If you’ve ever wished your cat could tell you when something’s wrong – especially with kidneys, digestion or the bladder – the SiiPet LitterLens might be the closest thing we’ve got to that. And peace of mind comes at only US$59 in December.
The SiiPet LitterLens is one of the more ambitious pieces of pet tech to appear in recent years, promising to turn a very ordinary part of your cat’s (or cats') routine into a meaningful window into their health. It’s a small, owl-shaped camera that attaches to a space above an ordinary litter box (or inside enclosed ones) and uses AI to analyze every visit, aiming to catch early signs of urinary issues, digestive trouble or slow-developing chronic diseases that often slip past owners' detection. For many people, that alone will justify its existence.
In day-to-day use, LitterLens does a surprisingly good job of recognizing when a cat enters the litter box, logging the duration, posture and stool or urine quality, and sending an alert if something looks abnormal. It'll flag unusually long visits, sudden increases in frequency, soft stools or straining behaviour – long before cats showed any symptoms out of the box. That kind of early warning is especially valuable for conditions like UTIs or urethral blockages, where early detection is critical.
The device also captures stills and videos of each visit, creating a record that can be shared with a vet to avoid guesswork. Plus spying on your cat for science is a little fun, right?
One of the standout features for households with more than one cat is the device’s ability to identify individuals. SiiPet’s “Pet ID+” AI fingerprinting system works well even with same-colored or similarly sized cats, meaning each animal gets its own behavioral report. This of course helps solve the problem of monitoring one cat's health when many use the same box.
The hardware itself is simple, well built and compatible with almost any litter setup. Installation is quick: Mount the camera with the adhesive wall pad and pair with the app, then adjust the angle as needed. The rechargeable battery lasts about a month (you can keep it connected to power, but that's more difficult), and the device is IP65 waterproof and scratch-resistant. It’s also privacy-conscious, activating only when a cat enters the box rather than recording normal household movement.
However, some limitations are worth noting. The system’s accuracy depends on your cat using the monitored litter box consistently, which isn't ideal for cats that spend a lot of time outdoors or access multiple trays inside. The unit is compact but nonetheless still has some bulk, sticking out from the wall or the side of a covered box, so can occasionally miss visits because of it.
Another thing worth noting is for the full health analysis you'll need a subscription to the LitterLens app – new users get a couple of months for free, but after that if you want some features, like abnormal stool analysis, abnormal trend analysis and instant abnormal alerts, as well as longer storage of image history, you'll be required to pay ether $5.90 a month (basic) or $9.90 a month (premium). That said the free app has most of the functions on offer – including the multi-cat recognition, 24/7 view of the litter if required, visit alerts, visit snapshots and stool checks.
Overall, the SiiPet LitterLens makes a strong case for itself, particularly for households with older cats, cats prone to urinary issues, or simply people who want reliable, objective insight into something most pets hide until too late. It obviously isn't a replacement for vet care, but as an early-warning system, it may provide exactly the kind of help that owners – and potentially vets – could do with.
Unlike a lot of smart-pet equipment, I found that when I tested this out on two cats I was petsitting, they weren't particularly bothered by the new addition to their litter. However, their box was fairly unconventional, in a wooden cabinet without a smooth surface on the side to attach it to. So while SiiPet say it'll work in any litter, there are caveats depending on space and, of course, the cats themselves.
If this little device seems like a worth addition, it's currently on sale for $59 and available in gray or pink. It's also available through Amazon.
Source: SiiPet
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