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

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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