PetZone Smart Scoop – Automatic Self-Cleaning Litter Box
The PetZone Smart Scoop is another option in the competitive self-cleaning litter box product niche. It may not look as impressive as some of the other units we’ve reviewed but looks 
can be deceptive. It’s the latest generation of the product from PetZone who have a proven track-record of quality. So how did it perform?
How Does It Work?
The Smart Scoop has a fairly conventional design compared to other products in the market. Essentially it’s a regular plastic litter tray with an added raking mechanism and a waste drawer.
The unit detects when your cat has used and exited the box before a 15 minute timer kicks in. Once the timer expires the cleaning cycle begins. This consists of a metal rake which gathers all solid waste and litter clumps into the waste drawer. If your cat re-enters the box within the 15 minute period the timer will reset for another 15 minutes.
The rake allows clean litter to pass through resulting in lower overall litter usage. The motor is surprisingly powerful and noticeably quieter than other units of this type.
Features: What Can It Do?
- Quiet cleaning cycle
- Powerful electric motor
- Efficient with cat litter
- Deflector helps keep litter contained
- Unit can be take apart for easy cleaning
- No special supplies required, uses ordinary clumping litter
- Utilizes carbon filters to reduce odor
Pros
- Easy assembly
- Quiet operation
- Easy to clean
- Uses any clumping cat litter
- Uses ordinary plastic bags
- Preserves clean litter
- Easy disposal of dirty litter
- High walled design keeps litter inside the box
- Large litter tray suitable for multiple cats or large breeds
- Conventional design so adopted easily by cats
Cons
- Clumps will occasionally go up the corners and fall on the floor
- The rake doesn’t always remove urine clumps stuck to the bottom of the pan
- When your cat uses the same area the corresponding part of the waste tray can fill up quickly
- Needs occasional litter top ups
- Short electrical cord.
- Short life of carbon filters
- Litter can sometimes pile up requiring manual leveling
Handy Hints
- If any waste catches on the rake, let it dry and it’ll flake off easier
- Use a good quality clumping cat litter with this unit
- The electrical cord is short so you may need an extension cord
The Conclusion
The Smart Scoop is a decent unit that more or less does what it claims to. In most circumstances the rake functions perfectly and waste is disposed of into the waste drawer. That said it isn’t perfect. There are occasions when clumps build up and they can sometimes spill out onto the floor. This isn’t a regular occurrence but it’s worth pointing out.
The tray doesn’t use a lot of litter so after a few cleaning cycles you may find yourself having 
to add additional litter. The waste drawer isn’t a sealed unit so there’s a potential odor issue although the carbon filters do a decent job of keeping this to a minimum.
You’ll need a fairly large space in which to place the unit and you will probably need an electrical extension cord as attached one is only around 3ft long.
All in all it’s a decent package at a very reasonable price.
Product Details
- Litter Pan Area: 16″ L X 14″ W
- Product Dimensions: 25.5” L x 18.25” W x 7.6” H
- Item weight: 9.3 pounds
What’s in the box?
- 1 Smart Scoop Automatic Litterbox
- 1 odor-absorbing carbon zeolite filter
- 6 no-touch waste bags
- One-year warranty
Average User Rating: 62%
