Cleaning litterbox using a shop vac - good idea bad idea

Post date: 2020-04-01 12:48:25

So I am doing some studies about the best way to clean a litter box that doesn't make a big mess and doesn't ask the kitties to adjust to any kind of change. So what if I used a dedicated shop vac that had a filter bag inside? What could go wrong? Please tell me.

In my last question I asked about what solutions are existing for a clean litter experience and it seems like the best ones all require the kitties to adjust to something new, and I'm afraid to do that because they'll pee my bed if they don't like it and I just can't deal with that right now.

So I've been trying to analyze how I do the litter and what needs to happen for me to not hate every second of it (I used to be more easygoing than this).

I made a prototype of a shovel that has a hole at the end connected to a tube (right now it's made out of a plastic bag because I can't just run out and get tubing) that goes into a collection bag, so as you shovel all the bad stuff goes down the tube and into a bag and you never have to see it again. Then I wanted to attach the shovel to a stick so I didn't have to bend down.

In this model, I don't really care about filtering out clumps from not-clumps because the not-clumps aren't necessarily clean and I don't want them to go back into the box. Just get everything out and I will buy more litter is my strategy.

Then I realized that what I created was a vacuum without the vacuum.
So I thought, could I just use a vacuum?

I did some googling and the advice says don't use a vacuum because:
1. You will damage your regular vacuum and make it stink.
2. You will get yucky particles all over your house.

OK fine. But what if I bought a dedicated shop vac that could handle wet/dry messes and never used it for anything else?

Before I spend any money on this I thought I would see if there were any downsides I'm not thinking of.

If there are significant downsides I'll keep working on my manual idea. Thanks for your help!

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