The perfect litter box doesn’t exist – or does it?
11/9/2025
Translation: Patrik Stainbrook
Pictures: Darina Schweizer
From cardboard fortress to high-end throne, my cats have dug their way through every litter box out there. In the end, I still wasn’t satisfied.
Need a laugh? Just take a look at my first litter box – DIY luxury:
I erected these cardboard walls a few months ago to keep my feline digging crew from spreading litter all over the flat. Whenever Jasper and Joy get into the box, it feels like they want to dig their way from Zurich to Australia.
Once their deep drilling is complete, they barrel out of the box like rockets in a torrent of cat litter. Sadly, neither a cat litter mat nor cardboard barriers could prevent my flat from being covered.
And so, I began my search for the perfect litter box*.
(*Ideally, according to this German article, each cat should have its own litter box. However, my pets double-teamed it right from the start – despite different options.)
Non-automated: a tricky start
The year had just started. I’d made my decision: the box had to go. I went looking for a litter tray with a high rim straight away.
High walls: not a solid all-round solution
I found what I was looking for with Simao from Trixie and its XXL walls. Jasper and Joy immediately accepted their new, very spacious box. Since it’s so easy to clean, I originally liked it. Until I realised the opening at the front was too big. Anytime there was digging, litter was flying past even the litter mat.
An exit at the top: includes some side effects
I tried a new approach: a toilet that’s only open at the top. Savic’s Hop In looked like just the model. I placed it against the wall so the longer part for cats to stand on would face forward and (hopefully!) catch any litter. Jasper wasn’t a fan. He simply climbed out sideways, leaving an artistic cat litter artwork on the floor – right next to the cat litter mat. Cue much annoyance and eye-rolling. Once again, I had to open the lid to clean the toilet.
Under the hood: not quite the right solution
I had only one option left: a closed litter box. Although many cat experts don’t recommend them since smells get concentrated inside and pets can’t observe their surroundings, I wanted to try it (linked article in German). After all, my duo of diggers aren’t picky when it comes to toilets.
I opted for the Curver version since you can simply pull out the drawer to clean it. At the same time, the front section acts as a small staircase to help cats get out. I also hoped that any litter would fall off their paws this way.
Sadly, my hopes were dashed, the drawer’s just too short. Pulling it out so my cats could stand on the stairs created a gap at the back. Not only did litter fall there whenever Joy dug around, but streaks of urine would splash there too. This system definitely hasn’t been thought all the way through.
All-in-one box: too big
Maybe a litter box cabinet is best after all? My little litterers could relieve themselves in one part and wipe their paws in the other before coming out. And the smell would stay inside too. Nope, no dice, I didn’t have the space for it.
I was getting frustrated. After more than a month of manual labour, I was getting increasingly sick of fishing my cats’ droppings out of the litter myself. It’s anything but meditative, not even if I squint my eyes and pretend I’m a gold miner.
What about self-cleaning?
Thinking of gold, I had an idea: «Maybe I need to spend a little more money on a self-cleaning litter box». I quickly stumbled across product tests by fellow editors Lorenz Keller and Jonas Rudin. Mind you, 500 to 800 francs (Litter-Robot 4) is already insane…
The spinning circle: a litter catapult
I did some research and found a mid-range model after all: the compact ScoopFree SmartSpin from PetSafe. Since it’s closed all the way round – apart from a small opening at the front – and stands on tall legs, I was hopeful for less litter chaos. Maybe it’d even fall off my cats’ paws onto the litter mat when landing from a greater height. Spoiler alert: it didn’t.
Assembling all those individual parts was also a challenge. Getting through that, however, a new world opened up for me. I only had to empty the litter drawer every three to four days. At first I didn’t even know what to do with all my free time.
However, I quickly noticed the brown streaks along the impractically rough walls. And worse: the smell. That’s one drawback to cleaning the litter tray less often: stuff that stays around longer stinks more too. And unfortunately, there’s a fairly wide gap without a seal between the rotating section and the litter drawer. Not only does the smell leak out through this gap, but flies get in too. After two days, I discovered cute little larvae (no, none that infect cats) between the piles of droppings. Barf.
Cat litter boxes + Supplies
EUR344,98
PetSafe Ecom Smartspin Auto Litter Box robot - (72984917986)
Self-cleaning litter tray
«You’ve got to be kidding me!» I was getting angry cleaning up yet another mess. Great, now I can add maggots to my growing list of litter box problems. «Why don’t those geniuses just install a flap over the litter drawer?» – «Maybe they do?» my husband responded.
Open and automated: almost perfect
Turns out, this flap does exist. My jaw almost dropped when I saw a flap listed in the description of the M1 litter box from Neakasa. Alright, that’s it: this was the last litter box I’d be testing. I swore to myself.
Lo and behold, even assembly was a blessing. I hardly had to put anything together, and my cats liked it too. Since it’s completely open at the top, they had a panoramic view. Even after the third, fourth and fifth cleaning cycle, hardly any droppings were stuck to the wall. I can remove any tiny remnants from the slippery, easy-to-clean rubber surface in no time at all. In contrast, I had to stick half my head in the box and scrub like a madwoman with the ScoopFree SmartSpin.
And the smell? Barely perceptible. Mind you, barely is accurate here. Even this litter tray didn’t stay completely odourless after seven days when I had to empty it. Still, a massive improvement. I also found a solution to litter chaos. Instead of cat litter mats, I rolled out two larger shower mats with chenille studs like red carpets. My royal four-legged friends can now scrape off most of the leftover litter when they get off their thrones.
My verdict: there’s no such thing as the perfect litter box. Some traces – olfactory or tactile – will always remain. But I can live with that now. And my cats? They don’t care either way, as long as they can dig to their heart’s content.
Which litter box can you recommend? Let me know in the comments.
Darina Schweizer
Senior Editor
Darina.Schweizer@digitecgalaxus.chI like anything that has four legs or roots. The books I enjoy let me peer into the abyss of the human psyche. Unlike those wretched mountains that are forever blocking the view – especially of the sea. Lighthouses are a great place for getting some fresh air too, you know?
Guide
Practical solutions for everyday problems with technology, household hacks and much more.
Show allThese articles might also interest you
15 comments
later