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For cat lovers the ubiquitous cat litter box has gone through many evolutions and revolutions. Here are just a few highlights of cat litter box designs.

The Open Plastic Pan Cat Litter Box
Traditionally, cat litter boxes were simple rectangular plastic pans. You just add some kitty litter to the box and scoop out the "jewels" with a plastic kitty scooper.

To be a little more sanitary, you can line the cat litter box with some plastic liner that you discard periodically. Personally, I just use a thick plastic trash bag as a liner. I like this because at the end of the week I discard all of my cat's litter and replace it with totally clean litter. By using the thick plastic bag method, I can just pick up all the litter -- which can be quite heavy -- and dump the whole thing in the trash.

The Open Cat Litter Box - Beyond The Rectangle
The next generation of cat litter boxes were plastic pans that came in different shapes.

Some cat litter trays have a triangular shape which allows it to fit neatly into a corner.

Other cat litter trays have elevated sides in order to prevent the kitty litter from coming out of the pan during use.


Covered and Domed Cat Litter Boxes

Nearly all cat litter boxes have some kind of cover now. The idea is to help contain the litter -- as well as the cat odors -- to the litter box area. Some covered cat litter boxes also come with a charcoal filter that can help to reduce the odors even more.


One interesting covered design is the hidden cat litter box. One design marketed by the Good Pet Stuff Company has cleverly disguised the cat litter box as a tree planter. Nice!


Self-Cleaning Litter Boxes
The next generation of litter boxes were designed in order to minimize the handling of the kitty jewels.

One very popular product that is the Omega Paw Self-Cleaning Litter Box. This cat litter box has a unique method of self-cleaning. Rather than scooping out the jewels, you simply tilt the entire covered box and an internal mechanism will deposit any clumped waste into a pullout tray for easy disposal. This product typically sells for under $50.


Automatic Self-Cleaning Litter Boxes- The Sifter Method
The big jump in cat littler box technology came with self-cleaning litter boxes that were motorized and automatic. Handling and collecting of the kitty jewels were minimized. For example, some of these self-cleaning litter boxes have sensors that can detect when your cat leaves the box.

After a few seconds, a motorized sifter scrapes through the litter to push all the jewels into a disposal tray.

With this jump in cat little tray technology also came a jump in price. Where most domed or covered cat litter boxes are about $25, a good motorized self-cleaning cat litter box is usually closer to the $100+ range.


Automatic Self-Cleaning and Self-Flushing Cat Litter Box
The latest in litter box technology is a water based, self-cleaning and self-flushing cat litter box.

According the the manufacturer Genie, this device doesn't use traditional cat litter. Instead, it uses a kind of washable granule that remains in the cat litter box while running water washes any waste materials past the granules and down the drain. This device does require a connection to your cold water pipe as well as your sink or toilet drain. This self cleaning litter box is so sophisticated that it even has a wash cycle to keep it clean and also built in dryer to blow dry the granules. It's practically a bidet for cats!


To learn more about some of the cat litter boxes described in this article, click on the product pictures below. You can find good prices for these cat litter trays at Amazon.com.

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Cleans in a few seconds without having to scoop. This product requires that you use clumping litter so all you have to do is tilt the box to the side and an internal mechanism will collect the clumped waste material into a pullout disposal tray.

Many reviewers have found this product to be very simple and easy to use.

Since this litter box does not use a motor for cleaning, it does not require any electrical outlet to be nearby.

This product has gotten over 1000 reviews, with the vast majority of them positive! This is probably one of the best products in it's class and the price is very affordable.

Probably the most advanced self-cleaning cat litter box on the market today. It will automatically flush the cat waste down your drain and then washes itself completely clean. This is a one-of-a-kind design and uses special permanent cat granules rather than the traditional cat litter sand.

It functions almost like a regular toilet in that you connect it to a water source so it can flush and wash itself. It also uses your sink or toilet drain to flush out any waste material.

If you ever go on vacation and don't want to burden your cat sitter with cleaning out your cat's litter box, then this product may be just the answer you're looking for!

This popular ScoopFree cat litter box has an automatic rake that pushes the cat waste into a disposable litter tray. After a few weeks, you simply slide out the old tray and replace it with a new one.

You never have to see or touch any waste material. Also, the system uses Fresh Step Crystals which reduces odor better than clumping sand or clay, according to the manufacturer.

This product has been lab tested and the raking mechanism is reliable for more than 100,000 cycles without getting stuck or wearing out.

This automatic self-cleaning cat litter box has over 400 reviews and an average of 4 out of 5 stars.

This Booda Dome cat box wins the award for most interesting litter box design. The high dome cover can accommodate larger cats who may have problems with the traditional covered litter boxes.

Also the cool part about this product is the paw cleaning step ramp design which helps to dramatically reduce the amount of cat litter that is scattered and tracked outside of the box.

The product comes with a disposable filter which can inserted into the top of the dome for additional odor control.

This cat litter box is cleverly disguised as a decorative clay planter pot.

The shape of the litter box can accommodate larger sized cats and the product even comes with a fake plant. If you turn the opening towards the wall most people would not even think it was a litter box.

Most of the 100+ reviews say they love the product and gave it an average of 4.5 stars out of 5!

This space-saving triangular shaped litter box is great if you are tight on space and don't have quite enough room for a traditional rectangular shaped box.
Simple in design, yet very functional.


This top-of-the-line, space-aged looking cat litter box is very impressive. The automatic self-cleaning mechanism works by rotating the entire globe chamber, slowly sifting and separating the clumped waste and depositing it into disposal drawer that you can line with any kitchen garbage bag.

While this is not a cheap product, it has gotten over 180 reviews with the vast majority of them being very positive. 4.5 stars out of 5!

If you have the dollars, be sure to check out this Litter Robot!