A popular design of automatic litter boxes sold on online retail websites under a variety of import rebranders is a potential death trap. 

The Initial Tragedy

TikTok user @Carli_Jay claimed that the machine killed Mochi, her cat of two years.

“Yesterday morning, we woke up – me and my two year old daughter – and I went to find my cat, and she was hanging from her litter box,” said Jay. “It had closed on her neck and her body was hanging out…, and she was gone.”

In a follow-up video, she clarified that the machine wasn’t a Whisker™ Litter Robot (a safe product from a reputable manufacturer), but a machine purchased from Amazon. She would later tie this story to a listing from Amztoy.

A review on the same listing detailed a similar experience but eventually it was edited to a positive review with no mention of the death. 

The next day, the listing disappeared, as did both videos.

A Reviewer takes Notice

Philip Bloom, host of the YouTube channel One Man Five Cats, has tested a near-identical machine and said that it’s “incredibly dangerous.” Using a stuffed cat plushie, Bloom demonstrates the danger posed by this machine (viewer discretion is advised.)

“Whilst the sensors would pause the cycling if the weight or infrared sensors were triggered, this was only for a few seconds,” said Bloom. “It should not resume like this. If a cat put its paws on the front and peered in, it should wait until those triggered sensors were cleared. Instead, it just pauses briefly and resumes, which is making both sensors redundant.”

Bloom alleges that, although a firmware update fixed this problem, there were no measures taken to inform buyers that firmware updates were necessary or even possible. He also estimated that there were “tens of thousands of these potential death traps out there” based on how many custom variants are being resold online.

Bloom also mentioned three other incidents he found while researching, one of which was narrowly survived by the feline victim.

An Expert’s Opinion

Brian DiFuccia, DVM, who works at the Animal Hospital of West Lake Forest, clarified that other pet products can also be harmful. Food and medicine, much like their human equivalents, are subject to recalls and unexpected side effects. He said that prong collars and booties can both cause irritation and damage. And, of course, any toy which gets chewed up can pose a choking hazard. 

Although DiFuccia was previously unaware of the Amztoy design’s history of harm, he quickly noticed the hazard of a door closing and trapping cats. 

Although many of his clients use reliable automatic litter box designs without issue, they can still be dangerous. 

“Nothing can be 100% guaranteed to be safe in all ways and under every condition or situation,” DiFuccia said.

Reliability is at least partially a function of the manufacturer.

 “Some [manufacturers] certainly do a better job than others in terms of their research and development, testing, and providing safety information and warnings,” said DiFuccia. 

My own Analysis

Some machines that do cover the opening, such as the Furbulous, are designed to ensure that the cover can easily pop off without human intervention. This makes them comparable in safety to no-closing designs. In contrast, Amztoy’s single-piece opening ring, firmly attached to the base, provides no possibility of escape for a trapped neck.

The machine is manufactured as a brandless, “generic” item, with an option of rebranding for bulk resellers. Import resellers have already sold unsafe E-bike batteries and fuses which don’t blow on Amazon, so this doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone.

Amztoy has deleted most of their online presence, leaving behind an Amazon page which doesn’t list any contact information. COZYBLUE and Angol Shield, two companies which sell similar designs, had no comment. 

If you bought this machine under an illusion of safety, protect your cat before it’s too late.