Plastic litter trays go off. Not immediately, but claws score fine scratches into the surface, and once those scratches are there they hold urine no matter how well you scrub — which is why a two-year-old plastic tray smells even on the day you clean it. Stainless steel does not scratch that way and does not absorb anything, so it washes back to genuinely clean each time.

This one is XL at 60 x 40cm, with a steel tray 15cm deep, so a large cat can turn around and dig properly rather than shuffling. The lid flips through 180 degrees for cleaning, meaning you are not wrestling a hood off and putting it somewhere while you work. A deodoriser compartment sits in the housing, the entry has a filter step that takes litter off paws before they reach your floor, and a long-handled scoop comes with it.

• Overall 60.3 x 40.3 x 44.8cm; steel tray 59.5 x 39.5 x 15cm
• 201 stainless steel tray with ABS and PP housing
• 180-degree flip-top lid for full access when cleaning
• Deodoriser compartment and filter step at the entrance
• 27 x 25.7cm entry door; supports up to 15kg
• Includes a 29.5cm scoop and deodoriser

Two things worth knowing about hooded trays. Not every cat will use one — some feel trapped without a second exit, and if yours has always used an open tray, change it over gradually rather than all at once. And whatever tray you buy, the standard vet advice is one per cat plus one spare, sited apart from each other; a single tray in a two-cat house causes more problems than any product fixes.

Who it's for: Owners of large breeds — Maine Coons, Ragdolls, Norwegian Forest cats — and anyone who has replaced a smelly plastic tray once too often.