Changes in how often a cat uses the tray, and how much they weigh, are among the earliest signs that something is wrong. Most owners spot neither, because nobody counts visits and few people weigh a cat between vet appointments. A box that logs every visit and the weight of the cat making it turns a daily chore into a quiet record of your cat's health, which is the genuinely useful part of this machine.

The cleaning cycle separates waste into a sealed compartment and bags it, so emptying means lifting out a tied bag rather than tipping a tray. Sealing is what actually controls odour: a covered tray still smells, a sealed drawer largely does not. Cycles can be triggered from the app when you are out, and alerts tell you when the drawer is full, when litter is running low, and when a cycle has run. It needs a mains socket wherever you put it.

• Automatic cycle separating waste into a sealed compartment
• Contactless bagging, so you remove a tied bag rather than a tray
• App logging of each visit and the cat's weight
• Alerts for a full drawer, low litter and completed cycles
• Remote cleaning cycles from the app
• Plug options for the UK, EU, US and AU

Two things worth knowing. An automatic box counts as one tray, and the rule that keeps cats using them is one tray per cat plus one, so a two-cat home still needs others alongside it. And not every cat accepts a moving box. Introduce it unplugged for a week beside the old tray, and keep the old tray until you are sure.

Who it's for: Owners of one or two indoor cats who want the scooping gone and, more to the point, want to notice a change in toilet habits early.