The main selling point of an automatic litter box is its ability to separate clumps and therefore contain odors until you are ready to empty it. Everyone I've tried has done it remarkably well, so much so that when you open the waste drawer you're hit with a wall of intense stench. Neakasa created a unique drawer to help you out a little, provided you use drawstring bags. When putting in a new bag, gently pull one end of the cord through a hook near the front of the drawer. When it's time to empty it, open it slightly to reveal this hook and pull the string to tighten the bag before opening the drawer completely. It doesn't contain all odors, but it reduces them considerably. One thing I could do without is the shrill beep the machine makes when you open it.
This bag system is inventive, but it presents a problem. Your cat's toilet habits should be monitored (more on this below), but in reality seeing pee and poop are also helpful. If there is a problem you need to know: is it watery, is there blood, are the urine clumps too small? The Cat Daddy himself, Jackson Galaxy, explains that this is one of the reasons he does not recommend automatic transmissions. This is something to keep in mind. A few seconds of smelling isn't so bad if it means your cat gets help if needed.
Photography: Médée Giordano
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In my reviews, I highlighted the importance of keeping an eye on your cat's litter box habits, as this gives you extremely important insight into their health. Cats are unfortunately prone to bladder blockages which can be fatal, which is why automatic litter boxes have not been recommended by experts in the past. Now all trusted brands connect their boxes to apps, which include a list of visits and weights so you know who's been there, when and can quickly notice if someone's habits are bad. I like Petivity which sits under any standard box, because not only does it monitor when cats leave, it tells you if they've moved on to number one or number two.
Neakasa's app is easy to use, but it requires some work. You set up profiles for each cat with their weight, so they can automatically add their names to records. Sometimes he knew who was there and other times he didn't, even if it was the same cat as last time. When this happens, the weight is converted to kilograms instead of selected pounds.
The weight also changes slightly and often, even when the box is properly calibrated. According to this, my Eely-Rue cat goes from 4.40 pounds to 4.84 to 5.06 in the same day then weighs 3.74 the next morning. It's particularly small and lightweight, which could be a problem, but my other two cats just haven't used this one enough for me to know if this was happening to them as well. Yes, even if you spend several hundred dollars on a box, you should still have another basic box elsewhere, at least until you know your cat actually wants to use a fancy one.