A cat's litter box is one of the most essential items you can buy, but choosing the best cat litter box can be tough, especially with so many different styles and options on the market today.
We’ve rounded up some of the best litter box options available, but we’re not going to give you a top choice because all cats have different preferences for the box style, as do households. We will let you choose what style works best for you.
You can click the brand to drop down to our in-depth review of each, or start with our favorite:
| Brand | Style | Price | Link |
| Van Ness | Hooded Box | $ | Check Price |
| Amazon Basics | Top Entry Box | $$ | Check Price |
| Petmate | Open Box | $ | Check Price |
| Iris | Open Top | $ | Check Price |
| Petmate | Sifting Box | $ | Check Price |
| Kitty Sift | Disposable | $$ | Check Price |
| Petmate | Design | $$$ | Check Price |
The Van Ness is one of the first boxes we’ve ever owned, so we may be a little biased here, but they have truly served us well over the years. There’s nothing award-winning about the style, design, or materials, but it sure does get the job done for cheap, and honestly, that’s really what we care about the most when choosing a litter box, at least in our household.
It’s a simple design with high walls. It’s super important to have high walls because this makes sure your cats have lots of space to kick litter around without making a mess all over your floor. On top of that, Van Ness has designed these boxes so when they aren’t in use they collapse onto each other, meaning it’s easy to store them long term.
Overall, these litter boxes aren’t going to turn any heads, but they aren’t supposed to. They will, however, get the job done for a long time for a reasonable price.
Any litter box made with cheap plastic is going to have issues with your cat scratching the bottom. In litter boxes this is especially painful because it creates gashes in the plastic that are near impossible to clean. Other companies use different types of plastic for this, but in the Van Ness design, this is one of the worst aspects.
The flap to enter is also nearly useless. We suggest taking them off before even letting your cats use them, or they might get stuck in there. They also might just take it off. We’ve found them to be incredibly fragile for our cats, but they are subject to a lot of foot traffic in our home.
The Amazon brand is at it again with useful household items for cats. This time, we’re talking about their top entry litter box for cats. It’s a wonderful piece from a brand you can trust over and over again.
Top entry litter boxes are great for active cats that love jumping around. The real benefit of any top entry box is that it creates less of a mess. Cats can’t kick pieces of litter out, and the Amazon Basic is no exception here. There’s also something that looks proper and clean about a top-entry box.
Like many litter boxes, this one is rather small. If you have a large (12+ lb) cat, they may struggle getting comfortable in this. Like all top-entry litter boxes, there’s a lack of space for business as well. This means you have to clean even more frequently than a more standard litter box.
The king of no-nonsense litter boxes is the open box. It’s so simple, easy and reliable. Petmate is a recurring winner on our list of best cat litter boxes, and it’s due to their quality and understanding of a cats need.
The price is a major factor in opting for a Petmate product. They are affordable and relaible, and their open litter box is no exception. Outside of being extremely affordable, they last forever and are easy to store.
We keep two of these in the closet. We don’t use them regularly since the cats love throwing litter all over the place with open boxes, but these work great in a pinch or for a few days when we won’t be home. Pima also needs these since he can’t walk so good, so the open top is less intimidating for him.
There’s no real con to Petmate’s open box, but open box litter boxes in general aren’t the best. For one, cats have a blast playing with litter, and they will scoop it out and all over your floor. The open box is also one of the worst violators of smell, and a primary cause for a foul smell in an apartment. Even more, with open boxes you have to look at feces all day, so you better have a good idea as to where to hide the litter box in your house or apartment.
Unlike open box litter boxes, open top boxes do have sides, but it’s more like a convertible. The open top design gives the freedom of an open box, but with some side wall protection from your cats thrashing litter all over the place. Iris did this one just right.
The best thing about this box is the size. It’s large enough (and with an open top) for any cat. In general, closed top boxes only work with smaller cats unless they are very large. Open top allows any size cat to get in there. In the case of Iris, on top of them being large and open, it’s a clean design made with durable plastic, which is super important if you don’t want to be replacing your litter box all the time.
While the box is large, they did a bit too much to make it look pretty. Mainly, they created a sort of spacing in the design near the top. Now, what this does is it creates hard to reach pockets in the litter. And you know your cat, they will aim for that spot all day and you will have a miserable time trying to clean it out.
In all honesty, it’s not that much work, and it’s still a fantastic option if you need an open top litter box, but nothing is perfect, and this is the major flaw with the Iris box.
If you’re sick of scooping litter all the time but not quite ready to invest in a self cleaning box, a sifting litter box is your next best option. It takes the hassle away of cleaning litter and saves time and litter. These are also great boxes to use with non-traditional cat litters.
The best thing about this box is that it’s sturdy. This is extra important for a litter box that you’re going to be shaking all the time. And Petmate made one that will stand the test of time. It’s clearly been engineered well as it actually sifts litter efficiently as well.
Nothings perfect, and Petmate forgot a crucial feature with this box, and that’s high walls. Yes, while the sifting function is great, the lack of walls mean that you get to clean up litter from the floor. Depending on your cat, this could be awful. For us, its bad enough we can’t use it thanks to Yaki.
There’s a few different reasons to use a disposable box rather than a reusable one, and we’re not going to get into specifics on which is best for which purpose because things can vary a lot here, but Kitty Sift does a great job at a great price for a disposable box.
Yes, this box holds liquid like a champ, you aren’t going to have leaks with Kitty Sift. And it’s designed to fit in a lot of commercial boxes such as the Van Ness or the Iris listed above, so if you’re using a disposable litter box as a liner, these are great.
If this is going to be used due to infection or bacteria issues, it may not be the best box. Sure disposable means it’s not being reused frequently, but multiple uses with these do tend to eat up the appeal rather quickly. If this box is not being used for medical needs, it will do just fine though.
For those looking for a little bit more in their litter box, the Petmate Booda Dome is your solution. It’s a more elegant solution in the Petmate lineup and we love the dome concept for so many reasons. Not only does it look great, but it does a fantastic job at keeping things clean.
The dome design holds litter better than anything. Creating a curved entryway basically eliminates the chance of litter escaping when your cats are entering or exiting. Even more, they added steps that help clean the litter off, and your cats are forced to use it rather than just jumping over it. This is one of the best solutions on the market for reducing unwanted litter in your house or apartment.
While the design is great, it can be a little claustrophobic for your cats. Unlike other litter boxes, they really can’t see outside. If you’re in a multi-cat household this can also be a problem as it’s harder to tell when it’s in use. And it’s hard to gauge how dirty it is without actually opening it up, but you should be cleaning your cats litter box every day anyway.
Cats and doors. We’ve talked about this habit before. If you’re wondering why your cat keeps meowing at the door, you’ve come to the right place. Our cat Naz is famous for this, and we’re going to discuss all the common issues and quick solutions to at least calm this habit down. First, Why Do […]
A cat sleeping with their paws over their face is close to the cutest image a person could ask for. And while it’s an adorable pose to walk in on, it begs the question why? Is there an actual reason that some cats love to cover their faces when they sleep, or is it just […]
If you’ve ever been concerned that your commercial air freshener is releasing toxins into the air you are absolutely correct, and it’s critical that your cats avoid these noxious smells. You may not know this, but your cat's body is already working hard to detoxify numerous pollutants in the air. We love keeping our cats […]