The 5 Best Automatic Self Cleaning Litter Boxes

#1 Overall Best: Litter Robot III Open Air Automatic Litter Box

• Price: $499.00
• Dimensions: 27 x 24.25 x 29.5 inches
• Works With: Any clumping cat litter
• Key Strengths: A feature-rich, reliable, WiFi-enabled litter box that works with any clumping cat litter
• Ideal For: People who want to spend more to get the best performance

Because its rotating design uses gravity to its advantage, the Litter Robot avoids the jamming and caking issues common among other automatic litter boxes. In addition to smooth operation, the Litter Robot helps to make your life easier by featuring a set of intuitive controls, multiple settings, and useful notification lights.

It is compatible with any type of clumping litter and works with silica gel crystals.

To avoid the sticking that is the bane of most other automatic litter boxes’ existence, the Litter Robot has a flexible rubber lining that pops out when the machine rotates, pushing clumped litter off of the interior surfaces and into the waste drawer below.

The waste drawer is equipped with a carbon filter, which captures odors before they can escape. According to a review on Wirecutter, the drawer contains about 4 cups of clumped urine. When the waste drawer fills, the Litter Robot’s ready light will start to blink, notifying you that it’s time to discard the contents.

Another user-friendly aspect of the Litter Robot is the fact that it’s now available with the WiFi-powered Litter Robot Connect app. This app allows you to monitor your cat’s litter box usage whether you’re home or not. It’s compatible with both iOS and Android devices.

Unfortunately for budget shoppers, the Litter Robot’s superior performance comes at a high-performance price. The Litter Robot Open Air III with Connect costs almost $500. Without the Connect smartphone app functionality, the latest Litter Robot model costs $449.

This is one case when you’ll have to ask yourself whether or not you’re lazy enough to spend almost $500 for the luxury of not having to clean out your cat’s litter box.

Consider, though, the Litter Robot’s lower operating costs compared to other automatic litter boxes. It’s compatible with any clumping litter or silica gel litter, so you won’t need to worry about buying proprietary granules of any type. Compared to the ScoopFree Ultra, for instance, you’ll pay less for the Litter Robot over time.

Watch the Litter Robot in Action:

What We Liked:

• One of the most reliable automatic litter boxes on the market – doesn’t jam and seldom has serious malfunctions
• Has an eye-catching design
• Features a night light
• Has a step to catch loose litter
• Intuitive functionality and easy assembly
• The waste drawer is secure and odor-tight
• Connects to your iOS or Android device for remote litter box monitoring

What We Didn’t Like:

• The Litter Robot litter bed is small and might not accommodate larger cats
• Great performance comes at a cost – the Litter Robot currently costs about $500

#2 Runner Up: PetSafe ScoopFree Automatic Self-Cleaning Cat Litter Box

• Price: $199.95
• Dimensions: 28.5 x 20.5 x 11.5 inches
• Works With: Crystal cat litter
• Key Strengths: One of the most reliable automatic litter boxes on the market
• Ideal For: Single-cat homes, people who like crystal litter

This automatic litter box earns its place as our top-rated pick with its superior odor control, smooth operation, and reasonable price. This well-known litter box has a better-than-average reputation, with 2,798 reviews on Amazon and a 3.8 out of 5 star rating.

The ScoopFree Ultra combines the long-lasting odor control of silica gel litter with a convenient raking mechanism. Silica gel crystals have several benefits in an automatic litter box setup.

For one, crystal litter absorbs liquid waste, meaning that you don’t have to worry about it turning into sludge and jamming up the machine. And just as it absorbs liquid waste, crystal cat litter desiccates solid waste and renders it odorless. In short, this is a litter that eliminates odors and doesn’t create sludge.

To compensate for the fact that you won’t be closely watching your cat’s waste, the ScoopFree Ultra features a use counter to give you a better idea of how often your cat uses the toilet.

But it’s not perfect.

The ScoopFree Ultra can handle a lot, but it usually can’t handle cats with diabetes or kidney disease. Silica gel litter has a high absorption capacity, but when it reaches its absorption limit, the liquid has nowhere to go. If your cat urinates more than most, saturation is inevitable. For this reason, the ScoopFree Ultra is best-suited to single cat homes.

The ScoopFree Ultra isn’t cheap. Combined with the fact that disposable trays and replacement litter are both high-priced items, this litter box is expensive both upfront and in the long-term.

One way to save money is by using a reusable tray instead of buying disposable litter trays. You may opt to purchase a  reusable plastic tray and pair it with any silica gel crystal litter.

Watch a Video Review of the Petsafe Scoopfree Litter Box:

What We Liked:

• Reliable and not prone to jamming
• Quiet, quick operation
• Offers good odor control
• A good choice for cats who like silica gel litter
• Features a use counter

What We Didn’t Like:

• Disposable litter trays quickly become expensive
• Not a great choice for cats who dislike silica gel litter
• Can become saturated under heavy use

#3 The All-New Litter-Robot: Litter-Robot 4 Automatic Litter Box Review

• Price: $649.00
• Dimensions: 27 x 22 x 29.5 inches
• Works With: Any clumping cat litter
• Key Strengths: A feature-rich, reliable, WiFi-enabled litter box that works with any clumping cat litter
• Ideal For: People who want to spend more to get the best performance

Because its rotating design uses gravity to its advantage, the Litter-Robot avoids the jamming and caking issues common among other automatic litter boxes. In addition to smooth operation, the Litter-Robot helps to make your life easier by featuring a set of intuitive controls, multiple settings, and useful notification lights.

It is compatible with any type of clumping litter and works with silica gel crystals.

To avoid the sticking that is the bane of most other automatic litter boxes’ existence, the Litter-Robot has a flexible rubber lining that pops out when the machine rotates, pushing clumped litter off of the interior surfaces and into the waste drawer below.

Above the waste drawer, the globe is equipped with a carbon filter, which captures odors before they can escape. When the waste drawer fills, the Litter Robot’s ready light will start to blink, notifying you that it’s time to discard the contents. If you’d rather track this on your phone, you’re also able to monitor the waste drawer fullness level and get notified when it’s time to change it through the Whisker app.

That’s not all the app can do—it allows you to trigger a cycle remotely, adjust the wait time before a cycle begins, set up a sleep period, adjust the night light, and more.

Unfortunately for budget shoppers, the Litter Robot’s superior performance comes at a high-performance price. The Litter-Robot 4 costs just under $650.

Consider, though, the Litter Robot’s lower operating costs compared to other automatic litter boxes. It’s compatible with any clumping litter or silica gel litter, so you won’t need to worry about buying proprietary granules of any type. Compared to the ScoopFree Ultra, for instance, you’ll pay less for the Litter-Robot over time.

Watch the Litter-Robot in Action:

What We Liked:

• One of the most reliable automatic litter boxes on the market – doesn’t jam and seldom has serious malfunctions
• Has an eye-catching design
• Features a night light
• Has a step to catch loose litter
• Intuitive functionality and easy assembly
• The waste drawer is secure and odor-tight
• Connects to your iOS or Android device for remote litter box monitoring

What We Didn’t Like:

• The Litter-Robot litter bed is small and might not accommodate larger cats
• Great performance comes at a cost – the Litter-Robot currently costs about $650

#4 CatGenie Self Washing Self Flushing Cat Box

• Price: $479.00
• Dimensions: 24.5 x 19.2 x 21 inches
• Works With: Proprietary plastic granules
• Key Strengths: The only flushing litter box on the market
• Ideal For: People who want their cat’s toilet to be as efficient and clean as their own

Installing the CatGenie is like adding a new toilet to your bathroom. It looks like a small human toilet and hooks up to water lines in the laundry room or bathroom. Each time your cat uses their little toilet, their waste is flushed away into the (bigger) toilet or through the plumbing.

This is the only automatic litter box on this list that doesn’t just scoop. It washes your cat’s litter with a combination of water and CatGenie sani-solution. Once the plastic litter granules are washed, the CatGenie uses hot air and agitation to dry them out.

The CatGenie is interesting in this respect. It’s the only automatic litter box that whisks your cat’s waste away through the plumbing, sparing you from ever having to haul away your cat’s waste in a bag. It’s not necessarily the end of your cat litter struggle – the CatGenie can grant your wish for a life free of scooping and scraping, but for many users, it brings a new world of problems.

Because it requires the use of proprietary granules and special, non-refillable sani-solution cartridges, the CatGenie has a higher lifetime cost than either a standard litter box or some other automatic litter boxes. A review on Wirecutter estimated that the CatGenie’s replacement costs would add up to $400 after 10 months. But it’s worth the convenience, right?

Not necessarily. The CatGenie may end up creating more problems than it solves.

Customer reviews of the CatGenie are mixed. Some say that it’s a miracle machine, making the feline litter box as struggle-free as their own toilet. Others, like Amazon customer Suren, disagree. Here’s what Suren had to say in this top-rated review of the CatGenie on Amazon:

“If you like smelling delicious baked cat poo, enjoy clogged hoses and drains, and love questionably clean litter all over your entire house — this is the product for you!!!”

It sounds dramatic, but this kind of drama is characteristic of this litter box’s negative reviews.

Heated and dried cat waste is a reeking reality for many dissatisfied CatGenie users.

It’s important to recognize, however, that these negative reviews aren’t indicative of the average CatGenie experience. On Amazon, this automatic litter box has 1,123 reviews and a 3.8 out of 5 star rating. Over half of those reviewers gave 5-star ratings. A lot of people love the Genie, describing it as a hassle-free litter box that works like a household appliance.

Watch a Video Review of the Cat Genie:

At the time of this review the CatGenie currently costs around Out of stock.

What We Liked:

• Allows you to flush your cat’s waste away
• Can be cleaner and less odor-prone than a standard litter box
• Receives more positive reviews than most other automatic litter boxes

What We Didn’t Like:

• Solid waste may be baked during the drying process
• At around Out of stock, this is one of the more expensive automatic litter boxes on the market
• Comes with replacement costs for sani-solution and washable granules
• The lightweight plastic granules have a scattering and tracking problem
• Makes it almost impossible to monitor your cat’s toilet health

#5 Best for Clay Litter: LitterMaid Multi-Cat Self-Cleaning Litter Box, Version 3.2

• Price:Out of stock
• Dimensions: 27 x 18 x 10 inches
• Works With: Any litter
• Key Strengths: Comparable to the ScoopFree litter box without the crystal cat litter
• Ideal For: Multiple cat homes, people who want to be able to choose from any type of cat litter
• The LitterMaid litter box is a classic in the self-cleaning space.

Like the ScoopFree, the LitterMaid looks like a standard litter box. It’s a rectangular pan equipped with a raking mechanism that crosses the litter bed, scraping up and sequestering waste. When your cat steps into the litter box, a sensor built into the inner wall of the LitterMaid detects their presence. Ten minutes after your cat leaves the box, the machine starts a cleaning cycle.

Unlike the ScoopFree litter box, the LitterMaid is intended for use with any litter of your choice. You can pair it with clumping clay, silica, or any natural biodegradable litter your cat enjoys.

Most cats prefer clumping clay litter over any other type of litter on the market. In that sense, an automatic litter box should be compatible with such a well-loved litter substrate. On the flip side, clumping litter presents a unique set of challenges when paired with the LitterMaid litter box.

On Amazon, the LitterMaid has 3,109 customer reviews and a rating of 2.9 out of 5 stars. About a third of reviewers describe it as a scooping wonder, while another third hate it.

When litter clumps in the LitterMaid, it tends to stick to the rake. Anytime your cat urinates near the rake, clumping litter will adhere to the cleaning mechanism, preventing it from doing its job effectively.

This has led some users to coat the rake with baking soda or use cooking spray to prevent sticking. Others choose their litter strategically, observing that only hard-clumping, fast-acting litter works effectively in the LitterMaid.

As of January 2020, the latest version of the Litter Maid self-cleaning box costs $99.99 on Amazon. This puts it among the most economical options on the market.

Watch the Litter Maid in Action:

What We Liked:

• Compatible with any cat litter, including clay, silica gel, and biodegradable litter
• The generously-sized litter box is appropriate for large cats and multi-cat households
• Reasonably-priced

What We Didn’t Like:

• Tends to jam and clog