iLitter (aka ModKat)

This is my first-ever official product review. I promise to be:

Truthful about my impression of the product
Biased towards products that are stylish and sleek in design
As a SINGLE 30-something year old, I don’t want to turn-off prospective suitors before I have had the chance to charm them, and therefore discretion will be key.

NOTE: This is an independent review and I have not received and will not receive payment from ModKat of any kind.

What it would look like if Apple made a litterbox

Please note “rooftop” entrance. As any New Yorker knows, this is prime real estate.

Not so long ago I went on a quest for a discrete, guy-friendly, affordable, aesthetically acceptable litter solution. I ended up with a guy-friendly (?), modern looking, high-tech Litter Robot that clearly falls short against compact and affordability metric (I still love it!).During my quest I discovered the Modkat Litter Box
– from here on to be referred to as “iLitter.” At $180 it’s not cheap, but it had sex appeal.

My only concern was that my robust grey tuxedo Petie (whose nose is my icon) may have difficulty maneuvering in and out of the “convertible” entry point. I was further disheartened upon reading in the FAQ portion of the website that “Modkat Litter Box
iLitter was designed as the best solution for the average cat.” Petie is anything but average when it comes to girth easily pushing the 20lb mark (as you can see in the first video my visions of him getting stuck were unfounded).

In an effort to perpetuate stereotypes, I asked for it in black though as you can see it comes in an array of ipod-esque colors.

I purchased my Litter Robot (aka the spaceship) but could not stop thinking about iLitter. Since I “occasionally” foster cats I thought it made sense to have a second litter box on the premises. The idea of this product is that the design limits the amount of litter that will be kicked or tracked out of the box.

The Modkat Litter Box iLitter representative I contacted via the website, turned out to be none other than Brett Teper. One of the two guys that started the company. If you’ve read any of my posts, you know I have a soft spot for the pro-feline man. I was sold. Plus the company is NYC-based and they were willing to give me a unit to review. I mean for my CATS to review. Ahem.

Subtle it’s not. I highly recommend they consider all brown packaging – a la Playboy.

The iLitter arrived in a box that couldn’t have been less discrete if they tried. And being the super clueless person am, I of course had it delivered to my freelance gig (I don’t have a doorman!). I was actually surprised by how large it is as it looked smaller in the photographs. According to the product website it has the same amount of “indoor” space as a traditional covered littter box.

It took my cats and Haddie the foster about 2 minutes to figure out what this “thing” was. And as these things go Petie, the one I was concerned about not being able to use the iLitter was the first to test it out. The video speaks for itself (first videos made with my FlipCam!).

The unit didn’t come with instructs, unless I carelessly threw them away in a wine-induced frenzy which is very likely. So I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do with the velcro circles* that accompanied the unit, scoop and reusable liner. It quickly became clear to me that I was to use these little do-dads to affix the liner to the walls of the unit.* Update: Those little dots of velcro weren’t enough to keep that liner up. I ended up purchasing industrial strength velcro from my local hardware store and put 2 strips up on each side of the box.

You can see in this video how you get into the box to clean it.

Love the way it looks. A bit bigger than expected based on the photos I saw online (it’s 15″ tall x 16″ deep and 16″ wide) but not unreasonably large and worth it from an aesthetic perspective. I’m guessing most guests would mistake iLitter for a stylish wastebasket – or maybe even a piece of modern art.
In terms of tracking litter, it’s MUCH less than the covered boxes I’ve had in the past but it’s not 100% track-free.
It’s not cheap, at $180 it’s an investment but for an apartment dweller without an extra room/bathroom, mud or laundry room it’s worth the investment. The reusable liner is sturdy and makes for a “greener” litter solution.
Outside of cost, you still have to scoop (icky)

One reviewer warned that their cat now pees on IKEA bags (the liner is made from a similar if not identical material) so you’ve been warned.

If you cannot afford this unit, the next best thing is the Clevercat Top Entry Litterbox available for $35 – the PC litterbox to ModKat’s MAC. Certainly not as sexy but legend has it it’s the product that inspired Brett and his partner to create iLitter in the first place. Maybe you could spray paint it?