Whisker’s AI Litter Robot Believes My Cats Have Switched Personalities

The latest breakthrough in pet technology is the Litter-Robot, a device that takes the hassle out of cleaning up after your cats. Imagine a machine that scoops your feline’s waste so you don’t have to—what more could a cat owner ask for? How about the ability to monitor your cat’s litter box habits for potential health concerns? Count me in! And if you have multiple cats, no problem—there’s facial recognition to keep track of them.

Enter the Litter-Robot 5 Pro, the top-tier model from the original robotic litter box innovator. With a dual-camera setup and a suite of sensors designed to detect your cat’s deposits, all powered by AI and machine learning, the 5 Pro aims to manage your cats’ bathroom habits while keeping tabs on their health. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite deliver.

I spent six months testing the $899 Litter-Robot 5 Pro alongside its more budget-friendly sibling, the $599 Litter-Robot Evo, both of which debuted late last year. These clever devices operate using sensors and motors: when a cat enters the spacious globe filled with litter, the sensors detect their presence, and once they leave, the robot rotates to sift the waste into a sealed bin below.

This innovation eliminates the daily chore of scooping; you only need to empty the drawer about once a week, and it keeps the litter box out of sight while minimizing odors. A fully featured app allows you to control most functions remotely, check waste and litter levels, and even monitor your cat’s weight thanks to an onboard scale. For frequent travelers, a litter robot provides a cleaner environment for your furry friend while you’re away.

Whisker currently offers four models: the Litter-Robot Evo, the Litter-Robot 4, the Litter-Robot 5, and the 5 Pro. All of them operate on the same principle of automated scooping. However, I wouldn’t recommend splurging on the 5 Pro’s AI features, as they simply don’t perform as expected. I also found the Evo lacking compared to the Litter-Robot 4.

The Evo doesn’t have litter-level monitoring, so the app won’t notify you when it’s low; it accommodates fewer and smaller cats, has a smaller waste bin, and lacks a night light. Additionally, it’s not compatible with the litter hopper accessory. While the Evo’s compact design is great for tight spaces, its build quality felt less robust, and its waste drawer was finicky, often failing to close properly. I did appreciate the LCD screen that displays its status, a feature shared with the 5 Pro, which is a significant improvement over the confusing LED indicators on the LR4.

As a waste disposal system, the Litter-Robot 5 Pro excels. Its larger bin, user-friendly controls—including that LCD screen—and spacious dome make it a superior choice compared to the $699 Litter-Robot 4. However, the promised smart features are lacking.

I was particularly drawn to the idea that this pricier model could help keep my middle-aged cat healthier by catching potential issues early. Thankfully, Smokey is in good shape, but during my time with the 5 Pro, the $8-a-month subscription for its AI health features and video storage provided no actionable insights.

The new WasteID system, which claims to differentiate between liquid and solid waste and process the latter more quickly to reduce odors, consistently failed to identify waste accurately. The dual cameras couldn’t distinguish between my large gray tabby and my smaller tuxedo cat, often merging their identities.

I was also disappointed that I couldn’t use the camera to monitor my cat while he was using the litter box. While I admit it’s a bit odd, many cat owners would find value in being able to observe their pets during this time. The Litter-Robot 4 has a camera mount accessory for this purpose! The front-facing camera records visits, but the interior cameras only provide a live view, making it challenging to catch a cat in the act (I managed it only once). The marketing suggests you’ll receive recordings from both cameras, but even with the subscription, only the front-facing camera captures footage.

The camera wasn’t entirely useless; I appreciated being able to check in remotely to ensure no cat was stuck inside if I received alerts about interrupted cycles or detected obstructions, which prevent the globe from rotating if any activity is sensed.

Placement of the Litter-Robot is crucial. I quickly realized that my setup allowed the front-facing camera to capture not only my cats’ bathroom trips but also those of anyone using the nearby restroom. There’s an option to record only when a cat is detected, but as many cat owners know, our furry friends often accompany us to the bathroom!

The biggest letdown for me was the facial recognition feature, known as Cat ID. The front-facing camera is supposed to identify which cat is entering and log their activity in the app. It claims to track up to five cats, but it struggled with my two distinctly different-looking cats.

After about a week, the app prompts you to set up PawPrint, Whisker’s term for facial recognition, where you select the best images captured by the camera. Unfortunately, the images were all subpar. Whisker offers a $29 RFID PetTag to assist with similar-looking cats, but a $900 device should not require an accessory to differentiate between two clearly different cats.

Whisker explained that factors like poor lighting and initial image quality can affect the camera’s performance. When it’s uncertain, it resorts to other signals, such as the onboard scale, to make guesses. This led to my 13.4-pound Smokey being recorded as having lost 2 pounds overnight, mistakenly identified as Boone. The robot didn’t correct this error, and a week later, both cats were still logged with the same weight. I recognized this as a mistake, but inaccurate data can lead to incorrect conclusions, and having a robot guess my cat’s weight isn’t helpful.

Getting everything back on track—resetting weights in each cat’s profile, reassigning incorrect visits, and correcting video logs—was a tedious process for a nearly $1,000 machine. The camera still fails to recognize either cat correctly. Whisker claims the system is designed to learn and improve over time, and they’ve recently enhanced the enrollment process to be more selective about the images used for facial recognition.

Then there’s the health monitoring aspect. Beyond misidentifying weights, WasteID frequently failed to recognize waste types and often couldn’t provide accurate weight for each deposit. Whisker indicated that my unit’s feces-sensing gas sensor was malfunctioning, which they could fix remotely. When that didn’t resolve the issues, they determined that the scale was also faulty, which likely contributed to the WasteID and PawPrint problems. Fixing this would require a replacement unit.

On a positive note, the company recently introduced a feature called Patterns, which offers some of the actionable insights I was hoping for. It summarizes each cat’s daily activity: “Yesterday Smokey weighed 12.52 lbs, visited the Litter-Robot once, and spent 0.9 minutes in total, everything in range” (though the robot still thinks he’s lighter than he is). However, it still lacks details about waste type.

Patterns and several other updates aimed at improving core features arrived months after the product launch, meaning 5 Pro owners have been paying $8 a month for features that didn’t function as promised.

While the AI features are still a work in progress, the Litter-Robot 5 Pro performs its primary function exceptionally well. My experience with litter robots is limited to this brand, having previously tested the LR4, but I wouldn’t want to return to a manual litter box. Instead of scooping twice daily, I now only empty it once a week.

Both of my cats adapted to it immediately; Smokey jumped right in, and Boone followed suit. Boone, being younger, enjoys playing with it. I’ve caught him waiting for it to cycle and then batting at the inside to disrupt it. He also managed to shred the optional litter mat accessory within a week.

The Litter-Robot operates quietly; I even tested the Evo in my daughter’s room, and she reported it never disturbed her sleep. The 5 Pro is larger and taller, taking up about the same space as a side table, but it remains just as quiet. Both models require a nearby outlet, but if you have the room, it’s worth the investment.

If you’re interested in having a camera for safety and have a large cat (up to 30 lbs) or multiple cats, the 5 Pro will meet your needs. However, I recommend saving $100 and opting for the standard Litter-Robot 5, which lacks the camera but retains all other features, including WasteID.

If you don’t need WasteID tracking and have up to four cats, the $699 LR4 is an excellent choice without any AI features. I’d suggest it over the $599 Evo, which, while cheaper, feels flimsier and frequently throws errors, particularly regarding phantom bonnet detachments. Whisker indicated that my unit may have had a hardware issue, so your experience may vary.

The Litter-Robot is a remarkable invention, but with the 5 Pro, Whisker has fallen into the common pitfall of overestimating AI capabilities. Once AI is deployed in real-world settings, it behaves differently than in controlled environments, especially in homes with countless variables.

It’s possible that the 5 Pro will eventually fulfill all its initial promises. However, as many know, it’s unwise to purchase a product based on anticipated future updates. For now, the AI simply isn’t ready.