Cats make great pets – we just love their independence, how they seem to more or less take care of themselves, their soothing softness to the touch when they’re on your lap, the way they come to you for a bit of comfort and attention.
Cat poop? Not so much…
However, you needn’t fear – there’s a solution at hand! Yes, you’ve guessed it – a cat litter disposal system.
If your cat is an indoor cat, then they’re an essential item.
And ridding the litter tray of cat waste helps to keep your cat happy too.
There are some really great cat litter disposal systems out on the market today. We’ve been checking them out, and after much deliberation, we handpicked our top 5 favorites. We’re going to be showing you our reviews on those very shortly.
Following on from that, we’ve also got a handy buying guide for you, which basically walks you through everything that you might want to think about before you buy.
But that’s not all. We’re then going to top that off with a section where we answer your most frequently asked questions on the subject of cat litter disposal systems.
And without further ado, let’s go…
1. Litter Genie Plus Pail Silver DX
Within the pail, you simply place one of Litter Genie’s own 7 layer refill bags, which has special odor barrier technology to seal in any cat litter odors. The refill bags are antimicrobial and they prevent the release of odor caused by bacteria on the pale.
The pail can hold up to 2 weeks worth of cat litter for one cat, but obviously, if you have several cats to take care of, then it will have to be emptied more frequently.
After you have scooped cat litter from the cat litter box and placed it in the pail, you can simply pull out the handle to lock in any nasty germs and odors.
The pail has relatively small dimensions, measuring 8.5 x 8.5 x 17 inches, so you may even be able to stash it away in one of your cupboards.
The pail comes complete with a cat litter scooper, and with a little pocket to keep it in.
The refill bags are readily available with online retailers such as Amazon. Unfortunately, however, these refill bags are more expensive than we would like, with a pack of three bags costing about $25.
However, you may well decide that they’re worth it because of their powerful odor control effects.
What may sway you on this, however, is that these refill bags are available with Amazon’s Subscribe and Save Scheme, where you can arrange for regular deliveries and save 15% on repeat deliveries.
But what really sold it for us is the customer feedback. On the Amazon page for example, after well over 5,000 individual customer ratings, the average customer rating still comes at a very impressive 5 stars out of 5.
Pros
- Compact dimensions
- Readily available replacement bags
- Bad odors stay locked away
Cons
- Refill bags are not compostable or biodegradable
- Refill bags are relatively expensive
[amazon box=”B007IRMTXE”]
2. PetFusion Portable Cat Litter Disposal
After over 900 individual customer reviews, the average Amazon customer rating comes out at an impressive 4 stars out of 5!
What we love about this one is how, if you use the complimentary compostable bags, you can, when the container is full, put your cat’s waste into your compost bin in your backyard. This way you can recycle your cat’s waste, and use it to help your plants grow in your garden.
It uses a very simple system. It’s kinda a bin within a bin. You simply snap a large compostable bag into place inside the inner bin, which is kept within the outer caddy.
In the lid, there’s a special non-toxic charcoal deodorizer, which keeps unwanted stenches at bay every time you open it. And it has a silicone gasket which helps to seal in odor when the lid is closed.
And with its large handle, it’s very portable, so you can carry the whole thing out into your backyard, or you could even take it on camping trips.
It’s a good size, 16.7 inches tall x 9.5 x 9.5, able to accommodate quite a lot of litter before you need to empty it out.
The compatible replacement compostable litter bags are great for the environment and are readily available to buy from online retailers such as Amazon.
And these replacement bags are available at a reasonable price too. You get 10 in a pack, and it works out that you pay less than $1 for each bag. And each bag can hold up to 2 weeks of cat litter waste.
Pros
- Compact and portable
- Uses compostable litter bags
- Readily available replacement bags
- Bad odors stay locked away
Cons
- More expensive than its counterparts
[amazon box=”B07S84T5CP”]
3. Litter Champ Premium Odor-Free Cat Litter Disposal System
After well over 2,000 individual customer ratings, the average Amazon customer rating comes in at a very nice 4 and a half stars out of 5.
What we like about this particular cat litter disposal system is that you don’t have to touch the lid to open it.
Instead, there’s a foot pedal in place, and you need to simply press your foot onto the pedal in order to lift the lid. This way, you don’t have to touch the lid, which is where a lot of germs from the cat litter may reside. Much more hygienic.
And when the cat litter has been scooped inside, there’s a special triple seal design, which will lock the nasty odors inside.
We like that it has a handle on top, this means that you can take the pail outside to empty the cat litter into your garbage.
Despite its relatively small dimensions, at under 50 cm tall, it can hold up to 4 gallons of cat litter.
We also like that it has a childproof lock, great safety & hygiene feature.
The refill bags are readily available with online retailers such as Amazon. They are made with 20% recycled materials and are very tear-resistant.
Better yet, these refill bags are available with Amazon’s Subscribe and Save Scheme, where you can arrange for regular deliveries and save 5% on repeat deliveries.
When the box arrives, you will receive a scoop for scooping up the cat litter, and there’s a handy hook on one side of the pail to keep the scoop right at hand when you need it.
It comes complete with a 5-year manufacturer’s warranty, which is very reassuring.
If you have a lot of cats living with you, you can save yourself some money by making the most of the multiple buy deals. Simply follow our link to the Amazon page.
Pros
- Hygienic lid opening
- Locks away odors
- 5-year warranty
- Refill bags readily available
Cons
- Refill bags are not compostable or biodegradable
[amazon box=”B001N3JEPK”]
4. PetSafe ScoopFree Automatic Self-Cleaning Cat Litter Box
And it’s certainly worth letting you know that Amazon occasionally has really good deals on this product.
It works very differently than the other disposal systems in our top 5 picks and is designed to replace your litter box rather than act as an additional cat litter storage bin.
You will need to buy several disposable litter trays filled with crystal cat litter, and place the self-cleaning box on top of the first one. The crystal litter absorbs the liquid waste and dries out solid waste.
Then, there’s a special automated rake that scoops solid waste so that it moves to the bottom of the system. The covered waste is then trapped away, keeping the waste out of sight, and the odors at bay.
Each disposable litter tray will last up to 30 days for one cat. After these 30 days, you simply lift the upper box, place the lid on the disposal tray, and throw it out in the trash.
However, they are available under Amazon’s Subscribe and Save system, where you can have regular deliveries sent to your door, and save 15% on repeat purchases.
And for more sensitive cats you can get crystals that are free of all perfumes and dyes.
The disposable litter trays are readily available from online retailers such as Amazon. The drawback however is just how expensive they are. But you’ve got to consider that against just how long they last.
You don’t need to worry about the rake hurting your cat because there are safety sensors in place which will bring the rake to a stop when your cat is detected in the box.
It’s super easy to acclimate your cat to this new system, you simply place the new litter box next to the old one, and after time you can replace the old litter box altogether.
So, it’s a great little system that ensures you need never get your hands dirty scooping out cat mess.
Pros
- Readily available refill trays
- Replaces your cat litter box
- Keeps odors from dispersing into your home
Cons
- Premium product at a premium price
[amazon box=”B000ELUQQS”]
5. LitterLocker Fashion 10400 Cat Litter Disposal Bucket
It has very similar dimensions to the other cat litter disposal system we’ve shown you so far, but this one is all white, so it can look quite smart against any decor.
But if you don’t fancy a white one, you can buy a special washable fabric cover to go over it.
It works in a very similar way to the Litter Genie Plus Pail, in that, after you have scooped cat litter from the cat litter box and placed it in the pail, you can simply pull out the handle to lock in any nasty germs and odors.
The liner you place inside the bucket is a multilayer airtight tube that will trap all the bacteria and germs that give off nasty odors.
It will hold up to 2 weeks worth of cat litter from one cat, and it comes complete with a litter scooper which you can keep right at hand using the bucket’s side pocket.
The refill bags are noticeably more affordable than those of their counterparts. And, moreover 1 film cassette of refill liners can last for about 2 whole months.
We would say that the current going price is very fair and reasonable. But when you consider the low price of the refill bags, it makes for a far more affordable option in the long run.
Pros
- Top brand
- Locks away odors
- Good value for money
Cons
- Some customers have found the refill cassettes difficult to get hold of
[amazon box=”B07G89MQVF”]
Buyer’s Guide
As promised in our introduction earlier, we’re now going to walk you through everything that you might want to think about to decide which cat litter disposal system.
Regular Cat Litter Disposal System vs Litter Box with Crystal Litter System
Crystal cat litter is relatively new on the market. Therefore it is more expensive than traditional cat litter. That being said it does a better job of eliminating the smells of your cats’ toilet trips.
A small number of the newer cat litter disposal systems are designed to cope with the crystal litter. You will find it easier to find a system that works with traditional litter.
Availability of Refills
No cat litter disposal system will be any good to you if you cannot obtain any necessary replacement parts, whether they be refill bags or absorption pads.
We recommend before committing to a disposal system checking (a) what refills it requires and (b) how easy these are too source.
If you buy a litter disposal system and then find out its refills have been decommissioned, you’ll be kicking yourself.
Portability
The next thing you need to need to consider when purchasing a litter disposal system is whether you will require it to be portable. This will be particularly important to you if you travel with your cat, or it goes to daycare.
Some people like to move their litter tray around the house, however, cats can sometimes find this confusing. So, unless you are traveling with your cat there isn’t much need to get a portable disposal system.
If you are looking for a portable tray, have a think about whether it being lightweight or small is more important for you.
Locking Away of Odors
One of the major appeals of an automated litter disposal system is that it’s able to lock away odors before your kitty’s little gifts stink out your house.
You should be looking for a disposal system that has features designed specifically for locking away odors. Most systems won’t be able to do this automatically, so they will have to design a storage system to neutralize the smells – like a charcoal pad for absorbing smells.
Customer Reviews
When you’re shopping for products online, you can learn a lot about how well a product performs by looking at customer reviews.
First, you should take a look at the overall average ratings from customers. This in itself can be a good indicator of whether said product is actually any good and/or worth the asking price.
Sometimes a product will have hundreds if not thousands of customer reviews, and we’re certainly not saying you should be reading all of them.
What you can do with some online retailers such as Amazon, however, is to filter them so that the most helpful customer reviews are presented at the top of the list.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the answers to the three most frequently asked questions about cat litter.
What is the difference between normal cat litter and crystal cat litter?
Crystal cat litter is made of a gel called Silica. It is relatively new on the market and still more expensive than traditional cat litter.
This type of litter is very absorbent and you need to use less of it than traditional litter. It also needs to be changed less frequently.
Crystal cat litter is designed to cope with cat urine, however, it treats cat poop no different to regular cat litter.
The American Pets Association warns that we still do not know everything about crystal litter, so to be cautious when introducing your cat to it.
You definitely can not use this type of litter with cats who like to eat their litter as it can make them very ill.
Are there any eco-friendly cat litters?
There are a few types of cat litter that are made from biodegradable materials (like recycled newspaper, pine, or grass seed).
There are three main things you can do to reduce your cat’s carbon pawprint.
- Use biodegradable tray liners
- Do not use clay cat litter
- Never flush your cat litter
How to clean a cat litter box?
The best way to non-toxicity clean your cat’s litter tray is to use a mixture of lemon juice, water, and baking soda.
This will kill any nasty bacteria and help eliminate any lingering smells.
