feelings about it:

Pros: Convenience: 1. pre-measured, 2. delivered to your door

Cons: 3. costs more than Target’s house-brand; 4. does NOT last longer; 5. more likely to jam the machine.

Explanation and details:

1. PRE-MEASURED: The JTC box contains two 4.4 pound bags, so you just open a bag and dump it into the (cleaned and empty) Forever Tray. The other brands come in 8-pound jugs, so you have to estimate when you’ve poured out the first half (I’m now weighing the jug with a package scale). As anyone who uses the Forever Tray knows, quantity is critical: unlike clay litter systems, you can’t get away with just pouring an approximate quantity.

2. DELIVERED: no-brainer here. I rarely go to Target except to buy cat litter and cat treats, so JTC wins this one hands-down (and paws-down); and it’s worth paying a bit extra for this convenience.

3. COSTS MORE: a box of JTC is .99; a jug of Target’s house brand is .59 (plus possible sales tax). Each is good for two “cycles” (one cycle is about 10 days with my 2 cats). The argument that you’re getting more litter doesn’t hold up, because of point #4, below: more litter doesn’t mean it lasts longer. What matters is cost-per-year. Even allowing for sales tax, JTC will cost about .15 more per cycle, or /year more. That must be balanced against the convenience factors, both of which are valuable.

4. DOES NOT LAST LONGER: the first bag of JTC lasted barely 8 days. I stretched the second one to 10 days, but really should have replaced it sooner. The Target brand has never lasted less than 10 days, and the genuine ScoopFree usually lasted 12-15 days. So, even though there’s an extra 0.4 pounds of crystals with JTC, it didn’t translate into longer useful life. And yes, I stirred and aerated the crystals regularly.

5. MORE LIKELY TO JAM THE MACHINE: this is a biggie. The reason why the quantity of crystal litter is critical with the ScoopFree Self-Cleaning Litter Box is that too little will leave large bare areas in the Tray, while too much will cause the rake to jam (and twist!) when it gets to the covered receptacle area. The extra 0.4 pounds seems to be too much for my machine … sometimes. Not always, but a couple of times a week. NOTE: I’m using the 2nd generation of Forever Litter Tray, and think the ridge on the bottom may be the culprit. Previously, I’d been using the 1st gen version, and do not recall EVER having a jam with it. With this 2nd gen Tray, I’ve also had jams with Target’s litter and Scoopfree’s, but only when I put in more than half a jug. (That’s why I weigh things now.) I suppose a solution to both points 4 and 5 would be to take about a cup of crystals out and set them aside, until enough have accumulated to use as a “bonus” refill; but a better solution might be for JTC to reduce the quantity to 8 pounds and the price by 10%.

BOTTOM LINE: Will I buy it again? Not sure. For now, I’m planning to just stock up every few months at Target; and I may try going back to the 1st gen Forever Tray to see whether the jamming is caused by the Tray or by the litter box mechanism itself.

DO I RECOMMEND IT: Depends. Your results might be slightly better than mine. If you don’t live near a Target store, and do use Amazon Prime, then yes, I’d definitely recommend it. Just monitor things for a while to make sure the larger quantity isn’t causing jams.

Review by Ali:

I’ve got four healthy active young cats…do the math.

I will absolutely never use anything other than a metal scooper. The are durable, cleaner, and just plain better at getting those more difficult deposits out of the litter.

Review by Seymour:

This is the same litter scoop that I used for over 15 years before it finally started wearing down. The slots are a good size–easy to sift out waste without taking the litter with it.

Review by Sabes:

This works OK, but I still wish they would make a scooper that was better in the fine sand that is being used today. Even in the “clumpable” litter there are breaks and you have to try to get every piece and these slots just allow the small pieces to go through and be missed. I keep thinking someday someone will get it right, but not yet.

The handle could be a little longer so that you don’t have to be so close to the dirt and box area. These have to be modified anyway because the scoop are is too flat. Both sides have to be bent in some to make it easier to keep the clumps in the scoop. Still since there isn’t much else that work I’ll keep using these type since it isn’t plastic and doesn’t break after a few uses.