This one puts the two best ideas in litter box design into the same unit. The tray is stainless steel, so it cannot be scratched into a surface that holds urine the way plastic eventually is. And the route through is front-entry, top-exit, so a cat leaving has to step up and out, shaking granules off their paws while still above the box.

There is a third detail doing quiet work: a sand drop strip, 20.6cm long, set at the exit specifically to catch what does come out with them. Between the top exit and the drop area, the amount of litter reaching your floor is a fraction of what an open tray produces. A deodoriser bag sits in its own compartment to handle odour at the source, and both the scoop and the tray wipe down rather than needing scrubbing.

• Overall 52.4cm long x 41.3cm wide x 39.8cm high
• 201 stainless steel tray, 52 x 40 x 14cm deep
• Front entrance 22.5 x 22.2cm; top exit 21 x 21.2cm
• 20.6cm sand drop strip at the exit
• Deodoriser bag compartment and 25.5cm scoop included
• Stainless steel with ABS and PP housing; rated to 5kg

Check the weight limit and your cat's joints. This is rated for cats up to 5kg, and the top exit asks for a climb on the way out. It is the wrong choice for a large breed or a stiff older cat — for either, take the XL open steel tray with high sides instead, which asks nothing of them.

Who it's for: Owners of agile adult cats under 5kg who want the tidiest possible arrangement and a tray that will not smell in a year's time.