This Litter Box Changed My Cleaning Routine, and I’m Never Going Back

If you're a cat owner and your goal is to keep your kitty's litter area — and your whole house — cleaner without working harder, Whisker's Litter-Robot 5, or one of the brand's several automated litter boxes, might be for you. And now, the high-tech setup looks even better than before with the release of coordinating furniture.

Before adopting our cat, Maisy, I stressed to my husband (who didn't grow up with pets) how low-maintenence cats are. He already inherited my dog when we got married, so I had to persuade him by extolling the benefits of cat ownership on repeat: They can hang out on their own when we take short trips, you don't have to walk them, they don't need housetraining, etc. "All you have to do is clean the litter box," I told him. Ah, if only it were that simple.

Shortly after bringing Maisy home, we learned that she has some ... interesting ... bathroom habits. She somehow pees vertically and makes a mess of her enclosed litter box, top to bottom, so simple scooping doesn't effectively clean it. I initially thought she might have a urinary tract infection or some other physical issue, so I spent lots of money on vet visits and tests, only to have the vet suggest a second litter box.

For multi-cat households, the general rule is 1.5 litter boxes per cat, but with only one cat, I never expected to have two litter boxes to keep clean. (We also learned the hard way that if we didn't wipe down the insides of both boxes along with scooping the litter every day, she would find somewhere else to do her business ... like the carpet.) Not exactly the low-maintenance pet situation I had described.

So when Whisker reached out about the launch of the Littler-Robot 5, I jumped at the chance to try it out, with the hopes that this would solve our kitty litter woes and get us back to being a one-box household.

How to Acclimate Your Cat to the Litter-Robot 5

Maisy is the definition of a scaredy cat. She's extremely skittish, so I had my concerns about her going near an automated litter box, let alone going inside it. Thankfully, we anticipated some fear and consulted the acclimation process outlined in the Litter-Robot 5 instruction manual. First, it recommends not turning on the machine immediately. Though this isn’t necessary for all cats, we knew a slow transition to the Litter-Robot 5 would be best for our kitty, so that's how we started out.

Full transparency: It took a significant amount of time to get Maisy acclimated to the robot (think: weeks or months, not days). The manual suggests adding a scoop of your cat’s used litter to the robot to help them recognize it as their new box, so we did that, too. We also left one of her old litter boxes next to the robot for several weeks to limit the amount of change. After a week of letting her use the Litter-Robot without turning it on (read: cleaning it manually), we plugged it in and ran a cleaning cycle with her in the room, getting plenty of treats and praise.

To our shock — and delight — Maisy took to the new system like a pro. One of my favorite features, which I believe helped smooth the transition, is that you can set how long a cleaning cycle is delayed after each use. For our jumpy girl, we set the Litter-Robot 5 to wait 10 minutes after she exits before starting a cleaning cycle. This ensures that Maisy is far from the robot before the potentially-scary automation begins. (Though, side note, it's surprisingly quiet!)

After several more weeks, we removed the remaining old litter box, leaving her with just the robot, and so far, so good. While the transitional period was a process, Maisy is now fully acclinated to the Litter-Robot 5, and we're back to being a one-cat-one-litter-box house. Two paws up!

How the Litter-Robot 5 Works

So how does the Litter-Robot 5 actually work? It’s simpler than it looks. To get started, all you have to do is plug it in, add litter to the fill line and turn it on. The machine can sense when your cat is in it and when it exits. It waits for the litter to properly clump and begins a clean cycle. During the cycle, the globe rotates, sifting out the clumps and depositing them in the tightly sealed waste drawer below. The globe then rotates to its original position, and the clean litter falls back into place. A constantly clean litter bed is excellent for reducing smell, but it also makes the Litter-Robot 5 the perfect option for households with multiple cats as each cat will have a clean box for every use.

How to Use the Whisker App

I honestly wasn't thrilled with the idea of needing another app, especially for a simple household task, but it has turned out to be very helpful. The app lets us know when the machine is cycling, how much Maisy weighs, when the litter level is getting too low and when it’s time to empty the waste drawer. Being able to keep tabs on the waste drawer without checking it manually is a huge perk. (When you're not scooping every day, it can become an out-of-sight-out-of-mind chore.) The alerts ensure that we empty the waste as needed to keep the machine running properly. The drawer itself can be lined with either the Litter-Robot drawer liners or regular trash bags to collect the waste, making disposal easy and mess free.

How to Clean the Litter-Robot 5

How often you have to empty the waste drawer is dependent on how many cats are using the machine and how frequently they use it, but for our cat, emptying the waste drawer once every other week is enough. Every other month, we completely change the litter and wipe down the machine to remove any lingering messes and litter dust. Though you don’t have to use their products to clean the machine, cleaner spray, cleaner wipes and replacement carbon filters are all available on the Litter-Robot website. (They also have a subscription service, so you never run out of supplies.)

Potential Drawbacks

While the Litter-Robot 5 has worked well for us, there are some drawbacks to consider.

• Price: There's no way around it. The Litter-Robot 5 is expensive. There are older models available that cost less, but none of them are budget-friendly. If you think one of these machines would work for you and your cat, it's a splurge you may want to save up for. (Though if you have a physical need for an automated litter box, you may be able to use HSA/FSA funds to cover the cost of the Litter-Robot.)
• Size: If you're a multi-cat household (or a single cat household like us) with more than one litter box, the size of the Litter-Robot 5 shouldn't be a problem. (It certainly takes up less space than multiple boxes!) But if you typically have just one litter box, you may need to rethink where the robot will fit in your space. It's quite cumbersome at nearly 30 inches tall and just over 22 inches wide, so it may be hard to fit in small homes and apartments. (The Litter-Robot EVO is the smallest model, which may fit better in tight spaces.)
• Kitten Safety: Kittens under three pounds should not use the machine on automatic. Because the sensors do not register anything under three pounds, the best option for tiny kittens is to let them use the machine only when it is turned off and to only plug it in and cycle the machine after your kitten has used it and safely exited.

Using the Litter-Robot Cabinet

While I don't consider it a drawback, I don't love the modern look of the Litter-Robot 5 in my century-old home. It's undeniably more appealing than the plastic boxes we were using before, but is there really such a thing as a good-looking litter box? I don't think so. But Whisker has solved that conundrum, too, with the release of the Litter-Robot Cabinet and Credenza. Both pieces, designed in partnership with Sauder, are compatible with all the Litter-Robot models and feature a pull-out base with 360-degree access to the machine. The pieces come in two finishes — Grand Walnut, a rich, warm brown and Harvest Walnut, a whitewashed finish — to pair seamlessly with your home's style.

Final Thoughts on the Litter-Robot 5

The Litter-Robot 5 has been a game changer in our home. Even though it took a while to get Maisy fully on board, it was worth the effort. We no longer have to clean multiple boxes every night, and her litter is consistently cleaner than ever. It's also nice to able to go on vacation and only have to ask friends to feed her (rather than deal with a stinky litter box, too). Overall, I would recommend investing in the Litter-Robot 5 for any cat-loving household.