A viral litter box may actually be a death trap for cats

Cat lovers need to be warned about this death trap disguised as a litter box. A popular “automatic self-cleaning litter box” has tragically harmed numerous pet owners’ beloved cats.

Trigger warning: this post includes references to animal death.

YouTuber Philip Bloom runs a channel called “One Man Five Cats.” In a recent video, he referenced a TikTok user named @carli.jay, who shared her brutal experience with one of these self-cleaning machines. The TikToker mentioned that she found her kitten’s lifeless body hanging from the closed door of the litter box.

According to Bloom, the deadly ‘Amztoy’ litter box is a knockoff of a trusted brand. Although the models look identical, the quality of the products is wildly different. The unbranded self-cleaning Amazon litter boxes have faulty engineering. The sensors on these cheap machines aren’t sensitive enough to detect movement inside the litter box, and as a result, these litter boxes turn into a makeshift death trap for cats.

There’s no escape for cats or kittens who get stuck between the litter box and the exit; if they’re lucky, their owners are around to free them on time. Even then, however, Bloom’s stuffed animal demonstration proved that removing a cat from these awful machines safely is nearly impossible.

Most cat owners buy self-cleaning machines because they don’t have time to scoop out poop. Some cats are particular about their toilets, and cat owners understand this. My cat, for instance, hates coconut litter and dirty litter boxes. For many cat owners, self-cleaning machines tend to be the easiest solution.

To clarify, several self-cleaning litter boxes are safe to use, you just need to be careful about which brand you buy. Bloom’s YouTube channel posts reviews of several branded litter boxes, which you can check out for yourself in the video below.

Despite consumer concerns, terrible reviews, and the deaths of multiple cats, the faulty litter boxes are still available on Amazon. For anyone who wants to ensure their cat’s safety, it’s best to avoid buying these types of self-cleaning litter boxes on Amazon and AliExpress.