The Scoop on Litter Boxes
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Life with cats means finding a litter setup that works for everyone.
As a veterinarian, cat foster and person who cannot stand litter tracking, I’ve tried a lot of litter and litter box setups.
And here’s the truth: there’s no perfect litter box for every cat. The goal is finding something that works for your cat and your life.
My current favorite: the Litter-Robot
A clean box after every use, plus helpful weight tracking.
The Litter-Robot by Whisker was expensive, but for me, it has been a game changer.
I live alone and work long hours. Before, I’d sometimes come home to a house that smelled like poop and litter boxes that were very ready to be scooped. Now, my cats get a clean box after every use, whether I’m home or not, and the smell is dramatically better.
One feature I didn’t expect to love is the weight and litter box habit tracking.
My foster cat Blep has had a rough medical history, including feline chronic gingivostomatitis and a lot of medications and handling. Understandably, she became pretty suspicious of people doing things to her. Trying to weigh her? Not fun for either of us.
Now, she simply uses the Litter-Robot and I can follow her weight without touching her. Watching her gain weight without stressing her out has been incredibly helpful.
What I don't love…
Even with an automatic litter box, it’s still important to check what your cat leaves behind.
It’s not perfect.
Because everything gets automatically scooped away, you lose some ability to monitor poop. One of my cats recently had a little blood in his stool and that’s much easier to notice when you’re manually scooping.
Diarrhea can also make the inside messy and you’re limited to compatible clumping litters.
So yes, I love it. But you should still occasionally check what your cat is leaving behind. Glamorous, I know.
My current favorite litter: SoySand
Less dust and less tracking can make litter changes much easier.
After trying what feels like every litter known to cat-kind, SoySand has been my favorite so far.
My biggest reason? Almost no dust.
I transfer my litter into a rolling storage container and most brands create a giant dust cloud when I pour them in. With SoySand, I see virtually none.
It also tracks less than many traditional litters while still being compatible with my Litter-Robot, which is a huge win.
🔗 See my rolling litter container
Hate litter tracking? Try pellets.
Larger pellets can mean dramatically less litter tracking around the house.
I also really liked the Tidy Cats Breeze system.
The pellets are large and a bit heavy, so instead of finding litter throughout your entire home, you might find four rogue pellets outside the box. Amazing.
Urine passes through onto a pad underneath, while poop stays on top and needs to be scooped. With multiple cats, those pee pads also need fairly frequent changing.
And some cats simply don't love the feel of larger pellets under their paws.
What about PrettyLitter?
Silica and color-changing litters can provide additional information about changes in your cat's urine, which may be particularly interesting for cats with a history of urinary problems.
But they aren't diagnostic. If your cat is straining, repeatedly visiting the box, producing little or no urine, or seems uncomfortable, call your veterinarian.
Open, covered or top-entry?
The best litter box depends on your cat’s age, mobility and preferences.
Honestly? Whatever your cat likes and can comfortably use.
Top-entry boxes can be fantastic for reducing tracking in young, agile cats. But your 16-year-old arthritic kitty should not have to do CrossFit just to poop. As cats get older, a large box with a low entrance may be much more appropriate. And some cats prefer open boxes while others are perfectly happy with covered ones.
So what's the best litter box?
The one your cat will reliably use and that realistically works with your life. For me right now, that's the Litter-Robot. My cats have clean litter throughout the day, my house doesn't smell like poop and I get useful information about their litter box habits and weight.
Is it perfect? Nope. Has it made living with multiple cats significantly easier? Absolutely.
And yes, I still check their poop. Occupational hazard.
Do you have a favorite litter + litter box combo?
Happy pooping! 💩
