Which Litter Box Should I get?
A litter box is the first thing a new cat owner needs and with so many choices out there its hard to know what kind to get especially if your a new cat owner. I’ve tried out different litter boxes and have experience you can benefit from!
It Depends on What’s Important to you in a Litter Box.
Is the cost important to you?
Is the ease of cleaning the box important to you?
Do you want the box to be open, covered with a hood or do you want it hidden altogether?
Do you need extra high sides?
Most kittens are pretty accepting of whatever you introduce them too. The older cat might be pickier but it depends on the cat. If you’re shopping for a kitten you don’t want to get a top entrance litter box while he is first learning to use a litter box.
A top entrance is great for a young teenage cat but not an older cat that isn’t wanting to jump as much.
There is debate on which is best, covered or not but I have found that my cats are fine with a covered litter box and I really appreciate a cover!
There are different styles of litter boxes and varying costs. I’m going to review low-to-mid/high cost range of my favorite tried and tested.
Different styles are open, partially hooded, front entrance and side entrance. There are pros and cons with every style and I’ll mention that in my reviews..
There are also ways to maximize your satisfaction with the different litter boxes through your methods of caring for them. If you ignore any cat litter box you’re not going to like it. But some require more or less maintenance.
I’ll help you know what kind of care you need to do and how much time is involved with the litter boxes I review.
My Favorite Low-Cost Litter Box is “Arm and Hammer Sifting Cat Litter Pan”
This cat litter pan is the best of the sifting type in my opinion. It really does work!
What I love about the “Arm and Hammer Sifting Cat Litter Pan”
It’s a great price at just $ 17 on Amazon!
You don’t ever have to scoop through the litter to find the clumps of your cats waste!
What you might not like about the “Arm and Hammer Litter Pan”
The only negative is that it’s open and cats can kick the litter out of the box. BUT I solved that by putting the litter box into a cat tree cubby hole at the tree base, that fits perfectly!
Who should use the “Arm and Hammer Sifting Cat Litter Pan’”
If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on a litter box.
If you really don’t want to scoop through the litter looking for your cats waste.
If you have another litter box enclosure to put this litter box into.
How the “Arm and Hammer Cat Litter Pan” Works.
I wasn’t sure how the sifting part worked but it’s really easy for an adult or a teenager that pays attention to what they’re doing.
Basically you have three pans that fit together, stacked. The brown top pan is where you put the litter. Underneath the top pan is the white sifting pan that has grid-like holes in it and at the very bottom is another pan exactly like the top one.
How to sift litter with the “Arm and Hammer Cat Litter Pan”
It’s a lot faster than it sounds and is so slick that you don’t ever scoop the litter! It’s just a quick, pour, sift, and dump process. But here it is in detail.
When it’s time to clean you lift off the top brown pan and carefully pour it into the remaining other pans.
You might want to do a quick wet wipe of that brown pan. See tips below. Set that aside and let it dry.
Now carefully lift up the white sifter pan directly above the bottom brown pan and let the litter sift to the bottom brown pan leaving only the waste in the white sifter pan.
Next dump the waste into a pail (I use a smell proof Brabantia 3L pail) that I later empty into a bigger pail in the garage.
The first pan that started out at the top is dry now and ready to be put at the bottom with the white sifter pan in the middle and the originally bottom brown pan is now at the top with waste free litter!
Tips for using “Arm and Hammer Cat Litter Box”
when lifting the first pan above the white pan make sure to leave it directly above the pans below but you can tilt the bottom of the pan up and down to help with the sifting.
If you put litter to the top fill line and keep replenishing to maintain that level you shouldn’t have any pee clump spots that need to be wiped up.
But if you have a kicker in your cat family, filling to the fill line sometimes causes spillage of litter. In that case don’t fill all the way to the fill line and just plan on a quick wet wipe.
an affordable way to clean the first pan is to spray an enzyme spray like Kids and Pets Stain and Odor Remover) on the pan and wipe with a paper towel.
In case you’re looking for that a good enclosure for this litter box I can tell you it fits perfectly in the Petepela 56.7” Cat Tree with Litter Box Enclosure Large Wood Cat Tower…
My # 1 Favorite Covered Litter Box is the “ModKat Flip Litter Box”
This litter box isn’t cheap admittedly but if you want to pay more for a functional and yet esthetically pleasing to the eye and really nifty liner system box, this is the one! I have had this box for a few years and have no complaints! I expect this cat litter box to last us a long time!
What I love about the “ModKat Flip Litter Box”
All of Modkat litter boxes come with a liner that is a thick tarp like material.
The best part of the ModKat litter box is the liner system because you’ll never have to clean the box!
Cat urine eventually gets into plastic litter boxes making the average litter box smell over time but because of the liner, the Modkat litter boxes never gets that cat urine smell.
The liner cleans easily and dries quickly and doesn’t smell of cat urine.
The plastic this box is made of is also a thick quality material.
It’s a great size at 20.5 L x 15.75 W x 16.8 H. The interior height is 15.4” on three sides which is really helpful for keeping litter inside the litter box!
My cats love to stretch out on the top lid.
And speaking of the lid, its pretty nifty too. It folds back halfway or totally which allows you to have full access to the box when scooping waste and or changing the liner.
What you might not love about the “ModKat Flip Cat Litter Box”
I can’t really think of anything negative about this litter box except that some people might not like the liner system but for someone who has tried lots of different litter boxes, I will say that if you follow my quick liner cleaning method it is way easier then washing a whole litter box.
Yes you’ll need to clean the liner to use it more than once but its easy and I’ll step you through my quick method in the below tips.
Who should get the “ModKat Flip Cat Litter box”
If you have a cat who kicks litter everywhere!
If you have a cat who sprays urine high!
If you have a large cat.
If you don’t like having to clean a large litter box periodically.
If you want a easy fold back top lid that gives you un-cramped access.
If you don’t want to smell the cat urine that eventually gets in plastic litter boxes.
How to use the liner system of the “ModKat Flip Cat Litter Box”
When changing out the litter I just empty all the litter into a trash can lined with a trash bag and throw the litter box liner into my shower (so my cats will leave it alone) and I clean it later.
Then I clip the new liner in and pour new litter and voila the cats have a brand spanking new clean box!
Next time I take a shower I squirt a liquid cleaner soap into the bottom of the liner and use the shower nozzle to spray hot water creating lots of sudsy water and with a handle scrub brush, swish it around and then rinse and turn it upside down and let it air dry.
Tips for using ModKat Litter Boxes
I change the liner every 6-8 weeks if I’m using clay clumping litter and more often if using crystal litter and even more often if using paper pellets.
Modkat has 4 different models, the flip model and a X large box that has an adjustable top and front entrance, a smaller top entrance only.
And last the open Modkat litterTray which I also own and love because it fits perfectly in a litter box enclosure in my laundry room. In case you want a guaranteed perfect fit enclosure for the ModKat litter tray, it’s the New Age Pet ECOFLEX litter Loo.
My #2 Favorite ModKat Litter Box is the Modkat Litter Tray”
Another Litter Box to Consider is the “Frisco Multi-Function Covered Cat Litter Box”
I was really impressed with this litter box when I saw it in action while visiting my daughter and her family in Portland.
What I loved about the “Frisco Multi-Function Covered Cat Litter Box”
The #! reason to consider this box is if you have a dog. My daughter got this litter box because she has a dog AND a toddler and this box is perfect for keeping both curious doggie noses and curious toddlers out of the box!
The design is a large rectangle with a large right side opening. You put your inner litter box on the far, left side and now your dog or toddler can’t reach it and you don’t have to look at your cat’s business either!
It is plenty big for large cats with the total dimensions 29.73L x 17.5W and the door height is at 6”.
The 17 inch high sides are helpful for the kicker kitties!
And there is a great lid at the top too with hinges allowing you to open it with full access to scoop or change out the litter.
You can also use this box without the inner box and just put your litter at the bottom of the whole box.
And it comes with a detachable scoop and scoop holder that you can hang on either side handle.
Last, this cat litter box has a clean and simple look to it and it fits nicely in spaces because of the rectangle shape.
What you might not like about the “Frisco Multi-Function Covered Cat Litter Box”
The inner litter box that comes with it (for another $10) is shallow and it might be worth getting a different litter pan that’s deeper for maintaining the inside of the box.
If your using this as one large litter box it might be a bit awkward to clean.
It isn’t cheap at $69 - $79. But it is large and if you have the above needs I think its worth it!
Who should get the “Frisco Multi-Function Covered Cat Litter Box”
If you have a toddler
If you have a dog
And if you have a large cat.
Tips for using the “Frisco Multi-Function Covered Cat Litter Box”
I would save the extra $10 charge for the included litter pan and buy a bigger one but keep in mind that one customer mentioned the interior width of the box is really about 14” because of its trapezoid shape so I would start with something that width.
I think I would also put a litter mat beside the inner box to help keep things clean longer and catch stray litter that you could easily dump back into the inner box.
Also, the hinges are made of plastic and potentially fragile if not handled with care. If you put the box against a wall it can lean on the wall when opened instead of falling to the side.
Another litter box I have been happy with is my “PetSafe Scoop Crystal Pro Front Entry Automatic Litter Box Self Cleaning”
If you want a streamlined automatic litter box but don’t like the very high prices of other automatic ones AND like the idea using crystal litter this is one for you! This is the most expensive litter box I have owned, and I generally don’t trust electric litter boxes but at a fraction of the cost of those other giant automatic litter boxes, this is worth it!
What I love about “PetSafe Scoop Crystal Pro Front Entry Automatic Litter Box”:
I have had this litter box for 3 years and I love that its still working great!
I love the way my cats stools are raked away under the front hood so you don’t have to smell or see lightly coated crystal litter poops like you would in a traditional litter box. No more scooping through litter to find the poops!
I love using Pretty Litter because it works so well with this litter box!
My kittens are thoroughly entertained with the automatic raking of their litter box. And btw if a kitten jumps in it while it’s raking it automatically pauses!
I love that PetSafe has excellent impressive customer service! See in tips below.
What I don’t love about “PetSafe Scoop Crystal Pro Front Entry Automatic Litter Box"
My first one did break down BUT I called the PetSafe customer service number and they stood by their product and sent me a whole new one! All l had to do for the return is give them the date of my purchase which was on my order history on amazon so that was nice and convenient.
Sometimes bits of cat poop would get stuck on the rakes but that’s easily solved too. You just clean off the rake with an anti-bacterial wet wipe when you change out the litter and after you cleaned off the rake, spray the rake with pam spray to keep the poops from sticking to the rake. Works like a charm!
I didn’t love the cardboard litter tray that came with it but I found a solution to that and got a much better tray. See in tips below.
Who should get “PetSafe Scoop Crystal Pro Front Entry Automatic Litter Box”
If you love crystal litter.
If you don’t want to be scooping for your cats poops.
If you don’t like seeing your cats poops in their litter box.
How you maintain and change the “PetSafe Scoop Crystal Pro Front Entry Automatic Litter Box”
I put a little bit of the cat litter in the front pocket area for odor control and then it collects all the waste for you in one spot. How many cats are using the box affects how often you need to scoop out the front pocket but it’s so easy with all the cat waste in one spot and a small 3L Brabantia sort and Go….pail.
I switch out the Pretty Litter every two weeks but again that depends on how many cats are using this litter box.
When you’re ready to change out the litter you lift off the top part, dispose of the litter in a trash pail with trash bag in it and then just do a quick wipe of the tray. Very slick.
Tips for using “PetSafe Scoop Crystal Pro Front Entry Automatic Litter Box”
I invested in the Forever Tray on Amazon meant and made for this litter box. It is well worth the investment as opposed to continuing to buy the pricey cardboard crystal litter filled trays that come with the initial purchase of the litter box.
I did notice that there is a Stainless Steel tray offered on amazon now for about $10 cheaper than the hard plastic one I bought.
I use Pretty Litter exclusively in this litter box and it works perfectly..Although when I run out of my four bags from my Pretty Litter subscription, I’m going to try out Vibrant Life Mini Crystal unscented litter from Walmart because at $12.87 /8 lb. that’s worth trying and apparently it works well too.
And be aware you can’t use Clay Clumping litter in this litter box. It will ruin the motor.
To Wrap It Up
I love the the “Arm and Hammer Sifting Cat litter Pan” for its never scoop and sifting feature and for the low cost.
I love the “ModKat Flip Litter Box” for the nifty liners that keeps everything smelling good and the high sides and over all shape and spacious size plus the great fold back lid that allows easy access!
I Love “Frisco Multi-Function Covered Cat Litter Box” for dog owners and families with toddlers that need a way to keep both out of the litter box! And its full acess lid.
I Love the “PetSafe Scoop Crystal Pro Front Entry Automatic Litter Box” for its slick automatic raking of kitty poops to keep them out of sight!
These are by no means the only boxes available but they are my favorite ones so far. When you’re putting down money on what your hoping makes your life easier it helps to benefit from another person experience so you don’t make a possibly expensive mistake. Good luck!!
