We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we believe in. Pricing and availability are subject to change.
AOL reviewed: We tried the $700 litter box so you didn't have to
I adopted my first cat when I was freshly out of college, and ever since then, I’ve shared my home (and my heart) with at least one feline. I love having a feisty kitty running around the house, and as an added bonus, they help keep away mice in my 100-year-old farmhouse. However, there’s one thing I don’t like about cat ownership, and that’s the litter box.
Traditional litter boxes have so many negatives: They smell. They’re generally unsightly. They have to be scooped daily. You have to keep a stash of plastic bags around for scooping. I could go on, but you get the point. Given my general disdain for this unenjoyable (yet essential) chore, it should come as no surprise that I was quick to jump on the Litter-Robot train when I first heard about these self-emptying litter boxes.
A few years ago, I upgraded to the Litter-Robot 4, and today, it’s an absolute must-have for my home. I can confidently say that as long as I own a cat, I will have a Litter-Robot, and if you hate litter box maintenance as much as I do, it might be time for you to get on the bandwagon with me.
Litter-Robot
Verdict: If you want to streamline litter box maintenance, the Litter-Robot 4 is the ultimate self-emptying litter box. It’s a splurge, but it’s worth every penny if you’re sick and tired of scooping your cat’s litter box.
- Eliminates daily litter box scooping
- Helps control litter box odors
- Quiet and compact design
- Tracks useful data via app
- Wide range of accessories for customization
- Requires smartphone to operate
- May be too small for some cats
- Can scare timid animals
- Inconvenient to deep clean
- Expensive
What is the Litter-Robot 4, and how does it work?
The Litter-Robot 4 is arguably the best self-cleaning litter box out there today. It’s made by Whisker, and it’s an upgraded version of the brand’s popular Litter-Robot 3.
The Litter-Robot is designed to automatically dispose of your cat’s waste every time they go to the bathroom, saving you from having to scoop their litter box daily. How does it work? When the litter box senses your cat inside, it waits for them to finish going to the bathroom, then it runs a cleaning cycle to separate out any waste.
To do this, the circular portion of the unit, which is called the “globe,” rotates sideways slowly. As this happens, clean litter falls through a mesh panel on the inner wall, where it’s trapped in a compartment. All that’s left in the globe is solid waste and clumps of litter, which are then dumped into the waste drawer at the base of the unit. The globe then reverses its course, spinning back into its original position, and the clean litter filters back out to fill the bottom of the globe once again. The whole process only takes a few minutes, and when it’s done, the waste is removed and your cat has a clean spot to go to the bathroom again.
The Litter-Robot 4 should be used with clumping clay litter — plant-based litters or any loosely clumping litters typically won’t work with the machine. Some silica litters may work, but the brand explains that white or translucent litters aren’t recommended, as the unit’s sensors can’t always detect them.
This high-end litter box is also Wi-Fi connected. During setup, you’ll be prompted to connect it to the Whisker app — from what I’ve read, it is possible to use the Litter-Robot 4 without the app, but you’ll be missing out on a lot of features. Once you’ve set up the app, the litter box will send you notifications when your cat goes to the bathroom, when the waste drawer needs to be emptied, and when the litter level inside the globe is low.
What I love about the Litter-Robot 4
After owning the Litter-Robot 4 for more than two years, I consider it a must-have for my home. I love that it needs very minimal maintenance, and my cat, Piper, loves having a fresh, clean litter box to use. Here are some of the things that stand out as its main benefits.
It eliminates the need for daily litter box maintenance
Let’s be honest: No one likes cleaning the litter box. It’s not a chore that anyone looks forward to, and with the Litter-Robot, you simply don’t have to do it anymore. In fact, you could even throw away your litter scoop because you won’t need it.
Every time your cat goes to the bathroom in the Litter Robot, the machine will automatically run a self-cleaning cycle and the waste will be deposited in the machine’s lower drawer. This means your cat will always have a fresh bed of litter when they need to go to the bathroom and you’ll be spared from daily scooping.
When the waste drawer gets full, the Whisker app will send you a notification, and all you have to do is remove the full bag and replace it with an empty one. It only takes a minute to do, and just like that, your Litter-Robot is good to go for another week or two without any human intervention.
It keeps my house smelling (and looking) better
Traditional litter boxes tend to smell, so I appreciate that the Litter-Robot 4 helps trap odors to keep that used-litter scent out of my home. The waste drawer seals tightly to keep smells contained, and the upper globe can be outfitted with a few kinds of odor-neutralizing packs. The brand offers both carbon filters (which is what I generally use) and OdorTrap packs to help keep the area smelling fresh, and the system works surprisingly well, virtually eliminating any bathroom odors.
Call me crazy, I also think the Litter Robot looks better than a traditional litter box. Mine is tucked in a corner of our bathroom, and I don’t feel embarrassed when people come over, as I know it’s always filled with fresh litter and doesn’t smell gross.
It’s quieter and more compact than the previous version
Before the Litter-Robot 4, I owned the Litter-Robot 3, and while the older model works fine, the newer version does offer a few notable benefits. First, the Litter-Robot 4 has a much sleeker and more compact design, taking up less space in your home. I also just think it looks more modern and less clunky.
In terms of functionality, the Litter-Robot 4 is much quieter than its predecessor. With the Litter-Robot 3, I could often hear it cycling from a few rooms away, but the 4 is virtually silent when it spins. This is definitely a big benefit if it’s located in a living space, as it won’t disrupt your daily activities.
The app tracks useful data
The Litter-Robot 4 is designed to be hooked up to your home’s Wi-Fi, and through the Whisker app, it collects quite a bit of data on your pet. Within the app, you’ll see a detailed history of recent activity, including when your cat was inside, when the machine cycled, and when the cycle was completed.
But that’s not all! The app also shows you when the litter level inside the globe is low and how full the waste drawer is. You can also use the app to control settings like turning the globe’s lights on and off, enabling sleep mode, and resetting the robot as needed.
One of my favorite features, however, is that the Litter-Robot 4 actually tracks your pet’s weight using a feature called SmartScale. Every time they use the litter box, the machine uses the built-in scale to weigh your pet, recording the data within the app. It can even distinguish between different animals, so long as their weights are more than 1 pound apart. It’s a handy tool to help keep tabs on your pet’s health, and I can see it being especially useful if your cat is on a weight-loss journey.
There are lots of accessories available
The Litter-Robot 4 has been out for a few years now, and the brand is great about coming up with new features and accessories to address common pain points from users. Here are a few accessories you may want to consider:
The new LitterHopper, which keeps the globe topped up with fresh litter
A ramp that makes it easier for older cats to climb in
A shield and swinging door for cats who prefer more privacy while doing their business
A tray that lets you set up the unit on carpeting
A litter mat to minimize mess around the box
A clip-on holder that stores extra waste drawer liners
A camera mount, in case you need to monitor your pet while they use the bathroom
I personally own the LitterHopper and litter mat, and they’ve both made the Litter-Robot 4 even more convenient to use.
A few things I don’t like about the self-emptying litter box
As much as I love the Litter-Robot 4, it’s not without its faults. The following are a few negatives you’ll want to keep in mind as you decide if it’s right for you.
The interior is fairly cramped
I think the biggest pitfall of this machine is that its interior is much smaller than recommended for a litter box. The entrance to the Litter-Robot 4 is just under 16 inches wide, and by my measurement, the inner compartment is around 17 inches deep. Cat experts recommend that litter boxes should be at least 1.5 times as long as your cat, giving them plenty of space to enter and turn around without touching the walls. By this standard, the Litter-Robot may be cramped for some cats, especially larger animals.
I’m lucky that Piper is on the smaller side, weighing just 8 pounds, so she has enough room to maneuver comfortably inside the Litter-Robot. However, larger animals may not have enough space and refuse to use it. (To be fair, would you want to use a tiny porta potty where you felt cramped? Probably not.)
It may scare some cats
There’s also the issue that, to some cats, the Litter-Robot is kind of scary. I introduced Piper to the self-emptying robot when she was a rambunctious kitten, so she got used to it quickly, but if your cat is older and more timid, they may not like the fact that their litter box is suddenly moving. It’s a common problem that Litter-Robot users experience—so much so that the brand even has a guide on how to acclimate your cat to the device.
Cleaning it is a chore
It’s quick and easy to empty the Litter Robot’s waste drawer, but actually deep cleaning the machine? That’s a whole other story. The brand recommends cleaning the interior of the globe every one to three months, and in the summer, I generally opt to bring the whole globe outside and just blast it with the hose to get off any gunk or caked-on litter.
However, if you don’t have an outdoor space, the cleaning process is a bit more difficult. When I lived in an apartment, I would wash out the globe in my bathtub, but it’s so large and unwieldy that it always made a mess. (Not to mention that I then felt the need to clean the bathtub itself to get rid of any lingering litter.) Because it was such a chore, I didn’t generally clean the machine as often as I should have, which can lead to problems in the long run.
Like with any technology, things can go wrong
There’s no denying that the Litter-Robot 4 is a fairly complex device with lots of moving parts. There are tons of sensors and electronics that keep it functioning properly, but like with any technology, it’s not infallible.
There have been times when my Litter-Robot has stopped cycling for no reason, got stuck in a weird position, or sent me error messages when nothing was wrong. I’m generally able to fix these types of issues by restarting the device — when in doubt, unplug it and plug it back in again — but it can still be frustrating to deal with, especially because the device is so expensive.
Plus, the older it gets, the more chances of key components breaking down, especially if you don’t keep up with the recommended maintenance. The Litter-Robot 4 comes with a one-year warranty, but you can extend it to three years, if desired — for an extra $100, that is.
Is the Litter-Robot 4 worth $700?
Because of its high-tech features and sleek design, the Litter-Robot 4 is expensive. It retails for a cool $699, which is a bit outrageous when you consider that you can get a regular litter box for $20. So does the added convenience really justify the expense? Ultimately, you’ll have to decide that for yourself, but here’s my two cents on the matter.
If you have a litter box system that works for you and your cats — and you don’t mind the daily scooping — there’s really no reason to upgrade to this expensive gadget. At the end of the day, the Litter-Robot 4 is a luxury item and by no means a necessity for cat owners.
That said, as someone who absolutely hated scooping my cat’s litter box and, frankly, often forgot to do it daily, the Litter-Robot 4 was a worthwhile purchase for me. It’s convenient for me, saving me the hassle of an unsavory chore, and it’s also beneficial to my cat, who now always has a clean litter box. It’s a win-win for us, and I have several friends who own it and love it just as much.
Litter-Robot
The Litter-Robot 4 costs a lot of money. If your current litter setup is working for you, keep it. But if you're looking for a more convenient way to keep litter clean, it's a worthwhile investment.
If you're looking for any shopping advice, drop us a line at shopping.editors@aol.com and our Shopping Editors will be in touch!
