NON- Pet immune motion sensors?

[86turbodsl]

Please forgive my ignorance, but I'm wondering if there are NON pet immune sensors available?

Let me explain:

I have a couple of cats and the litter box is in the powder room downstairs. When you have multiple cats,
they don't cover the turds up. We want to use the motion sensor in the powder room to also turn on the bath
fan for 5 minutes or so to clear the room then shut off. To do that I need a non-PIR sensor.

 

[Monk]

Please forgive my ignorance, but I'm wondering if there are NON pet immune sensors available?

Let me explain:

I have a couple of cats and the litter box is in the powder room downstairs. When you have multiple cats,
they don't cover the turds up. We want to use the motion sensor in the powder room to also turn on the bath
fan for 5 minutes or so to clear the room then shut off. To do that I need a non-PIR sensor.

First off - PIR - stands for "Passive Infrared" and means nothing re: "Pet Immune" (Someone correct me if I am wrong! Don't think I am)

You want a detector that your cats WILL trip - super sensitive, etc.. a quick look shows This might be workable, tho others will have their own suggestions.

 

[nonumnos]

Without searching, there are non-immune ones out there. Generally speaking, if they aren't labeled immune, they're not immune, but I'm sure the guys that do this stuff for a living (that includes incurable DIYers since their wives let them live despite the chaos!) can actually quote brands and model numbers.

As for not covering up ... I'm willing to bet ONE cat is trying for dominance in particular. Depending on the ages find that cat, catch them in the act, hold them in the box and use the scoop to cover. A few times of that and they will get the hint that it is best for them to be the one cover it -- also, that sorta makes you the "alpha" cat. ;-)

 

[Digger]

Even a "Non" Pet Immune detector may not pick up a cat if its installed at its intended height.

If you install a motion down around 2 or 3 feet off of the ground and aimed correctly a cat should easily trip it.

 

[robolo]

That is way TMI

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

also, that sorta makes you the "alpha" cat. ;-)

That could also be "Top Cat"!

 

[programmergeek]

The trouble is what if they just walk in the room the fan will turn on wasting heat etc... Also they are not really that reliable with something that small if covering the whole room if you point it into a cornor or a small area it might be. I would use a ir beam in frount of the litter box. and get a litter box with a cover helps 100%. I forget which one I have but amazon sells it it has a cover and you tip it 180 deg to clean it the remove the tray and dump it. I highly recomend it.

 

[nsisman]

The trouble is what if they just walk in the room the fan will turn on wasting heat etc... Also they are not really that reliable with something that small if covering the whole room if you point it into a cornor or a small area it might be. I would use a ir beam in frount of the litter box. and get a litter box with a cover helps 100%. I forget which one I have but amazon sells it it has a cover and you tip it 180 deg to clean it the remove the tray and dump it. I highly recomend it.

If you have an x10 motion sensor MS13 and a covered litter box try to mount the sensor right in the litter box ( likely facing down would be best) !

I've used these as mouse detectors for years with no problems.

 

[icellama21]

The trouble is what if they just walk in the room the fan will turn on wasting heat etc... Also they are not really that reliable with something that small if covering the whole room if you point it into a cornor or a small area it might be. I would use a ir beam in frount of the litter box. and get a litter box with a cover helps 100%. I forget which one I have but amazon sells it it has a cover and you tip it 180 deg to clean it the remove the tray and dump it. I highly recomend it.

Someone makes an auto-cleaning litter box. But, if I remember it can get jammed up and may scare the cats (motorized scooper rakes the crap out). If you're at the end of your wits it may be something to try.

 

[felixrosbergen]

wow...somebody actually figured out how why cats do what they do and how to make them do somethng you want them to do?

Pay that man a lot of money, and let him try and figure my wife out next.

 

[nonumnos]

Pay that man a lot of money, and let him try and figure my wife out next.

@MavRic: A cat might scratch my eyes out, but exceeding the wife anger threshold is not something I am foolish enough to attempt!

 

[rickm]

This won't help the original poster. It's just what I have done that works amazingly well and that I'm quite proud of...

I happen to have a house with a main floor laundry area, but the the laundry was moved to the basement when the basement was developed. The unused main floor laundry area has a dryer vent going straight through an outside wall (no run of vent hose involved), and this vent hole is about a foot off the floor. I mounted a 12V computer fan in the dryer vent. I snipped off the fan's corner mounting tabs to make it more round, and packed a bit of cloth around it to make it snug. I run the fan with a 12V AC/DC adapter that I found in a drawer. I built an enclosure around the vent. Since the vent was near the corner of two walls, the enclosure only has a top and one side, if you can picture that. The littler box and the van and vent are all inside the enclosure. The enclosure is about 3 feet deep and about 26 inches high. This means the litter box can be pushed back at least a foot from the front of the enclosure to contain the fumes. The fan runs 24/7 and there is absolutely no odor in the house when you enter the door that's right next to the enclosure. I don't even notice when the cat doesn't manage to cover the UFOs properly.

It works so well that if and when I ever move, I will have an eye out for a place for a litter box and I will install such a vent if I have to. I'm in Canada so I suppose I'm adding to my winter heating bills by sucking out warm air but I haven't tried to measure this.

Another thing I will never be without is the litter box in the link. I thought it was gimmicky when I first saw it in the store, but the store owner convinced me and I gave it a try. It changed my life. The large size could be a bit larger but my 15lb Ragdoll gets by just fine.

http://www.omegapaw.com/RollAwayReg.html

Of course, the above gives no satisfaction for the home automater. I have a photo-sensitive night light by the enclosure opening so the cat can see at night. One could replace this with a non-pet immune PIR to operate the light, just because you can. However, I do not recommend turning the 12V fan off an on. Running 24/7 is key, I figure.

 

[86turbodsl]

Yeah, I'm not too interested in venting my house more than it is. I spent UBER$ to make it tight. Just a bit of fan to clear the air then off is the goal.
My current location for the PIR is near the ceiling. Dont' think that'll work unless I can angle it more down.