Sifting litter boxes are great options for households that want to make cleaning up the litter box easier.
There are 2 main methods of sifting. The sifting litter boxes are built differently depending on which methods it uses.
Option #1: Sifting litter box works like a giant scoop
This type of sifting litter box use a sifting tray or screen that collects the solid waste, leaving the clean litter behind. The sifter is usually placed on top of the actual litter pan, and when it’s time to clean out the box, you simply lift it off and shake out any solid waste or clumps of litter. This can be done manually or mechanically by a litter box robot.
Manually: This type of litter box typically consists of 3 pieces: 1 sifter tray (with holes at the bottom) and 2 solid trays. When in use, the 3 trays are stack one on top of the other, with the sifter tray at the top. The litter goes in the sifter tray.
When it comes time to clean the litter box, simply lift the sifter tray to let the loose clean litter fall to the second tray, a solid tray. What’s left in the sifter tray are poop or litter clumps. Empty the waste out.
To reset the sifting litter box, take the empty solid tray and place it under the sifter tray. Now, pour the litter into the sifter tray. Stack the now-empty solid tray at the bottom of the stack. Et voilà!
Mechanically: The robot sifting litter box has a scoop-like arm or tray build-in. Soiled litter and solid waste is ranked away from the clean litter. It then stores the waste in a separate compartment. You don’t have to manually separate solid waste from the clean litter. The robot will do it for you!
Option #2: Sifting litter box works as the main tray
This option works only for cat litter that breaks apart and disintegrate when it comes in contact with water (i.e. urine). Most commonly, these are pine wood pallets. These pine pallets are made from saw dust compressed into pallets. Instead of clumping like most litter do, these pine pallets will break down into saw dust when it come in contact with water.
How do sifting litter boxes work with pine pallets? These litter boxes typically only has 2 trays: 1 sifter tray and 1 solid tray. The sifter tray always sits on top of the solid tray. The pine pallets are placed in the sifter tray.
To clean it, scoop out any solid waste (poop). Then rank through the litter to remove liquid waste. This will break up the already disintegrating pine pallets. The saw dust then falls to the bottom solid tray. Occasionally, urine passes right through the sifter tray and is collected in the solid tray below. The saw dust can be stored in the bottom tray for quite awhile before it needs emptying. Pinewood has a fairly good ability to mask the urine odor.
This method is one of the most economical option. Pine wood pallets are typically quite affordable. And it runs out slower than clumping litter. Here are some the best sifting litter box for pine pellets, but we also have a guide on how you can DIY a sifting litter box for pine pellets.
