Taylor Le / Cats.com
New computerized cat litter bins are popping out left and proper in the marketplace. I spent a number of weeks placing Petcove’s PurrTek™ Self-Cleansing Litter Field to a radical in-home take a look at with my cats. In the course of the overview, I took notes on setup, ease of use, and what my cats thought. And since we’re only one household, I spent loads of time studying via the suggestions of different pet mother and father as effectively.
Rankings
- Ease of Cleansing – 2/5
- Odor Management – 4/5
- Look – 5/5
- Building – 5/5
- Value – 2/5
General Rating: 3/5
On this overview, I’ll share the main points of the PurrTek™ Self-Cleansing Litter Field, together with my expertise and evaluation of whether or not or not the automated litter field from Petcove is well worth the $720.00 price ticket.
Why Belief Cats.com
As a lifelong cat mother, I understand how essential it’s to maintain your litter bins as clear as humanly attainable. And that’s not simply my very own excessive requirements speaking. I’ve cats with delicate noses and the very best requirements of cleanliness. Dusty litter? They’ll undergo a coughing match on each journey to the litter field. Soiled litter? They could simply pee on the clear lavatory rug in protest. Noisy computerized litter field? They received’t even go close to it.
I’ve examined computerized and conventional litter bins on cats who vary from persnickety and squirrely to asthmatic and geriatric. Once I take a look at a brand new litter field, I contemplate how simple it’s to arrange and preserve, how simply my pets take to it, the preliminary value and ongoing price, and the way effectively it suits into my house.
Petcove Firm Overview
Based within the early 2010s, Petcove initially garnered consideration for its vary of grooming instruments and well being monitoring gadgets. It created revolutionary merchandise geared toward bettering the well being and well-being of pets, significantly cats.
Petcove is understood to combine sensible know-how into its merchandise, providing pet homeowners real-time insights into their pets’ well being and habits. The corporate additionally emphasizes sustainability through the use of eco-friendly supplies and manufacturing strategies.
However Petcove has additionally confronted some criticism over time relating to the sturdiness and practicality of a few of its merchandise. Some pet homeowners have reported points associated to product performance and disappointing customer support.
PurrTek Self-Cleansing Litter Field Options
An open view of the PurrTek Self-Cleansing Litter Field, showcasing its waste compartment and filtering system. Designed for hassle-free upkeep, this unit ensures a cleaner, odor-free area for each you and your cat. Taylor Le / Cats.com
I used to be thrilled to find that this self-cleaning litter field from Petcove comes absolutely assembled proper out of the field. The packaging was not extreme, but every little thing was effectively protected. The ability wire is tucked contained in the waste bin and the waste baggage are simple to put in.
Automated litter bins will not be recognized to be compact, however this one is pretty glossy and visually unobtrusive. It weighs about 16 kilos and is about 20″L x 20″W x 19″H. Nonetheless, barely totally different unit dimensions are discovered all through their web site, consumer guide, and Amazon itemizing.
The ability wire is brief, so that you’re more likely to want an extension wire. When first plugged in, it makes a loud beep and begins to slowly rotate forwards and backwards. This can be a take a look at to make sure that the litter field is stablized and able to arrange. The small measurement and orientation of the doorway makes it tough to pour litter in from a typical litter container.
Good App
Although this wasn’t my first time establishing a sensible equipment app, I had loads of bother getting this one began. The setup QR code introduced me to a clean webpage. And lots of the instructions supplied on-line and within the consumer guide didn’t align with what appeared within the app.
The Petcove app does loads of issues and hosts all of their different sensible merchandise as effectively. Dozens? Tons of? It’s arduous to inform and doesn’t include a Search perform. Discovering the PurrTek litter field throughout the Petcove app took a very long time. After a lot troubleshooting with out the assistance of help documentation, I used to be in a position to get it linked to my wifi.
Automated Cleansing
Shut-up of the PurrTek Self-Cleansing Litter Field waste compartment, displaying the sealed waste liner securely in place. The unit successfully incorporates waste and odor for a cleaner litter field expertise. Taylor Le / Cats.com
My cats have all the time wanted the freshest litter attainable, so I scoop our conventional bins a number of occasions per day. The PurrTek litter field mechanically separates waste from the clear litter after every use. The barrel of the litter field rotates and clumps are sifted proper into the waste bin. That is meant to stow away messes and odors, giving your cat a recent field every time they return.
Earlier than getting any cats concerned, I performed a heat water take a look at. I slowly poured in heat water, gave the litter a couple of minutes to clump, and manually activated the cleansing cycle. I used to be happy to see that the machine rotates slowly and is fairly quiet. The clumps slide right into a entice door and vanish from sight.
The rotations additionally fling litter out of the field and onto the ground, so litter mat and day by day sweeping continues to be vital. I don’t occur to thoughts that half, however I’ve all the time had a disdain for scrubbing out litter bins. This one isn’t any exception. It’s difficult to scrub out and the rubber backside is tough to scrub and reattach.
Odor Management
Whether or not computerized or guide, cleansing the litter straight away helps with family odors.
The waste baggage inside that entice door do a reasonably good job containing the scent—significantly for those who’re utilizing an efficient odor-reducing litter. The automated waste elimination and deodorizing cycles purpose to make sure this field is all the time clear and recent.
The deodorizing cycle makes use of a built-in fan and destructive ions that Petcove says connect to odors and different impurities within the litter cylinder to neutralize odors. The deodorizing cycle begins mechanically after the completion of every cleansing cycle.
Security
After current stories of cats being harmed by poorly designed computerized litter bins, I’m extraordinarily cautious about security warnings for the merchandise in my house.
The PurrTek litter field has weight sensors within the toes and an infrared sensor on the entrance management panel. The sensors pause the cleansing and deodorizing cycles in case your cat approaches or enters the field and received’t resume till they go away. This may very well be helpful for every other curious pets or kids in your family too.
What Did Our Take a look at Cats Suppose?
The management panel of the Petcove Self-Cleansing Litter Field, that includes an intuitive interface for automated cleansing, waste degree monitoring, and customizable settings. Taylor Le / Cats.com
My cats have used an computerized litter field earlier than nevertheless it took them a very long time to get interested by this one. That is the primary one we’ve tried that’s absolutely enclosed and the opening is fairly small. Though one cat is effectively throughout the weight vary at 11 kilos, she’s fairly spherical and fluffy. She by no means appeared snug getting into and exiting the litter field, although she had the mandatory area to show round inside.
Some drawer-collection techniques have been recognized to overflow, requiring laborious clean-up. Waste disposal has been fairly easy and the included disposable baggage are simple to interchange. I err on the facet of warning and empty the waste bag typically—partly for odor management and partly as a result of it doesn’t warn you when it’s full. It simply stops working as a substitute.
The cleansing cycle is only some minutes lengthy, so the corporate suggests you should use only one field for as much as three cats. However any litter field with cycles that render it unusable for a time period comes with dangers for inappropriate urination. In case your cat can’t use it when they need it, they’ll simply pee on the ground. I nonetheless advocate having a litter field for every cat and on every degree of your private home for straightforward entry.
There’s fairly a excessive step to get into this factor. It’s not for cats with mobility issues on account of sickness or ageing, which guidelines out my eldest cat. I used to be stunned to study simply what number of forms of cats this sensible litter field shouldn’t be advisable for.
The PurrTek Consumer Guide lists a wide range of cats who will not be good candidates for utilizing it:
- Kittens, seniors, and any cats who might have bother climbing up into the field
- Massive cats over 17 kilos who might battle with the small entrance and inside
- Anxious cats who may get startled by the sounds and actions
- Cats with digestive issues leading to gentle stools
- Cats who urinate with out squatting
What Do Prospects Suppose?
Most of the reviewers are more than happy with Petcove’s customer support! That carries loads of weight on the subject of total buyer satisfaction. Nearly all of destructive evaluations encompass ease of use, difficult cleanup, and the sensible app. I observed that lots of the constructive evaluations additionally contained loads of essential info. This means to me that customers’ expectations for computerized litter bins are fairly low to start with.
[…]Eradicating nearly all of notifications can be good. The app has far more options than the Litter Robotic app nevertheless it falls brief on selecting which notifications you wish to obtain. It can notify you that your cat used the machine, left the machine, the machine rotated and self cleaned, then that it deodorized. I don’t want 4 notifications every time my cat makes use of the litter field. Truthfully only one or 2 notifications that the bag is about to be full can be good. Moreover that, for the worth, this factor is nice. It has much less errors than the Litter Robotic. I like that the bag is less complicated to entry than the litter robotic and simpler to interchange. —Antonio Da Costa, Amazon.com, January 2025
My cats took to it straight away, though considered one of them is heavier and the barrel tends to rock a bit which makes her a bit uneasy. […] When it’s time to scrub, it’s very awkward, particularly if you’re inside in a sink, even a utility sink. […] I’d not purchase this once more or advocate. As for security of my cats, the opening by no means closes throughout cleansing so they’re by no means trapped like some fashions. BUT…I need to say their buyer help staff is past wonderful. — 2 cat household, Amazon.com, February 2025
So I’ve had an opportunity to actually use this computerized litter field for someday now. I’ll say that I’d give the customer support 5 stars, however this field is lower than fascinating. The primary downside is that urine leaks out the again and out the entrance. Maybe it’s the best way my cat pees however both manner it makes fairly the mess. Additionally, as a result of the grey mat doesn’t type an entire seal on the within when my cat pees, if it hits the facet of the drum, it rolls beneath the mat in addition to the cat litter and this varieties a concrete-like substance that’s extraordinarily tough to take away.. I can perceive now why the unit smells as a result of urine has leaked out the again in addition to out the entrance. — Amy, Amazon.com July 2024
General Suggestions
The bottom value on this unit is a whopping $720.00 on Petcove’s web site. That is effectively above the common value of an computerized litter field and even larger than our presently top-rated Litter-Robotic 4. The PurrTek™ Self-Cleansing Litter Field is steadily (or maybe all the time) “on sale” at nearer to $359.99. This can be a deceptive advertising and marketing technique that makes it look like you’ve scored a deal—once you haven’t actually.
With all of the guide labor required to scrub this product, all of the teams of cats who aren’t good candidates to make use of it, and the less-than-useful app, I don’t advocate this product. Nonetheless, their repute for useful customer support makes me really feel open to attempting extra of their pet merchandise sooner or later.
