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Our top pick, the Nature’s Miracle High Sided Litter Box, has been discontinued but our runner up, the Frisco High Sided Cat Litter Box is still a great alternative. We’re currently testing new boxes, including a stainless steel option, the iPrimio Enclosed Sides Stainless Steel XL.
Get the right litter box and your cat will happily do its business in there, rather than on the floor. After two years of testing 17 litter boxes, we still think the Nature’s Miracle High Sided Litter Box is the best way to contain your cat’s waste. It’s big enough for most cats to comfortably use, with higher sides to contain messes and a low entryway, which makes it easy for your cat to get in and out.
The Nature’s Miracle High Sided Litter Box is big enough for most cats to squat and turn around in comfortably without making a mess.
Our Frisco litter box pick is sized perfectly for larger cats, and it features a smooth interior that’s easy to clean.
The Litter Genie Cat Litter Box offers easy-grip handles that make tossing dirty litter in the trash bin a breeze.
The Modkat Flip Litter Box is the only enclosed option we like; its high sides trap litter, and it has a modern design.
We also have a litter box for larger cats, like Maine coons and Norwegian forest cats; a litter box that’s easier to lift and empty than traditional models; and a hooded box that looks nice in the corner of a shared room—and all of them are big enough for most cats to comfortably use. Our picks should work great for most people and most cats, but keep your cat’s past behavior and preferences in mind when considering our picks.
The Nature’s Miracle is a simple, inexpensive box with a low entryway, high sides to contain mess, and a smooth interior for easy cleaning.
May be out of stock
The Nature’s Miracle High Sided Litter Box does everything it needs to do. For cats, it offers what our research and experts agree is best: a large enough space to turn around, squat, and stand comfortably, plus an open top so they can keep an eye on their surroundings. The low entryway makes it easier for cats—especially older or less-mobile ones—to get in and out. And humans will appreciate the high sides and back, which help contain messes from urine overspraying and litter flinging. This box also has a smooth interior, with no crevices or corners for waste clumps to get stuck in, making cleaning and scooping easy. The low price is a bonus.
The Frisco box is as easy to clean as the Nature’s Miracle box. And it’s a little larger—but that also means it requires more cat litter to keep it full.
Like our top pick, the Frisco High Sided Cat Litter Box is a large, simple, open box. But its pan is about 3 inches longer and 2 inches wider than the Nature’s Miracle box, making it great for giant cats like Maine coons. It has a smooth interior with rounded corners that make it easier to clean sticky clumps. The Frisco’s larger pan size requires more litter to keep it full than other boxes need (about 25 percent more litter than the Nature’s Miracle box). If our top pick is unavailable, the Frisco box will work well for a few dollars more.
The Litter Genie is a basket-shaped litter box that’s easy to lift and empty for deep-cleaning.
If you like the idea of an easier cleanup when it’s time to deep-clean your cat’s litter box, the Litter Genie Cat Litter Box has the smooth interior and easy-grip handles that humans need, and the open design, large litter pan, and high-sided walls that most cats want. The Litter Genie is shaped like a basket, with handles on either side, so it’s easy to tip it over and toss a pan full of dirty litter into a trash bin before deep-cleaning it. We found this method to be easier than maneuvering the litter into the corner of a traditional litter box before dumping it out. But, like our other picks, the Litter Genie is very heavy when it’s full of litter, so don’t let its easy-to-carry construction tempt you into carrying it across your house—bring the garbage bag to this box rather than bringing this box to the garbage bag.
The Modkat Flip is the best-looking option, with seamless sides and a folding, magnetic lid for easy opening and cleaning.
You should buy the Modkat Flip Litter Box if you’re sick of looking at ugly litter boxes and are willing to pay a lot more to look at a prettier one. (It currently costs about seven times the price of a simple box like the Nature’s Miracle model.) This litter box does offer slight upgrades in functionality—though they are mostly for you, not for your cat. The Modkat Flip is the only closed box we recommend. Its hinged top folds completely back and out of the way for easy scooping and cleaning, and it latches magnetically back in place when you’re done.
As with our other picks, the high sides on the Modkat Flip help prevent messes from escaping the box, and the low front entry makes it easy for your cat to get in and out (although the entry is about an inch higher than the one on the Nature’s Miracle box). The Modkat Flip is made of thicker, sturdier plastic than its competitors, and it’s easier to get clean than the standard dull plastic box. But you’re better off using the brand’s replaceable tarp liners, because without them, litter and waste can get stuck in the box’s corners and angles. Currently running around $30 for a three-pack, the liners are another ongoing expense for an already expensive litter box. Modkat recommends replacing the liner every three months, but we’ve found they can easily last twice as long.
The Nature’s Miracle is a simple, inexpensive box with a low entryway, high sides to contain mess, and a smooth interior for easy cleaning.
May be out of stock
The Frisco box is as easy to clean as the Nature’s Miracle box. And it’s a little larger—but that also means it requires more cat litter to keep it full.
The Litter Genie is a basket-shaped litter box that’s easy to lift and empty for deep-cleaning.
The Modkat Flip is the best-looking option, with seamless sides and a folding, magnetic lid for easy opening and cleaning.
If your cat uses their current litter box without a problem, and you’re happy enough with how it looks and how easy it is to scoop and clean, then you don’t need to buy a new one. But otherwise, consider finding a box that corrects any of your current litter box’s shortcomings. Most good litter boxes aren’t expensive or complicated, so there’s no reason to live with one that’s hard to clean, that your cat avoids using, or that allows your pet to kick up litter everywhere.
If your cat is having new problems with the existing litter box, the first thing you should do is head to the vet. Even common and simple ailments can make a cat skittish about using a litter box. Urinary tract infections that make peeing painful can cause cats to associate the litter box with pain. Problems with a cat’s paws or claws can make litter uncomfortable to stand on. Any sort of gastrointestinal issue can end up making a cat avoid the box in hopes of avoiding the problem.
Aging cats might not want to hop into a tall box like they once did.
Once you’ve ruled out any medical issues, there’s still no guarantee that changing the box will be the magic bullet. If a litter box is too hard to reach or too far away, your cat may not be able or even want to go there. Boxes that are near loud appliances can be downright spooky for a cat. And if you have a covered box to keep odors in, just imagine what your cat, with their heightened sense of smell, thinks of it. Even if you have a clean, easily accessible litter box, changing the litter you use might be more effective than changing the box. Some cats are just picky about the consistency or smell of their litter.
Still, in some cases, the litter box itself can indeed be the culprit. Aging cats might not want to hop into a tall box like they once did. Or a young cat may have gotten startled while in a hooded box and now wants an open one so they can be aware of their surroundings. Our picks are all aimed at being the best boxes for the most cats and humans, so although they’re a good place to start, you should follow your cat’s preferences first.
Most cats prefer a clear view of their surroundings, so it’s best to opt for an open-style litter box. And since closed lids can trap smells, it may also make for an unpleasant environment for your pet. We like the open Nature’s Miracle High Sided Litter Box because it’s cheap, it has a low entryway but high sides that contain messes, and there’s a smooth, easy-to-clean interior. If your picky kitty does prefer an enclosed litter box, get them the Modkat Flip Litter Box. It looks nice in the corner of a room, the doorway is big enough for cats to get in and out comfortably, and the hinged top flap is easy to open (and stays open) for cleaning.
As Wirecutter’s pets writer, I know feces happens. Poop, leavings, droppings, it’s all part of the gig. Over the past three years, I’ve tested cat products with the aid of more than 100 different cats, and I’ve interviewed dozens of pet experts about what makes cats tick. I can tell you why an automatic litter box is a bad idea, how to pick out the right cat litter mat for your cat, and all about the art of training your cat not to pee on your stuff. And as a lifelong pet owner, I know the value of finding the right accessories to make your pet’s life happier, and that includes the stinky box most house cats use.
This guide also builds on research by Mark Smirniotis, a cat owner and senior editor at Wirecutter. When he was a staff writer, he consulted Dan “DQ” Quagliozzi, the award-winning cat behavior consultant behind San Francisco’s Go, Cat, Go!, and Tony Wang, of the San Diego Cat Café, on litter box issues. And he tested the litter box finalists with the cafe’s 12 resident cats.
Ultimately, this is about cat toilets, both for the cats who use them and the humans who clean them. A good litter box makes your cat happy enough that its poop and pee go into the box. A great litter box makes you less miserable when it’s time to scoop the mess out of the box. In some cases, features that are better for cats are worse for humans, and vice versa. Cat behavior expert Daniel “DQ” Quagliozzi put the whole situation into perspective:
Shitting in boxes has always been a lucky phenomenon, if you ask me. I’m surprised they even do it to be honest. Cats don’t understand that certain surfaces or substrates are off limits, so when they opt to eliminate in other places, besides the litter box, it honestly should not come as a huge shock. We assume they will accept any condition we provide, which are mostly selfishly decided, based on human preference for a “low maintenance” pet experience.
With that in mind, we considered five key aspects of boxes that would keep cats happy and healthy, and cause the least trouble for humans as possible. Quagliozzi does a great job of showing that most litter box gimmicks have major downsides that make things worse for humans, cats, or both. Instead of gimmicks, we stuck to simple boxes and avoided weirder designs like boxes that roll over.
You should be scooping the litter box once a day, and changing litter completely at least every two weeks.
For the original version of this guide, we did include two popular sifting litter boxes with built-in screens for removing clumps to see if they lived up to the hype.
The Nature’s Miracle is a simple, inexpensive box with a low entryway, high sides to contain mess, and a smooth interior for easy cleaning.
May be out of stock
The Nature’s Miracle High Sided Litter Box is the perfect example of a simple solution that’s also the right one. It has all the features that experts recommend to keep your cat happy—it’s large and open and has a low entry point—as well as the ones that keep humans sane. Its high sides prevent litter and urine from getting out of the box, the smooth surfaces are easy to scoop and clean, and it’s dirt cheap.
Measuring 20 by 18 inches at the top, with a 16-by-11½-inch pan at the base, the Nature’s Miracle box is one of the largest ones we’ve found that bigger cats can use comfortably. Many of the boxes we dismissed without testing were much smaller, often less than 16 inches wide on the outside, with even smaller pan sizes. That may be fine for a kitten or small cat, but ideally, medium and large cats will get their length or more in every direction to turn around. One open box we considered was larger in length and width, but the extra space didn’t seem necessary for most cats.
Our pick meets all of the basic requirements for people, too. Open boxes have a reputation for being stinky, but the best way to avoid that is to scoop more often and keep the box clean. The whole interior of the Nature’s Miracle High Sided Litter Box is perfectly smooth, with no weird divots or ridges to catch clumps. That makes this box easier to scoop regularly and also to clean.
Finally, this litter box is the cheapest we found, and it performs better than the competition. If you’re okay with the idea of an open box, the Nature’s Miracle High Sided Litter Box is the best choice.
For every feature we like about this box, there’s almost guaranteed to be a reviewer on Amazon or Chewy with a cat who feels the opposite. We think the box’s entry is low enough to allow easy access for most cats but still prevent them from peeing out the front. Yet some reviewers thought it was too low, saying their cats tracked litter or managed to pee out the front; some others, conversely, said their cats had a hard time getting in and out because the entry was too high. Most of the Nature’s Miracle box’s features are a great compromise between the needs of cats and people, though, so we still think it’s the best option overall.
The Frisco box is as easy to clean as the Nature’s Miracle box. And it’s a little larger—but that also means it requires more cat litter to keep it full.
The Frisco High Sided Cat Litter Box is a good choice if the Nature’s Miracle box is out of stock. The Frisco box is just a few dollars more, but it shares the same simple human- and cat-friendly construction elements. It’s the largest box we recommend, which makes it great for really big cats. But that also means you need to use more litter to keep it full, costing more over time.
Like all of our current picks, the Frisco pan has a smooth bottom and rounded corners that make it easy to scoop up cat waste. We dismissed a few litter boxes for having crevices that were harder to clean, including our former runner-up pick, the Petmate Giant Litter Pan, which had a small ridge along its walls where dirty litter could cling.
The Frisco’s walls are only an inch shorter than those on the Nature’s Miracle box, so it should sufficiently contain litter scatter as well as markings from over-pee-ers. The pan is 19 by 13 inches, making it roughly 3 inches longer and 2 inches wider than our main pick. That may not seem like much, but it makes Frisco’s surface area about 25 percent bigger. The extra space is great for huge cats, like Maine coons, who need more room to maneuver in the box. But that also means it takes a lot more litter to fill the Frisco pan, which costs more over time.
The Litter Genie is a basket-shaped litter box that’s easy to lift and empty for deep-cleaning.
Emptying out a dirty litter pan so you can give it a good scrub is a real pain. Dust clouds form, litter scatter gets everywhere (when you inevitably miss the trash bin), and the heavy pan is difficult to carry because there aren’t any handles to grip. The Litter Genie Cat Litter Box makes the process of deep-cleaning your cat’s bathroom easier because it has easy-to-grip carry handles and a seamless interior that cat scat won’t cling to. It also has a large pan and the high-sided wall design we want in a litter box.
When you look at the Litter Genie, you might kick yourself for not thinking of designing it yourself. It’s made of plastic, like any other litter box, but it’s shaped like a basket and has large carry handles that make gripping the sides easier. To empty the dirty pan, just lift it by the handles and dump the litter over a trash bin. (In our tests, gunking cat litter easily slid out of the bottom of the pan with the lightest touch of the litter scooper.) We found this process to be virtually mess-free, compared with regular litter boxes, which require you to precariously tip out the dirty litter from a corner of the rectangular litter box before ultimately spilling mounds of dirty litter onto the floor. But as with all of the litter boxes we recommend, the plastic on the Litter Genie is somewhat bendable and could crack under too much pressure. It’s best to avoid carrying the litter box over long distances when it’s full.
Some users have reported the basket shape can also make it a pain to remove stuck-on litter. “The litter box’s curved sides made it hard to get the pee cement off,” said Wirecutter’s Jessica Bell. “I am curious as to if a [smaller] scooper change would have made a difference. I liked it enough that I would buy again just to try that.” In contrast, Wirecutter’s Tim Barribeau hadn’t encountered any issues removing stuck litter over the course of six months of owning the Litter Genie box.
This litter box is just as big as our Nature’s Miracle pick, at 20 by 20 by 10½ inches and with a round-ish pan measuring 15 by 11 inches. But the Litter Genie also has the highest entry point, 7½ inches, of any open box we tested. If you have a senior cat or a cat with mobility issues, stick with the Nature’s Miracle pick for its lower entryway.
The Modkat Flip is the best-looking option, with seamless sides and a folding, magnetic lid for easy opening and cleaning.
If you want a more attractive option and you’re willing to spend a lot more to get it, the Modkat Flip Litter Box is your best choice. It looks nicer than any other hooded or open option we considered, and it’s easy for both cats and humans to access. And it’s simple to clean, thanks to the custom-fit liners. But the added features make the Modkat box only marginally better than the cheaper open boxes we recommend. Also, the tarpaulin liners need to be replaced every few months, and the box itself costs around $70.
No one wants to look at their cat’s poop palace, so it’s understandable that you may try to hide it in out-of-the-way places. But keeping yours in a more public area may do your cat a favor (and you may not have a choice if you live in a small space). Some cats can’t, or won’t, use a litter box that’s in a far corner of the house—or near loud appliances. If your litter box is going to be out in the open, it might be worth getting one that’s a little nicer to look at.
We’ve tested eight enclosed or top-entry litter boxes, and the Modkat Flip Litter Box is the only lidded model we recommend. It’s slightly bigger than our Nature’s Miracle pick, with a 17-by-12½-inch litter pan, and it has a minimalist style that blends in well in the living room or guest bathroom. The Modkat Flip has a well-designed lid that makes scooping the box easy. It’s attached with magnets at the front and folding midpoint, and has hinges at the back, which allow the whole thing to be folded out of the way. We also like that there’s no need to remove a giant cover and set it on the floor, or to fuss with poorly made plastic latches, as is necessary with the Catit Litter Box Jumbo and the Petmate Top Entry.
“The Modkat is amazing,” said Justin Yost, a Wirecutter engineering manager. “We bought it three years ago and it’s, like, the perfect solution. [The enclosed shape is great because] our cats love to play in their box, insist on peeing on the side walls and dig all the way to the bottom. I can barely tell that the litter box has aged at all, and I have no doubt it will last decades at this point.”
If your litter box is going to be out in the open, then it might be worth getting one that’s a little nicer to look at.
We were skeptical of the pricey liner system that Modkat uses, because it seemed like an unnecessary cost that might cause more problems than it solves. But San Diego Cat Café owner Wang said the liner scooped easily during his testing, and when we emptied it out, not much stuck to it. A Wirecutter staff member who has used the Modkat for years said that even though the company recommends replacing the liners every three months (or a $4 cardboard liner monthly), their liners showed no signs of wear after more than six months of use and the occasional quick wipe-down when changing litter. The liners are custom-fitted and hang easily on the box, with grommets that hook at each top corner, so there’s very little fuss involved in putting one in or changing it out. Some Amazon reviewers have used the Modkat without the liner, but the box’s large size and sharp angles make it hard to empty and clean.
Like our other picks, the Modkat Flip has high, seamless sides, which can help prevent messes if your cat wants to run an archaeological dig in their litter box, and it can contain the pee of any cat who aims a bit high. But we noticed at the cat café that a lot of litter tracked out through the opening, despite its being about an inch higher than that of our top pick. Plan to pair this one with a litter mat to keep the mess down.
If your cat is resistant to using the litter boxes you’ve tried, and you’ve ruled out any medical causes with your vet, the best litter box may not be a litter box at all. Quagliozzi told us his favorite litter boxes are actually storage bins, due to their size. Underbed storage containers offer a huge area for big or picky cats, and you can modify a standard bin to get many of the same benefits while still keeping things tidy.
The storage-bin method is great for cats, but has its drawbacks for humans. Many storage bins have ridges and divots at the bottom that can be hard to scoop. Underbed storage bins can have sides that are too low, and taller bins can be difficult to smoothly cut down to size. Plus, they’re not the best-looking option for anyone who keeps a litter box in their living room or other public area. Still, a storage bin is a good, cheap option to try if you have a cat who has litter box problems, because the extra space means they have more room to move around. Large boxes also trap less smell. Finally, if your feline friend is big enough to be confused with one of their big-cat cousins (video), this may be the best way for you to give them a box that’s large enough.
Though there are loads of tutorials online for how to turn a taller bin into a litter box, keep in mind what’s best for your cat. Cut the opening so it’s tall enough to keep plenty of fresh litter inside with a couple inches of space, but also low enough that your cat can get in and out easily. And though cats can go anywhere they can fit their heads, you should make the opening wide enough that it’s comfortable and not a tight squeeze. (Don’t forget to sand down the opening so it doesn’t hurt your cat.) Finally, if at all possible, avoid the temptation to turn your bin into a top-entry box, often done by cutting a hole in the lid. Some cats will tolerate this (and, yes, a few will even like it), but our cat expert Quagliozzi told us that when cats are given a choice, he’s never seen one choose a top-entry box over an open or front-entry model.
All of our cat litter box picks are made of plastic. When our picks hit the landfill, they’ll never disappear, as plastic breaks down into millions of tiny pieces that can’t fully decompose. Thus, once you find a cat litter box your cat enjoys using, we recommend sticking with it for the long haul. You can extend a litter box’s life by deep cleaning it every couple of weeks.
We’ve considered stainless steel litter pans for this guide, but they cost twice as much as our picks and are smaller, too.
Similarly, you can find disposable litter boxes marketed for travel with cats or to appeal to people who don’t like the idea of their plastic litter box outliving humankind. Those are generally smaller than what we recommend cat owners buy. They need to be thrown out every few days, which gets expensive and adds more waste. Plus, any disposable litter pans that are described as “compostable” need to meet FTC requirements, and probably can’t be composted anyway, as any remaining animal waste contains bacteria and possibly parasites. (We touch on why composts and animal feces don’t mix in our guide to dog poop bags.)
If you need to upgrade your existing litter box, consider repurposing the older one in your home. The large plastic bins can work as storage for greasy tools in the garage, as car-oil drip pans, or as car-wash buckets. Alternatively, contact your city sanitation department or local waste-removal company to see if it will recycle a plastic cat litter box that has been thoroughly sanitized. A litter box may be classified as “rigid plastic” in the department’s or company’s online sorting tool. Finally, although donating an old litter box to your local animal rescue seems like a great idea, in reality many organizations don’t accept used litter boxes for public-health reasons.
We liked the Petmate Open Litter Pan because it’s bigger than our Nature’s Miracle pick, but the entryway is a little taller, so it’s harder for cats to get into, and it has a few grooves in the pan that make it harder to clean.
The locking mechanism on the Catit Litter Box Jumbo lid doesn’t work, and the cat-door flap is sticky and requires a fair amount of pressure to move, which could deter cats from using the box.
The Petmate Top Entry is basically a big storage container with a hole cut in the top, but the lid doesn’t stay secure, and its tiny air holes and grooves are troublesome to clean. And the high sides along all four walls don’t offer easy access for scooping and cleaning, so the process is messier than with our picks.
We decided not to test the Modkat Litter Tray, released in November 2017. It has high sides like our favorite litter boxes, but not enough other compelling features for us to recommend it, since it is about four times the price of our main pick. The step is about an inch higher than on the Nature’s Miracle High Sided Litter Box, and the pee shield is a second piece that introduces a seam that could potentially leak. We also don’t like the design as much as those of Modkat’s other boxes—one of the main reasons to spend the extra money on this brand’s offerings.
Sifting litter boxes have a built-in plastic mesh tray to catch clumps and waste, ideally meaning that you don’t need a separate litter scoop at all. We tried two different sifting boxes, the Luuup and the So Phresh Sifting Cat Litter Box. Both boxes were just okay to use, and ultimately the clever designs didn’t really make litter duty any more convenient.
The Luuup uses three interlocking trays, each with a grate at the bottom, stacked on one another. Lift the top tray, sift the contents so the clean litter falls below, dump the resulting waste, then put the empty tray at the bottom of the stack. Repeat as needed. It’s a neat idea, but in practice, the sifted tray with waste is problematic. This box is too big to be able to cleanly dump out litter in a small garbage can, in a Litter Genie Plus Cat Litter Disposal System, or even in a round kitchen can. And when we tried the latter, it meant carrying the tray into the next room. Even with most of the litter sifted, little bits fell through the cracks. The only way to cleanly dispose of the tray’s contents would be to have a large garbage can stationed next to the litter boxes or to use a garbage bag each time. The former seems uncommon for most households, and the latter doesn’t seem any more convenient than scooping. Luuup also recommends using only certain brands of litter, because some types don’t clump hard enough to sift well. Even though we used the recommended Tidy Cats litter, we found that waste residue stuck to the tray after it was emptied. If it wasn’t wiped away, it just mashed against the underside of the next tray as we rotated through the system.
The So Phresh Sifting Cat Litter Box is a slightly different design. It has a single sifting tray that you keep sandwiched between two solid trays. When the litter in the solid tray on top is soiled, you dump it into the sifting tray, and let the clean litter fall through. At this point, you have three trays spread out. The just-emptied one (which may need to be wiped out), the sifting tray full of waste and clumps that need to be disposed of, and the solid tray with the clean-ish litter. Just like with the Luuup, with the So Phresh, cleanly disposing of the waste from a large tray means needing to have a large garbage can or fresh garbage bag nearby. Though the grates stayed marginally cleaner in the So Phresh box—waste clumps sit on the sifting tray for only minutes, instead of all day (or days), as is the case with the Luuup—it still didn’t seem very convenient. Keeping a small garbage can or Litter Genie next to a standard box is faster, less complicated, and often less messy.
We like that the Petphabet Cat Poopie Box has a clear plastic hood, because most cats are more comfortable if they can see their surroundings when doing their business. But the whole hood needs to be removed to comfortably scoop and clean the box, and this takes more time and space than with boxes that have a flip top. The rounded footprint means there’s less internal space and that it is harder to scoop (compounded with extra internal ridges). The plastic was flimsy overall, including the flap locks that keep the two pieces mated together.
The AmazonBasics No-Mess Hooded Cat Litter Box is notably more affordable than our enclosed box pick, but we think there are enough problems with the design that it’s not the right pick for most people. The biggest drawback is that it looks harder to clean out than the Catit Litter Box Jumbo, primarily due to the plastic indentation at the back of the box, which owners have called out as a place urine-soaked litter can get caked and hard to scoop. Cleaning out litter boxes is no fun, and anything that makes that even harder is a major flaw. Also, the AmazonBasics box has an oval rather than a rectangular footprint—which means it takes up as much space as the Catit Litter Box Jumbo, but has less usable internal space. Plus the AmazonBasics box has a smaller doorway for the cat to get in and out of.
The Nature’s Miracle Advanced Hooded Corner Litter Box is too huge for most people and most spaces. We love big boxes, and big boxes are great for large cats. But for a big box, the corner design just eats up space in a room, so you’ll be tempted to hide it somewhere way out of reach, which isn’t ideal for your cat. Keep in mind that since this box doesn’t have an access flap, many people will find that it’s easiest to remove the entire (giant) hood to have clear access to scoop and clean the inside.
The Modkat Top-Entry Litter Box was its first design, introduced before the flip-top version that we recommend. The top-entry version is well designed and well made: The top pivots in the middle so any tracked litter falls back inside, and the plastic is thicker and easier to clean than that of any other box we tried. But this is a box made for people, not for cats. All 12 cats who had the chance to try the stylish top entry ignored it in favor of traditional boxes. At 16 inches square, it’s also one of the smallest boxes we tried, and it leaves just one position—head up near the hole—for cats to comfortably stink up the room.
This article was edited by Jennifer Hunter.
The best litter box is the Nature’s Miracle High Sided Litter Box. It’s big enough for cats to turn around, squat, and stand comfortably, plus it has an open top so they can keep an eye on their surroundings. The low entryway makes it easier for cats, including older or less-mobile ones, to get in and out. The high sides and back help contain cat messes from urine overspray and litter spills. And the box’s smooth interior is easy to clean because it doesn’t trap waste clumps.
Most cats prefer an open litter box, because they like a clear view of their surroundings—and closed lids trap smells, which is as unpleasant for a pet as it would be for you. We like the open, affordable, and easy to clean Nature’s Miracle High Sided Litter Box because it has a low, easy-to-use entryway but high sides that contain messes. If your cat will tolerate an enclosed litter box the Modkat Flip Litter Box is attractive, easy to clean, and also has a low doorway that’s easy for a cat to get in and out of.
The Humane Society says it’s best to scoop the litter box once a day, and change litter completely and wash the pan at least every two weeks. Or, if you follow the ASPCA’s advice you should replace the litter and clean boxes with soap and warm water once a week.
The best way to prevent the litter box from smelling is to scoop it daily and replace the litter every couple of weeks. If you own multiple cats, you may need multiple litter boxes, and to replace the cat litter more frequently to keep your space smelling fresh.
Daniel “DQ” Quagliozzi, cat behavior consultant at Go, Cat, Go!, email interview, September 17, 2017
Tony Wang, owner of the San Diego Cat Café, interview, August 25, 2017
Mark Smirniotis was a senior editor at Wirecutter. He has written and edited at Wirecutter since 2015, covering a range of products with a focus on computers and consumer technology.
Kaitlyn Wells is a senior staff writer who advocates for greater work flexibility by showing you how to work smarter remotely without losing yourself. Previously, she covered pets and style for Wirecutter. She's never met a pet she didn’t like, although she can’t say the same thing about productivity apps. Her first picture book, A Family Looks Like Love, follows a pup who learns that love, rather than how you look, is what makes a family.
These useful pet items were the most-purchased Wirecutter picks for our readers’ furry friends in 2022.
Self-cleaning litter boxes are expensive and more work than they're worth. The Litter-Robot III Open Air is the least bad, but we don't recommend one.
After testing 19 mats with dozens of cats and retesting our picks against new models, we like the Gorilla Grip Cat Litter Trapping Mat the best.
Good cat litter helps keep smells down, clumps well, and is easy to clean. After six years, we still think Dr. Elsey’s Ultra is the best litter for most cats.
Cat Bowls For Food And Water Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time).