Litter-Robot 5, 5 Pro, and EVO

Whisker

Whisker, maker of the self-cleaning litter boxes that have saved cat owners from thousands of hours of scooping, is back with a new generation of redesigned and refined Litter-Robots.

Whisker has redesigned their core Litter-Robot technology. It looks similar to the Litter-Robot 4, with the enclosed drum and removable waste tray that uses bezel-mounted sensors to determine how full it is. But this new generation has some nice quality of life feature upgrades as well:

• Integrated carpet tray (so that it’s functional on all surfaces)
• Full-color LCD interface
• Multi-layered carbon filtration

The 5 series models occupy the same footprint as the Litter-Robot 4 — the same as your standard litter box (but with more height) while the EVO is slightly smaller.

Which Kitty Is There? Litter-Robot Knows

The new Litter-Robot 5 Pro is Whisker’s most advanced model. It comes with dual cameras and is AI-enabled (because of course it is). However, instead of generating “clever” summaries in rhyme for your quarterly update, it seems this AI will actually serve a purpose, especially in multi-cat households. Outside the box, the front-facing camera will identify just which cat is approaching the litter box via facial recognition that will improve over time (though this will require a Whisker+ subscription, more on that in a bit). There’s an interior camera as well so that you can check to make sure your kitty isn’t doing anything strange in there.

If you’d like precise identification of your pet without having to rely on cameras, Whisker has also introduced PetTag — an RFID-enabled chip that works with the new Litter-Robot 5 Pro to instantly ID your pet. The tag is powered by the EM field emitted by the Litter-Robot, so there’s no battery or charging to worry about. There’s also a scannable code on the tag, allowing others to download a lost pet profile in case your cat’s an escape artist. It’s also water-resistant.

Who’s Number Two?

While pet identification is nice, it’s not really a huge draw for single-cat households. Whisker’s most compelling upgrade is the WasteID system. Anyone who’s used previous Litter-Robots knows that automatic scooping doesn’t necessarily mean “odor free.” While self-cleaning into a closed tray is better than letting a litter box sit out in the open air, depending on how long you’ve set your Litter-Robot to cycle, there could be a solid 15 minutes before the litter is locked away. That’s more than enough time to cause a stink.

Whisker has tackled this issue with intelligent variable cycling in the Litter-Robot 5 and 5 Pro. Solid waste gets cleaned up quickly so that it’s locked away and not stinking up your house while liquid waste is cleaned up on a slightly longer cycle so that your litter has time to clump.

Both of the 5 series litter boxes come with a large LCD screen that provides clear instructions and status updates on your Litter-Robot. It’s a massive upgrade from the flashing LEDs and confusing buttons of previous models.

Both the Litter-Robot 5 Pro and Litter-Robot 5 have more capacity than any other Litter-Robot, able to store up to 10 days of waste from a single cat. The improved filtration system should keep odors locked away more effectively as well. The units are larger as well, able to handle cats anywhere from 2 to 30lbs.

The only issue that I can see is that this new series isn’t backwards-compatible with the Litter Hopper. If you travel often, the Litter Hopper is a crucial element: keeping your kitty’s litter topped off without any extra effort. Whisker seems to be in the process of offering an upgraded model. Their website says that compatibility is “Coming Soon.”

The Litter-Robot 5 Pro is available for pre-order today for $899. Deliveries start sometime before November 21.

But What If You Don’t Need Cameras?

The Litter-Robot 5 is $100 less than the camera-enabled 5 Pro but has the same WasteID, screen, and capacity as the fancier model. If you don’t need pet identification or video monitoring, it’s a solid choice.

Whisker also introduced a $599 EVO version that’s even less expensive than the Litter-Robot 4. It mostly uses the same tech as the new generation of Litter-Robots but is smaller overall: suitable for single cat households with waste capacity for up to 7 days.

The EVO has a smaller LCD display and doesn’t have the WasteID system but it does benefit from the improved filtration system and integrated carpet tray of this new generation. With its smaller footprint and ability to work on any surface, it’s a more economical solution for pet owners who don’t need all the bells and whistles of the high-end models but do want to stop scooping litter.

Membership Has Benefits

While most Whisker products still include base data tracking (pet weight, number of times they use the litter) there’s the opportunity to get even more information about your kitty with the company’s new subscription service, Whisker+. Not only does it unlock daily insights and habit tracking but Whisker will retain your data and pet videos for a longer period of time. The default data retention is 7 days and 5 mins of video per day while Whisker+ keeps 2 years of pet data and unlimited video.

Somewhat discouragingly, Whisker+ membership is required if you want to access the most advanced Litter-Robot 5 Pro features. AI facial recognition requires the paid upgrade to function. Whisker+ memberships start at $7.99 per month but you can try it for free for 30 days.

Overall, this next generation of self-cleaning litter boxes from Whisker provides substantial quality-of-life updates for current Litter-Robot owners. For those that are simply interested in eliminating an odious chore from cat ownership, the company now has a wide variety of options to fit even more budgets.

Start exploring on the Whisker website.