Cumrige Self-Cleaning Litter Box Review: Over a Year Later (2026)

The Problem It Solved

Before this we had a covered litter box, and covered or not, it meant scooping by hand every day. Miss a day and you know it. The point of a self-cleaning box is to take that daily job away, and for us that is exactly what it did.

How Our Cat Took to It

This was the part we worried about most, because a self-cleaning box your cat refuses is an expensive storage bin. It was a non-issue: she used it the first day. The inside is roomy enough for one big cat, and it still does not take up too much space in the house.

Your cat may be different, and some cats do need a few days. Ours did not.

Is It Loud?

No. It runs its cycle on its own after she uses it, including at night, and it has never woken anyone up.

What Maintenance Actually Looks Like

This is the honest part most reviews skip: self-cleaning does not mean no work. Here is what ours takes, week to week:

• •Empty the waste bin about once a week. The bin is large, so once a week is enough for one cat. Tie off the bag and put in a new one.
• •Top up the litter every week or two. The box sifts out the clumps, so the litter level slowly drops.
• •Bags are a running cost. It comes with two rolls of garbage bags. We buy the brand's bags when those run out.

That is it. Compared with a daily scoop, it is a few minutes a week.

The Smell Depends on Your Litter

We use regular clumping clay litter, and the smell is fine. The odor control is good, but it depends a lot on the litter you put in it. A self-cleaning box works by sifting out clumps, so a litter that clumps well matters more here than in an ordinary box.

The App

Honestly, we barely use it. The box cleans itself automatically without it. When we do open it, two things are useful: it gives you a picture of your cat's routine, how often she goes and when, and there is a button to start a cleaning cycle yourself if you want one right now.

What Else Helped

Two things made the whole corner cleaner:

• •A silicone litter mat under the box. Litter falls off her paws onto the mat, and you fold it and pour it back.
• •Less tracked litter also helped our robot vacuum, which now spends its runs on hair and dust instead of litter.

When we travel and the cat stays at someone else's house, the Cumrige stays home and a simple IRIS top-entry box goes with her.

The Downsides

• •Price. In the $100–$300 range, it costs many times what a plain box does. You are paying to skip the daily scoop.
• •It is not zero work. Weekly bin, regular litter top-ups, and bags to buy.
• •Smell depends on litter. If yours smells, try a better clumping litter before blaming the box.

Who Should Buy It

If scooping every day is the chore you hate, and you have one cat, this is the box we would buy again. Skip it if you are happy scooping, or if a litter box in the $100–$300 range is hard to justify.

See the Cumrige on Amazon →