You know the trail. Little gritty footprints leading out of the litter box, across the hall, and somehow into the kitchen.
Modkat’s answer was to move the door to the roof. Your cat climbs out through the lid, and the lid knocks the litter off their paws on the way.
It works. It won a Red Dot Design Award. And it is completely wrong for a decent number of cats, which is the part the marketing does not lead with.
- Modkat’s top-entry litter box won a Red Dot Design Award, and debuted in 2009 winning Editor’s Choice for Best Home Accessory at the ICFF.
- The top-entry lid doubles as a walk-off mat, which is why top-entry boxes track far less litter than open pans.
- Top-entry litter boxes are unsuitable for kittens, senior cats, arthritic cats and overweight cats, who cannot reliably climb in and out.
- The Modkat Flip offers the same enclosed design with a front entry at floor level for cats who cannot jump.
- A litter box should be roughly one and a half times your cat’s body length, which is why large breeds need the X-Large.
Our Top Picks
Modkat Cat Litter Box, White
Modkat Flip Cat Litter Box, Black
Modkat Cat Litter Box, X-Large, White
Modkat litter boxes compared
| Product | Best for | Size | Price | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modkat Cat Litter Box, White | Best overall | Standard | $109.99 | Top entry |
| Modkat Flip Cat Litter Box, Black | Best front entry | Flip | $99.99 | Front entry |
| Modkat Cat Litter Box, X-Large, White | Best for large cats | X-Large | $189.95 | Top entry |
| Modkat Cat Litter Tray, White | Best budget | Tray | $59.99 | Open design |
| Modkat Cat Litter Keeper, White | Best accessory | Keeper | $69.95 | Storage |
| Modkat Katch Cat Litter Mat, White | Best mat | Standard | $24.99 | Katch mat |
Who should not buy a top-entry litter box
Top-entry boxes are the wrong choice for a lot of cats, and getting this wrong is how you end up with a cat urinating on the rug beside a very expensive box.
A cat has to jump up, balance on the rim, and drop down inside. That is fine for a healthy adult cat. It is a genuine barrier for others.
- Kittens cannot reliably make the climb, and a kitten who cannot get in will simply go beside the box.
- Senior cats lose muscle and confidence with height. A cat who used to leap onto the counter may already be avoiding it.
- Arthritic cats. Osteoarthritis is far more common in cats than most owners realise and often shows up as reluctance to jump rather than obvious limping.
- Overweight cats, who find the climb genuinely hard and the turning space inside tight.
- Cats recovering from surgery or injury, for as long as the vet says.
For every cat on that list, buy the Modkat Flip instead. It keeps the enclosure and most of the tracking control with an entry at floor level.
Here is the part worth taking seriously: a cat suddenly avoiding a box they used happily is often telling you something hurts. If your cat starts going outside a top-entry box, lower the barrier first and then call your vet. The International Cat Care guidance on feline arthritis covers how quietly it presents.
Does the top-entry design actually stop tracking?
Yes, more than any other single change you can make to a litter box, and the mechanism is simple enough to explain in a sentence.
When your cat exits through the lid, they have to stand on it. The lid is textured and perforated, so the granules stuck between their toe pads fall back into the box rather than onto your floor. An open pan gives litter a straight run from paw to carpet.
The enclosure helps twice over. It contains the scatter from enthusiastic digging, which in a low open pan sends litter over the sides and across the room.
It does not eliminate tracking entirely. Some litter still rides out, particularly fine-grained clay. Pair the box with a mat, and if tracking is genuinely your main problem, switch to a large-grain litter as well. Our litter mat guide and large-grain litter options both do real work here.
One practical downside of the enclosure: you cannot see inside without lifting the lid. Scooping daily is how most owners notice diarrhoea, straining, or a drop in output, so make a habit of actually looking rather than scooping blind.
The 6 Modkat products, reviewed
Modkat Cat Litter Box, White: best overall
The original Modkat, and the one that won the awards. Your cat enters through a hatch in the lid, and the lid itself acts as a walk-off mat that knocks litter off their paws before they land on your floor. The reusable liner replaces disposable plastic bags, which is both cheaper over time and less waste.
Modkat Flip Cat Litter Box, Black: best front entry
The Flip is Modkat’s answer for cats who cannot or will not jump. It keeps the enclosed design and the tracking control but adds a front entry at floor level. Buy this one for kittens, senior cats, arthritic cats and any cat who has ever hesitated at height.
Modkat Cat Litter Box, X-Large, White: best for large cats
The X-Large exists because the standard box is genuinely tight for a big cat. A litter box should be about one and a half times your cat’s body length, and Maine Coons, Ragdolls and Norwegian Forest Cats do not fit that rule in a standard box. Expensive, and the right call for a large breed.
Modkat Cat Litter Tray, White: best budget
The Modkat Tray is the open, low-sided option at about half the price of the enclosed boxes. You lose the tracking control that is the whole point of the brand, and you gain easy access for a cat with mobility problems. Reasonable if you want the build quality without the height.
Modkat Cat Litter Keeper, White: best accessory
The Litter Keeper is a sealed storage bin for the bag of litter, with the scoop stored on the lid. Genuinely useful for plant litters, which absorb ambient moisture and clump badly if the bag sits open in a damp utility room. A nice-to-have rather than a need.
Modkat Katch Cat Litter Mat, White: best mat
The Katch mat catches what the lid misses, and pairing a mat with an enclosed box does more for tracking than either alone. Any decent mat works here, so buy this one for the matching look rather than because it outperforms the alternatives.
Is Modkat worth the price?
A plastic litter pan costs fifteen dollars. A Modkat costs a hundred and ten. That gap needs justifying, so here is the honest accounting.
- What you get: a genuinely effective tracking solution, a reusable liner instead of endless plastic bags, a leak-proof seamless base, and a box that does not look like a plastic pan in your living room.
- Durability is real. Cheap pans scratch, and scratched plastic holds odour permanently because urine soaks into the grooves. The ASPCA notes that an unpleasant box is one of the most common reasons cats stop using one. A smooth, well-made box stays odour-neutral much longer.
- What you do not get: anything automatic. This is a manual box, and you still scoop it daily.
- Where it is not worth it: if your cat needs a front entry anyway and tracking is not your problem, a good basic pan does the job for a fraction of the money.
Who should buy a Modkat
Buy one if you have a healthy adult cat, tracking is your main complaint, and the box lives somewhere you can see it. The design is genuinely good and the build quality justifies most of the premium.
Buy the Flip instead if your cat is a kitten, a senior, arthritic or overweight. And if you want the scooping gone rather than the tracking, an automatic box is a different product entirely: see our self-cleaning litter box guide or the PetSafe ScoopFree range.
The bottom line on Modkat
Modkat solved litter tracking properly, and the awards are deserved. The lid-as-walk-off-mat idea is the rare piece of pet design that does exactly what it claims.
Just match the entry style to your actual cat rather than to the photos. Healthy adult cat, buy Modkat Cat Litter Box, White. Kitten, senior, arthritic or heavy cat, buy the Flip and do not think twice. This article is educational rather than veterinary advice, and a cat newly avoiding their box should see a vet.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Is a Modkat litter box worth it?
A Modkat is worth it if litter tracking is your main complaint and you have a healthy adult cat. The top-entry lid acts as a walk-off mat and reduces tracking more than any other single change. It is a manual box, so you still scoop daily.
Q: Are top-entry litter boxes bad for some cats?
Yes. Top-entry boxes are unsuitable for kittens, senior cats, arthritic cats, overweight cats and cats recovering from surgery, all of whom struggle to climb in and out. Those cats need a front-entry box such as the Modkat Flip.
Q: How does a top-entry litter box reduce tracking?
Your cat has to stand on the textured, perforated lid to exit, so granules caught between their toe pads fall back into the box instead of onto your floor. The enclosure also contains scatter from digging.
Q: What awards has Modkat won?
Modkat’s original top-entry litter box debuted in 2009 at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, where it won Editor’s Choice for Best Home Accessory, and it went on to win a Red Dot Design Award.
Q: What size litter box does my cat need?
A litter box should be roughly one and a half times your cat’s body length, measured nose to base of tail. Large breeds such as Maine Coons and Ragdolls generally need the X-Large rather than the standard box.
Q: My cat stopped using the litter box. Is it the box?
It might be the height. A cat who suddenly avoids a top-entry box they previously used may be finding the jump painful, which often points to arthritis. Switch to a front-entry box and speak to your vet, since sudden avoidance is frequently a medical sign.
Q: Is the Modkat Flip better than the original?
Neither is better overall. The original top-entry box controls tracking best and suits healthy adult cats. The Flip keeps the enclosure with a front entry at floor level, which makes it the right choice for kittens, seniors and any cat with mobility problems.
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