The Best Litter Box
Finding the Best Litter Box for Your Cat
Contents:
Let’s face it – waste management is the least pleasant part of cat ownership. But a good litter box can make the job so much easier. That’s why it’s important to do a little research and find a box that will best fit your needs. I wrote this guide to help you do just that.
First use this chart to choose a category of litter box:
Box Type | Pros | Cons | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open top (see boxes) |  |
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| Hooded (see boxes) |  |
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| Top entry (see boxes) |  |
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| Corner (see boxes) |  |
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| Self-cleaning (see boxes) |  |
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| Manual self-cleaning (see boxes) |  |
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| Designer (see boxes) |  |
The litter box you choose has to appeal to your cat or they might poop in other areas of your house. Try not to suddenly change your cat’s litter box. When you add a new litter box, make sure she likes it before getting rid of the old one.
- If you have a dog or small children, you can use a hooded or top-entry box to prevent them from getting in the litter.
- If you have a kitten, you want a box that has low enough sides to let her enter.
- If you have a nice house and you don’t want a nasty-looking litter box to cramp your style, consider one of the designer boxes.
- If space is an issue, one of the corner or open-top boxes could fit your needs.
Litter Box Comparison Chart
This chart presents the important litter box choices available on the market today. It is categorized according to categories above. Clicking on a link will bring you the Amazon page.
Image | Box | Width | Length | Height | Category | Price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Iris CLH-12 Open-Top Litter Box with Shield and Scoop | 15" | 18.875" | 11.6875" | Open top | Low | 4 |
 | Nature's Miracle High Sided Litter Box | 17.8" | 22.8" | 11" (except the front opening) | Open top | Low | 4 |
 | Pureness Giant High Sides Cat Litter Pan | 17" | 21" | 9" (6.25" at the front) | Open top | Low | 4.3 |
| Petmate Hi Back Pan with Microban - Moss Bank Green - Jumbo | 17.3" | 21.2" | 10.3" | Open top | Low | 4.5 |
 | Van Ness Cat Litter Pan | 12" | 16" | 4" | Open top | Low | 4 |
 | Petmate Jumbo Litter Pan 22002, Colors May Vary | 16.8" | 22.3" | 6.8" | Open top | Low | 4.3 |
 | Catit Jumbo Hooded Cat Litter Pan | 17" (door opening: 9.6") | 22.4" | 18.3" (door opening: 10.4") | Hooded | Medium | 4.5 |
 | Booda Dome Cleanstep Cat Box | 21.5" (diameter) | 21.5" (diameter) | 19" (litter pan is 6" deep) | Hooded | Medium | 3.8 |
 | Van Ness CP7 Enclosed Cat Pan/Litter Box, Extra Large, colors are assorted | 17.5" | 21.5" | 18" | Hooded | Low | 4.4 |
 | Petco Jumbo Enclosed Litter Box | 19" | 25" | 16.5" | Hooded | Low | 4.7 |
 | Petmate Booda Dome Litter Box | 17.25 (entrance: 7.625") | 17.25 (entrance: 7.625") | 18" | Hooded | Low | 4.2 |
 | X-Large Deluxe Hooded Litter Box (Colors May Vary) | 18" | 21.8" | 18.3" | Hooded | Medium | 4.6 |
| Moderna Flip Top Blue Enclosed Cat Litter Box | 15.5" | 20" | 14.5" (pan depth: 4") | Hooded | Medium | 4.4 |
| Clevercat Top Entry Litterbox | 15" | 20" (opening diameter: 9") | 15" | Top-entry | Medium | 4.3 |
 | Modkat Litter Box | 16" | 16" (opening: 8.5") | 15" | Top-entry | High | 4.3 |
 | Mox Litter Tower | 19" (diameter) | 19" (diameter) | 19" | Top-entry | High | N/A |
 | Natures Miracle Advanced Hooded Corner Litter Box | 21" | 21" | 24" | Corner | Medium | 4.3 |
| SmartCat Corner Litter Box | 18" | 18" | 10" | Corner | Low | 4.4 |
| Litter Robot LRII Automatic Self-Cleaning Litter Box | 24" | 22" | 29" | Self-cleaning | High | 4.4 |
 | ScoopFree® Self-Cleaning Litter Box | 19" | 27.5" | 7" | Self-cleaning | High | 3.7 |
 | PetSafe Simply Clean Continuous-Clean Litter Box | 19" | 26" | 10" | Self-cleaning | Medium | 3.3 |
 | CatGenie Self Washing Self Flushing Cat Box | 19.25" (at the back: 17.5") | 24.5" | 21" | Self-cleaning | High | 3.6 |
 | Littermaid LM980 Mega Self-Cleaning Litter Box | 17.7" | 28" | 9.8" | Self-cleaning | High | 2.9 |
 | SmartScoop Self-Scooping LitterBox 1073211347 | 16.8" | 25.5" | 7.5" | Self-cleaning | High | 3 |
 | Quick Clean Cat Litter Box | 18" | 14.5" | 20" | Manual self-cleaning | High | 3.1 |
| Omega Paw Self-Cleaning Litter Box | 22" (small size: 20") | 19.5" (small size: 17") | 20" (small size: 18") | Manual self-cleaning | Low | 4.2 |
 | Van Ness CP5 Sifting Cat Pan/Litter Box with Frame | 15.1" | 19" | 8" | Manual self-cleaning | Low | 3.7 |
 | Van Ness CP66 Enclosed Sifting Cat Pan/Litter Box, Large | 15.25" | 19.5" | 17.5" | Manual self-cleaning | Low | 3.8 |
 | Modernist Cat Circa50: Standard | 25.5" | 18.5" | 24.5" | Designer | High | N/A |
| Merry Pet Products-Cat Washroom And Night Stand | 18.5" | 16.5" | 18.5" | Designer | Medium | 3.9 |
 | Designer Catbox Litter Box Enclosure | 29.1" | 20.6" | 20.8" | Designer | High | 4 |
 | Good Pet Stuff Hidden Litter Litter Box | N/A | N/A | 42" (with plant) | Designer | Medium | 4.4 |
 | Modern Cat Designs - Litter Hider / Bed | 18.5" | 21.5" | 20.75" | Designer | High | 4.3 |
 | Pet Studio MDF Litter Box Cat Cabinet | 28" | 19" | 24" | Designer | High | 4.1 |
 | LitterHouse | 25.5" | 17" | 22" | Designer | High | N/A |
 | Kenzi Cat litter box Moisha | 16.5" | 21.7" | 16.5" | Designer | High | N/A |
 | Cat Condos Litter Box Enclosure | N/A | N/A | N/A | Designer | High | 4.5 |
 | Mr. Herzher's Wicker Litter Box Cover | 16.25" | 19.75" | 18.5" | Designer | High | 3.7 |
 | Iovo Designs Litterfish | 18" | 25" | 18" (fins stick out 3") | Designer | High | N/A |
 | Kitty A GoGo Cat Litter Box | 18" | 21" | 16" | Designer | High | N/A |
 | Amish Made Corner Cat Litterbox Cabinet | 31" | 23" | 22" | Designer | High | N/A |
This chart isn’t exhaustive but it does include all the important choices. If you know of an awesome litter box that isn’t on the list, or if you have any questions/concerns, contact me!
The Top Three Litter Boxes
As you can see in the chart above, there are a lot of choices on the market for litter boxes. To avoid information overload, let’s look at three of the most popular and highest-rated litter boxes in more detail. I chose these boxes because they have excellent reviews, a lot of interest online, and because of my own experience with boxes in years of cat ownership.
Omega Paw Self-Cleaning Litter Box
The Omega Paw is one of the most popular litter boxes available, and for good reason. When I lived at my parents’ house, we used to have a generic hooded box that we had to scoop manually. As it was me and my brother’s duty to scoop the box, we were happy when my dad finally invested in this self-cleaning box. We found it much faster than a generic box, and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a cheap self-cleaning solution.
You operate the box by rolling it over on its top and then back again. That separates the nuggets from the litter and puts them in the removable tray on the side (so it only works with clumping litter, which is what most people use anyway).
Of course, like almost any litter box, it has some issues. The Amazon reviewers mention problems like the clips breaking and litter getting out in between the cracks. Others do not like to take it apart to give it a thorough cleaning. You have to have enough space to roll it over, so it actually needs more space than the mere dimensions suggest. On my parents’ box (they still have it after more than 4 years), the clips haven’t broken but they can no longer shut them all the way. However, it is still working fine for them after years of use and has no major problems. I can only imagine how many hours of scooping it has saved us over the years!
Clevercat
I haven’t used this one myself, but judging from the reviews and the amount of interest online, the Clevercat Top Entry Litterbox is one of the best choices for cutting down on the amount of litter on the floor, keeping dogs from eating the poop, and saving on space.
The number one issue that people have is that their cat doesn’t like it. Introduce this box to your cat cautiously. I don’t recommend it for older or arthritic cats because they will have a hard time getting in and out of it. It could also be difficult for kittens and fat cats.
Here is a review of the Clevercat Top Entry Litterbox
Litter Robot LRII
The Litter Robot LRII is one of the highest-rated self-cleaning boxes on the market (if not the highest rated on Amazon). It’s rare to see any automatic self-cleaning box get high ratings, since so many of them have issues.
Here’s a video review of the Litter Robot:
A potential issue with this box is that your cat might be frightened by it. You have to give your kitty time to adjust to this high-tech system.
Now Choose for Yourself
This page has presented the major litter box options available on the market. Now it’s up to you to choose one that fits your situation. Remember, the most important thing is that your cat likes the box you choose. And no matter what box you get, make sure to keep it clean!
This page will be kept up-to-date with the latest in litter box technology. If you know of any important litter boxes that I’ve missed, leave me a comment below or contact me.
