The 8 Best Top-Entry Litter Boxes of 2024

Best Overall

IRIS Square Top Entry Litter Box

$60 at Amazon $80 at irisusainc.com

With grooves on its gray-colored lid, the Premium Square Top Entry Litter Box from IRIS puts an end to litter tracking by capturing any remaining litter on paws as a cat exits. Plus, it's easy to scoop by popping the lid off or by going through the square top opening. And most fully grown cats find the opening to be sufficiently sized for entering and exiting as needed.

We tested the IRIS Premium Square Top Entry Litter Box in a home with two adult cats who had been using a hooded litter box with a front entry for most of their lives. While hesitant at first, they soon acclimated to the jump-in style, and we immediately noticed the absence of tracking around their shared litter box area.

The white cube-shaped litter box is compatible with most types of litter, and it's easy to clean with soap and water. It has four high walls to prevent splatter, and we found that it also does an excellent job containing odors from cat urine. A slotted plastic scoop is included and the litter box has a hook on the side to keep the clump-shoveling tool nearby.

The body shape of the Premium Square Top Entry Litter Box fits easily into the corner of any room, but it is only available in a white and gray color combination.

_{Dimensions: 17.5 x 17.5 x 14.5 inches | Entry Dimensions: 7.9 x 7.9 inches | Scoop Included: Yes}

Best Budget

Petmate Litter Box

$32 at Amazon View on Petmate.com

The Petmate Top Entry Litter Box has a textured, non-slip grated top large enough for most adult cats to jump up on upon entry and departure after taking care of business. The top also has small perforations so that any litter collected on your cat's paws will fall back into the pan, keeping the mess contained rather than scattering out on the floor.

The entryway measures 8.75 by 9.75 inches and is large enough for bigger cats to comfortably and safely enter. Plus, the hinged top makes for easy opening when the litter box needs cleaning. The tub has high walls that are 20 inches tall and offers a roomy area that measures 15 inches wide by 15 inches long, with ample enough space for your cat to move around and cover what needs to be covered. Although you have to purchase a scoop separately, there's a hook on the side so you can hang it up for easy access.

This litter box is made in the United States and constructed using 95-percent recycled plastic. While the Petmate Top Entry Litter Box only comes in one color scheme (gray with a white lid), it is an affordable option for any household with cats.

^{Dimensions: 15 x 15 x 20 inches | Entry Dimensions: 8.75 x 9.75 inches | Scoop Included: No}

Best Round

IRIS Top Entry Cat Litter Box

$35 at Amazon $35 at Chewy $45 at Walmart

The IRIS Top Entry Box is a more affordable version of our Best Overall selection, the ISIS Premium Square Top Entry Litter Box. It has a lengthened cylindrical design with slightly less internal space than its cube-shaped counterpart. The unconventional oval shape means there are no corners for clumps to get stuck in, which makes it easier to scoop, and the deeply grooved lid is very good at catching excess litter so you are less likely to experience tracking.

One of the biggest advantages of the IRIS Top Entry is its entrance size. While some top-entry litter boxes are best suited for small cats, even big cats can easily use this one. Its opening is a wide oval that’s 9 inches wide and 11 inches long, and the lid can support cats weighing up to 20 pounds,

Unlike other top-entry boxes, which have lids that sit on top of the tub, the IRIS litter box has a unique design that uses a notch in the back and two buttons in the front. This makes it easy to open, but it can be a little tricky to align the lid correctly when closing.

The IRIS Top Entry comes in a very pleasing modern design with multiple color options, but some are more readily available than others. It also comes with a slotted scoop and a built-in hook, but we found the essential tool to be flimsier than other scoops we've tried.

_{Dimensions: 20 x 16 x 14.6 inches | Entry Dimensions: 9 x 11 inches | Scoop Included: Yes}

Best High End

Modkat Litter Box

$100 at Amazon View on Modkat.com

The Modkat Litter Box won a Red Dog Design Award for its thoughtful top-entry box design. Its square footprint makes it easy to fit into corners or other nooks. Its lid is a substantial improvement on other designs, first because it has a grid of holes in the lid so that litter shaken off of your cat’s feet falls right back into the box. It also lets a little more light into the interior, which should be more welcoming for cats that might otherwise be hesitant to enter a top-entry box. The Modkat’s lid is also built on a swivel—instead of lifting the lid fully off the box, you simply swing it open, providing wide access to the inside of the box for scooping. 

But the biggest difference between the Modkat and other litter boxes is likely to be its most controversial for potential buyers: It uses liners. Each reusable liner is made from durable tarpaulin and will last up to three months. They fit perfectly inside the box thanks to a tension band that holds the top of the liner rigidly open. While they certainly make cleaning easy—the inside is smooth enough to scoop, and full litter changes are as easy as dumping out a large bag—not everyone will want to spend approximately $40 a year on liners.

The Modkat Litter Box is available in three colors: white, gray, and black. There’s also an XL version of the Modkat Litter Box, which includes both top- and front-entry configurations—the perfect solution if you’re not certain whether or not your cat will adapt to top-entry use.

_{Dimensions: 6 x 16 x 15 inches | Entry Dimensions: 8.75 x 8.75 inches | Scoop Included: Yes}

Best Litter Box Furniture

Omlet Cat Litter Box Furniture

View on Omlet.us

Omlet’s cat litter boxes are designed to look like furniture items and can be configured in multiple ways, from a basic top-entry jump-on to a larger version with enclosed storage. While the simplest top-entry option is good, we don’t see substantial advantages to purchasing it over one of the other top-entry litter boxes on this list, especially since it still looks like a litter box, albeit a well-designed one. If you’re looking for a litter box that will be as unobtrusive as possible, the sweet spot is probably the “Jump In” configuration, which combines the strengths of an enclosed litter box cabinet and a top-entry box.

The Jump In version of the Maya Cat Litter Box looks like a modern toiletries cabinet or bathroom trash can holder. While there’s a top-entry box inside, your cat initially enters through an entry hole high up on the front face of the piece of furniture. This lands them on top of the litter box enclosed in the bottom half of the cabinet. This jump-through entry hole can be left open, or sealed off with a flap door, available in either clear, pink, or blue. 

The litter box itself is one of Omlet’s most unique innovations, since it’s more like a soft-sided cooler than a rigid tub. The entry lid on top has a hinge that makes for easy access to the litter compartment, but it’s also easy to take out the entire liner for scooping or a more thorough cleaning. While effectively nonstick, it’s still a little harder to scoop out than a rigid tub, since litter clumps can get trapped in wrinkled corners—but the liner is surprisingly seam-free and usefully rigid enough for cleaning access and most other uses.

_{Dimensions: 18 x 20 x 16 inches (top-entry jump on), 16 x 20 x 33 inches (jump in), 16 x 20 x 37 inches (jump in with storage) | Entry Dimensions: 9 x 9 inches | Scoop Included: Yes}

Best Automatic

PetSafe Self-Cleaning Cat Litter Box with Top-Entry Hood

$184 at Amazon $184 at Chewy $185 at Walmart

The PetSafe ScoopFree Self-Cleaning Litter Box with Top Entry will significantly minimize the opportunity for litter to scatter on the floor from tracking and kicking. This self-cleaning litter box can only be used with crystal litter which performs differently than traditional clay-based litter.

Crystal litter is made with silica gel that absorbs liquids and odors, so regular clearing of pee clumps isn't needed, but daily stirring is recommended. This box pretty much takes care of itself, automatically raking through the litter about 20 minutes after your pet has done its duty and moving the waste into a separate compartment. It's equipped with a disposable litter tray, and once a month (if you are a single-cat household), you slide it out, throw it away, and replace it with a new one.

If your cat has never used this type of litter before, it might take them a bit to get used to it because the texture is different. Crystal litter, like PrettyLitter Health Monitoring Cat Litter, is very absorbent and odors are pretty much non-existent (check out Best Cat Litters, Tested and Reviewed for our crystal litter recommendations).

There is also a health counter on this top-entry litter box that tracks every time your cat enters and uses the box, so you know if there are any issues you and your vet need to address. We also like the front-entry version of this litter box from PetSafe (it's one of our picks for Best Automatic Litter Boxes). This litter box is more expensive than other top-entry styles on our list, and the crystal litter and disposable trays add even more to the cost, but the elimination of daily scooping is highly convenient.

^{Dimensions: 20.4 x 11.7 x 28 inches | Entry Dimensions: 8.3 x 8.3 inches| Scoop Included: Not applicable}

Best Compact

Smart Paws Top Entry Cat Litter Box

$40 at Amazon

The Smart Paws Top Entry Litter Box is efficiently designed with the ability to fit almost anywhere a standard-sized litter box could. The top is a mesh platform that successfully contains any litter that leaves the box on your kitty's paws. As your cat leaves the box from the top opening, the litter will fall through the perforated holes back into the box.

This box comes in two different color options: a light gray bottom with a cream-colored top, or a coffee-colored bottom with a cream-colored top. The top and bottom securely and easily attach with clips on the sides. To clean the box, you can scoop up through the entry hole or unclip the pieces for more access.

If your cat is bigger than 13 pounds, you might consider another litter box as they might find it hard to move around in this compact box and may not want to deal with a tighter, smaller space.

^{Dimensions: 22.82 x 15.74 x 12.99 inches | Entry Dimensions: 7.44 x 7.48 inches | Scoop Included: No}