Dear Ms. Kitty: I love my cat Rita, but now that I’m older, it hurts my back to scoop her litter box. I’m thinking about one of those automatic litter boxes, but they’re so expensive. Are they worth the price, and will Rita use it? 
Signed, Scooping in Snowmass

Dear Scooping: You’re in good company considering an automatic litter box, with 14 pages of different brands on Amazon alone! They can be expensive, but who wouldn’t appreciate your kitty’s waste scooped for you into a nice, tidy bag? 

Automatic litter boxes range from about $150 to $700. The least expensive have a motorized rake that sifts through the litter and rolls the waste into a container with a bag. 

The most expensive are covered boxes with sensors that tell when the cat enters and exits. They then sweep the waste into a sealed container with a bag for disposal. Most are quiet but can still be scary to a shy cat. 

Usually about 2 feet across and 2.5 feet high, they’re not for small rooms. They must be completely level, so they won’t work on carpet. That may relegate them to bath or laundry rooms, perhaps not ideal for Rita. 

They need to be emptied twice a week for one cat. That’s less maintenance than normal. For two cats they may need emptying every other day—not much improvement over daily scooping.

The expensive ones have less odor from the sealed chamber where the waste is stored. Including litter, these boxes weigh 35-55 pounds. They aren’t light! Most require clay litters; natural litters will not work. 

They may be advertised as “hands-free” but, like any litter box, they routinely need a complete cleaning with soap and water. Instead of a normal box, you will be cleaning one nearly 2 feet in diameter inside and out (most likely outside with a hose). And the ones with rakes? Imagine having to scrub the bars of a barbecue grill caked with clay litter. 

Some have entries higher off the ground, which can be difficult for senior kitties. Others have small entries and chambers are too small for cats over 12 pounds. Most are dangerous for kittens under 6 months, as their sensors can’t detect them. 

In the veterinary field, cat output of urine and stool is known as their “ins and outs.” The advantage of most covered litter boxes is that you don’t have to see or smell their ins/outs. The disadvantage is if you’re not monitoring their output, you could miss telltale visual health signals, like blood or increases/decreases in urine or stool.

The more expensive automatic litter boxes tout apps that monitor your cat, but only monitor weights and when cats enter and exit, not actual ins/outs. Some apps don’t save historical data, so you can’t monitor changes.

Most boxes require accessories that add to the cost. These range from specialty bags for the waste chamber to filters and deodorizers that add toxic chemicals to the mix. Some also need special litters. 

If you are considering an automatic litter box, the Litter Robot 4 is the most highly recommended (the LR3 is acceptable too). American-made and in its fourth generation, both the quality and customer support appear trustworthy.

Make sure you place the new auto box next to the old one, as many cats dislike change when they do their business. Rita can try out the new litter box with the comfort of the existing one nearby. Once she shows she prefers the new one 90% of the time, you can remove the old box. 

If she doesn’t adapt but you still need another option for easier scooping, you might consider the PetSafe ScoopFree box with crystal litter. This system is expensive and the crystal litter may be less safe, but it can be kept on a table.

One last caveat: another automatic litter box design rotates the litter from the front toward the back into a small space above the chamber. It can maul or kill cats who accidentally get caught in the mechanism. Look for a small round opening with a little panel at the bottom and avoid it at all costs!