cats

Disagree, if you need a custom big machine made, there are some really good people on AliExpress.

I have had a couple of customized CNC machines custom built for a fraction of the price it would have cost to have it done over here. Even with the shipping costs it came out cheaper. And the people were really helpful, they use machines like mine all the time so they know their stuff. They offered really good advice and were excited to work with me. It's a bit butt clenching to fork over a lot of cash and hope a big ass pallet shows up 4 months later, but they've come through for me every time. YMMV.

Temu on the other hand can fuck off. It's just a scam site like Wish.

The issue here though is that these were being sold by AliExpress through Amazon. Amazon has much more public trust than companies like AliExpress or Temu, so people aren't going to be immediately suspicious of everything for sale on there.

Yeah, nah, I'm not gonna pay 10x the price for a knockoff arduino from a local seller that just buys it from AliExpress anyway. There's no better place to get electronic components and modules without bankrupting yourself

And try to avoid Chinese products whenever possible.

i used to buy plenty from aliexpress. its generally pretty damn good.

Most people are used to devices being at least somewhat safe. They don't expect devices they buy from a large online retailer to be that bad. A flaw here and there, sure, but basically a 100% chance of death? Yeah, that's not exactly to expect.

The problem is this automatic litter box was bought from Amazon, which was being resold from Aliexpress. People have some level of trust in Amazon. Misplaced trust I would say, as it becomes littered with sketchy 3rd party sellers who have no responsibility to their customers.

Huh, I never really put much thought into that

My cat fountain uses a USB cable, so hopefully it's only like 5v when it leaves the brick/adapter.

The water fountain is a game changer, my male cat absolutely loves it. He washes his paws in bowls and doesn't drink much, but with the fountain he drinks a ton of water.

I bought a refurbished litter robot about a year ago, and was initially aghast at myself for spending that kind of money for it, but now I am convinced it was worth the price.

It has made one of IMO the worst parts of cat ownership significantly easier, with the upside of being better for the cats as well.

Even with the high price I would recommend.

I wanted one but the automatic ones are WAY out of my price range, so I got an Omega Paw Roll' N Clean that I absolutely LOVE!

It makes taking care of litter almost completely effortless at a fraction of the price of the robot ones and it's economical to use too:

You just put clumping litter in, roll it to deposit the refuse into the handy drawer, roll it back to put the clean litter back in, and empty the drawer.

It takes me mere seconds a day to clean up after two adult cats, and it's cheap enough to buy and use that I can afford to give them that GOOD kitty kibble without neglecting their sanitary needs!

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Omega Paw, except as a thoroughly satisfied customer 😁

The advice I've always heard is that if you can do it yourself, it's always better. Animals can't tell you that they're sick, so every bit of info you can get on how they're doing is important. Having the machine automatically clean the litter box deprives you of that option.

With that being said, a clean litterbox is also really important. I plan on getting a couple of cats in the next 5 years after I've gotten my shit together (cats and incredibly messy houses don't mix), and I will probably get an automatic litter box because I don't want my depressive episodes to result in my cats being miserable. As this post shows, you should do your research. Find a litter box that has been endorsed by multiple unrelated reviewers if possible. Some of these boxes are dangerous, and many of them are kinda worthless.

The video in the OP was recommended to me a few days ago and was my introduction to this whole fiasco. This person has done a ton of reviews and has a couple of boxes he'd recommend.

EDIT: I literally linked to the video in the OP... I thought it was the video from one of the people who had a cat die.

Yup, I have a Litter Robot 4 and we love it. It saves a ton on little costs, but was a massive upfront cost.

Easier to travel and the litter stay clean, it's always clean for the cats and they love it. We're big fans.

I have a litter robot 3 and it's great. It was costly but I've probably already made a significant amount back on litter cost. The cats took some time to get used to it and one of them refused without adding a set of steps to get in but all in all they seem happy 18months later.

I bought a LitterRobot last year at the urging of a family member. It's awesome. Money well spent, especially because one of our kitties tries to bury but scratches the walls and fails.

I did cry watching that. What the fuck man, how hard is it to make a litter box that doesn't kill pets!?!! You had one job!