MA’AYAN GUTBEZAHL / Cats.com
This SmartCat Corner Litter Box is a no-frills, straightforward style of litter box, but that is kind of the point. For every cat owner out there who is happy to shell out top dollar for a clever, stylish, and tech-savvy automatic litter box, there are just as many (if not more) who want nothing more than a basic, affordable, get-the-job-done litter box with a design that makes clean-up and cat-accessibility a breeze.
Ratings
- Ease of Cleaning – 10/10
- Odor Control – 5/10
- Appearance – 9/10
- Construction – 8/10
- Price – 9/10
Overall Score: 8.2/10
Thankfully, the SmartCat Corner Litter Box fulfills these needs…for some cats. After testing this product out on my own two, average-sized cats, I’ve concluded that it’s not exactly the litter box for us, but according to so many more reviews online, it’s an absolute gem of a litter box.
Online reviews of this litter box are generally positive. So I was surprised and puzzled to see the absolute litter mess on the ground around the box after a week and a half of my cats’ usage. What went wrong? I know I didn’t overfill the box – there is a very clear line that marks the limit of where you should pour the litter.
Perhaps my furry little friends are especially messy? Whatever the case, even though this litter box didn’t work out for me and my cats, it apparently does for many others. I wanted it to work for a number of reasons – so let’s dive in and talk a little bit more about this convenient corner litter box.
How We Tested
I purchased the SmartCat Corner Litter Box and tested it on my two cats, tucking it out of the way on the covered front porch that my cats enjoy lounging around on. For a couple of weeks, I let the kitties enjoy their new restroom, keeping track of how well its design worked for my cats, and how much of a mess or lack of mess there would be after each use.
How Big Is The SmartCat Corner Litter Box?
The product measures 24 inches long x 19 inches wide x 8 inches high. For most adult cats, this is absolutely enough space for them to do their business. But if you have a larger kitty, or a kitty that likes to dig like she’s looking for buried treasure (like mine really do, I’ve discovered) then this box might not be a fit for you. It has a triangular shape intended to fit nicely like a Tetris piece into the corner of a room, where it is out of sight and (hopefully), out of mind.
Design
MA’AYAN GUTBEZAHL / Cats.com
As implied by the name of the product, this litter box is designed to fit nicely into the corner of a room and it does just that. The perks of this design include:
- It’s out of sight and out of mind. You don’t have to feel like your cat’s toilet is a conversation piece or something to be tripped over wherever you decide to store it.
- It’s designed to save space, so cat owners with less room can easily tuck it away into a corner.
- It does not require a liner.
Personally, I have never liked litter box liners, and I haven’t purchased them in years. All they seem to do is get shredded by the digging paws of my cats, making its own mess within the litter mess as plastic shreds. Ain’t nobody got time for that.
And this is my favorite thing about this litter box, and why it pains me that it just didn’t work out for me and my cats. It has a great design. It does tuck nicely out of the way, and I love being able to hide it from any obvious place just because of its shape. It’s so simple, and yet so clever. It synergizes nicely with my aesthetic needs in the home and my cats’ need for privacy and peace. If your cats aren’t as messy as mine, and you are lucky enough to be in the majority of happy customers according to the Chewy reviews, then this litter box may be a game changer.
Scatter And Tracking
The entrance to this box is lower than the rest of the walls of the box, making it easy for cats to enter and exit, even for older cats and ones who have a little more difficulty getting around. However, this little entrance/exit is also where a lot of the litter spillage happens.
The inside of the litter box shows a clear line that marks where to pour the litter, but I would recommend going a bit below that line to keep things a bit cleaner. I did this with my own cats as I was testing the box out, and while it didn’t eliminate the problem of mess, it did help lessen it significantly.
How Much Does The SmartCat Corner Litter Box Cost?
On Chewy’s website, this litter box is an affordable $17.35. For many pet owners, a litter box that does the job well, comes with a few extra details to bump it it up beyond the basic design of a litter pan, and can still be purchased for under $20.00, this price is a steal. The box itself is made of hard plastic resin and should stand the test of time, so you will certainly get your money’s worth.
Unboxing And Assembly
The SmartCat Corner Litter Box comes as one, single piece, so no assembly required.
Pros Of The SmartCat Corner Litter Box
- Clever design for being discreet and space-saving
- Sturdily-built
- Reasonably-priced
Cons Of The SmartCat Corner Litter Box
- Some cats will make a huge mess due to the unusual shape and dimensions of the box
- Fill-line seems to be too high
Overall, Is The SmartCat Corner Litter Box A Good Choice?
Even though my two cats decided to make a mess with the SmartCat Corner Litter Box and it wasn’t what I was hoping it to be, it isn’t a total loss for me. I use the litter box in the corner of my covered porch with a mat to catch the stray litter. My cats are still getting use out of it, and I’m not keeping it in the house to deal with the kind of mess it made. It’s still a win-win for me.
And it is very hard to ignore the overwhelmingly positive reviews on Chewy. At seventeen bucks, I say it is well worth a try. Give it a shot – there is little to lose and it may just end up being the best litter box you ever bought. Good luck!
I have a large corner liter box, plastic. But would love a large steel corner box but have looked everywhere without success. Can you help. I have a small house so really need one.
Hi Mary, unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find one of these, either!