Why the Sifting Cat Litter Box Is Worth Your Attention: Candid Review

By Davis Wilkins •  Updated: 05/25/23 •  17 min read
Woman sifting flour
The Best Sifting Cat's Litter Box is the Purina Tidy Cats BREEZE Litter System

Are you looking for the best sifting litter box for your kitty? If so, you’re in luck.

Cats are fascinating creatures. I’m sure you know that they were worshipped as deities in Ancient Egypt.

If you hate cleaning their litter waste, then you are not alone!

If you are thinking of getting the best sifting litter box, but you want to make sure it’s the best, you’ve come to the right place.

Sifting cat litter boxes have taken over in the cat litter industry. The reason for that is simple — they are better than any other.

It’s not going to be easy finding the best sifting cat litter box, especially when there are different versions out there.

In a crowded market of cat sifting litter boxes, there are plenty of options that aren’t so great.

Sifting litter boxes can save you time and money over the years, but which ones are the best?

I’ve decided to take a look into how to choose a sifting tray litter box and also share my top 11 picks for this year.

The Best Sifting Cat Litter Box Top Picks

If you are pressed for time, here are the top 5 picks for the best sifting litter boxes that I recommend for your feline friends:

  1. Purina Tidy Cats BREEZE Litter System
  2. The Van Ness Sifting Enclosed Cat Litter Pan
  3. The So Phresh Sifting Cat Litter Box
  4. Petmate Arm & Hammer Large Sifting Litter Pan
  5. The Hagen CatIt SmartSift Litter Box
  6. Omega Paw Roll ‘n Clean Litter Box
  7. The Ferplast Birba Cat Litter Tray
  8. Animal Treasures Deluxe Lift and Sift Cat Pan
  9. Petmate 42101 Sifting Corner Litter Pan
  10. Golden Grace Pets Choice Sifting Litter Box
  11. Lucky Champ Litter Pan

How does a sifting litter pan work?

The working mechanism of a sifting litter box is very simple. It is simpler than that of the automated litter boxes you have seen in a keen’s or a friend’s house.

Sifting litter boxes will usually contain 2 bottom pans. Some companies add a third bottom pan which acts as a spare component.

You’ll only be faced with the obligation of lifting the sifting pan, then allowing the undirtied litter to sieve and fall through.

As the waste falls, the waste clumps will be trapped by the sifting pan.

In this case, you’ll only be faced with the obligation of disposing of the waste and filling the bottom sifting pan with a new set of litter.

Isn’t that easy?

The Best Sifting Litter Boxes

1.    Purina Tidy Cats BREEZE Litter System

Low dust: As opposed to the traditional litter boxes that make use of the usual sand or clay litter, the Purina Tidy Cats Litter Box kit system uses pellet litter whose dust composition is almost 0%.

Litter scatter: To add on, the pellets used have a special design that allows for the minimization of the kitty’s litter scattering effects and the retainment of your cat’s poop at the top.

This makes it easy for you to initiate the disposal mechanism whenever the kitty has finished dropping his stinky bomb.

Advantages:

Disadvantages:

2.    The Van Ness Sifting Enclosed Cat Litter Pan

The top layer of this sifting cat litter box is quite easy to insert and remove as you will only need to initiate a simple snap.

The manufacturer is keen enough to incorporate zeolite air which aids in the endeavors of minimizing the smell that comes from the litter tray.

Just like other conventional litter boxes, the Van Ness sifting Enclosed Cat Litter Box embraces a three-part design that includes:

Key Benefits:

Cons

3.    The So Phresh Sifting Cat Litter Box

While the other conventional cat litter boxes will present with bases that have either very small or very large holes at the bottom, the holes used in this litter box are just of the right dimension.

This minimizes the tendencies that litter will clog in the holes or the chances of doing a second pass just to ensure that all the waste is retained.

Similarly, the So Phresh Sifting Cat Litter Box will come with a high-length rim.

Though its use could be optional, it’ll come in handy if you want to reduce the amount of litter that kitty will kick off while performing its bathroom activities.

Key Benefits:

Cons

4.    Petmate Arm & Hammer Large Sifting Litter Pan

I’d confess that the Petmate Arm & Hammer Large Sifting Cat Litter Pan is the best budget sifting litter box you’ll access in the market.

Just like the conventional sifting litter boxes, the Petmate Arm & Hammer Large Sifting Pan embraces a three-part design.

However, its sifter is strategically located in the middle of the solid trays.

Key Benefits:

5.    The Hagen Catit Smart Sift Litter Box

Chewy describes the Hagen Catit Smart Sift Litter Box as a product that’s customized to meet the bathroom needs of your small and mid-sized kitties.

The sifting cat litter box will present you with a lever system that sifts your feline’s waste to the lower section of the box when tuned from the locked position.

The lower parts of the sifting litter box will carry the unused litter that you may recycle if you want to minimize litter usage.

Key Benefits:

6.    Omega Paw Roll ‘n Clean Litter Box

Omega Paw Roll ‘n Clean Litter Box strategically positions itself as a sturdy litter box with enough space to accommodate your cats hassle-free.

Ideally, the litter box is made with an unconventional sifting design which makes cleaning kitty’s mess easier than you thought.

Key Benefits:

7.    The Ferplast Birba Cat Litter Tray

Ferplast Birba Cat Litter Tray encompasses a 3-tray stacking system made from highly durable plastic materials.

Ideally, the system is well set to ensure that the cat litter is just in its correct quantities to serve the kitty’s bathroom needs alongside its sieving layer.

The waste is discarded upon removal of the sieving layer from the two other parts.

Reusable litter is preserved at the bottom layer of the litter box.

Key Benefits:

Cons:

8.    Animal Treasures Deluxe Lift and Sift Cat Pan

I consider the Animal Treasures Deluxe Lift and Sift Cat Pan as one of the best high-rim sifter boxes available in the market.

The sifting litter box embraces a decent size not forgetting the high, curved rim which aids in the processes of ensuring that the litter remains intact in the box.

The sifting litter box has received customer accolades based on its nature as a product that embraces smooth and easy to clean plastic.

A part of its ability to do away with odor, it comes with sturdy clips that aid in the endeavors of holding the sifting tray together.

9.    Petmate Sifting Corner Litter Pan

The Petmate Sifting Corner Litter Pan could be what you need if you keep alternating between clumping litter and regular litter.

The fact that the litter box doesn’t need to incorporate pan liners reveals its uniqueness.

The mid-sifting layer presents extra-big square holes that allow the clean litter to fall off into the sifting tray below with utmost ease.

The Petmate Sifting Corner Litter Pan also comes with a litter guard as a special feature that may be installed at the top when the need arises.

Key Benefits:

Cons:

10.    Golden Grace Pets Choice Sifting Litter Box

The Golden Grace Pets Choice Sifting Litter Box will only come with a single solid sifting tray.

Nonetheless, the product is thicker than the conventional 3-tray litter boxes available in the market.

You don’t need to worry about the other uses as it’ll just go well with you.

The Golden Grace sifting litter boxes are customized to meet the bathroom needs of your small cats.

On the other hand, the fact that it comprises removable sides reveals its extent of uniqueness.

11.    Lucky Champ Litter Pan

The Lucky Champ Litter Pan embraces a design that incorporates a lowered front wall to allow your small kitties, old seniors, and sickling cats the ease of access.

Nonetheless, the back wall is a bit raised to ensure that the litter is raised above the floor.

Even though it’ll come in one size to meet the needs of all your cats, it encompasses plastic grips that foster ease of movement.

Cons:

It is very large and inconvenient if you have a small space.

Person scooping cat litter box with a litter scoop

What are the Main Features of Sifting Litter Boxes?

Sifting Pan: The sifting tray holds the clean litter on top of the screen. This is usually made out of plastic or metal.

Sifting Screen: The screen sits on top of the sifting tray. Most screens are made from plastic or wire. This is where the magic happens! The litter falls through this screen when you lift it, leaving behind all solids for easy disposal.

Sifter Handle: This handle makes it easier to pick up and move screens without spilling them or getting them dirty.

Here are a few of the main features that set sifting litter boxes apart from each other:

Advantages and Disadvantages of sifting cat litter boxes

Advantages of the best sifting litter box

1.    Easy to use:

Sifting litter boxes are innovatively created to ensure that you benefit from the ease of cleaning.

However, this viewpoint could take an individualistic dimension depending on each cat owner’s perspective.

The sifting litter box could be just what you require if you’re among the many pet owners who feel safe walking with fluffy but develop a sense of uneasiness when the time to scoop kitty’s poop comes.

2.    It will save you time:

Do you clean your litter box every day? Then yes! A sifting litter box is just what you require to save you the dear few minutes you spend cleaning your kitty’s mess every day.

You must agree with me that cats love clean environments and wouldn’t mind if you accord them an intermittent litter cleaning exercise regularly.

Most cats like it when their litter boxes are cleaned at least twice a day.

Others will be very panicky if the litter box isn’t washed after every turn of usage.

Just imagine if you’ll have to clean the litter box after every use! In this case, you’ll have to do turns of sifting, pan replacements, and disposition even when only one clump fell victim if the kitty’s stinky bombs.

This would not only be tiring but also boring.

And yes; the sifting litter box will save you this hassle as it’ll only be required to remove a few counts of solid wastes and tons of clumps.

Disadvantages

1.    Sifting litter boxes will make the kitty’s dusty litter even dustier:

Did you know that even the super quality litter you purchase from your pet store with the inscription “dust-free” will contain some amounts of dust?

Now, the situation will even worsen if you’re using a sifting type of litter box for your beloved kitty.

2.    You’ll only have a limited scope to choose your litter from:

The best sifting litter box is very specific on the kind of litter to choose from.

First, the litter you adopt for your sifting litter box MUST be small enough to pass through the holes in the sifting pan.

This means that you’ll have to face an extra mile of hassles to ensure that kitty’s litter store is always stocked.

It’ll become problematic when the brand that makes granules that fit in the pan goes out of business.

In this case, your litter box will either become a playing tool or one of those souvenirs in your monumental store.

What kind of litter do you use to sift a litter box?

Always use scoopable litter.

It does an excellent job at controlling the smell and clumps quickly and easily so it’s not difficult to sift the litter box.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a scoopable litter that clumps because if you don’t get the solid waste out of the litter box regularly when your cat goes to go pee in the box, they will be stepping in their solid waste.

This can cause them to get sick or have urinary tract infections because it irritates their paws and gets into their fur.

You should be sifting the litter box at least once per day but preferably twice per day.

You can also use pine pellets, which are made from compressed sawdust and are biodegradable. They will clump just like clay when they come into contact with moisture and can be scooped out just as easily.

How do you sift a litter box?

To sift the litter box, you’ll want to use a litter scoop like this one here.

You can also use this second method:

How often should you sift a litter box?

Sifting is the process of cleaning a litter box that involves removing solid waste from the litter and returning clean litter to the box.

It is more thorough than just scooping, which removes only solid waste.

How often you should sift depends on:

If you use the clumping litter and your cats eliminate it frequently in the box, you may need to sift daily.

If your cats are less frequent users or if you use a non-clumping litter, sifting every few days may be sufficient.

Conclusion

Sifting litter boxes offer one huge advantage over standard litter boxes — they keep your cat from pawing at his or her waste to dig it out of the layer of litter.

That’s a much cleaner, much more sanitary solution, but even the best sifting cat litters come with some issues that you should be aware of.

I hope that you’ve found this guide to be helpful. I did my best to look through every option currently available and only recommend those which I considered to be both high-quality and worthy of your consideration.

Some cat owners have more specific requirements when it comes to their cat litter box, so be sure to read reviews where possible.

Hopefully, this guide has helped you find the solution to your sifting litter box needs.

If it was able to help you out, please share it with your pet-loving friends!

Good luck with your sifting adventures of a lifetime!

Davis Wilkins

Davis Wilkins is a dedicated cat lover, with three cats under his care. He grew up in a cat-loving family, nurturing these feline friends. As a result, he purposed to share his cat knowledge with the universe. Wilkins has been writing professionally for over four years, specializing in feline care with a keen interest in litter box care and handling. He hopes to help other feline lovers achieve their pet care goals.