All cat owners know that one of the most tedious chores is to scoop the litter box. It can be very time consuming and a big mess.
While scooping is the traditional way to clean a litter box, there are several kinds of “sifting boxes” that are designed for alternative cleaning method.
In this post you’ll learn about sifting litter boxes in general and read detailed descriptions and reviews on the top brands so you can decide which one is right for you and your cats.
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The 3 Best Sifting Litter Boxes
Pet Mate Arm & Hammer Large Sifting Litter Pan
SpeedySift Open Top Cat Litter Box with Disposable Sifting LinersPurina Tidy Cats Hooded Litter Box System
These are the 3 sifting litter boxes that highest Amazon ratings at the time of this writing. Continue scrolling to reading detailed descriptions of each one, plus other sifting litter boxes.
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How Do Sifting Litter Boxes Work?
Although each of the litter boxes in this post vary somewhat, the basic concept is that one of the tray (and/or a liner) has sifting holes in it. Instead of scooping, you lift the tray, lightly shake it, letting the clean litter through back into the litter box, and throw away the solid stuff that remains in the tray.
Once your cat fills the litter box, you just have to lift up the top tray and move it around a little so that the clean litter falls back down in the remaining two trays. After that, the top pan will only contain the solid.
Why Use a Sifting Litter Box?
Three main reasons come to mind:
- You can get rid of that nasty scoop that’s always lying around next to your litter box
- Simply lifting a tray or liner is generally easier on your back and knees that squatting down to scrape and chisel away at stubborn clumps
- It’s quicker than scooping
- Less litter is wasted
Pet Mate Arm & Hammer Large Sifting Litter Pan
Pet Mate Arm & Hammer Large Sifting Litter Pan
The Pet Mate Arm & Hammer Large Sifting Litter Pans is Amazon’s Choice in the “Litter Box” category. It’s also one of the least expensive boxes in this post.
It consists of two regular pans plus a sifting pan and has dimensions of 19 by 15 by 8 inches. It’s constructed out of durable plastic with a reinforced bottom, so if you ever need to move it around the house, it will hold up. It also has antimicrobial product protection that helps to prevent odors and extend the life of the litter.
Here’s some advice from an Amazon reviewer if you wish this litter box had a lid:
Just take an Amazon box (and if you don’t have one, just wait 3 days) and slide the litter box inside it.
Not only does that give the box an instant sides and top so that litter doesn’t go everywhere, but it also prevents the cat from scratching the walls (if they’re like our youngest cat Cookie, who doesn’t seem to understand that the point is to claw the litter, not the sides of the litter box.) You can even spray paint the box to match the room decor!
This Amazon customer explains how using this litter box with pine pellets in the perfect combination that also saves a lot of money:
- Purchase “Pine Pellet Bedding”. We got a 40lb bag from Tractor Supply for $5.99.
- Line the bottom tray with a garbage bag …
- Fill the top tray with the pine pellets. In order to make this work, you have to put some wood chunks or something similar, on the bottom tray under the plastic bag liner (see pic).
Each time you scoop the box (for poop), you shake the top tray around and all of the “urine dust” falls and is collected in the bottom tray. When the cat/s urinate in the box, it causes the pellets to immediately reduce to a dust …
The best part of this set up, in my opinion, is the fact that you never have to change out all of the pellets. You just keep adding new pellets in as needed. With our old traditional litter box set up, I would have to dump all of the litter at least once a week and refill due to the odor …
… There is a light pine smell due to the pellets, and overall the box smells so much better than our old traditional box (but when the cat/s poop, you want to get it out as soon as you can due to smell). I occasionally find some pellets that have been kicked out of the box but nothing compared to the amount of litter that would be kicked out throughout each day– and this is an open box as opposed to our old enclosed box.
My experience with this set up has been GREAT. I wouldn’t even think about going back to our old litter box set up. We will also be saving so much money every month it’s ridiculous.
On the downside, this litter box is more on the small side, so it’s probably not the best choice is you have large cats or multiple cats
Also, if you you have one of those cats that always likes to pee on the side edge of the litter box, be aware that the clump this creates on the side could cause a big mess when you lift the sifter if you’re not careful.
Purina Tidy Cats Litter Box Starter System with Pellets & Pads
Purina Tidy Cats Hooded Litter Box System with Pellets & Pads
The Purina Tidy Cats Litter Box System clearly gets a lot of love, with a total of over 4,700 5-star reviews.
It has an ammonia blocker that guarantees 7 days of no ammonia smell (for one cat).
The disposable cat pads make for an easy and clean pick up. They also absorb and control odor. The solids will stay on top to help you not have to dig.
It also includes non-toxic filtering litter pellets (non-toxic) that help dehydrate solid waste and minimize tracking.
Amazon reviewer a long way from home, who has tried everything from many electronic self-cleaning litter to toilet training kits for cats, says this is “hands down the best litter system on the market”:
… For those of you new to the breeze system, it is absolutely amazing. The pee stays on the pad below and almost never does the odor carry. The poop sits on top of the pellets or slightly under them if your cat buries it. The poop becomes hard shortly after landing on these pellets and it is a breeze (ha!) to scoop …
… For my money, this breeze system is the single best cat waste system. It is so easy to clean, doesn’t require daily maintenance (unless you want to) and the cats love it. With the added hood it just makes the whole litter situation that much more discreet. Oh, and did I mention how much less expensive I’ve found this to be in the long run? Its a win win win.
The cost of buying the pads does add up over time. You can save a little money by buying puppy pads in bulk at Sam’s or Costco for a cheaper alternative.
Some reviewer wished this litter box was bigger and/or had deeper sides. Probably the biggest complaint was that the pellets didn’t do a great job of masking the poop smell. You can read all the negative 1-star reviews here.
SpeedySift Large Cat Litter Box with Lid
SpeedySift Large Cat Litter Box with Disposable Sifting Liners
You know how cats love climbing into cardboard boxes?
Well, the lid to this litter box is shaped liked a box – even though it’s not made of cardboard, but made of 100% corrugated plastic. Clever, huh?
The litter box kit comes with 60 sifting liners. So instead of scooping or even shaking all you have to do is pick up the corners of the top liners, let the clean litter spill through (you can even do this standing up if you want, if your knees hate the idea of hover-squatting over a litter box). Then just flush the poop and toss the liner.
Oh yeah, and when you get to the bottom liner … it has no sifting holes! So you just pick up the whole and thing and toss it, then start over with a new set of liners.
Amazon reviewer Paws says this litter box is totally worth the money and that every cat owner needs one of these:
Where has this been all my life???? What used to be a 10-minute job now takes 10 seconds. Literally. This system is so smart, well made, and easy to use it’s crazy NOT to get it. I found the video very helpful in setting it up. The instructions were fantastic and it came together quickly. I have two cats with claws. They haven’t perforated through a single liner.
… I can literally clean the litter box IN SECONDS. No more crouching, no more scooping, no more fumbling to get the clumps in a bag. This has also really improved the odor. Because you’re using fresh liners, the plastic litter box itself isn’t caked with clumps absorbing those foul smells … I also really appreciate how they have eco-friendly bags. I literally could not rate this more highly.
(Also, as I have tried every litter on the planet to help my aforementioned cat’s occasional aversion to litter boxes, and THE BEST LITTER EVER is Arm and Hammer Cloud Control Litter. Get it!!!)
If you wavering about this at all just buy it and start loving your new litter life. I felt like the cost seemed high, and I was iffy about it- but trust me it is completely worth it …
Despite what the reviewer says above, the main complaint about this litter box is that cats claw and tear the liners. Still, the reviewers were overwhelmingly positive, with roughly 85% of the reviewers giving it a 4- or 5-star review.
Omega Paw Roll ‘n Clean Large Litter Box with Lid
Omega Paw Roll ‘n Clean Self Cleaning Litter Box
No liners, filters, batteries, or electricity needed for this self-cleaning litter box.
Wait — how is that possible, you ask?
Well, there’s a grill on the inside that separates the “clumps and dumps” from the clean litter when the box is rolled onto its hood.
Roll the litter box to the right as you’re facing it, and the clean litter is separated and ends up in the bottom right compartment. When the litter box is rolled onto its hood the “yucky stuff” slides off of the grill into the tray.
As you roll the litter box back to its normal position, the clean litter flows back out into the bottom of the box. Just pull out the tray (you can see a photo of a full tray being pulled out here) and dump the yucky stuff into the garbage.
The Omega Paw Roll n’ Clean is a LOT cheaper (as in, less than half the price) than other self-cleaning litter boxes. (most, if not all, of which run on electricity.
However, several reviewers said that you get what you pay for, saying the Roll n’ Clean was flimsy, poorly made, and “barely worked.” You can read all the negative 1-star reviews here.
Van Ness CP5 Sifting Litter Box with Frame
Van Ness CP5 Sifting Litter Box with Frame
This litter box (which is definitely one of the least expensive ones in this post) is made of plastic and has dimensions of 19 by 15 by 8 inches. The framed pan on top adds some height to help reduce spills. It has a high polished finish that is stain resistant.
I saw that the reviews for this box were mixed, and then noticed something interesting that a reviewer pointed out: Most of the 5 star reviewers have modified how they use the box.
Instead of putting the off-white sifting tray on top, they put it in the MIDDLE of the two blue solid trays, then dump the soiled litter into the sifting tray, lift, discard, and restack.
Amazon reviewer M. Leitem describes why this modification works better, even if takes about 15 extra seconds:
… I don’t use them as recommended … I use a blue pan as the top layer, then the sifter under that, followed by the other blue pan underneath the sifter. Using like so does a couple things:
- Cats don’t like to swipe at the grating material, they want a smooth bottom.
- The urine saturated clumps stick to the bottom of the smooth material but will plug up the grating.
- After dumping the litter into the sifter, what is left behind is urine soaked litter, which can be knocked loose and dumped quickly, preserving the freshness of what’s left behind and not clogging the sifter.
- One more final sift to get the turds and replace box, done.
…
Petmate 42101 Sifting Corner Litter Box
Petmate 42101 Sifting Corner Litter Pan
This litter box is designed to fit in the corner of a room, so it’s perfect for people with small apartments or people who just want to get that darn litter box shoved into a corner and out of the way as much as possible.
The dimensions of the box are 26 by 11.7 by 19 inches, so even though it’s a “space saver,” it’s a fairly large litter box. It also has a low profile entry, making it easy for both little kittens or arthritic senior cats to climb into.
While some sifting litter boxes have that are too large for pine pellets to work, reviewers say the holes on this one are the perfect size.
In fact, Amazon reviewer Windowless in RivCo, who has eight cats, said this was a great box to use with pine pellets:
This litter box is quite large yet compact (see picture).
I have eight indoor cats and one is an overweight rescue who weighs 20 pounds! He is able to comfortably enter the box and turn around while doing his business. Works great with pine pellets if you put the sifting tray on the top allowing for the sawdust to fall to the pan below. Any sawdust that hasn’t fallen through can easily be raked back and forth with the pooper-scooper and it will fall to the pan below (no need to lift and sift). Any pine pellets that get caught between the sifter slits will turn to sawdust once they are wet, so it’s a non-issue for me. Scoop solids out as you would normally do. When it comes time to dispose of the sawdust, do the following:
1. Lift out the first pan (keeping the sifter on top);
2. Then, lift the sifter and place it on top of the second (empty) pan;
3. *Dump the sawdust from the first pan into a bag or bucket;
4. Place the now empty pan that’s in your hands, underneath the pan that now has the sifter on top.
5. Continue on with your day!… Since I have eight cats, I have nine of these corner sifting litter boxes (one per cat + 1), and there is absolutely NO CAT BOX ODOR IN MY HOUSE because I use the pine pellets and I scoop each litter box daily (let’s be real, regardless of the type of litter being used, if your cat’s litter box stinks to high heaven, it’s because YOU, THE HUMAN are not cleaning it on a daily basis – but i digress) …
… There is less tracking with the pine pellets and this litter box compared to clay litter (it’s not 100% eliminated, but it is significantly reduced), and that makes it easier on your feet.
The side walls of the litter pan are nice and high so this should help out if you have a cat that squirts while urinating or has a rectal blowout (hey, it happens)! Regardless of what litter pan you use, if you go the pine pellet route, save yourself A TON of money by purchasing Equine Pine Bedding from Tractor Supply company (ONLY USE PINE PELLETS THAT HAVE BEEN KILN DRIED – I learned this from a YouTube video) …
Le You Pet Semi-Automatic Quick Cleaning Cat Litter Box
Le You Pet Semi-Automatic Quick Cleaning Cat Litter Box
The Le you pet semi-automatic quick cleaning cat litter box is a great option for you as it is a luxury item. It’s a convenient size for both cats and your home.
It has a 4 step cleaning process that is a cinch. Flip the pan over to sift, reset, remove tray, and throw away waste.
Assembly is very quick and easy.
This option has an extra deep tray to help keep litter inside and not track any litter outside. The Le You Pet Semi-Automatic can lift and sift in just 7 seconds. No litter scoop needed!
Cats will prefer this raised litter tray. This will require less filing for you.
The simple and generous design makes it easy to put anywhere in your home.
Alfapet Kitty Cat Disposable Sifting Liners
Alfapet Kitty Cat Disposable Sifting Liners
This product is Amazon’s Choice in the “Sifting Litter Box Liners” category.
If you like the idea of sifting your cat’s litter instead of scooping it, but you want to stick with the litter box(es) you already have, then sifting liners are the way to go.
Just put the set of liners in the inside of a clean litter box, put on the elastic band they include around the litter box to keep the liners secure (although you probably won’t need it if your litter box has a lid), then fill the box with clean litter.
Instead of scooping, simply pick up the top liner, let it sift out the clean litter, then dump the whole thing in the trash.
Reviewers were impressed by how strong and sturdy these liners were, and were thrilled that it made cleaning the litter box quicker, easier, and less digusting.
Another plus was that people saved money on litter because the sifting method is less wasteful. (One reviewer said that using these liners cut the amount of kitty litter she bought by 75%.)
The liners measure at 40 by 38 inches by 1mil each and, thanks to the elastic band, fit almost any size litter box, including extra-large and extra-giant.
This set contains two 10-count boxes, for a total of 20 liners.
Imperial Cat Neat ‘n Tidy, 28 Litter Sifting Liners
Imperial Cat Neat ‘n Tidy Litter Sifting Liners
Stop scooping and start sifting with the Imperial Cat Neat ‘n Tidy Litter Sifting Liners.
The Imperial Cat sifting liners were not rated as highly overall as the Alfapet liners above were, but they are less expensive and many reviewers were happy with them, so I did want to include them as an option.
The main complaints of the Imperial Cat liners were:
- The plastic was too thin and tore easily
- The holes are too big to prevent all the clumped litter preventing from sifting through the holes along with the clean litter
However, many people were very pleased with these liners. One 5-star reviewer said called them “surprisingly effective” and said that they were thin, yet strong.