Furoomate Self-Cleaning Litter Box Review

Katelynn Sobus / Cats.com

The Furoomate F8 is an open-style self-cleaning litter box built to work on hard floors. This simple machine has just six buttons on the back rim and no smartphone connectivity. It instead focuses on basic functionality.

As this is one of the affordable options on the market, you may worry what else the Furoomate gives up in order to fit into its price range. In this review, we’ll explore its features, user friendliness, and whether it’s worth buying.

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Ratings

Ease of Cleaning – 4.5/5
Odor Control – 3.5/5
Appearance – 5/5
Construction – 4/5
Price – 5/5

Overall Score: 4.4/5

Why Trust Cats.com

I tested the Furoomate for about six weeks in my multi-cat household. My three smallest cats are typically the only ones who will use automatic litter boxes, and this held true for the Furoomate.

I paid attention to their experience and usage of the litter box, as well as my own opinions during set up and deep cleaning. I also used water to test how the machine held up to large clumps of liquid, as this can be necessary when a cat has health problems.

Lastly, I always research the brand and product to see what other cat parents think. This allows for a complete view of the product as well as some contrasting opinions to my own. After all, what works for me might not work for you!

Furoomate F8 Self-Cleaning Litter Box and Furoomate Overview

Katelynn Sobus / Cats.com

Furoomate is a company founded in 2023, and it only sells its automatic litter box and accessories. Its focus is on making cats and people happy, and designing a new and improved style of automatic litter box.

Their goal is for the Furoomate to be easy to clean, simple to use, and affordable for cat parents. Their journey started with crowdfunding on Kickstarter, and they now sell on Amazon, Walmart, and a few other retailers.

Furoomate F8 Self-Cleaning Litter Box Features

Katelynn Sobus / Cats.com

The main benefit of the Furoomate self-cleaning litter box is that it’s open at the top, which is recommended especially for multi-cat households. Single-entry litter boxes, especially those with small doorways, can cause cats to become cornered while trying to do their business!

In addition, most cats do seem to prefer open-style litter boxes. Those who won’t use a more traditional, covered self-scooping box might prefer this style.

The box sits high off the ground, which means your cat will have to jump to get inside. This could pose a challenge for kittens, seniors, or disabled cats.

Another feature or drawback of the Furoomate, depending on your perspective, is that its technology is quite basic. There is no app connectivity–just a few buttons at the top of the machine to scoop or empty the litter tray. You can also set it to either manual or automatic scooping.

The keypad locks automatically after a short period without use, so you don’t need to worry about children or cats pressing buttons accidentally.

That said, without an app, the litter box also cannot monitor your cat’s weight or litter habits, set up a daily cleaning schedule, or adjust the wait time before auto-scooping.

Katelynn Sobus / Cats.com

What We Like

Scoops very well, including large clumps
Quiet operation
Basic machine with simple controls
Buttons lock automatically to prevent accidental presses

What We Dislike

Not for large cats
Doesn’t connect to an app, and thus is missing a few common features
No front sensor to detect approaching cats

What Did Our Test Cats Think?

Katelynn Sobus / Cats.com

My cats are automatic litter box skeptics. The small cats will use them on occasion, but seem to prefer their regular, old-fashioned boxes. I was hoping that having an open-style litter box would change the game, but they still weren’t huge fans.

I think part of this comes down to the size of the box. Like other automatic litter boxes, it has a small litter tray that doesn’t give them much room to turn around.

The machine’s sensors are built to work on hard floors, which I didn’t know before purchasing. My home is mostly carpet, and I didn’t have space in the kitchen or bathroom to set it up. I made do by turning off automatic scooping and pressing the button to scoop once a day.

Speaking of sensors, this machine has six of them to help protect your cat as they use the box. It doesn’t stop when cats approach the machine, though it does have two motion sensors that detect cats inside of the box.

When I look at an automatic litter box, I’m always thinking about whether a cat could become hurt or trapped if the sensors were to fail. With the Furoomate, I think this is unlikely. The tray goes almost fully upside down while scooping, but there’s a small gap leftover between it and the side of the machine. The rounded bottom creates a circular hole in the front, almost like a doorway that a cat could jump out of if needed. It also pauses partway through to allow a cat to jump out, and moves pretty slowly.

A cat’s feet may potentially get caught up in the trash shoot, but only if they didn’t take advantage of these several opportunities to move before the tray switches direction.

The Furoomate was easy to take apart, deep clean, and put back together. It does have a number of pieces to clean, but this is true of all automatic litter boxes. My only complaint is that as it self-emptied, it seemed to empty completely before spitting some litter back into the tray. I think this was due to litter trapped beneath the liner, but I’m not completely sure.

Overall, I would recommend this one for cat parents who want a basic, easy to clean automatic litter box that’s open at the top.

What Do Customers Think of the Furoomate Self-Cleaning Litter Box?

Positive Reviews

“Not a bad box at al. Has a goodly waste container and a well thought out bagging system with it. Works pretty well but it’s a bit scary for some of my 4 cats. I got it because it’s open on the top and therefore should be more like a regular litter box but they still have reservations about it, I think because of the step up into it. Also, while the thing itself is quite large, the insides could be larger so the cat has more room to sit there…” – by Randy Lee, on Amazon , September 15, 2025

“I have three cats and we’ve been using one of these as our exclusive box for a couple months now. It also survived a rough move between apartments. I’d say it’s pretty darn good! I’m not sure if it swings quite enough in either direction to be fully effective and loosening the clumped pee that tends to stick to the rubber. Also not sure if the bowl shape is the best where the hole is on the inside and the waste falls down – it’s slightly not enough of an angle and bits can potentially get stuck. So far it has not been an issue for me. Overall, I’d say this is a very solid auto-box, especially if you only have one or two cats. Not perfect, but I’d still recommend it.” – by VHN, on Amazon, September 13, 2025

Reviewers compliment the ease of use, simplistic design, and time saved compared to regular litter boxes. They also state that it’s quiet and easy to assemble.

Negative Reviews

“This is the second unit I’ve bought. The first was great. It’s much easier to keep clean than the enclosed type, has a smaller form factor, and when I had a small issue, Furoomate replied promptly and was able to resolve my problem easily.

This second unit stopped fully cycling several weeks ago. I’ve reached out through the company website, which promises a response in 48 hours. I waited a week and never heard back, so I reached out via their FB page. That was a week ago and still no response. So, unfortunately, I would not recommend this item. It’s a shame, because of all the self-cleaning litter boxes out there—and I’ve tried 4 different types—this one is far superior.” – by Sheryl J., on Amazon, September 16, 2025

“Broke out of the blue, stuck halfway through the scoop cycle. The listing has since been removed and their website is now defunct. Pretty sure I have a broken box I can’t use, even as a manual litter box 🥲” – by Amazon Customer., on Amazon, September 14, 2025

There is currently just one negative review on Amazon for this product. Some issues I noticed myself include that it doesn’t work with crystal or pellet litter, doesn’t detect cats approaching the box, and has a small litter tray.