apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

This looks great. Any idea what the price is going to be like?

For the smaller more lithe cats, apparently. Mine would go on the floor next before she even bothering with fitting into and out of the little hole on top.

I saw this yesterday and signed up for the notification e-mails. I want one! I just wish I knew how much!

I rather suspect my girls would simply jump out onto the floor. Or go in my bed to remind me that randomly changing the litterbox is a bad thing. (They've never actually done this, but I live in fear of it)

Mine would hate that. She didn't even like having a covered box. Her too delicate nostrils were offended by the smell being trapped. Even with the opening and air holes, she'd refuse. And being a senior, she's not exactly into climbing and jumping. She's a total princess. But when I reach the human equivalent of being a 19-year old cat, I have a feeling I'll be pretty persnickety too!

I like the look of this, but I'm curious to see what the cost will be when they are available to the public. The design is pretty, but I wonder if my fat cat will appreciate having to access his litter box from that hole in the top.

My girls would love this concept. They're constantly jumping in and out of the litterbox anyways. Hope this is somewhat affordable.

Curious about cost also. If they were smart they would give discount to all who signed up for notification email! Get them out there so more people would see them....
right?
K

Judging from how easily she launches herself onto and off of the smallest shelves, sills, and moldings in the house, my cat will quickly master leaping out onto the floor, sending litter shooting everywhere. I wish this would work, but something tells me it's not the miracle solution I'm looking for.

no!

oh my god, I love this. I signed up for e-mail notification when it's available. Hopefully it won't cost the moon because I really want to replace the litterbox that is an eyesore in my bathroom.

I have something similar, though not as glamorous - I bought it at Petsmart. My fat cat (13lbs) can get in and out easily and uses it like a pro. Mine cost $25 or so - I imagine this one will be waaay more.

* snort * does this person even have a cat? no cat jumps up on the roof after completing their business. It's out onto the floor and away, just like every other cat box. do a little user testing next time...

Also, once they ship, they will have a 30-day return policy should your cat(s) hate it. Pretty awesome.

yeah, i can't see any indoor [heavier] cat i've ever seen getting into or out of that little hole.

I concur that this is an item to admire for its looks, not its use. My cats would never adjust to such a radically different approach to their litter, particularly as it would require going HEAD FIRST into the litter pan. Cats are very particular about these kinds of things. I would also think it inappropriate for chubby or older cats. Maybe a kitten might be litter-trained with it, but really not the best concept out there for addressing the ugh of living with litter boxes.

That is so cool, I would even use it!

This is totally great - but I do agree that it likely needs to be larger/wider and possibly deeper. My cats are huge and it seems like cats, in general, like lots of space for their business. Who knows whether mine would jump on the top part, but I'd sure try to coax them! Litter on floor = FAIL!

This is the same concept as the CleverCat litter box, that I believe Erin K. is referring to above. I have one, and my two cats use it regularly and very well.

However, I do question how effective this one will be in handling the litter that makes its way on top. The spacing of the holes makes me think it's probably not as effective. CleverCat has ridges to grasp the stray litter.

This one is a knockout, though, where looks are concerned. And for the right price, I'd be glad to give it a try.

My cats would use this as a means to torture one another. When one is in the box, another would sit up top and not let the other out. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Too bad cos it looks lovely!

Love the look, question the acceptance.

LOL at Ms. Pants. I think that is exactly what my cats would do!
And I agree there is no way either of mine would stop to dust off on the roof on the way out. It does look pretty though.

I can see that working for a very small cat. Mine is a long cat only part of him wouldget in. I use the Tidy cat Brezze system I love it. No hauling in buckets of dry litter and lugging out buckets of wet litter. I flush the poop and the wet pad under it goes in a bag to trash....Maj

I have the clevercat box referred to above by Doug. My cat uses it and he weighs 17lbs. I think the clevercat box might be bigger but it is hard to tell from the photos.

As with pretty much everything else, whether this works for your cat depends on your cat. Mine is very flexible about his litterbox, so I don't think he'd have problems jumping in and out of one. I do think it'd be nicer if the hole were bigger and that the top part was bigger with relation to the actual box in order to catch more errant litter...and maybe have sides that slop down very slightly to help that litter slide back into the box.

there's a link to the website after the jump...with a you tube video showing it in use by a sizable kitty...that was enough for me! i signed up to be notified, i'm definitely interested! why do people slam cool ideas and new product without even looking in to it first?...:-(

Like Erin K., Doug, and dmstudio, I have something similar but far less pretty. Mine is a rubbermaid bin with a hole cut in the top. My oldest cat, who is 8, just started using it last year and had no problems. Oh and I have two bins (for 3 cats) all have had no problems. I like the idea of holes in the top for air and to let bits fall in, and I love the removable liner. I think ppl shouldn't dis this method until they try it!

Did anyone watch the video? When the cat jumps out for the second time, it basically jumps straight out and doesn't even touch the "roof deck." I'm sure what you can't see is that the litter flies out everywhere.

I have my littler box on a short table in a closet. We have one of those plastic grates (that puts pressure on the paws to let go of the litter) at the base so the cats have to jump down onto it. This helps somewhat, but I still have to sweep everyday. I can't find anyway around it!

I have a similar product called CleverCat and it's really easy for the cat to use. I understand if the cat is super old, arthritic or obese maybe they would refuse, but even our roommates larger, fluffier cat jumps in every now and then (there's another front opening litter box in their bathroom). Our cat is young, but he had no problem adjusting to it and jumps over a shoe basket in the closet to get in. Unfortunately the design doesn't get all the litter off since the cats seem to prefer jumping straight up and out to the ground rather than slowly walking over the slats/holes like we logically want them too...

Since we've started talking litter solutions, I have mine under my bathroom sink, BUT behind a little curtain on a tension rod. Basically, I took the doors off the storage area under my sink. The whole cabinet isn't much wider than the litter box and it's right next to the toilet. Took a pillow case that coordinated in color with my bathroom, folded along the long end, basted a seam and put a tension rod through the pocket the seam created. My cat steps up, nudges the curtain aside, walks up and into the box and runs out when she's done. The curtain keeps a lot of the shaken off litter inside. It's completely hidden the box in an attractive way. My very senior cat adapted quickly (let her use it without the curtain for a couple days and then put up the tension rod/curtain). It's right next to the toilet for scooping, too! I keep the scooper inside the cabinet with the box.

They will cost $180. Meowwww!

I gave the whole top-entry litter box a try as well. My 15 lb fat cat and his 7 lb buddy had no trouble with it, although it was a large Rubbermaid-type tub. One of the main problems with it was that the cats didn't do the whole step-on-the-lid part, they would just leap over the edge, flicking litter all over the place on the way. I definitely would recommend trying the DIY version (here's my

$180 dollars for a (n admittedly cute) cat poop receptacle?!

Cute, but not $180 cute.

The easiest (and greenest) way to keep your floors clean is to switch over to pellet litter made of compressed pine. I have 5 cats, and no problem with dirty floors or the funky cat litter smell that comes with clay litter.

Wow, ThatGrrl, that is EXACTLY what I did! For a second there, I almost thought that I wrote your message, then had amnesia. So weird. Maybe I'm you from another dimension?

I think the same effect could be achieved by punching some holes in a rubbermaid and lining it with an Ikea bag.

I agree with missmouse about the pine pellet litter. Although, my cat decided out of the blue that she'd rather use the carpet. I got a special brand of clay litter, but I couldn't take the smell and the massive clumps. Now I mix in some of the ground pine clumping litter with the same brand of pine pellets, and we're back in action.

What were we talking about? A 180 dollar cat poop condo? Oh yeah. That's it.

I have a similar cabinet solution:

I rented a room a few years back, so I was forced to keep my cat box in my bedroom. Luckily, on the far corner from my bed was a built in cabinet which fit the cat box perfectly. I left the door open for a couple days until my cat was used to it, and then stuck a push pin in between the door and the wall to ensure that the door could never fully close. Then with one little push of her paw she was in. I cleaned the box everyday, but it was still nice to be able to (almost) close the door to keep the stank out -- or in, whatever!

I am moving into a new house with very little bathroom space to keep the box. I'm thinking about doing this again, but under the bathroom sink.

i made one of these myself recently using an ikea snalis storage bin and a box cutter. this was super cheap, super easy and my cat LOVES it!

Ha! Excellent, Craftypants! We must have been sharing a brain the day we came up with that solution.

I'm in agreement with the people who say it's too much. I think you could probably be creative and do something similar with some sort of bin and an ikea shopping bag.

Good luck with the smell. How can a cat bury the poop? It just sits on top of the litter? Horrible design...

price now posted as $180

For people concerned with size the website (www.modkat.com) now has a comparison chart showing the size differences between a few standard types of hooded litter boxes. There is also a great video of a cat using the box. Cheers!

Prrre-order now!
Order your ModKat before June 14th and Save $20.

Wow! Order now and you save $20!! Then you're only over paying by like $140! Cool design... too over priced for a litter box for me...

I can think of MUCH better ways to spend $180. No thanks. It's not *that* nice.