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Pets

Clever self-cleaning litter box takes the stench out of managing cat waste

By Darren Quick
June 02, 2022
Clever self-cleaning litter box takes the stench out of managing cat waste
Popur is designed to clean up cat litter
Popur is designed to clean up cat litter
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Popur is designed to clean up cat litter
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Popur is designed to clean up cat litter
Popur can handle loads up to 33 lb (15 kg)
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Popur can handle loads up to 33 lb (15 kg)
Popur is self-cleaning
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Popur is self-cleaning
Popur awaiting deposits
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Popur awaiting deposits
Popur's DuoTilt mechanism in action
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Popur's DuoTilt mechanism in action
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There’s no question cats are cute and cuddly – just ask the internet. But one thing the endless stream of cat videos don’t tend to highlight is the messy business of dealing with your cat's messy business. Although there are a variety of self-cleaning litter boxes on the market, Tokyo-based Popur thinks its new system lays waste to the competition.

Popur says the key to its Popur X5 self-cleaning litter box, which is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, is its two-box system that separates the cat pee and poo waste from the tray that contains the litter. The company claims this separation overcomes the cleaning and odor problems inherent in litter boxes with a rotating drum that deposits the waste into a receptacle at the base of the box.

The Popur’s DuoTilt mechanism first tilts the tray to sift the waste from the litter, then tilts the filter to dump the waste into a cardboard waste bin, in the case of the Popur Basic, or into an auto-closing airtight bin, in the case of the Popur Pro model.

The former is for those happy to change the trash bags everyday or who don’t care about the smell, while the Pro model’s bin automatically closes to seal in odors, and can store three weeks to a month’s worth of droppings produced by a single cat. The bin has even been designed to allow the bag to be discarded without so much as seeing or smelling the waste within.

Popur's DuoTilt mechanism in action
Popur's DuoTilt mechanism in action

Designed to accommodate cats with body lengths (base of neck to base of the tail) up to 24 inches (60 cm), the Popur’s litter area measures 20 x 16 inches (51 x 41 cm) and, as with just about everything these days, it has an accompanying app, which lets you know when the waste bin is full and the bag needs to be replaced.

The unit has also been designed to be easy to clean with a simple wipe down of exterior and interior surfaces, and removable filter and liner for hand washing or replacement. It’s also been made from antimicrobial materials to prevent mildew buildup.

Pledge levels that will score you a Popur start at US$279 for the Popur Basic and $329 for the Popur Pro. The Kickstarter campaign has already exceeded its $10,000 goal 32 times and deliveries are slated for October this year – if all goes to plan.

Check out the team’s pitch video below.

Popur X5 Self-Cleaning Litter Box - Intro Video

Source: Kickstarter

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10 comments
Darren Quick
Darren Quick
Darren's love of technology started in primary school with a Nintendo Game & Watch Donkey Kong (still functioning) and a Commodore VIC 20 computer (not still functioning). In high school he upgraded to a 286 PC, and he's been following Moore's law ever since. This love of technology continues as Managing Editor of New Atlas.

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10 comments
michael_dowling
The old fashioned way is still better. My last cat did his business in the basement,and when I saw him headed that way,I would clean up the droppings as soon as he was done. This gadget will be expensive,and while it deals with solid waste,the way it works mixes the liquid waste thoroughly with the unused litter,making changing the litter a more frequent job. I loved clumping litter,as I could usually scoop up the litter soaked in urine easily,without contaminating the untouched litter.
NMBill
The area for the cat to stand doesn't look nearly big enough. Cats like to scratch and paw after their business. This doesn't look big enough to allow that.
DavidB
@michael_dowling, if you used clumping litter in this contraption, the effect would be the same: wet litter would clump, and the clumps would be disposed of in the same way as solid waste.

(I’m not gonna buy one, but not because I don’t see it as effective—it’s just too much money for a litter box.)
WillNC
Once again expensive technology for a chore that requires little effort and if you are a cat-loving person just part of your responsibilities as a humble servant. If you feed your cat food made from human grade ingredients the poop doesn't smell so strong, not roses but not so rank. Then again if you are going for the internet of everything don't let me stop you.
REScott
@michael_dowling - With all due respect it sounds to me like you have no experience with what you are talking about. My household has the rotating drum and it is pretty pricey but we will never go back to hand scooping. First is we use much less litter than before. I think it is due to the machine removing the clump within single digit minutes of the cat voiding preventing it from marinating until manual removal. Next is that we have three cats using the litter box and manual scooping was required at least daily sometimes more. Now it's dealt with once a week, trash day. No unpleasant odors with the exception of removing the collection bag and exposure is less than a single time of manual scooping. I could go on but realize this is turning into a wall of text. Have a great weekend.
Uncle Anonymous
I remember the joy of buying my first self-cleaning cat litter box. I also remember the anger when it failed two months later. Then a few years went by and I found a "new and improved" self-cleaning litter box so I took the risk and bought one. Three months later I took it to the dump because while it had lasted a month longer than its predecessor, it too failed.

Now there is another "new and improved" kitty litter box for sale, this time on Kickstarter. Based on past experience, I'm going to pass.
afreeman
Or you could just toilet-train your cat (see, for example: https://www.hartz.com/seven-steps-to-toilet-training-your-cat/) and never deal with litter or litter boxes again.

It takes about a month, unless your cat is really, really stupid. Smarter breeds like the Siamese or Bengal can learn in a couple of weeks, even as a very young or juvenile cat.

If the idea of cat turds or urine in your toilet irks you, you can also get a weight-sensitive flusher for your toilet (ideally with a couple-minute delay), so that when the cat (or anyone else) vacates the throne, it will flush automatically.

Besides the obvious home benefit, it also makes travelling with a cat much easier, since you don't need to cart around litter, etc. Though it is kinda funny standing in a bathroom stall at the airport, waiting for your cat to take a dump.
TpPa
Nothing really new here, we had cats in our lives for 30+ years, just did it the old fashioned way, but then we gave cats & their secret habits more thought.
Yup so sweet (when they choose) (don't listen), but worst of all they are so called trained to use a litter box for their waste OK easy, but when doing so they are stepping into a germ mine field, use their paws to cover up their waste then they WALK OVER EVERY SURFACE IN YOUR HOUSE, SPENDING 1/2 OF THAT TIME WHERE YOU PREP FOOD, COOK IT, AND EAT IT, AND WHERE YOU PUT YOUR HEAD AT NIGHT, yup sounds healthy to me.
Dogs rule
Baker Steve
I have a simpler method: train cat to do it in someone else's garden.

Also, how long before kitty gets trapped in the machinery and traumatized for life?
itsKeef
would great to have a self cleaning vegetable garden...once the next door cat has used it as a toilet.