We purchased the Lift n' Sift cat litter pan to replace our self-cleaning, automatic Litter Maid which bit the dust after only 2 years. We paid $24.99 for the Lift n' Sift cat litter pan at PetCo.

Thinking that the Lift n' Sift would be a solution for our busy routine and that our 4 cats would prefer this litter box to the Litter Maid system, we decided to give this over-priced litter box a "try".

The Lift n' Sift is a relatively simple concept. It consists of 2 litter boxes, a sifter, and a litter guard. It can be used with regular, old-fashioned cat litter or the clumping kind. We have used it with Tidy Cats Small Spaces and Fresh Step cat litter. Here's how this gizmo works: You take the empty cat pan, set the sifter (which sort of looks like a grid) inside of it and then you pour the cat litter on top of the grid. When your cat has used the litter box and you are ready to empty the contents, simply lift the sifter up and shake it from side-to-side and the clumps and waste are left in the sifter and the clean litter falls through the grid. Then, dump the sifter into the trash or wherever you dispose of your cat litter. Place the clean sifter into the empty cat pan, pour the clean litter into the second cat pan and viola -- task completed!

This would be a great product, if it only worked the way it was intended. The cheap plastic used to make the grid and the cat pan-- breaks easily, and the cat litter becomes easily "grid-locked" forcing you to take the pooper scooper and scrape the clumps off the grid. We have already broken the edging on the litter box in two different places, simply by lifting the box up and pouring the clean litter into the second box. It breaks easily under the weight of the cat litter. Unless you have a waste receptacle large enough to accomodate the grid, the cat litter may find its way on your floor. The other problem is the enclosed litter guard, which doesn't seem to fit the litter box itself. Again, it is made from the same cheap plastic and fits to loosely to inspire confidence in the durability of this device.

Our 4 cats seem to like this litter box better than our Litter Maid and it is easier to clean despite the litter becoming grid-locked. If you are familiar with the Litter Maid system, you know that you have to purchase special plastic receptacles to hold the waste and then routinely replace them or dump them out and reuse. We found that the Litter Maid system simply didn't deliver and that the Lift n'Sift performed somewhat better.

Overall, the Lift n' Sift is easier, cheaper, and cleaner than the Litter Maid system although quality of materials was very disappointing.

Recommended: Yes