If you have a cat, you know how picky, perfect, and just plain weird they can be. Most of the complaints lodged against cats are people not understanding they’re not dogs; their behavior can be a bit tricker and more aloof. The next-biggest cat complaint is that litter boxes are stinky, and you don’t want another creature’s poop just hanging out in your house. Regardless, thanks to ever-evolving and growing pet tech, automatic cat litter boxes have provided a solution to the smelly litter box problem.
Rudimentary automatic litter boxes have been around since the late ’80s. These early models featured an automatic rake attachment (much like the Pet Zone Smart Scoop box, below) but had problems with reliability and loudness. It wasn’t until the 2010s that litter boxes started incorporating advanced tech like Wi-Fi and app control. In the decade since, that technology has continuously grown and improved, with most automatic litter boxes providing insight into your cats’ habits and health—truly becoming an asset in understanding your feline friends even better.
We (and our cats) tested some of the highest-rated and most technologically advanced automatic litter boxes on the market for a week or more, using standard clay clumping litter unless otherwise indicated, to see if they were really worth the money—or the hype. As with all pet products, make sure you thoroughly research which automatic litter boxes are best suited for your lifestyle and your cat. We don’t recommend automatic litter boxes that close completely (all of the ones on our list of recommendations remain open through cleaning cycles), because of the potential that the machine could not sense the cat and kill it during its automatic cycle.
Check out our related guides, like the Best Automatic Feeders, Our Favorite Fancy Cat Furniture and, Our Favorite Cat Toys, Litter Boxes, and Other Feline Supplies. More of a dog person? We’ve got you covered; see our Best Accessories and Tech Essentials for Your Dog.
Updated November 2024: We’ve added the Petkit PuraMax 2 and PetSnowy Snow+ Self-Cleaning Litter Box and updated links and prices throughout.
Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting that’s too important to ignore for just $2.50 $1 per month for 1 year. Includes unlimited digital access and exclusive subscriber-only content. Subscribe Today.
How Do Automatic Litter Boxes Work?
Automatic litter boxes vary depending on the brand and litter box type. Generally, they have sensors, either by motion or weight, to tell when a cat has entered or exited the litter box. Usually customizable and controlled via app on your phone, or on a more rudimentary timer system, the cleaning cycle will begin a short time after the cat has used the box. With the dome-shaped litter boxes, the cleaning will happen via a cycle where the litter spins and rotates around the spherical interior; the bigger soiled clumps will be deposited into the waste basket while the clean litter passes through the grates and gets recycled back into the litter box.
The Neakasa M1, for example, rotates backward and then forward (rather than a spin cycle) to sift the clumps from the clean litter, depositing the larger clumps into the waste basket. The Pet Zone Smart Scoop is the most rudimentary on our list, simply using a rake attachment to scoop the bigger clumps into a waste receptacle in the back.
Are Automatic Litter Boxes Safe?
Pet owners should always do research and make an informed decision regarding which box is best for them and their cat. We only tested automatic litter boxes that remain open during cycling and never close completely, to ensure that if for some reason the weight sensors didn’t pick up on a cat being inside, the cat could jump out. We recommend litter boxes that never close completely for added peace of mind.
These automatic litter boxes use sensors—some only needing 1 pound of weight to detect your cat—where the cycle will automatically stop no matter where it is in the cleaning process. Many also have anti-pinch sensors. For added security, the automatic litter boxes on this list have customizable schedules, including “do not disturb” modes. If you’re a neurotic helicopter cat mom like me, you could only run the clean cycles when you choose, like when you’re in the room to observe the cycle (although if you did that, the litter box wouldn’t stay clean for as long). The Pet Zone Smart Scoop is the only box on this list without sensors to automatically stop the cleaning cycle—one of the reasons we don’t recommend this model.
Where Should I Put the Automatic Litter Box?
All of these automatic litter boxes require electricity, so they will need to be near an outlet. Since cats will generally take a little while to get comfortable with their new potty, we recommend that you keep your old litter box until they use the automatic litter box regularly.
As a general rule, for old-school litter boxes, you should have a litter box for each cat, plus one. With automatic litter boxes cleaning constantly, there is less need for multiple options, but we recommend leaving your old litter box out for an extended period to ensure the cat has acclimated to the new automatic box. When setting up the new automatic litter box, put it near the existing litter box to encourage use.
-
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Best Overall
Litter-Robot 4
The Litter-Robot has been the Rolls-Royce of automatic litter boxes for the past decade or so. The oval box with a large, front-facing entrance sits on a stand with a step to better accommodate cats of all ages. The box itself has a footprint of 22 x 7 inches; it took up more height but slightly less floor space than my traditional litter box. It connects to Wi-Fi so you can track and program the box via Litter-Robot’s Whisker app (available for Android and iOs). If it senses a cat at the entrance of the bowl, it will automatically stop if in the middle of a cleaning cycle and check back in 15-second intervals until it can finish.
To clean, the litter box automatically tumbles the litter using grates and gravity to separate the clumps of dirty litter, then deposits the soiled clumps in an opening below. The step doubles as a drawer with a plastic bag inside. (It comes with 25 waste drawer liners; refills are available starting at $25, but a regular plastic grocery bag would work too). When it’s time to empty, all you need to do is pull out the step-drawer and take out the bag. The app tells you if the litter levels are optimal or need replacing, or how full the waste basket is (it will alert you when it’s full, which took roughly a week for my two cats), and it has a log of all of the times the cats have used the box and how long they were inside. It also notifies you when the cleaning cycle has begun, has been interrupted, and is complete. The box has a built-in scale, and the sensors weigh your cat every time it enters. When you set up the app, you add your cats’ profiles, and after about a week or so, it will learn which cat is which and monitor its weight changes and how often it’s using the box.
During more than a week of testing, the Litter-Robot was not able to track which cat was which, despite a nearly 7-pound difference between them, and according to the app, one cat’s weight changed by as much as 3 pounds in a period of a day. The app is continually tracking and giving updates as to when the cats’ profiles will be complete, but I wish it had been able to track each individual sooner. I didn’t delay the cycle when I first set it up, and my curious kitties got startled by the tumbling litter and were afraid to use it regularly for the first several days. I’d recommend pausing the cleaning cycle until they are more comfortable, and even now I have a 30-minute delay on cleaning in case my more curious cat wants to stick around to see how the metaphorical sausage is made. Despite the hiccups with tracking weight, this automatic litter box is a game changer and I’m excited to keep using it.
-
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Best Upgrade
LitterHopper attachment
The new upgrade to the Litter-Robot 4 is the LitterHopper, a 13 x 11-inch receptacle that attaches to the back and acts as a reservoir for about 13 cups’ worth of clean litter. One of the biggest complaints about automatic boxes is that the front-facing hole can be a little awkward to fill. With the LitterHopper, every time the box cycles, it uses the weight sensors to ensure there’s an optimal level of litter and dispenses clean litter from the reservoir during the next cleaning cycle.
The Litter-Robot 4 and the LitterHopper work well with almost any clumping or scoopable litter. The LitterHopper is easy to install on the Litter-Robot 4; all you need to do is attach the bottom brackets and slide the hopper onto the back. The directions were clear and came with a helpful video. Once litter levels drop below the litter fill line, Litter-Robot’s Whisker app (see above) will notify you that it’s time to refill. With the Litter-Robot and especially the LitterHopper attachment, there’s very minimal labor involved and you have very little contact with the litter—all while being able to monitor your cats’ health.