ROCKET NEWS


A few days ago, we looked at a couple of cats that were mastering the art of pooping in the (people) toilet. When you stop and think about it, though, this is sort of a mixed bag for pet owners.

Sure, on one hand, this frees you from the gross task of picking clumps out of the litter box. On the other hand, sharing a toilet with your cat means a lot of hair left on the seat where you put your bare butt.



If you really want an ideal cat pooping situation (and don’t we all?), you might instead want to go with this cool high-tech cat toilet that automatically sorts the litter for you after your cat does its business.
Called Cat Robo, the product doesn’t replace your cat’s digestive tract with a cybernetic trash incinerator implant. Instead, it uses sensors, motors, and good old gravity to help keep your home tidy and your hands clean.

Although mail order retailer Nissen refers to Cat Robo as a cat toilet, it’s actually more like a feline restroom. When the animal feels the call of nature, it can climb completely into the unit, which measures 56 centimeters (22 inches) wide by 61 centimeters deep and 74 centimeters tall.

Once inside, there’s a tray of kitty litter waiting. It’s important to use fine grain litter, and also make sure it’s the type that hardens after use, as we’ll see in a minute.



Provided your cat weighs at least 2.2 kilograms (4.84 pounds), leaving the unit will trigger a sensor, which will cause the spherical top section of Cat Robo to rotate.

As it does so, the contents of the litter box should drift downwards, towards a net with 5-milimeter (0.2-inch) openings that will catch the hardened lumps of dirty kitty litter. The Cat Robo then continues to turn, depositing the used litter into a bag in a compartment at the bottom of the unit for easy removal.

Meanwhile, the clean litter that passed through the filter is returned to the litter box, where it awaits the cat’s next deposit.

Really, the only downside we can see is the price, as Nissen is charging 58,000 yen (US$532) for the Cat Robo. Still, considering that you’ll never have to dig through the litter box with your hands again, this seems like money well-spent if your love for your cute little kitty doesn’t extend to its cute little droppings.