Review: Neakasa M1 Self-Cleaning Litter Box

Most of my cats' things are better than mine, including their bathrooms. Their standard litter boxes are always clean and replaced as necessary, and they've now tried three automatic boxes so they never have to step on clumps. The latest box, the brand-new Neakasa M1, has a unique take on the otherwise similar designs at a slightly reduced price.

Both the Leo's Loo Too (8/10, WIRED Recommends) and Litter-Robot 4 (9/10 WIRED Recommends) look a little like futuristic spaceships, but Neakasa's M1 looks even more space-age in the best way. It's like my cats could take off at any moment and return to their home planet. A box full of poo somewhere in the corner of your house is rarely a design feature, but you probably won't hate looking at this one.

Most of the trusted automatic litter boxes will run you $650 to $700. The M1 gives you a bit of a break at $500 (if you buy it on Amazon, look for the $100 on-page coupon), though it's still a huge price tag for something your cat may not like.

Odor Control

Covered litter boxes aren't for every cat, which means some may not use the very expensive automatic box you buy. In that case, the open-top design of the M1 should appeal to them. They won't feel cramped or trapped, and the headroom also allows large cats to dig, scratch, and turn around comfortably. Should there ever be a malfunction where it starts to move while kitty is still going, they can easily and quickly jump out. (Though we hope this never happens.)

Instead of spinning to the side like the other two automatic boxes, this one rotates backwards and then forward. I like this for added safety. The other two auto litter boxes stop automatically should a cat jump in during a clean cycle, but the Neakasa eliminates the opportunity for at least half the cycle. It also has sensors though, just in case a fast cat tries to get their paws in there. Cleaning cycles aren't loud, but they are slightly louder than with the other two brands I tried. If you need to put it in your bedroom, I'd set up the do-not-disturb function for sleeping hours.

The biggest selling point to an automatic litter box is its ability to separate clumps and therefore contain odors until you're ready to empty it. All of the ones I tried did this remarkably well, so much so that when you open the waste drawer, you are hit with a wall of intense stench. Neakasa created a unique drawer to help this a bit, as long as you use drawstring bags. When you put a new bag in, gently pull one end of the drawstring through a hook near the front of the drawer. When it's time to empty, open it just slightly to reveal that hook and pull the string to tighten the bag before opening the drawer all the way. It doesn't contain every bit of odor, but it reduces it a ton. One thing I could do without is the shrill beep the machine lets out when you open it.

This bag system is inventive, but it does present one issue. Your cat's bathroom habits need to be monitored (more on that below), but actually seeing the pee and poo is helpful too. If there's an issue you need to know: Is it runny, is there blood, are urine clumps too small? The Cat Daddy himself, Jackson Galaxy, explains that this is one reason he does not recommend automatic boxes. It's something to keep in mind. A few seconds of odor isn't that bad if it means your cat gets help if necessary.

App Connection

In my reviews, I've stressed the importance of keeping an eye on your cat's litter habits, because it gives you extremely important insight into their health. Cats are unfortunately prone to bladder blockages that can be fatal, which is why automatic litter boxes have not been recommended by experts in the past. Now, all the trusted brands connect their boxes to apps, which include a list view of visits and weights so you know who went when and can quickly notice if someone's habits are off—I like the Petivity that sits under any standard box, because not only does it monitor when cats go, but it tells you if they went number one or number two.

Neakasa's app is easy to use, but it needs work. You set up profiles for each cat with their weight, so it can automatically add their names to the records. Sometimes it knew who went and other times it didn't, even when it was the same cat as the last time. When that happens, it reverts the weight to kilograms instead of my selected pounds.

The weight changes slightly often, too, even when the box is correctly calibrated. According to this, my cat Eely-Rue goes from 4.40 pounds to 4.84 to 5.06 in the same day and then weighs 3.74 the next morning. She's particularly small and light, so that could be presenting an issue, but my other two cats simply didn't use this one enough for me to track if it was happening with them too. Yep, even if you spend several hundred dollars on a box, you should still have another, basic box somewhere else—at least until you know your cat actually wants to use a fancy one.

If your cat is even lighter than Eely, or you have a new kitten, you can turn on kitten mode if they're less than 2 pounds to turn off automatic cleaning. You'll just need to start a cleaning yourself using the app or the button on the box. Otherwise, you can choose smart mode to clean between one and 60 minutes after a cat leaves, or cycle mode, which cleans automatically every one to 24 hours.

Some of the settings come with slightly confusing descriptions, as it's occasionally poorly translated into English. Most are easy enough to figure out, but I had to ask what the Automatic Covered setting means, as the app says turning it on makes it easier “for cat litter to wrap up excrement during cleaning." (It means it rotates backward and then forward to make sure all the clumps get removed.)

There's nothing I don't love about cats. I don't even hate the fact that I must have several receptacles of excreta around the house. I will scoop, scrub, and replace litter boxes as necessary, because I love my weird little felines. But, the thought of not having to scoop anymore is a nice one. Automatic litter boxes have come a long way, and if you're dedicated to checking the app and, yes, peeking inside the waste drawer to make sure everything looks OK, it should only help you and your kitties. The M1 is a solid box that, with some app updates, should only continue to improve.