The Best Automatic Litter Box of 2026: Petkit and Litter-Robot

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Featured in this article

Best Automatic Litter BoxPetkit Purobot Max Pro 2Read more $550 $500 (9% off)

Amazon

Best Connected AppWhisker Litter-Robot 4Read more $699

Litter-Robot

Best Basic Automatic Litter Box for Most PeoplePetkit PuraMax 2Read more $500 $400 (20% off)

Amazon

Best Budget Automatic Litter BoxPetPivot Autoscooper 11Read more $200 $140 (30% off)

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I can confidently say that having an automatic litter box has been the biggest game changer for me when it comes to cat ownership. I can't recommend them enough. They can be pricey, but never having to scoop poop again is priceless. One of the biggest complaints against cats is that litter boxes are stinky, and you don’t want another creature’s poop just hanging out in your house. Naysayers be gone! Because thanks to ever-evolving and growing pet tech, automatic cat litter boxes have provided a hygienic, low-labor solution to the smelly litter box problem.

We at WIRED—well, our WIRED cats—tested a dozen of the highest-rated and most technologically advanced automatic litter boxes on the market for at least a week, often more (using standard clay clumping litter unless otherwise indicated), to see if they were really worth the money—or the hype. Our new favorite automatic litter box is the Purobot Max Pro 2 because of its compact design and camera to monitor. The Litter-Robot 4 is a close second, mostly because of its LitterHopper attachment that easily refills litter for you. Plus, we still love the more basic Petkit PuraMax 2 (and think it's a great option for most people).

Check out our related guides, like the Best Automatic Feeders, Best Cat Water Fountains, Best Pet Cameras, and Best Cat Toys. More of a dog person? We've got you covered; see our Best Dog Accessories.

Updated April 2026: We've added the Litter-Robot 5 and Petcove PurrTek Covered Self Cleaning Litter Box, and updated links and prices throughout.

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Compare Our Picks
Others We Tested
Not Recommended
Frequently Asked Questions

Best Automatic Litter Box
- Photograph: Molly Higgins
- Courtesy of Petkit
ChevronChevronSave to wishlistSave to wishlist
Petkit
Purobot Max Pro 2
$550 $500 (9% off)
Amazon
$600 $500 (17% off)
Petkit
$699 $441 (37% off)
Chewy
The Purobot Max Pro 2 is the newest model from Petkit. It has a built-in 1080p camera with a 210-degree wide-angle view. The AI-enabled camera supports multi-cat face recognition, usage tracking (via a companion app), audio recording, night vision, and 2.4-GHz and 5.0-GHz Wi-Fi networks. The camera can also capture video of the cat using the box and their stool or urine.
This model has a 43 percent larger opening than the previous one, the PuraMax Pro, making it ideal for large cats like my 16-pound tabby, Basil. The waste bag is also bigger: It stores up to 17 days of waste for one cat, and it's self-sealing for easy disposal. The Petkit app sends an alert when the waste basket is full, and two odor eliminator cartridges help to help keep smells at bay.
You get Petkit's premium Care+ service for a free trial period, which detects if there's been unusual activity, like howling; logs weight and use frequency; and sends an alert if your cat’s weight has seen a consistent increase or decrease (which is a great way to monitor your cat's overall health). When Care+ ended, it still could tell my cats apart, but reviewer Kat Merck and others have complained that it got their cats confused. Petkit's app still could use some work to be more intuitive, and it's overcrowded with ads. Overall though, my cats took to this right away (which isn't always the case), and even my large cat was able to use this automatic litter box easily. I'm still not sure we need to be watching our cats defecate, but it is an incredible way to monitor your pets' health more closely.
Connected to an app?YesEntry size10.7 x 10.5 inchesFootprint size21.2 x 25.9 inchesCompatible litterAny clumping litter with granules shorter than 0.5 inchesSuitable cat sizeFrom 6 months old or weighing 3.3 to 22.1 poundsSpecial FeaturesAI-powered camera; deodorizing cartridgesWIRED/TIREDAccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronWIRED
- Camera inside records videos of both your cat and its waste being scooped
- App tracks usage and weight changes
- Works with both 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz Wi-Fi
TIRED
- App got cats confused once the free Care+ subscription was over
- Camera isn’t movable
Best Connected App
- Photograph: Molly Higgins
- Photograph: Litter Robot
ChevronChevronSave to wishlistSave to wishlist
Whisker
Litter-Robot 4
$699
Litter-Robot
$699
Best Buy
$749
Amazon (Bundle)
$699
Walmart
This previous model of the Litter-Robot (the Litter-Robot 5 line was released in fall 2025; see our preliminary thoughts about the Litter-Robot 5 Pro and Litter-Robot 5 below) has been a consistent favorite, largely due to its well-designed app. Unlike Petkit, which has great automatic litter boxes with subpar apps that are crowded with ads for other products in the brand's lineup, the Whisker app (available for Android and iOS) is simple and intuitive. It logs usage and weight daily and historically, and it monitors litter and waste levels, alerting you when either is low. You can also adjust things like lights, manually start cycles, and set “Do Not Disturb” schedules so it won't cycle during certain periods. The large, front-facing hole is not as easy to fill as Petkit's rotating hole, and over time, my model has increasingly sensed ghost cats and stopped repeatedly during cleaning cycles.
This had been my top pick, mostly because of the super-convenient optional LitterHopper auto-refill attachment—until it stopped working after about seven months, and I've had to manually refill the litter ever since. Without the attachment, I think Petkit's new model (our current top pick) is the best automatic litter box for most people now, but I still think Litter-Robot is a solid choice (and is the model I use at home with my cats).
Connected to an app?YesEntry size15.8 x 15.8 inchesFootprint size22 x 27 inchesCompatible litterClumping or scoopable clay litter (translucent or crystal may affect litter level monitoring)Suitable cat size4 pounds minimum, no maximumSpecial FeaturesLitterHopper auto-refill attachmentWIRED/TIREDAccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronWIRED
- Intuitive connected app
- Compatible with LitterHopper refill attachment
- Measures and notifies when litter level is low or waste drawer is full
TIRED
- Opening can be hard to refill
- Sensors get buggy over time

Best Basic Automatic Litter Box for Most People
- Photograph: Molly Higgins
- Photograph: Petkit
ChevronChevronSave to wishlistSave to wishlist
Petkit
PuraMax 2
$500 $400 (20% off)
Amazon
$500 $400 (20% off)
Petkit
$400
Walmart
This is a great option for most people—cheaper than some of our other picks, easy to use, and compact. Perhaps best of all, when it's time to refill with clean litter, the box rotates so the hole is on top for easier filling. Not only does this litter box smell neutral, dare I say it smells … good? This box has triple odor control: a sealed waste bin, an odor-eliminator attachment that sits in the waste bin, and a citrusy deodorizing spray that goes off after every cleaning and randomly throughout the day to ensure the litter box stays fresh. When the cat enters the box, their weight is displayed on the front, and the app logs every time it is used, for how long, when the cleaning cycle begins, ends, and when the deodorizing spray was emitted. Owners can also change settings manually via the buttons on the front.
My only complaints are that the app could be better—it's a overcrowded with ads for other Petkit products, and unlike the Litter-Robot 4, the box doesn’t have sensors to tell you when the litter’s low or needs to be refilled—that has to be manually checked (or you can add manual reminders via the app). One of my cats, who is 15 pounds, didn't like using it as much because the opening was cramped for him, so if you have bigger cats this may be a problem.
Connected to an app?YesEntry size7.87 x 8.85 inches (76 liter interior)Footprint size24.4 x 21.2 inchesCompatible litterClay, tofu, mixed, and bentonite litters (incompatible with crystal)Suitable cat size3.5 to 18 poundsSpecial FeaturesOdor eliminator attachment in the waste bin; a deodorizing spray that goes off periodicallyWIRED/TIREDAccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronWIRED
- Odor eliminator attachment in the waste bin and has a deodorizing spray that goes off periodically
- Opening rotates up vertically for easier litter filling
TIRED
- No sensors to tell you when the litter’s low or needs to be refilled
- Overcrowded, sometimes buggy app
Best Budget Automatic Litter Box
- Photograph: Molly Higgins
- Photograph: PetPivot
ChevronChevronSave to wishlistSave to wishlist
PetPivot
Autoscooper 11
$200 $140 (30% off)
Amazon
$160 $150 (6% off)
Chewy
This automatic litter box doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of some others on this list, but if you’re looking for a basic, cheap automatic box, I’d recommend this one. Strikingly similar in design to the Neakasa M1 Self-Cleaning Litter Box, the PetPivot Autoscooper has an open-top design that remains fully open throughout the cleaning cycle and has sensors to know when the cat has used the box and when or if the cat reenters during the cleaning cycle. Like most others, it spins dirty litter from clean using grates, and the dirty litter is deposited in a drawer below the box. The litter box is the smallest and lightest I’ve tested, and the only assembly required was popping on the legs and inserting the drawer (and putting a waste bag liner in).
There’s no app required for use, and functions can be controlled by three buttons on the box—clean, refill litter, and power on/off. When you want to completely empty the litter, you attach a plastic cover that pops on to scoot all of the litter into the drawer below. Since this has no app, you won’t be able to closely monitor your cats’ usage or get alerted when the drawer is full, so this requires more check-ins than other WIRED-tested automatic boxes on this list.
Connected to an app?No (controlled via buttons on machine)Entry size16.3 x 15.4 inches (10 liter interior)Footprint size21.5 x 21.5 inchesCompatible litterBenonite and mineral litters (incompatible with tofu or crystal)Suitable cat size3 to 22 poundsSpecial FeaturesNoWIRED/TIREDAccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronWIRED
- Very inexpensive for the quality
- Easy to assemble
- Resembles traditional litter box
TIRED
- No connected app; manual buttons only
- Box may be too high for elderly cats

Best Luxury Upgrade
- Photograph: Molly Higgins
- Photograph: Petkit
ChevronChevronSave to wishlistSave to wishlist
Petkit
Purobot Ultra
$1,000
Amazon
$800
Walmart
$900 $800 (11% off)
Petkit
I liked this automatic box a lot, even if some of the features are a little over the top. (Read the full review here.) It uses a camera and AI technology to monitor litter box usage and lets you see your cat’s stool to help more closely monitor their health. This upgrade has a large horizontal footprint and a camera on an arm in front of the opening, which swivels and follows your cat when it senses motion and records inside the litter box (it also has night vision). It has auto-bagging and -sealing features, so you never have to deal with the stool. The app logs and monitors usage, including the number of times used and the average duration. The camera has 180-degree viewing, two-way audio, and 24/7 streaming. It uses AI to identify which cat used the box, and while it doesn’t explicitly note whether a cat peed or pooped, you can review the footage to determine.
Although this is a good idea in theory, the videos inside the litter box aren’t hi-def and were always in black and white, which made actually observing anything with any detail very difficult. The arm’s placement is awkward and makes refilling litter into the box extremely challenging. This litter box always worked well and kept smells at bay, but the AI analytics fell a little flat for me and it was needlessly tough to refill the litter.
Connected to an app?YesEntry size8.58 x 9.84 inchesFootprint size20.9 x 32.2 inchesCompatible litterClay, tofu, mixed, and bentonite litters (not recommended with litter longer than 0.5 inches or wider than 3 mm)Suitable cat size3.3 to 22 poundsSpecial FeaturesCamera to see inside and outside; two-way audio; AI cat identification; auto-packing and -sealing waste bagWIRED/TIREDAccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronWIRED
- Rotating camera and two-way audio
- AI cat identification
- Auto-packing and -sealing waste bag
TIRED
- Massive footprint; heavy
- Arm makes opening cramped
- One of the priciest automatic litter boxes on the market
Best Automatic Litter Box for Bigger Cats
Photograph: Louryn StrampeSave to wishlistSave to wishlist
Homerunpet
Self-Cleaning Litter Box CS106
$899 $699 (22% off)
Homerunpet
$799
Amazon
There’s a lot that I like about this automatic device from Homerunpet. It’s huge, with a 106-liter capacity (and holds 8 liters of litter, with a 4.5-liter reservoir) that makes it ideal for big, chonky cats weighing up to 20 pounds (or multiple-cat households). My cat gets claustrophobic in most domed boxes, and she used this one right away. I like that it dumps and refills its own litter, and it has anti-pinch sensors in place as well as two escape routes that are always open. There’s a drawer for storing the waste bags that line the poop drawer, as well as underneath the box so you can dump all the litter at once. It cleaned itself efficiently and quietly.
One thing to note is that the box is absolutely massive upon arrival—I couldn’t fit it in the back seat of my Mazda 3—and the litter box itself is huge, with a frustratingly short cord that might make for an inconvenient placement situation. My other gripe was with the app, which had some poorly translated instructions and alerts that sometimes left me feeling confused. But if you’re the proud parent of a hefty feline, it’s still an option worth considering, especially with its 90-day trial—you can return the box for a full refund if you pay the return shipping fees. —Louryn Strampe
Connected to an app?YesEntry size10 x 10.5 inchesFootprint size27.4 × 23.6 inchesCompatible litterTofu, bentonite, clay, and mixed littersSuitable cat sizeUp to 20 poundsSpecial FeaturesSelf-filling litter reservoirWIRED/TIREDAccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronWIRED
- Lots of space for larger cats
- Litter reservoir for automatic refilling
TIRED
- Huge footprint, may be too big for smaller spaces
- Poorly translated and sometimes confusing updates in-app

Best AI-Enabled Automatic Litter Box for Health Tracking
Photograph: Molly HigginsSave to wishlistSave to wishlist
Whisker
Litter-Robot 5 Pro
$899
Whisker
This model is part of Whisker's newest Litter-Robot lineup, which also includes the regular Litter-Robot 5 (see review below) and the EVO, which we're currently testing. It's got an AI-enabled camera that can recognize up to five cats, and WasteID technology to determine what type of visit your cat had—the only model I've tested with this capability. The dual-camera system captures external motion outside the box and inside the litter bed (the only other one that does this is the expensive and larger Petkit Purobot Ultra). It also charts trends over time to help you more accurately understand your cats' health and habits, so you know if anything is amiss. Plus, depending on the type of waste, LR5 Pro gives more targeted odor control, cycling immediately for solid waste, and waiting for urine to make sure it clumps. The drawer is also more sealed and larger, with up to 10 days of waste storage per cat.
It looks similar to my personal favorite auto box, the Litter-Robot 4, but has the built-in camera, a touchscreen rather than physical buttons, a wider and shallower drawer, and a taller (removable) lip in the entryway. Maybe I'm just partial to the older model, but I think all of these changes make it less user-friendly than the 4. The touchscreen is finicky, the drawer liners are harder to place perfectly with the shallow design, and the removable entryway lip is much harder to attach and detach with smaller insertion tabs that feel like they could break off.
Setup took several days because onboarding requires scanning a QR code with the built-in camera, but the camera never auto-captured the code. It'd be much easier if you could enter the code manually rather than relying on the camera. The camera always panned to the outside of the box rather than inside, and rarely showed footage of the stool/pee. The AI to differentiate cats only works reliably with the Whisker+ paid subscription plan ($80/year). A few of the design changes are annoying, but are not deal-breakers. I tested an early model, so I'm hoping most of my complaints with the app are fixed in future software updates. With AI recognition and WasteID technology, this will be an invaluable tool for tracking pets' health when a few kinks are worked out.
Connected to an app?YesEntry size15.75 x 15.75 inchesFootprint size22 x 27 inchesCompatible litterClumping or scoopable clay litter (translucent or crystal may affect litter level monitoring)Suitable cat sizeCats from 3 to 30 poundsSpecial FeaturesAI-powered camera; WasteID smart detectionWIRED/TIREDAccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronWIRED
- Built-in, AI-enabled camera
- WasteID technology
- Intuitive connected app
TIRED
- Set up with QR code capture is frustrating
- Touch screen can be finnicky
- Whisker+ plan needed to reliably differentiate cats

Compare Our Picks

Connected to an app?Entry sizeFootprint sizeCompatible litterSuitable cat sizeSpecial featuresPetkit Purobot Max Pro 2Yes10.7 x 10.5 inches21.2 x 25.9 inchesAny clumping litter with granules shorter than 0.5 inchesFrom 6 months old or weighing 3.3 to 22.1 poundsAI-powered camera; deodorizing cartridgesWhisker Litter-Robot 4Yes15.75 x 15.75 inches22 x 27 inchesClumping or scoopable clay litter (translucent or crystal may affect litter level monitoring)4 pounds minimum, no maximumLitterHopper auto-refill attachmentPetkit PuraMax 2Yes7.87 x 8.85 inches (76 liter interior)24.4 x 21.2 inchesClay, tofu, mixed, and bentonite litters (incompatible with crystal)3.5 to 18 poundsOdor eliminator attachment in the waste bin; a deodorizing spray that goes off periodicallyPetPivot Autoscooper 11No16.3 x 15.4 inches (10 liter interior)21.5 x 21.5 inchesBenonite and mineral litters (incompatible with tofu or crystal)3 to 22 poundsNoPetkit Purobot UltraYes8.58 x 9.84 inches20.9 x 32.2 inchesClay, tofu, mixed, and bentonite litters (not recommended with litter longer than 0.5 inches or wider than 3 mm)3.3 to 22 poundsCamera to see inside and out of the litter box; two-way audio; AI cat identification; auto-packing and -sealing waste bagHomerunpet Self-Cleaning Litter Box CS106Yes10 x 10.5 inches27.4 × 23.6 inchesTofu, bentonite, clay, and mixed littersUp to 20 poundsSelf-filling litter reservoirWhisker Litter-Robot 5 ProYes15.75 x 15.75 inches22 x 27 inchesClumping or scoopable clay litter (translucent or crystal may affect litter level monitoring)3 to 30 poundsAI-powered camera; WasteID smart detection

Others We Tested

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Photograph: Kat Merck

Litter-Robot 5 for $799: While on a recent trip, I received an urgent message from my house sitter. “I think I broke the cat turd tilt-a-wheel,” it read. I knew he hadn’t broken the Litter-Robot, but I also knew it was doing what it always does, even when I’m at home: throwing arbitrary error codes. Laser Board Fault, Extended Scale Activity, Overloaded Globe … I never know why these codes are triggered, only that they are frequent and almost always incorrect. They also stop the machine’s operation until someone can physically go troubleshoot on the LR’s LCD screen, since these errors aren’t resolvable in the app. But aside from this issue, the base model Litter-Robot 5 does offer some improvements and design tweaks over the base Litter-Robot 4: easier assembly and waste removal; the aforementioned LCD screen; and, if you have a Whisker+ subscription, a new WasteID feature, which is supposed to distinguish between feces and urine. Unfortunately, this has only worked intermittently in my four months of testing, as has the LR’s ability to tell my cats apart by their weights, which are different. I believe the firmware on the 5 still has a ways to go, but if you’re willing to wait it out, LR confirms improvements are already in progress and rolling out soon. I will keep testing to see if this happens, as I do prefer Litter-Robot’s larger opening to Petkit’s, the ease of cleaning, and the fact it can hold a week’s worth of waste from my two cats before needing to be emptied. —Kat Merck

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Photograph: Molly Higgins

Petcove PurrTek Covered Self Cleaning Litter Box for $288: I was surprised when my two large cats easily took to this very small automatic litter box. I wasn’t even sure my 16-pound cat would be able to fit inside. Set up was super easy, just insert the step (my cats preferred to use it without because they’re so large and it took up valuable real estate inside), plug in, download the connected app, and connect the box to Wi-Fi. The waste bag was already installed, and there were also large buttons on the front to manually control settings like auto- or manual-cleaning, deodorization, auto leveling, waste or litter emptying, and sensing. I’ve grown to really appreciate easy outside buttons, which are a game-changer when the often buggy app crashes, or you aren’t near your phone. Like many automatic litter boxes I test, this product would be vastly improved with a better app interface and more clear english translations. It was very hard to figure out what the settings were asking or even if they were set, mostly because of the poor translation. Waste bin calibration could be set from zero to 15, and litter leveling setting could be set from zero to six, seemingly arbitrary numbers that didn’t seem to change settings. ‘Do not disturb’ mode could be set, but only for a specific clock time, like 11:30 pm, rather than a span of time, which nullified the effect. It took an egregiously long time to clean, at almost four and a half minutes for the whole cycle. I wish the waste bin was at the bottom of the device, because emptying and refilling the bag was often messy and had litter leakage. The device worked without issue overall and my cats liked it, but for $400, I’d get the Petkit PuraMax 2, which is the same price but works so much better.

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Photograph: Kat Merck

Els Pet Orbitie for $280: This is one of the least expensive automatic litter boxes, but it functions much like the more expensive models, with an internal 65-liter-capacity orb that rotates and catches clumps with a plastic grate, depositing them into a bag-lined box below. The opening is a generous 12 by 12 inches—plenty big enough for my two 7-year-old cats, who took to it almost immediately despite never having seen anything but a traditional litter box. The accompanying Orbitie app doesn’t offer an extensive amount of information; it tells the user the volume of litter and what step of the cleaning phase the box is currently in, as well as how many times the box has been used and at what times. The first test unit I received was faulty—it sent multiple phantom alerts to the app, letting me know it had cleaned itself as many as 36 times a day, which I knew for a fact was not true. The replacement unit, however, works just as intended, though the bin beneath fills up fast (about every other day with my two cats), and it occasionally needs to be disassembled and cleaned, as tiny pieces of cat litter have a tendency to get in the gears beneath the orb (and make a loud grinding noise). However, this isn’t an unusual occurrence even with pricier boxes. Online reviews panned an earlier version of this box, but Orbitie says this is an improved version. Thankfully, like the bigger brands, Orbitie also offers a 90-day money-back guarantee if you’re on the fence. —Kat Merck

Image may contain Animal Cat Mammal Pet Appliance Device Electrical Device and Washer

Photograph: Molly Higgins

FurryTail Automatic Litter Box Pro for $270: I was surprised by how quickly and easily my cats took to this device—even my larger cat, who hates change, started using it right away. Setup was super easy, and the box comes with a year's supply of waste bag liners, an additional grate attachment, and a mat to reduce litter tracking. Similar to many models, the spherical orb rotates, sifting dirty litter into a waste bag, which, on this model, is on top of the machine rather than below. The box has both a manual display and buttons on the machine, as well as an app to adjust settings. I'd include this model in our top picks because of how easy it was to set up and use, as well as how much my cats liked it, but the app was basically useless. Through the app, you can adjust settings like timed cleanings and do-not-disturb modes, manually clean, and monitor waste levels. However, the app never tracked usage or weight, and for the majority of the time, didn't clean when I manually instructed it to. The sensors would sense ghost cats and refuse to clean, with the device not automatically cycling for the majority of the day (which sort of defeats the purpose). This automatic box has tons of potential, but I can't fully recommend it until the kinks (especially in the app) are ironed out.

Courtesy of Smarty Pear

Casa Leo Leo's Loo Too Automatic Litter Box for $800: This automatic litter box was a top pick for a long time, but it's pricey and a bit cramped for some cats. We still like it, but think the options above are better for most people (and cats). There are four weight sensors inside the barrel to detect when a cat is still inside (it needs just 1 pound of weight to detect your cat), an anti-pinch sensor (for fingers and paws), and a radar system that detects when anyone, feline or human, is near it. For extra cleanliness, it also uses ultraviolet light for extra sanitation. The Smarty Pear app alerts you when the drawer is full (about once a week), records the times your cat uses it and the cat's weight, and you can set it to automatically clean six seconds to 20 minutes after your cat uses it. You can start a cleaning session manually from the app or use your voice if you connect the box to Alexa or Google Assistant. Former WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano’s biggest struggle using the Loo Too was pouring new litter into it, which can be tricky because of the small entry hole. The barrel is also pretty cramped, especially for her 12-pound cat.

Domeshaped cat litter device with beige materials inside on the bottom

Photograph: Simon Hill

PetSafe ScoopFree SmartSpin Self-Cleaning Litter Box for $370: This basic automatic litter box is around half the price but has a similar design to more expensive models. This futuristic-looking pod on legs has a rubbery bottom, a weight detector that sets off the cleaning cycle a few minutes after your cat has done its business, and a slide-out tray in the bottom. After they’ve been, the body rotates, and a mesh catches the clumps and deposits them in the tray, where there’s a bag with a wee deodorizer unit that smells like watermelon. You can connect it to Wi-Fi and review your cat’s toilet visits in the app on your phone, where each entry displays the time they went, their weight, and toilet trip duration. This self-cleaning box was easy to build and works surprisingly well, even though it feels kinda cheap. Ultimately, as a relatively affordable self-cleaning device, the PetSafe ScoopFree SmartSpin is worth a look. —Simon Hill

Not Recommended

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Petlibro Luma Smart Litter Box for $600: I'm a big fan of Petlibro's automatic feeders and fountains, but I've found that the brand's other tech products, like this automatic litter box and AI-enabled pet camera, aren't on the same level. First, we cannot recommend any model that closes completely during cleaning cycles. The Luma is outfitted with tons of sensors to prevent cleaning while a cat (or any object) is inside or near the entrance, and I highly doubt injury would occur. But the globe spins backward and forward, rather than clockwise and counterclockwise, meaning that the entrance is closed during cycling. If a sensing malfunction happened, the cat would be trapped inside. I appreciated the button controls on the outside top, which allow for manual control. However, they're on a touchscreen above the camera. So, oftentimes, when I tried to manually reset, the camera caught me and wouldn't continue the cleaning or control I asked of it, because the safety features would prevent action inside the box. It was very frustrating. When I went out of town, it got stuck in the middle of the cleaning cycle for two days because it kept sensing a ghost cat. The globe was mid-cycle, and the entrance was covered; I couldn't bypass via the app to keep cleaning. (Thank God I had a second litter box for my cats available, or I would've been SOL.) The auto-deodorizing feature goes off automatically for five minutes after each use and sounds like an airplane engine. There's no way to turn it off; you can turn the power down to a lower level, but it's still egregiously loud. Right now, I can't recommend this model (mostly for safety reasons), but a lot of the design flaws could be fixed in future iterations to make it a solid choice.

Pet Snowy Self Cleaning Litter Box in white and beige

Photograph: Molly Higgins

PetSnowy Snow+ Self-Cleaning Litter Box for $530: This box looks like something from Kubrick’s visions of space travel, or if Eames started making plastic litter boxes. It takes up quite a bit of horizontal floor space, so it may not be ideal for those in cramped apartments looking to conserve space. Unlike all others on this list, this globe is closed during cleaning, which could cause injury if the machine malfunctioned and didn’t sense a cat. The box also doesn’t tell you when the litter’s low or needs to be refilled. My cats had a really hard time using it—they just couldn’t understand that it was a litter box. Older cats could have a tough time jumping into it, and the smaller opening could be a problem if you have bigger cats. It might be great for someone who wants to keep things tidy—it’s extremely clean, smells good, and hugely reduces litter tracking. However, we just can't recommend the device since it's closed during cleaning, which is not safe.

Photograph: Molly Higgins

The Pet Zone Smart Scoop for $166: This is probably the least “smart” automatic litter box we've tested—it's a typical rectangular plastic box with an automatic arm that acts as a rake and scoops the clumped (soiled) litter into a small bin on the other side. Once the cat leaves, it begins a 15-minute countdown and the rake slides over the length of the box, (ideally) scooping up the waste and lifting it into the receptacle. You’re only allowed to fill the device with about an inch and a half of litter, which my cats didn’t like (they prefer a few inches to really bury it). The rake doesn’t stop when it's in the cleaning cycle—even if something jumps in, which is potentially dangerous. My cats tend to pee on the side of the litter box, which, because of the rake’s placement, means it misses an inch on either side—I still had to scrape the caked-on litter from the edges. The cycle timing can’t be adjusted, so the litter didn’t have time to clump completely, and the rake would immediately break it down into smaller clumps that would then be missed because they were too small. For me, the hassle's not worth it, and I’d rather just scoop it myself.

How Do Automatic Litter Boxes Work?