LitterMaid Plus Self-Cleaning Litter Box LM 980 Mega

I purchased the LitterMaid Self-Cleaning Litter Box excited to not have to clean the box. I was not disappointed.

I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE HAPPY!!

The celebration began.

The LitterMaid is amazing, and my cats have loved it. I have used it with three cats, and now use it with one. It has worked well both ways.

Three cats definitely worked it harder, but the results were still good. Having just one cat has been a breeze for it.

The unit is larger than some boxes so you need to make sure that you have a space picked out for it.

The measurements are:

17.7x9.8x28 inches

My one cat weighed almost 25lbs. He was a beautiful boy who loved the LitterMaid. His girth filled the box, but he made it work. So even though it is recommended for cats 15lbs or less it can fit a larger cat.

There is some tracking of the litter, but that is pretty consistent with any litter box. LitterMaid has tried to minimize the tracking litter problem by providing a carpeted ramp which does help the problem. However, the ramp does make the total measurements of the box even larger. Something to consider, but you do not have to install the ramp. You can put a piece of all weather carpet down in its place. Use an all weather piece of carpet so it can easily be washed off if need be. You know, crap happens.

The LitterMaid comes with some starter waste receptacles. I have found that the receptacles can be reused. In fact it is possible to use plastic grocery bags set into the receptacle and then you just have to lift out the bag and put in a clean one. This saves some money on receptacle buying and really does work well. You can buy new receptacles at just about any store that carries pet supplies.

Only premium hard clumping litter will work in the LitterMaid. Trust me I have tried some other litter and it was not a success. I use Scoop Away Complete Performance and it works great.

LitterMaid suggests using:

Littermaid Premium Clumping Cat Litter

World's Best 00558 Cat Litter, Clumping Formula, 34 Pounds (Packaging Varies)
Arm & Hammer Super Scoop Clumping Litter, Unscented, 20-Pounds

Fresh Step Premium Scoopable Clumping Cat Litter Multiple Cat Strength

Ever Clean Multiple Cat Premium Clumping Cat Litter

Just remember that there is no way around this one, use the right litter for the job.

The LitterMaid comes with and AC adapter and takes batteries as a backup power supply. I am not sure why you really need a backup power supply, but it is there if you have action when your power goes off.

It also came with a scoop and rake cleaner. I thought it odd that they would include a scoop when I had no intention of ever scooping again. Apparently there are times when you need to move the litter around or just give the box a good cleaning. I do on occasion have to use the rake cleaner, which is a little brush, because debris can get stuck between the rake prongs. This really doesn’t happen very often, but it is nice to have the brush just in case.

The automatic rake can seem a little frightening; however, it has a safety feature where it will stop if it comes into contact with anything. The motion sensors allow your cat plenty of time to get in, get business done and get out. No problem there.

LitterMaid suggests acclimating your cat and I do think some cats may be a little startled when it goes off. However, they love a clean box so they will appreciate that.

It is not the quietest think in the world so you might have to acclimate yourself to the sound. I have it in my bedroom and I do not even notice it going off. Frankly, I do not remember it ever being a problem for me, but it does make noise.

LitterMaid Plus Self-Cleaning Litter Box  Lm980 Mega Product Features:

Designed for Multi cat households under 15 pounds.

Extra high walls to keep waste inside the box and off the floor

Removable automatic rake for easy cleaning

Motion sensors that activate cleaning cycle, safety bar to stop rake in case of blockage

Dual Power Option that runs on current or 8 D batteries

The sun does shine, and the cats do go, even in the LitterMaid.

You will be loved too if you give your cat a LitterMaid Litter Box.

Conair Pro Moda-Groom Pet Clipper

Poodles can start out looking like this, (keep reading to see how it turns out)

I bought this clipper on sale because I was in desperate need of a clipper because my poodle looked like a gorilla baby.

The Conair Pro Moda-Groom II 2 speed was on sale so I thought I would give it a go because the price was right.

 I am a groomer by trade and own several Oster clippers. I wanted a clipper that the blades were compatible with my Oster. The blade is also compatible with the Andis, and Wahl detachable clippers.

This clipper comes in red or pink with a bag, which I also found to be very nice.  The bag has several zippered sections with pockets to put all the essential grooming needs in, and keep them organized. As a groomer it is essential to have the proper tools handy at all times. Grooming supplies are expensive, so always keep your tools in good repair. Protect your investment I always say.

 I felt like the clipper did a great job, it is not as heavy duty as my Oster clippers, but when grooming small breeds it is plenty powerful. It has two speeds, but often times I only need to use the low speed for it to work well.

These clippers are also light weight and small enough that the strain on your hand is minimal. When grooming multiple dogs in a day the strain can become painful. Try to minimize that strain by exercising your hand between groomings, stress balls are a great way to accomplish this. 

My only complaint is that the on/off and speed switch is located on the palm section of the handle where it is easy to bump when grooming, resulting in it turning up or off. This is not a deal breaker and I would recommend these clippers, in fact I liked them well enough that I bought two.

The cord was long enough to give me moving around room and I like to move around, especially when it comes to grooming wiggly little poodles.

Product Description

* High-torque permanent magnetic rotary motor clipper (picture shown above is red, but only pink available)

* Ideal for body and face cutting on all coat types

* Delivers 3200 strokes per minute

* Ergonomic, lightweight, low-maintenance clipper

* Durable ceramic Detachable blades system (interchangeable with Oster, Andis, Wahl blades) with cryogenic ceramic technology stays over 50% cooler and sharper longer than conventional blades

* 4 Comb attachments (1/4", 1/8", 3/8", 1/2")

* Comes with #10 (Leaves hair 1/16", 1.6mm) detachable blade

* 10' Power Cord

* Comes in its own attractive carrying bag for easy portability

and end up looking like this! 

POODLE PERFECTION!!

Acer Aspire 5534 Laptop

I bought an Acer Aspire 5534 Laptop about 3 years ago for a REALLY cheap price at Walmart. I was in desperate need of a laptop and this was one I could get into for an affordable price. Here are the specs of the laptop.

• AMD Athlon" 64 X2 dual-core processor L310, 1.2GHz Per Processor
• 4GB DDR2 memory / 250GB hard drive
• 15.6" high-definition LED backlit widescreen display
• SuperMulti double-layer DVD drive / Wireless Wi-Fi and wired Ethernet
• Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit edition
• Cases and Expandability
• Weight: 6 pounds

Okay, I knew it was a cheap laptop so I wasn't expecting much. However, I LOVE IT!! Now I don’t do anything super fancy with it. I mainly surf the web and do things on Microsoft office. However, I do have some more complicated photo editing software downloaded on it and it handles everything really well. Now I am one of those people that can’t stand a slow computer, it drives me crazy. The Aspire 5534 may not be the fastest, but it is fast enough for me to do everything I want it to do. Three years later and the laptop is still fast and still working great. I also love that it comes with a keyboard that includes the number pad. Just a small thing but it is really nice. The only problem with it is the CD/DVD drive is a little flimsy. I also didn’t like that I had to buy Microsoft Office separately but I think that is somewhat standard in laptop purchases so I wasn’t surprised.

All in all, I would recommend this laptop to anyone. It is a good affordable laptop that will work for anyone looking to do basic tasks.