Getting started with Litter-Robot 5

Getting started with
Litter-Robot® 5

Your Litter-Robot 5 arrives mostly assembled. Follow these steps to get started or refer to the user manual for more information.

Watch video tutorial Download user manual

Litter-Robot 5

1 Waste Drawer Step

1 Fence

5 Waste Drawer Liners

1 Carbon Filter

Power Supply

Accessories (optional – sold separately or in bundle)

Ensure proper placement

Your Litter-Robot comes mostly assembled and ready to use. Get started by following the steps below.

Place Litter-Robot in the same location as the old litter box (at least during transition) if possible.
Ensure the unit is on a level surface in a cool, dry location. Litter-Robot 5 can be placed on hard flooring or carpet.
Place the unit near a power outlet. Ensure the unit isn't pushed against a wall or into a corner.
Place litter mats or rugs in front of the unit.

Step 1

Place the waste drawer upside down on a table. Locate the two hooks and two tabs on the inside of the drawer front panel.

Step 2

Match the hooks and tabs with the corresponding slots on the drawer body. Slide the drawer front onto the drawer body. While holding the tabs in place, flip the drawer so that it’s facing right side up. Push the drawer body down slightly until you hear or feel the clips snap into place.

Step 3

Open a waste drawer liner and wrap the edges over the rim of the waste drawer. Push the liner flat against the side walls and bottom to prevent inaccurate waste drawer level measurements. Slide the assembled waste drawer into Litter-Robot.

Add clumping litter

Litter-Robot’s litter sifting system works best with clay-clumping litter. Note: Translucent or white-colored litter (most often seen in crystal litter) may impact the LitterLevel® and Drawer Full Indicator (DFI) accuracy.

What not to use

DO NOT use litters that are strictly absorbent, non-clumping, loose-clumping, newspaper-based, or wood-based pellets. Read our best litter for Litter-Robot guide for more info.

Don’t overfill

Fill the globe through the opening until the litter meets the raised fill line when spread flat (about 10 lbs or 1 gallon by volume). Be careful not to overfill the globe.

Plug it in

Plug the small end of the power supply into the socket on the back of the base. Then plug the AC/DC adapter into a wall outlet. Locate and press the Power button. Litter-Robot will display a solid white light indicating it is ready for use.

Clean cycle

We recommend leaving the Litter-Robot OFF and operating in "semi-automatic" mode for best results while acclimating your cat. When you see your cat has used Litter-Robot, turn it ON and press the Cycle button to perform a clean cycle. Once it finishes (2 minutes), turn the power OFF. This way your cat can get accustomed to Litter-Robot—and you don't have to scoop the litter box!

Introducing your cat to Litter-Robot

Your cat will most likely quickly adapt to Litter-Robot 5. When using in automatic mode, be sure your cat or kitten weighs at least 3 lbs—the weight scale will not recognize cats weighing less than 3 lbs.

Location is key

Place Litter-Robot in the same location as the current litter box, set it up, and make sure it is turned off. Give your cats a day or two to explore Litter-Robot.

Familiar scents

Add a scoop of litter from the old litter box to Litter-Robot to provide a familiar scent for your cat.

Introduce the clean cycle

Once your cat has used Litter-Robot, power it on with your cat present so they become familiar with the motion and noise while you’re there to reassure them. Turn the unit off again after it cycles.

Make the old litter box less attractive

Go as long as possible without cleaning the old litter box (but be sure to closely monitor your cat’s litter box activity). Cats prefer a clean litter box, and a dirty litter box might persuade them to use the clean Litter-Robot.

Say goodbye to scooping

Once your cats are consistently using Litter-Robot, you can turn the unit on and leave it on to operate in automatic mode.

Litter-Robot 5 Pro Integrated Dual Camera System

Litter-Robot 5 Pro is equipped with dual 1080p HD cameras—front-facing and inner-facing—that let you monitor your cats from anywhere. Basic camera features such as real-time video streaming and recorded events are included for free within the Whisker app.

Join Whisker+ to unlock advanced features such as visual pet identification, which accurately matches individual cats to your Whisker devices for improved activity tracking and more precise behavioral insights.

Unlock features with Whisker+

How the clean cycle works

When your cat exits, a timer counts down, allowing litter to clump before a clean cycle begins:

During the clean cycle, the globe slowly rotates. The patented sifting process separates the clumps from the clean litter.

Simply empty the waste drawer when indicated by the app or the control panel, and add litter as needed.

Empty the waste drawer when indicated

Empty the waste drawer when indicated by the app or the blinking yellow light on the control panel. How often you empty the waste drawer depends on the number and size of your cats. For a single cat, once every 10 days is usually sufficient.

We recommend doing a basic globe cleaning every 1-3 months and a deep cleaning at least every 3 months (depending on how many kitties you have). More frequent deep cleanings may be necessary, depending on use. Refer to our Deep Cleaning Instructions for more details.

To empty the waste drawer, simply pull out the waste drawer, gather the edges of the liner bag, pull the drawstring, and dispose. To install a new liner or trash bag (white bags work best), wrap the edges of the liner over the rim of the waste drawer. Push the remainder of the bag into the bottom of the waste drawer.

Add litter as needed

How often you add litter depends on how many cats use Litter-Robot and how frequently they use it. Litter-Robot uses litter very efficiently since the patented sifting mechanism only removes the clumps. We recommend checking the litter level each time you empty the waste drawer. If the litter is below the raised MAX fill line inside the globe, add just enough litter to meet the line.

Control panel buttons

Power

Short press: Turns the robot ON or OFF.
3-second press: Disables control panel lockout when it is activated in the Whisker app.
6-second press: Performs a hard reset of Litter-Robot.

Cancel

Short press: Cancels a clean cycle or empty cycle, or dismisses alerts on the LCD screen,and resets the SmartScale while in the Home position. (Do this after adding litter, emptying the drawer, etc.)
3-second press: Activates a cycle that rotates the globe to the Replace Filter position.

Cycle

Short press: Starts a clean cycle; press again to pause or resume the cycle.

Empty

Short press: Starts an empty cycle; press again to pause or resume the cycle.

Connect

3-second press: Initiates Onboarding Mode. Download the Whisker app and follow the prompts within the app to connect your Litter-Robot to your WiFi network.
If Litter-Robot loses WiFi connection, the LED Indicator Light will blink yellow; it will blink blue while reestablishing connection and change to solid white once connected.

Installing accessories

Litter-Robot Carbon Filter

View our Carbon Filter Installation Guide.

Litter-Robot Waste Drawer Liner

View our Waste Drawer Liner Installation Guide.

OdorTrap® Packs

View our OdorTrap Pack Installation Guide.

Litter-Robot 5 Ramp

View our Litter-Robot 5 Ramp Installation Guide.