The 17 Best Cat Litter Boxes of 2024, Tested by Real Cats

Best Overall

Catit Jumbo Hooded Cat Litter Pan

$54 at Amazon $33 at Chewy $40 at PETCO

You need your privacy when you’re doing your business, and so does your cat. The Catit scores the top spot on our best cat litter box list because it has both a hood and a door to cover up your cat’s business, but you can easily remove both when it’s time to clean the box. It also has a built-in bag anchor, making it even easier to scoop out old litter and add new. In addition, you can add the included carbon filter to keep odors at bay.

If you’ve got a cat who likes to kick up litter, the front door on this box does an excellent job of keeping the litter in the litter box and not on your floors. We also loved the handle for carrying the box because it makes it easy to transport.

If your cat is not used to a door on a litter box, it might take a bit of time for them to get used to it, as it did for one of our tester kitties. It’s worth the time, though, because the door helps contain mess and odor. Overall, this litter box got top scores across the board due to its high quality and great value.

Type: Covered pan | Material: Plastic | Dimensions: 22.44 x 19.69 x 18.31 inches | Weight: 1.7 pounds

Best Value

iPrimio Cat XL Litter Box

$68 at Amazon

Setting the iPrimio Enclosed XL Litter Box up was seamless, thanks to its clear instructions and intuitive design. Plus, it has a clean, sleek appearance with high walls that reduce litter tracking.

The removable rim makes cleaning and changing the litter a breeze, but we wish it was more secure, as it occasionally gets knocked off by the cats using it. And although the large pan makes scooping easy, it would be nice if there was a hook or mount to store the scoop.

This litter box really stood out for odor control, masking the unpleasant scent of cat waste in the home. Seeing as it’s big enough for multiple cats, low maintenance for pet owners, and quite functional, the value is undeniable.

Type: High-sided pan | Material: Plastic, stainless steel | Dimensions: 23.5 x 15.5 x 6 inches | Weight: 6 pounds

Best No-Scoop

Arm & Hammer Sifting Litter Box

$17 at Amazon $30 $18 at Walmart $25 at Wayfair

Skip the scooping with this Arm & Hammer sifting pan, which is actually made up of three boxes: one sifting and two regulars. The whole system is made from recycled materials, so this is an eco-friendly option for cat owners. It has Microban protection to prevent bacteria from forming and causing odors, so it’s a win for your household, too.

We were surprised at how easy it was to clean this box. There was some concern that the holes in the sifting tray would become clogged, but that wasn’t the case. However, one feline tester did seem to kick out more litter than usual after jumping out of the box, so this might not be the best choice if you’ve got a high-kicking cat. (If you do, make sure you have your favorite handheld vacuum nearby!)

There’s a bit of a learning curve if you’re not used to sifting or having this many pans, but overall, we found it functional and a good value.

Type: Sifting | Material: Plastic | Dimensions: 19 x 15 x 8 inches | Weight: Not listed

Best for Senior Cats

Lucky Champ Cat Litter Pan

$43 at Amazon $30 at Chewy

Your cat is a lucky champ, indeed, with this low-entry cat litter pan that’s a particularly good choice for older cats with limited mobility or smaller cats. We found the easy entry and exit space, especially good for our tester's senior cat — but it was also perfect for their younger cat.

While the front is low enough to allow your cat to step in rather than jump in, there’s a high back wall that helps the box contain the litter. The plastic pan is large and easy to clean, plus it has rubber grips on the side that make it easy to move the box whenever and wherever you need it.

There’s no lid for this cat litter box, and the tester did note with some dismay that the plastic is shiny, so it might not work if you’re looking for something more discreet. Still, if you are looking for a low-entry litter box for cats with limited mobility, this is the box for you.

Type: Pan | Material: Plastic | Dimensions: 25 x 16.75 x 9 inches | Weight: 3.31 pounds

Best Automatic or Self-Cleaning

PetSafe ScoopFree Complete Plus Litterbox

$165 $125 at Amazon $125 at Target $200 $19 at Walmart

As much as we love our feline friends, the odors that can waft from their litter box are, in a word, gross. As a foster parent to two cats myself, it feels like as soon as I’ve painstakingly scooped every bit of waste from their litter box, the tell-tale odor is back within the hour. The PetSafe ScoopFree Smart Covered litter box is a game changer — if you thought you had to spend big to find a decent automatic litter box, then this fairly-priced model might change your mind. Our tester cat quickly felt comfortable using the automatic box, which emitted a low hum that didn’t seem to phase our felines. And, best of all, our sensitive noses detected zero smell. 

This box takes care of the usually disgusting daily task of scooping the litter for you, with an automatic scooping comb that senses when your cat is using the box and cleans up once they’re finished and safely out of the box. It will only work with crystal litter, but you can use whatever brand of crystal litter that you like. 

The only time that the PetSafe litter box required any elbow grease on our part was during the monthly cleaning process, which turned out to be a bit of a hassle. Taking the waste box out of the machine proved somewhat complicated, and we spilled some litter on the floor in the process. But, in our opinion, that monthly cleaning is absolutely worth the odor-free, daily ease that the PetSafe ScoopFree Litter Box provides.

Type: Automatic | Material: Plastic | Dimensions: 20.38 x 7.13 x 28 inches | Weight: 16 pounds

Best Large

Petphabet Jumbo Hooded Cat Litter Box

$60 $55 at Amazon

The Petphabet litter box does a great job of containing cat litter. The jumbo size makes it a good choice for larger cats because they’ve got plenty of room to move around. Plus, it’s easy to clean this Petphabet cat litter box with soap and water once you remove the lid. The lid attaches securely to the base of the box, and there are extra latches in case one snaps off, though this was not the case during testing.

This litter box comes in bright colors like teal and purple, though there is a light gray color if you want something a little more discreet. Unlike others on this list that have hoods and lids, this one is clear. Depending on how much your cat likes his or her privacy and how much you want to keep your litter box hidden, the clear lid might not work for you. At the end of the day, this is really just a large plastic box with a clear lid, so it might be a bit pricey unless your cat is super picky.

Type: Covered | Material: Plastic | Dimensions: 25 x 19 x 17 inches | Weight: 3.12 pounds

Best Design

Tuft + Paw Cove Litter Box

$199 at Amazon $199 at Tuftandpaw.com

Though it’s not a word that we ever thought we’d use when describing a litter box, this one from Tuft and Paw is pretty. Not only is it pretty, but it’s also easy to keep clean — just remove the walls and wipe it out. The high sides kept most of the litter in, though there still was a bit of litter tracking from our cat tester.

We appreciated having the litter scoop attached to the box — it’s a handy feature to begin with, but the scoop is also sturdy, which is even better. We did note, however, that litter did get into the scoop holder, which was harder to clean out.

Aesthetics do come with a higher price tag, which is indeed the sticking point with this one. It might be a splurge if you’ve got just one cat, but if you’ve got multiple cats or would simply prefer a more generic-looking litter box, consider another option on our list.

Type: Open | Material: Plastic with rubber base | Dimensions: 6.5 x 16 x 26 inches | Weight: Not listed

Best for Odor Control

Frisco Multi-Function Covered Cat Litter Box

$70 at Chewy

At first glance, the Frisco Multi-Function litter box might appear to be just a standard box-shaped litter box with a lid, but it’s actually a sneakily genius product that not only reduced the amount of litter tracking but also reduced odor. 

Inside the litter box is a litter tray and an exit area that helps to catch the litter stuck on a cat’s paws after doing their business and reduce tracking before they exit the box. The internal exit area design was a game changer when it came to keeping the space around the litter box clean in our testing, and we loved that the thoughtful design included a scoop and scoop holder. The lip of the external box isn’t very high, and our large cat had no trouble maneuvering in and out of the box, so the Frisco box works for cats of all sizes. 

When it’s time to change out the litter, simply lift off the lid of the outer box and take it out of the internal litter tray. Our only gripe with the box is that the litter tray isn’t super big, so while it works well for one large cat, it probably wouldn’t be suitable for multiple felines (but veterinarian Dr. Zietz suggests getting each cat in your household their own litter box anyway).

Type: Covered | Material: Plastic | Dimensions: 29.7 x 17.5 x 17.6 inches | Weight: 8.28 pounds

Best with High Sides

Smart Paws Cat Litter Box with High Sides

$58 at Amazon

The Smart Paws Cat Litter Box has higher-than-average sides (about 13 inches all around, except for the entry lip). This makes it very effective at containing kitty litter — preventing kickback and tracked litter on your floors. The relatively compact design and rectangular shape can fit almost anywhere.

Since there’s no lid or other means to control odors, this model doesn’t do anything to contain or prevent pet smells. (The brand recommends using a clay-based litter that absorbs odors.) That said, not having to remove a cover makes scooping and changing out the litter a fuss-free task.

This litter box seems durable, and the single-piece design is immediately ready to use out of the packaging. If high sides are your top priority, we think it’s worth buying.

Type: Open pan | Material: Plastic | Dimensions: 25.2 x 16.3 x 13 inches | Weight: 3.2 pounds

Best with High Sides, Cheaper

Frisco High Sided Litter Box

$28 at Chewy

High-sided litter boxes, like this one from Frisco, can help prevent pesky litter spray that ends up scattered across your floors. If your cat likes to kick up litter after they use the box, then the Frisco High-Sided litter box is well worth its incredibly reasonable price. It’s ready to use straight out of the box with no assembly required and was large enough for our three tester kittens to use without issue. Throughout our tests, we found that this high-sided litter box produced less mess outside the box than most others. 

This box has higher sides than most other open-air litter boxes that we tested, but still has a low entry door that allows our older cat to easily move in and out of the box without jumping. Because this box is just one piece, it’s easy to scoop and clean when needed. While you may need to rely on some good cleaning products as it doesn’t do anything to eliminate odor, we think that for the price, this basic litter box is smartly designed and gets nearly perfect scores across all of our testing criteria.

Type: Open | Material: Plastic | Dimensions: 24 x 18 x 10 inches | Weight: 2.89 pounds

Best Hooded

Frisco Hooded Cat Litter Box

$37 at Chewy

Hooded litter boxes can help contain cat odor and also give your pet a sense of privacy (yes, even cats want privacy when they do their business!). That’s why we love the Frisco Hooded litter box, with a flap door that helps to contain any smells or litter spray. 

This hooded litter box performed exactly as we hoped it would, and our large tester cat was able to get in and out of the swinging door design easily. We were surprised with just how large the box is (comfortable enough for a 13-pound cat), and the swinging cover can also be removed if your cat prefers a box without a door. Our only gripe with this box is that our cat tracked litter out of the box after using it, but that’s not unusual, even among the best litter boxes. Overall, the Frisco Hooded cat litter box is an incredible value and works for cats of all sizes.

Type: Covered | Material: Plastic | Dimensions: 26 x 18.1 x 19.3 inches | Weight: Not listed

Easiest to Clean

Litter Genie Cat Litter Box

$34 at Amazon

At first glance, the Litter Genie looks more like a laundry basket than a place for your cat to do their business, but that unique design is actually what makes this litter box so effective and easy to clean. The two side handles slope down to a flexible curved base, making it easy to lift up and empty the box (or should we say bin?) without spilling any of its contents. It’s also one of the most lightweight litter boxes that we’ve tested and definitely the easiest for us to move. 

In our real-world testing, we were pleasantly surprised with how easy this box was to not only move around but also to pour litter into without spilling. The latter is thanks to the box’s wide opening, which also creates more space for larger cats to use the box comfortably. By the end of our testing period, both of our cats preferred this litter box to any other that we had set up around the home. 

Because this is an open-air box, the design doesn’t really prevent litter tracking. But, if you’re looking for a litter box that’s remarkably easy to lift and clean and will make your cat feel comfortable right away, then the Litter Genie is a great choice at a competitive price.

Type: Open | Material: Plastic | Dimensions: 22.3 x 17.6 x 16 inches | Weight: 1.49 pounds

Best for Kittens

Iris USA Open Top Litter Box

$19 $16 at Amazon $20 $18 at Target $20 at Walmart

For smaller cats and kittens, there’s often no need for a large litter box that takes up a big chunk of your floor space. That’s why we’re big fans of this smaller box from Iris — it’s just the right size for our smaller cats to enjoy while still allowing enough room for them to do their business comfortably. The simply structured box is made from two parts: a base tray and a detachable spray guard, which took about 30 seconds for us to clip together. It also comes with a scoop that can clip onto the outside of the box, which is a convenient touch. 

The litter spray guards were very effective at preventing mess outside of the litter box, so we gave the box top marks for its ability to keep our floors clean. Where we ran into some issues was with the size of the box, which was small enough that our 17-pound cat couldn’t use it, and our 11-pound cat could just barely use it comfortably. Because of the smaller size compared to other boxes we tested, we’d recommend the Iris Open Top litter box for those owners of smaller cats and kittens.

Type: Open | Material: Plastic | Dimensions: 19 x 15 x 11.75 inches | Weight: 1.96 pounds

Best for Multiple Cats

Amazon Basics No-Mess Hooded Litter Box

$38 $31 at Amazon

If you’re looking for a simple litter box with a few extra design perks, then the Amazon Basics hooded litter box might be just what you’re after. It’s made of a hooded top and a standard tray bottom that snap together easily, and it took us less than a minute to assemble the box. Our cat also took a liking to the box right away, which might be due to its roomy interior or privacy-providing flap door. 

This is one of the larger litter boxes that we’ve tested, which is great for large cats or for households with multiple cats. The hooded design helps to prevent odors and litter spray from leaving the confines of the box, and a top handle makes it easy to move and lift. While we think this box is great for households with space to spare, we wouldn’t recommend it for smaller apartments or tight corners because its base area is larger than most others we tested. But, for those with space for a larger box, this box seems to be of great quality and falls in the middle of the price range compared to others we’ve tried.

Type: Hooded | Material: Plastic | Dimensions: 21 x 16 x 15 inches | Weight: 2.47 pounds

Best with Pellets

Purina Tidy Cats Breeze Litter Box System

$43 at Amazon $85 $56 at Walmart $60 at Chewy

After thoroughly testing this cat litter system, we think it’s worth every dollar. While cleaning out your cat’s litter box might not be high on your list of favorite household tasks, this litter box is much easier to clean than others. We found that the litter box stays cleaner longer, and the pellets are great at preventing odor without absorbing it. And, though it’s easier to clean, you might find that you won’t have to clean it nearly as often, which is indeed a great value. 

This Purina system features a BREEZE System Starter Kit that comes with a litter box, litter pellets, and pads. The pads are disposable and lock in moisture well enough to last for up to a week per cat, so you’ll have to buy more when the included pack of four pads runs out. The litter pellets are anti-tracking, so you can expect to see far less dust and tracking around the box, which means less time dragging out the vacuum cleaner. It has a drawer that easily slides out so you can remove the pad. This system comes in three different versions — an open model, one with a hood, and a larger open model that has higher walls.

Type: Open | Material: Plastic | Dimensions: 16.5 x 21 x 10.5 inches | Weight: 9.3 pounds

Best Discreet

ModKat Flip Litter Box

$100 at Amazon $90 at Modkat.com

Cats are notoriously private about their personal business. And while there are a number of excellent cat litter boxes with hoods that allow for privacy, they don’t hide the fact that you’ve got a litter box in the corner of your house — unless the litter box in question is this flip litter box from Modkat. It’s got a boxy shape that makes it look more like a storage bin, so it’s much more discreet than your ordinary litter box.

We really liked the design of this litter box, but we loved the easy-to-clean liner even more: You just need to unhook and wash it. The litter box walls are high enough to contain the kickback of litter, and it comes with a liner and a scoop (the Katch Litter mat is sold separately). The scooper also deserves high praise, and we found it impressively durable but lightweight. 

This litter box has a top and front entry. If your cat doesn’t enjoy the top entry — like one finicky feline on our tester team — then the front entry is another option. Again, this litter box delivers with its discreteness, but if your cat only uses one entry, you might find this a bit expensive — though your cat likely will feel it deserves it.

Type: Flip top | Material: Plastic | Dimensions: 20 x 16.75 x 15 inches | Weight: 7 pounds

Best Investment

Whisker Litter-Robot 4

$700 at Target $699 at Litter-robot.com $699 at Best Buy

Just like an automated pet feeder or smart waste bin does the work for you, the Whisker Litter Robot eliminates the downright disgusting task of scooping and cleaning out a litter box. Using a motorized chamber that rotates to filter out clumped litter, this robot cleans itself after every use, dropping the waste into a plastic bag-lined chamber that’s easy to tie up and throw away about once every three weeks. The litter box robot automatically senses when your cat enters and exits the box and also records your cat’s weight automatically. All of this data is sent to a convenient smartphone app, so even when you’re not home, you can rest assured that your cat is doing their business in the box. 

PEOPLE shopping writer Cai Cramer has been using the Litter Robot 4 for months with multiple foster cats and says the robotic litter box has transformed the way she cares for her pets. Because of the connected app and smart features, Cramer found this litter box took about an hour for her to set up and get used to the controls fully. But, once she understood how the lights corresponded to the robot’s settings, she fell in love with its easy-to-use interface. So, while the price might automatically inspire a healthy dose of sticker shock, think about how much you’d be willing to pay to never have to clean a litter box again.

Type: Robotic | Material: Not listed | Dimensions: 22 x 15.75 x 29.5 inches | Weight: 24 pounds