As cat owners, one of our daily tasks is sweeping up the litter our pets knock out of the box. Top enter litter boxes can reduce litter around your home while trapping odors. However, it can be difficult to find the best one for your pet. With so many brands available, we have chosen several brands to review for you so you can see the differences. We’ll give you the pros and cons of each one and tell you how our cat liked it, and we’ve even included a short buyer’s guide to help you know what to look for if you continue to shop. Keep reading while we discuss size, durability, weight, effectiveness, and more to help you make an informed purchase.
A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites of 2023
Image Product Details
Best Overall
IRIS Top Entry Cat Litter Box
Grooved lid
Easy to scoop
Scooper included
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Best Value
Frisco Top Entry Cat Litter Box
Non-slip top helps remove loose litter
Attractive design
Durable
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Premium Choice
PetsPro Foldable Cat Litter Box
Collapsible design
Front entry top exit
Pull out the litter tray
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Petmate Top Entry Litter Pan
Textured lid
Large entrance
Built-in handles
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Modkat Cat Litter Box
Prevents litter tracking
Reusable liner
Swivel lid
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The 7 Best Top Entry Litter Boxes
The IRIS Top Entry Cat Litter Box is our pick as the best overall top entry litter box. It features a grooved top that helps knock loose litter off your cat’s paws as it’s leaving the box, and rounded corners make it easier to scoop when it’s time to clean. The scooper comes with it, and it’s available in many colors to suit any décor.
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We enjoyed reviewing the IRIS Top Entry Cat Litter Box. The only thing we can complain about is that many users report that the sides didn’t lock correctly, which could cause the box to become unstable.
Pros
Grooved lid
Easy to scoop
Available in multiple colors
Scooper included
Cons
Sometimes the sides don’t lock-in
The Frisco Top Entry Cat Litter Box is our pick is the best top entry litter box for the money. It provides your cat with a huge area to do its business and the non-slip top to offer more stability a knock away loose litter as a cat is leaving. It has an extremely attractive design for such a low cost, and it’s quite durable.
Grooved lid
Easy to scoop
Available in multiple colors
Scooper included
- Grooved lid
- Easy to scoop
- Available in multiple colors
- Scooper included
Sometimes the sides don’t lock-in
- Sometimes the sides don’t lock-in
We love the large size of the Frisco Top Entry, but the entrance hole was a little too small for some larger cats, and if it’s not large enough, the cats won’t use it.
Pros
Non-slip top helps remove loose litter
Attractive design
Durable
Cons
Small entrance hole
PetsPro Foldable Cat Litter Box with Lid is our premium choice top answer litter box. This system is perfect for cats not used to top loading boxes and provides them with a one-way path to use until it’s ready. You can enter through the front like an ordinary box, but it can only leave through the top opening. It has a pull-out litter tray that makes it a breeze to clean, and the collapsible design makes it easy to store away.
Non-slip top helps remove loose litter
Attractive design
Durable
- Non-slip top helps remove loose litter
- Attractive design
- Durable
Small entrance hole
- Small entrance hole
The only thing we don’t like about the PetsPro is that the litter tray is a little shallow, so you won’t be able much in it. Another problem is that if you don’t push the tray all the way in, it leaves a small gap, and if the cat pees in that direction, urine can get on the floor.
Pros
Collapsible design
Front entry top exit
Pull out the litter tray
Cons
Shallow litter tray
Can leak urine
The Petmate Top Entry Cat Litter Pan features an extremely simple design that provides your car with a large area to do its business and a textured lid to help knock off loose litter as a cat exits. Built-in handles make moving much easier if you need to, and it includes a scooper that conveniently hangs on the side.
Collapsible design
Front entry top exit
Pull out the litter tray
- Collapsible design
- Front entry top exit
- Pull out the litter tray
Shallow litter tray
Can leak urine
- Shallow litter tray
- Can leak urine
The only complaint we get from customers about the Petmate is that the lid doesn’t fasten securely, which causes some cats to be afraid to use it.
Pros
Textured lid
Large entrance
Built-in handles
Cons
The lid isn’t very tight
- Modkat Top Entry Cat Litter Box Check Latest Price
Dimensions 15.94 x 15.94 x 14.57 inches
Weight 5.29 pounds
The Modkat Top Entry Cat Litter Box is an attractive box that our cats enjoyed using almost immediately. It has a unique top with tiny holes drilled in, so any litter stuck to the cat’s feet falls through as it leaves, and we found it extremely effective at reducing tracking. A swivel lid lifts up, so any litter on top pours back in with no mess, and the scoop comes with it so you can start using it immediately.
Textured lid
Large entrance
Built-in handles
- Textured lid
- Large entrance
- Built-in handles
The lid isn’t very tight
- The lid isn’t very tight
The problem we had with the Modkat Litter Box is that it’s quite heavy at more than 5 pounds, and most of the other brands on this list are lighter. If your cat is a digger, it might also scratch through to the bottom and ruin the reusable liner.
Pros
Prevents litter tracking
Reusable liner
Swivel lid
Include scoop
Cons
Heavy
Cats can dig through the liner
The Clevercat Top-Entry Cat Litter Box is another tote-style box that’s easy to set up and use. It has a contoured lid that will help prevent litter from tracking around your home, and we found it surprisingly sturdy. It has a large entrance suitable for even overweight cats, and you can use a liner if you choose to help make it easier to clean.
Prevents litter tracking
Reusable liner
Swivel lid
Include scoop
- Prevents litter tracking
- Reusable liner
- Swivel lid
- Include scoop
Heavy
Cats can dig through the liner
- Heavy
- Cats can dig through the liner
The primary downside to the Clevercat is that while the entrance is quite large, the box is not, and it might be too small for bigger cats.
Pros
Contoured top
Sturdy
Large entrance
Cons
Small
ScoopFree Ultra Top-Entry Automatic Self-Cleaning Cat Litter Box is a modern style box to provide you with the benefit of self-cleaning. It can keep itself clean for up to two weeks so you can do other things, and it even keeps track of how many times your cat uses the box, so you will know if it’s suffering from any health issues. It has a great top that allows the litter to fall through as your cat leaves to help prevent tracking.
Contoured top
Sturdy
Large entrance
- Contoured top
- Sturdy
- Large entrance
Small
- Small
The downside to ScoopFree Ultra is that it’s extremely expensive, and you can buy several other brands for the same price. It’s also extremely heavy and difficult to move around.
Pros
Self-cleaning
Grated top surface
Tracks litter box uses
Cons
Extremely expensive
Heavy
Self-cleaning
Grated top surface
Tracks litter box uses
- Self-cleaning
- Grated top surface
- Tracks litter box uses
Extremely expensive
Heavy
- Extremely expensive
- Heavy
Buyer’s Guide: Choosing The Best Top Entry Litter Box
Size
When choosing your next top answer litter box, one of the most important things to look for is size. If it’s too small, your cat will be afraid to use it and will insist you return to the old style. We recommend measuring your cat and getting a box with a length or width a few inches longer than the cat’s body.
Entrance Hole
Most people don’t think about it until it’s too late, but many brands have an entrance hole that’s too small for the cat regardless of the box size. It can be hard to know how big of an entrance your cat will need, so we recommend choosing the largest one possible until you have more experience. We tried to point out any brands in our list with a small entranceway, but you need to look at any brand you consider if you continue to shop.
Stability
Another thing a lot of people don’t think about until they get home is stability. If the plastic is too thin to support your cat, it can be wobbly, which will scare it. Which hard to point out any brands that were flimsy in our reviews, but you will need to check online reviews and other sources about any brands you are considering if you continue to shop.
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What Type of Litter Should I Use?
Well, you can use any type of letter in most of the boxes on this list. We highly recommend choosing a fragrance-free brand that creates less dust. The tight space inside the box will condense the dust and fragrance, potentially leading to health problems. The dust can clog the air passages of your path, making it difficult to breathe, and many fragrances are harmful to your cat. We recommend choosing a natural litter like crushed walnut or newspaper. Crystal litter is also good for top loading boxes but remember to keep it fragrance and dust-free if you need to stick to a clumping litter.
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Conclusion
When choosing your next top-loading litterbox, we highly recommend our pick for the best overall. The IRIS Top Entry Cat Litter Box has a grooved top to knock away loose litter as a cat exits and provide your cat with plenty of room to move around. Another smart choice is the Frisco Top Entry Cat Litter Box, our choice for the best value. It’s almost as large as our top choice, is available in several colors, and is extremely durable.
We hope you have enjoyed reading over this short guide and found a few brands you would like to try. If we help you keep your house a little cleaner, please share this guy to the best top answer litter boxes on Facebook and Twitter.
Featured Image Credit: Nils Jacobi, Shutterstock
