Litter-Robot 4 review: a near-perfect solution to the biggest downside of cat care
BEING a cat parent is an absolute joy... most of the time.
Indigo is a 3-year-old Norwegian Forest cat, and as someone who is away frequently for work, she’s the perfect pet. She’s independent, fairly low maintenance, and an endless source of entertainment.
Litter-Robot 4, £749
However, all good things have a downside, and with her, it’s scooping her poop.
claims to have the solution.
This tall, hollow-domed device is an automated litter box that promises to alleviate you of this stinky chore.
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It's a heavenly prospect; I'd never have to scoop litter again, and my house would be more hygienic due to a ready supply of fresh litter.
I had to do a Litter-Robot 4 review to see if the device is worth its eye-watering £749 price tag.
Pros
- Makes daily manual scooping redundant
- Freshly sifted litter improves hygiene
- WiFi connectivity provides useful information
- Able to differentiate between and track multiple cats
Cons
- Very big - might not work for smaller homes
- Occasionally didn't cycle after use
- Minor connectivity issues
- At £750, it's an extravagance
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Rating: 4/5
Litter-Robot 4 review: how I tested
Litter-Robot 4, £749
I (or rather my cat, Indy) have been hands (or rather, paws) on with the Litter-Robot for the last couple of months.
As well as noting how easy it was to set up and how quickly my cat took to it, I've been assessing how good its cleaning cycle is and whether the information it provides is helpful.
And perhaps most importantly for a device that costs £750, I've been weighing up whether or not the Litter-Robot 4 represents good value for money.
The Litter-Robot is also able to differentiate between two cats and track them separately. I am a one-cat person (for now) so could not test this feature, but for households with multiple cats, it's worth bearing this in mind.
Litter-Robot 4 review: quick summary
Litter-Robot 4, £749
The greatest thing about this automated litter box is that it makes daily manual scooping redundant. Waste is collected into a container, completely and discretely concealed, minimising any pungent odours.
After years of doing of cleaning litter trays on my hands and knees, it's hard to overstate how much of a game changer this is.
Freshly sifted litter undoubtedly improves the hygiene factor of owning a cat, too.
They do a good job of cleaning themselves; however, too many times has Indigo hopped out of the litter box and right onto the bed.
The Litter-Robot gives me some peace of mind when I put my head on the pillow at night. It’s also nice knowing her box is fresh every time she visits it.
Wi-Fi connectivity allows you to easily and conveniently monitor your cats’ output, the level of waste in the container, and your cats’ weight.
However, the Litter-Robot is big, and because of its size it inevitably becomes a bit of a feature no matter where you put it.
For bigger houses this may not be an issue, however it is an important consideration for people living in flats or who may be short on space.
And, while it's efficient and for the most part works as it should, it occasionally won’t cycle after use, and I have had a few connection issues.
This means that, although it greatly reduces the time you have to spend at the litter box, you cannot forget about it entirely.
Lastly, the Litter-Robot 4 is expensive. At the time of writing, it costs a hefty £750, which is almost double my total expenditure for Indigo in a whole year.
If you have several cats using it, I can see the cost being easier to justify, however for a sole cat this is an extravagance.
Litter-Robot 4 review: full review
What is a Litter-Robot?
If you have never used (or heard of) an automated litter box before, you'll be happy to find out the process is straightforward.
Your cat hops inside and does what it needs to do. An array of sensors detect a cat has been inside, and after a several minute (user adjustable) delay to allow your cat time to bury their business, leave, and for the litter to clump, the Robot sifts the litter to leave it nice and fresh for their next visit.
Automated litter boxes are not new technology; Whisker alone has been making them for the last 20 years.
However this latest iteration, first released in 2022, has refined and introduced an array of features.
It has a Wi-Fi connection and pairs to an app on your phone, allowing you to easily check on the waste and litter levels.
You can be notified when the box has been used, and it can help you identify any change in usage or irregular toilet behaviour.
It even has adjustable lights inside the box so that your kitty can always see what they are doing.
Perhaps the most useful bonus feature is its built-in weight sensors, allowing you to easily track your cat’s weight week to week.
First impressions
Litter-Robot 4, £749
I live in a basement flat and the stairs down to the front door pass right in front of the living room window.
On the day of delivery, I was sat on the sofa when suddenly the room was plunged into shadow.
What I thought might be a solar eclipse was in fact the delivery person shuffling a monolithic box down the steps.
I may be embellishing slightly, but this thing is big — much bigger than I had anticipated.
At nearly 30 inches in height, 27 inches deep and around 22 inches wide, the Litter-Robot requires a significant amount of floor space.
As mentioned, I live in a modest 1-bed flat with Indigo’s current litter box living in our one bathroom, wedged between the bath and the toilet.
I had expected the Litter-Robot to live in the same spot, but there was no chance of that happening.
Litter-Robot 4, £749
Additionally (and naively) I had failed to realise that it would need to be plugged into a wall socket to work, which ruled out the bathroom completely.
After trying and failing to squeeze it into several corners and after a slight furniture rearrange, I managed to get it set up by the back door.
Despite its size, its plastic construction makes it surprisingly lightweight to manoeuvre.
Once in place, the set-up was straightforward, however I did have an issue pairing it to the app, and without being paired I couldn’t get it to operate properly.
The issue was that the Robot’s new home by the back door didn’t have the greatest Wi-Fi strength. After some repositioning of routers and Wi-Fi extenders I got it connected, but this wasn’t quite the plug-in-and-go experience I had expected.
Performance
The next obstacle was actually getting Indigo to use the Litter-Robot.
Initially, she was intimidated by the movement of the dome and avoided it completely. However, with a little encouragement, this quickly subsided, and she became very curious.
She happily hopped inside, but it took some time for her to realise that this was her new lavatory.
Whisker recommends transitioning slowly by placing the Litter-Robot next to their old litter box, however, as I was so tight on space this was just not possible.
I moved her old litter box instead next to the back door next to the Robot. After eventually just removing her old box completely, she finally made the association and used the Litter-Robot.
Before the Litter-Robot arrived, I was unsure of how the sifting mechanism worked, and I was surprised to see the entire drum rotate.
Litter-Robot 4, £749
As it slowly spins, the clean litter passes through a grate, and the large clumps fall through into a compartment concealed below.
The drum spins back to its original position and the cleaned litter falls back into place. It’s a well-executed and surprisingly quiet process.
The app works well at notifying you of usage and accurately displays the litter and waste levels.
I have to say, though, that receiving push notifications while at work that Indigo has just been to the loo really does encapsulate the always-on society we live in.
I find that I can go a full week before needing to empty the waste container, and if you line it with a waste bag, clearing out the Litter-Robot takes no more than a few moments.
However, I did find that occasionally the Robot wouldn’t run its cycle, and I would have to trigger it manually using the controls on the top.
Editor's note: When Litter-Robot saw this review, its representative offered to connect us with a customer service manager to fix what they gathered to be an issue with the sensors.
Litter-Robot 4, £749
Also, Indigo can be somewhat enthusiastic with her burying afterwards, and due to the open design of the Litter-Robot, litter does inevitably end up on the floor outside.
This situation is not completely unique to the Litter-Robot, but it does mean that you can never completely forget about it – you always have to be ready for a quick clean-up.
Where to buy the Litter-Robot
The primary stockist of the Litter-Robot 4 is the which ships the device for free in one to three business days.
The official site is — as far as I'm aware — also the only place to get which can save you money on things like and .
Other stockists include:
How much is the Litter-Robot 4?
Brace yourself; the Litter-Robot 4 retails for £749.99.
The other bad news is that it doesn't really go on sale; the best deal we saw last Black Friday was £100 off bundles, which require you to spend even more cash on extras you might not want.
Whether or not the Litter-Robot is worth that sort of money completely depends on both your disposable income and how much you hate cleaning up cat poo. (Although if you were happy to manually clean out a litter tray, you probably wouldn't be reading this review).
Personally, I'd only be able to justify it if I had multiple cats, or if I was often away for extended periods of time.
However, having one cat, £750 feels too steep to take 15 (admittedly unpleasant) minutes out of my week.
If you wanted a cheaper option, you could check out the Litter-Robot 3, which is over £200 cheaper than the fourth generation device.
However, it does look a lot less modern, and it doesn't come with many of the Litter-Robot 4's bells and whistles like app connectivity, and it's somehow even larger, despite having less interior space.
Litter-Robot alternatives
Having being at it since the year 2000, it's fair to say that Litter-Robot is the biggest name in the market for self-cleaning litter boxes, but there are other models available.
The has a smaller footprint than the Litter-Robot and comes at a more affordable price point — it's currently on sale for £459.
The also comes in at under £500, although it lacks some of the more sophisticated features of the Litter-Robot like weight tracking.
Clocking in at £399.99 with a suspiciously similar design to the Litter-Robot 4 is the , which reviewers praise for having "next-level" odour control.
Litter-Robot 4 review: the verdict
I'd say that, thanks to the Litter-Robot 4, my dream of never having to clear out a litter tray again has been about 80% realised.
It’s a well-constructed device and its features are smart and considered, successfully minimising the frequency at which you must visit the litter tray.
The app works very well, and the Wi-Fi connectivity elevates the convenience of the whole experience, as well as giving you a closer insight into your cats’ overall health.
However, it is not without its occasional glitches, which makes handing total toilet trust over to the Robot difficult – and when you consider the high price tag, this could make it hard for some to justify.
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If you have the money (and the space), the Litter-Robot 4 is a welcome addition and a handy assistant for your cat ownership.
But ultimately, if you are a cat parent you must accept that you can never fully escape the poop.