Petcove PurrTek Litter Box Review

Taylor Le / Cats.com

New automatic cat litter boxes are coming out left and right on the market. I spent several weeks putting Petcove’s PurrTek™ Self-Cleaning Litter Box to a thorough in-home test with my cats. During the review, I took notes on setup, ease of use, and what my cats thought. And because we’re just one family, I spent a lot of time reading through the feedback of other pet parents as well.

In this review, I’ll share the details of the PurrTek™ Self-Cleaning Litter Box, including my experience and analysis of whether or not the automatic litter box from Petcove is worth the $720.00 price tag.

Why Trust Cats.com

As a lifelong cat mom, I know how important it is to keep your litter boxes as clean as humanly possible. And that’s not just my own high standards talking. I have cats with sensitive noses and the highest standards of cleanliness. Dusty litter? They’ll suffer a coughing fit on every trip to the litter box. Dirty litter? They might just pee on the clean bathroom rug in protest. Noisy automatic litter box? They won’t even go near it.

I’ve tested automatic and traditional litter boxes on cats who range from persnickety and squirrely to asthmatic and geriatric. When I test a new litter box, I consider how easy it is to set up and maintain, how easily my pets take to it, the initial price and ongoing cost, and how well it fits into my home.

Petcove Company Overview

Founded in the early 2010s, Petcove initially garnered attention for its range of grooming tools and health monitoring devices. It created innovative products aimed at improving the health and well-being of pets, particularly cats.

Petcove is known to integrate smart technology into its products, offering pet owners real-time insights into their pets’ health and behavior. The company also emphasizes sustainability by using eco-friendly materials and production methods.

But Petcove has also faced some criticism over the years regarding the durability and practicality of some of its products. Some pet owners have reported issues related to product functionality and disappointing customer service.

PurrTek Self-Cleaning Litter Box Features

An open view of the PurrTek Self-Cleaning Litter Box, showcasing its waste compartment and filtering system. Designed for hassle-free maintenance, this unit ensures a cleaner, odor-free space for both you and your cat. Taylor Le / Cats.com

I was thrilled to discover that this self-cleaning litter box from Petcove comes fully assembled right out of the box. The packaging was not excessive, yet everything was well protected. The power cord is tucked inside the waste bin and the waste bags are easy to install.

Automatic litter boxes are not known to be compact, but this one is fairly sleek and visually unobtrusive. It weighs about 16 pounds and is about 20″L x 20″W x 19″H. However, slightly different unit dimensions are found throughout their website, user manual, and Amazon listing.

The power cord is short, so you’re likely to need an extension cord. When first plugged in, it makes a loud beep and begins to slowly rotate back and forth. This is a test to ensure that the litter box is stablized and ready to set up. The small size and orientation of the entrance makes it difficult to pour litter in from a typical litter container.

Smart App

Though this wasn’t my first time setting up a smart appliance app, I had a lot of trouble getting this one started. The setup QR code brought me to a blank webpage. And many of the directions provided online and in the user manual didn’t align with what appeared in the app.

The Petcove app does a lot of things and hosts all of their other smart products as well. Dozens? Hundreds? It’s hard to tell and doesn’t come with a Search function. Discovering the PurrTek litter box within the Petcove app took a long time. After much troubleshooting without the help of support documentation, I was able to get it connected to my wifi.

Automatic Cleaning

Close-up of the PurrTek Self-Cleaning Litter Box waste compartment, showing the sealed waste liner securely in place. The unit effectively contains waste and odor for a cleaner litter box experience. Taylor Le / Cats.com

My cats have always needed the freshest litter possible, so I scoop our traditional boxes multiple times per day. The PurrTek litter box automatically separates waste from the clean litter after each use. The barrel of the litter box rotates and clumps are sifted right into the waste bin. This is meant to stow away messes and odors, giving your cat a fresh box each time they return.

Before getting any cats involved, I conducted a warm water test. I slowly poured in warm water, gave the litter a few minutes to clump, and manually activated the cleaning cycle. I was pleased to see that the machine rotates slowly and is pretty quiet. The clumps slide into a trap door and vanish from sight.

The rotations also fling litter out of the box and onto the floor, so a good litter mat and daily sweeping is still necessary. I don’t happen to mind that part, but I have always had a disdain for scrubbing out litter boxes. This one is no exception. It’s challenging to wash out and the rubber bottom is difficult to clean and reattach.

Odor Control

Whether automatic or manual, cleaning the litter right away helps with household odors.

The waste bags inside that trap door do a pretty good job containing the smell—particularly if you’re using an effective odor-reducing litter. The automated waste removal and deodorizing cycles aim to ensure this box is always clean and fresh.

The deodorizing cycle uses a built-in fan and negative ions that Petcove says attach to odors and other impurities in the litter cylinder to neutralize odors. The deodorizing cycle begins automatically after the completion of each cleaning cycle.

Safety

After recent reports of cats being harmed by poorly designed automatic litter boxes, I’m extremely cautious about safety warnings for the products in my home.

The PurrTek litter box has weight sensors in the feet and an infrared sensor on the front control panel. The sensors pause the cleaning and deodorizing cycles if your cat approaches or enters the box and won’t resume until they leave. This could be useful for any other curious pets or children in your household too.

What Did Our Test Cats Think?

The control panel of the Petcove Self-Cleaning Litter Box, featuring an intuitive interface for automated cleaning, waste level monitoring, and customizable settings. Taylor Le / Cats.com

My cats have used an automatic litter box before but it took them a long time to get curious about this one. This is the first one we’ve tried that is fully enclosed and the opening is pretty small. Although one cat is well within the weight range at 11 pounds, she’s quite round and fluffy. She never seemed comfortable entering and exiting the litter box, though she had the necessary space to turn around inside.

Some drawer-collection systems have been known to overflow, requiring laborious clean-up. Waste disposal has been pretty simple and the included disposable bags are easy to replace. I err on the side of caution and empty the waste bag often—partly for odor control and partly because it doesn’t alert you when it is full. It just stops working instead.

The cleaning cycle is only a few minutes long, so the company suggests you can use just one box for up to three cats. But any litter box with cycles that render it unusable for a period of time comes with risks for inappropriate urination. If your cat can’t use it when they want it, they’ll just pee on the floor. I still recommend having a litter box for each cat and on each level of your home for easy access.

There is quite a high step to get into this thing. It is not for cats with mobility problems due to illness or aging, which rules out my eldest cat. I was surprised to learn just how many types of cats this smart litter box is not recommended for.

The PurrTek User Manual lists a variety of cats who are not good candidates for using it:

• Kittens, seniors, and any cats who may have trouble climbing up into the box
• Large cats over 17 pounds who may struggle with the small entrance and interior
• Anxious cats who might get startled by the sounds and movements
• Cats with digestive problems resulting in soft stools
• Cats who urinate without squatting

What Do Customers Think?

Many of the reviewers are very pleased with Petcove’s customer service! That carries a lot of weight when it comes to overall customer satisfaction. The majority of negative reviews surround ease of use, complicated cleanup, and the smart app. I noticed that many of the positive reviews also contained a lot of critical information. This indicates to me that users’ expectations for automatic litter boxes are pretty low to begin with.

Positive Reviews

“This litter bot is super easy to use and maintain. Make sure you set it up on a solid surface as it doesn’t work right if its on carpet. I have one 5 month old kitten and took to it in no time. I also like the peace of mind that a lifetime warranty brings. Would totally recommend. If there was one down side, I would say add litter is a little awkward.” – by Amazon Customer on Amazon.com, September 19, 2025

“This is a great product. Even better is the customer service. I had my litter box for 9 months and when I hosed it down outside and a piece snapped off and I needed a replacement. I contacted the company on the weekend but they were closed. I left a message and they responded to me first thing Monday morning. It is only Wednesday and they took care of the problem and sent me a replacement. They went above and beyond to see that the issue was resolved. I have not dealt with such a professional company in a long time. I highly recommend their products and you will be impressed with their customer service. Thank you Pet Cove!” – by pw3girl on Amazon.com, September 17, 2025

“Let me tell you as someone who has grown up with cats and have had always had cats on my own this litter robot helps more than it hurts. I know your thinking what if my cat doesn’t like it or it makes too much noise? They do make noise, not going to lie to you, but it’s isn’t enough to make a difference. I had 1 cat take up to it and love it immediately, but the other took some time warming up to it. I will emphasize the type of litter you use is key in clumping time. There are several different settings to this “pootumbler3000″. You can set up when you want it to clean, how long you want it to wait and clump before cleaning itself, and then deodorizer settings. I like the fact that I can keep tabs and control it on my phone from anywhere. Overall it does make the whole litter box experience easier, and uses way less litter. It takes some adjusting to especially how to clean it, but other than that I recommend.” – by Asia Martin on Amazon.com, September 12, 2025

Negative Reviews

“We purchased this litter box about a year ago. Initially it worked fine. Then about 3 months ago, the liner inside the bottom of the barrel popped free on one side. It still works but the space for the cat is greatly reduced. I tried to push it back down but was unsuccessful. If I replace the unit, I’ll most likely choose a different brand.” – by 1nomi on Amazon.com, September 15, 2025

“I wanted to give this litter box a good go, so I’ve had it since January. It’s now September. In the beginning, it worked great and I literally had no problems with it. I do have two cats so I routinely change the bag 2 to 3 times a week. With that being said how the bag is supposed to be held in constantly malfunctions so I have a massive litter every time I go to change out the bag. Because of this litter gets inside of the mechanism to close the latch, so my lid wouldn’t close even though I’ve tried to clean it multiple times. Also, because of this then feces had then gotten all over the whole drum. It’s not easy to clean so I could not get it to ever not stink. This is even trying to clean it, taking out the litter trying to clean the liner. I definitely would not recommend this unless you plan on trying to change out the bag every day so that it doesn’t collapse in on itself. I will say the only thing that made that better was switching to a lightweight litter, but even then it still would fall out the back of the litter box. I would definitely say don’t waste your money. I did switch to a different litter box that the waist goes into a tray underneath the litter box in hopes that that will take care of the issue of the bag constantly malfunctioning.” – by Kristie on Amazon.com, September 14, 2025

Overall Recommendations

The base price on this unit is a whopping $720.00 on Petcove’s website. This is well above the average price of an automatic litter box and even higher than our currently top-rated Litter-Robot 4.  The PurrTek™ Self-Cleaning Litter Box is frequently (or perhaps always) “on sale” at closer to $359.99. This may be a misleading marketing strategy that makes it seem like you’ve scored a deal—when you haven’t really.

With all the manual labor required to clean this product, all the groups of cats who aren’t good candidates to use it, and the less-than-useful app, I don’t recommend this product. However, their reputation for helpful customer service makes me feel open to trying more of their pet products in the future.