As you know, there are two fundamental types of self cleaning cat box devices: automatic litter box and manual litter box. What kind of automatic litter box you should get is technically a matter of preference although the following tips may help you choose the right litter box for your feline friend.

Brush up on your knowledge of the different types of litter crates.
Aside from self cleaning cat box units, there are other types of excreta crates especially designed for our feline friends. These can include the more traditional open top, the more discreet covered type, the inconspicuous hidden variety, and a sifting litter box.

1. manual litter box

As the name suggests, an open top clutter crate comes in as an ordinary box that has four walls and a bottom floor but no roofing or cover. It’s very inexpensive and you can actually make one for your pet with a simple carton box. It is also very easy to clean as you have unrestricted access to the materials contained in the crate. Some commercially available open top products come with a rim which serves as an anchor for a liner. The liner serves as a protective cover for the inner surfaces of the crate, preventing leaks into the exterior. Sadly, there’s no way to prevent the odor from permeating through the entire room, so frequent cleanup is necessary.

A covered type of litter box is just like an open top but with a roof or cover, obviously. There’s an opening up front, serving as both entrance and exit for your pet. It provides your cat with certain ‘privacy’ that it needs to do its thing. This type is preferred because its covered nature helps keep the smell within the inner walls of the box. There’s one problem, though. Cleaning can be quite cumbersome as you don’t have instant access to the litter; unless, of course, you have a device that has a top that can be easily opened.

We’d like to look at hidden litter boxes to be a novelty as these don’t usually conform to the conventional idea of the object. These can be in the form of a planter or even other furniture pieces in your home that you would hardly consider a litter box. The advantage of these types is that they can easily be placed almost anywhere in and around your home. These are not eye sore and can be a great way to add certain aesthetics to your interior. This can be easily cleaned or not, depending on the design, whether it is open or closed.

The sifting litter box is actually a double-crate with one serving as a sifter for the device. All you need to do is to lift the sifter compartment and all clumped litter and feces is effectively removed. What remains in the crate is clean litter. You can look at it as a self-cleaning litter box but more of the manual type.

2. automatic litter box

A true automatic cat litter box is something that does the cleaning and removal of wastes for you. The only time you will ever need to handle it is when you’re going to dispose of the collected waste. Unfortunately, this type of litter box is quite expensive.

Consider the correct crate size requirements of your cat.

Picking the correct waste crate for your cat depends on the size of your pet. Manufacturers provide different sizes of each of their products so you can choose the correct one for your furry pal.

If you have kittens or even small breeds of felines, a small crate works best. However, you should also make sure that the height of its sides makes it easy to climb. If your kitty is having difficulty climbing into the crate, it might not use it at all.

Medium-sized crates are perfect for standard-sized kitties while large ones can truly benefit from a larger-sized crate. If you have a breed that can be gigantic or oversized, then going extra-large should help.

As a general rule, the inner dimensions of the crate should be as wide as the length of your kitty. Additionally its inner length dimensions should be not less than 1.5 times the length of your kitty. Taking these ‘rules’, if you have a kitty that measures about 12 inches long, then your litter box should be at least 18 inches long and 12 inches wide. It may be large, you might think, but it does serve the purpose of giving your kitty plenty of room to scratch on, bury, and cover their excrements.

Evaluate the product’s ease of operation.

Obviously, the automatic litter box is better for cat. Find your best automatic litter box at Petree Little Box.