Answers
One question, one straight answer
76 questions, each on its own page, each answered in a few hundred words rather than buried at the bottom of a listicle. Where the honest answer is "your filter is clogged", it says so.
Devices
How each type works, what fails first, and what the specification on the box actually means.
- Are cheap pet devices worth buying?
- Are expensive automatic litter boxes worth it?
- Will an automatic pet machine bother my neighbors?
- Are second-hand pet devices worth buying?
- Do automatic litter boxes need Wi-Fi?
- Do I need a camera if I already have a tracker?
- Do I need a pet scale at home?
- Do I need an app for these devices?
- Do pet cameras work without internet?
- Do automatic pet devices use much electricity?
- Does a cat water fountain actually help?
- How long do these machines last?
- How loud are automatic pet machines, really?
- How much should I spend on an automatic litter box?
- What can a pet camera actually tell me?
- What happens if the manufacturer shuts down the app?
- What happens to the data these devices collect?
Consumables
Which litter, which filter, which blade — and why the wrong one jams a machine or kills a pump.
- Are disposable litter trays worth it?
- Can I mix two types of cat litter?
- Can I use crystal litter in a clumping machine?
- Can I use generic replacement parts?
- Do I need a litter box liner?
- Do I need a litter disposal bin?
- How do I dispose of cat litter?
- How long does a carbon filter last in a litter box?
- How long does crystal litter last?
- How often should I change a pet fountain filter?
- How often should I replace a grooming brush?
- Is scented litter a problem?
- Is tofu litter any good?
- What does an automatic litter box cost to run?
- What consumables will I need in the first year?
- What litter works in an automatic litter box?
- Where should I buy replacement parts?
Doors & access
Chip standards, locking modes, tunnels through thick walls, and the cat that will not use the flap.
- Can a cat flap keep other cats out?
- Can a dog use a cat flap?
- Can I fit a cat flap in a uPVC door?
- Can I fit a cat flap in a window?
- Can I take a cat flap with me when I move?
- Do I need to re-register my cat’s chip with the flap?
- Do microchip cat flaps need batteries?
- Does a cat flap let cold air in?
- How do I keep my cat in at night?
- How do I stop another cat coming through the flap?
- How thick a wall can a cat flap go through?
- What is the difference between a cat flap and a pet door?
- Why has my cat flap stopped recognizing my cat?
- Will a microchip cat flap work with my cat’s chip?
Getting it accepted
Noise, smell and habit: why an animal refuses a working machine, and what changes that.
- How do I get a dog used to a grooming vacuum?
- How do I groom a cat that hates being brushed?
- How do I groom a dog that won’t stand still?
- How do I keep a grooming session calm?
- Why does my cat perch on the edge of the litter box?
- How do I switch my cat’s litter without upsetting them?
- Should I keep the old litter tray after buying an automatic box?
- Why did my cat stop using the automatic box?
- What if my cat refuses a long cat flap tunnel?
- Why does my cat use the box immediately after I clean it?
- Why does my cat scratch outside the litter box?
- Why won’t my cat drink from the new fountain?
- Why won’t my cat use the self-cleaning litter box?
Cleaning the gear
Biofilm in a fountain, a furred impeller, a seal that has hardened — the maintenance nobody photographs.
- Can I repair these devices myself?
- Can I put a pet fountain in the dishwasher?
- Can I use tap water in a pet fountain?
- How do I clean a cat flap?
- How do I clean a grooming vacuum?
- How do I clean a treat dispenser?
- How do I clean an automatic feeder?
- How do I clean an automatic litter box?
- How do I descale a pet appliance?
- How do I know if my cat’s water fountain is clean?
- How long do pet fountain pumps last?
- What should I check first when a pet machine stops working?
- What should I do with an old pet device?
- Why does my litter box say the drawer is full when it isn’t?
- Why is my pet fountain suddenly noisy?