Ah, cleaning the litter box. Just one of the sacrifices we make in exchange for years of love. Not a bad deal for us animal lovers. Even so, there have been days where I wished for a hazardous spill suit while cleaning out our 2-cat household's litter box. Although we feed them dry cat food, some days it's stronger than others if you get my drift.

I had no idea that this item existed and was seriously thinking about buying a Diaper Genie (I've heard they're great for babies, but expensive) to put next to the cat box. I was absolutely thrilled to find one online and it didn't take long for me to put one in my shopping cart along with four refills (the Plus model comes with a refill to start with). Now the cat litter area (which is in a secluded but still visible to guests area of our home) is so much neater.

Before, I had a dirty scoop in an old coffee can, a grocery plastic bag dispenser/bags and a step can that had to be Lysol-ed and emptied just about every day. Now, there's a LitterLocker Plus and a covered cat box...it really looks neat and tidy! The LitterLocker is made of sturdy plastic and includes 4 rubber feet so it won't mar floors. But that's just some of the great things about this item. It's SO easy to use and does just what it's advertised to do.

Sure, it's going to be a little confusing at first but once you get it, you'll get it. NO smells, no visible waste. The contained 7-ply bags are made of a thin, transparent odor-barrier plastic. With normal "loads", the cartridge doesn't need to be changed for TWO months (even so, used bags can be removed at any time)!!! It's the next best thing to clumping cat litter.

An additional note about my purchase of this item: at the time of this review, I bought mine online at the price shown and have seen it for $19.99 to $29.99, so shop around for the best deal!!!

Using the LitterLocker Plus is simple. As it already includes it’s own litter scoop (which is held in it’s own little “top station” –the actual scooper part is out of view but you can see the handle sticking up in the pic), just remove the scoop from the top receptacle, flip open the top lid and scoop the waste into the Locker (the inside of the Locker when viewed from the open lid looks like the inside of a toilet bowl with a bag in it…it’s like someone is holding the bag open for you and you're looking inside of the bag). When through, replace the litter scoop in it's holder and turn the side handle one full turn (it will “click” into place once a full turn has been made [won’t “over-turn"] to reduce wasted bag space). The LitterLocker’s turning action wraps the waste bags around a reel inside of the Locker, and thus contains the litter waste and opens a new waste space for the next cleaning…you can actually see this being done, as the action is viewable when the lid is open (or if you don’t want to see it, close the lid…it works either way). Flip close the lid and you’re done!

Emptying is also simple and it can be done at ANY time. Pressing on a button on the front of the Locker (unlocks the unit), lift up on the front part of the Locker and the lid will swing open, front to back. Cut the exposed “endless-bag” on the inner child-safety cutter (no need to tie a knot in the end of the bag, as it’s going into the trash). Grasp the handles that are normally turned, as the handles are always connected to the reel that rolls the waste…this will allow you to lift the handles as well as the entire reel out of the LitterLocker (you’re holding the handles and not touching the waste). Just separate the reel into two parts by grasping it on the handle areas at each side and pulling -one side will easily come apart. Tilt the handle with the roll of waste on it when you’re ready to dispose and the waste that’s wrapped around the reel will slide off of the reel and drop straight into the trash!!! If you’re disposing a partial roll, follow directions above, tie a knot in the cut off part of the endless-bag bottom that is being pulled from the still-full cartridge, thread it into the spool system, turn the handle as you close the lid and the Locker is again ready for service! Your hands NEVER come into contact with the waste, and as the waste is contained in the bags, the whole operation is completely odorless…you won’t get that nasty “wind” that you may be used to from closing plastic grocery bags full of waste (Yucky! I DON’T miss that at all).

The cartridge resembles a packing tape roll, except that it’s hollow and is pre-stuffed with one long “endless bag”. The hollow roll is opened from one side when refilling. The end of the "endless bag" will be exposed, and this is the part that needs to be initially sealed by tying in order to refill the LitterLocker. When the outside handles are turned, more bags are automatically pulled from the cartridge! It’s amazing how much bag is stuffed into a single cartridge…it’s almost like that magician’s trick where they keep pulling and pulling on a handkerchief! It states on the website that the cartridges will last up to TWO months per cat!!! As we have 2 cats and I empty the litter box twice a day, I use a lot of bags and don’t really have an accurate time-frame to share w/you…it’ll really depend on frequency of cleanings and the number of cats.

Refilling the endless-bag cartridge is also easy as can be: Remove the empty cartridge and dispose. Taking a new cartridge, just pull on the plastic ring at the top of the cartridge to remove it (this will partially expose the “endless-bag” inside). Discard the ring and pull out the exposed bag (about 6-8 inches or so need to be pulled out at this time), tuck into the cartridge’s center opening and tie a knot in the end (so the knot is outside of the bottom of the “bag” you just made and is exposed). Remove the top lid section of the LitterLocker (the component that normally gets flipped open when cleaning). Place the cartridge into the LitterLocker (bag and knot should now be inside of the Locker) and lock into place. Thread the knot you made into the spool/reel system (the area it needs to be threaded into is very obvious). While closing the lid, turn the outer side handle one full turn until you hear a clicking sound. This will begin wrapping the bags around the inner reel and will prime the unit for use.

For more "technical" information on the use of this product, I recommend visiting the maker's website.

1) Go to: www.petmate.com

2) Under the products menu, select "Cat Stuff". You may or may not have to click on "Go"...the site seems to transport me there immediately.

3) Search for and click on "Litterlocker Plus" (can be found under the "Litter pans" menu)

There's a short movie, a commercial and interactive demos on how to use this item, including, installing a new odor bag refill, cleaning the litter box and emptying the LitterLocker. Please note that some of these features require Windows Media Player, which can be downloaded from the site for free.

These features as well as company contact information (email, phone, fax) which can be found on the site will help to answer any questions you may have in regards to use of this product.

On a separate note, I also recommend buying a covered litter box with some kind of replaceable filter system (we have an extra large Van Ness that requires two 3-month filters...the filters work to reduce the "ammonia" smell from cat urine)...it'll also eliminate the problem of litter being thrown out of the box as kitty digs. A high-quality dustless clumping litter is also extremely important...for kitty's health as well as your sanity. In addition, I also have a litter mat in front of the box to catch most of the stray granules that get caught between kitty's toes and a plug-in Hamilton Beach True Air air cleaner (needs to be within six feet of odor source)...the pet odors filter is a small charcoal-type pad that lasts up to 120 days and can be run continually (I only run it for about an hour or two after I clean the litter box, but some days, I run it almost all day...it does make a whirring sound from the fan inside). A lot of these items can be found at discount prices (look on ebay, too), so again, shop around!

This product will make life for EVERYONE so much easier and a lot more pleasant!!!

Recommended: Yes