Mova’s litter box is more than a piece of crap
31/5/2026
Translation: Elicia Payne
My cats have been testing the MeowgicPod LR10 Prime litter box for four weeks. Since then, things have been less crappy and there’s less shovelling for me to do. That said, the device also has its drawbacks.
To my two house cats Bonnie and Balu, I’m not just their cook but unfortunately also their cleaner. Every few hours I have to clean their two litter boxes, or chaos ensues. And you’ll smell it too.
The kitties’ bathroom is in the hallway, separated from the living room only by a curtain. Barely a metre in front of that there’s an armchair. Yuck. So the chance to test the MeowgicPod LR10 Prime from Mova came at just the right time.
I wanted to find out whether a self-cleaning toilet would make my daily life easier. What about scattered litter and the smell? Appearance is less important, but it still matters. After all, it’s going in the living area.
Like a washing machine for cats
The toilet arrived in a huge box with many plastic parts – which initially felt pretty daunting. The toilet has a base area of approximately 55 × 58 centimetres and is 76 centimetres tall. Impressive, I’d say. With the included instructions and a YouTube video, though, assembly is quick and easy, even under the watchful eyes of the target audience. Once the cable’s plugged in, the toilet’s ready for use.
Not long after I’d scooped some clumping litter from the old litter box into the high-tech one, Bonnie hopped right in and got to work. So I got to see the cat throne in action right away.
Here’s how it works: to flush away waste, the «pod» – Mova’s name for the drum – slowly rotates 180 degrees to the side. The clean litter then falls through a sieve into a collection chute. The clumped waste falls through an opening into the waste container at the base. Then the drum rotates back and collects the clean litter again. Then you end up with a surface reminiscent of a freshly raked beach. The whole thing takes a little over three minutes. You can get an idea from the video below. To save you some time, I’ve sped it up after the first ten seconds.
You’ll hear a soft hum. The manufacturer specifies 30 decibels. Although the litter box is only four metres away from the open bedroom door, the noise doesn’t bother me even at night. If I wanted to, I could set a rest period in the app.
Bonnie is open to new things, Balu is sceptical
My two terror goblins eyed the spinning drum suspiciously the first time they saw it. They weren’t sure about the toilet that turns upside down after each use. Balu in particular was nervous – watching the litter box, he’d jump up in fright at the slightest movement. Yet even he dared to sit on the new plastic throne – curiosity seemed to get the better of him. According to Mova, the litter box is suitable for cats weighing up to ten kilogrammes. Balu is seven kilos and has plenty of room in there.
Bonnie loves using the Roboloo, as I affectionately call it, and does so often. Despite his lingering scepticism, Balu also stops by several times a day. That’s why the MeowgicPod LR10 Prime has officially been added to the furniture as a second toilet.
I then made a mistake by turning on the automatic ventilation feature. This causes a fan to turn on during cleaning, drawing air – along with any odours – through an activated carbon filter on the back, which is designed to neutralise them. The fan’s significantly louder than the drum motor.
It scared Balu so much that he’d rather wet himself than use the robotic toilet. He hasn’t set foot in the Mova toilet since. I’m still trying to get him to use it again, because I’ve really come to appreciate it. We’re yet to reach a final verdict on his refusal, so maybe I’ll be able to give you an update on it in a few weeks.
I can’t yet say whether the ventilation helped. I turned it off right away so as not to scare Balu any further.
Cleanliness and odour
Before turning it on, I was worried that fresh piles of poop might smear the sides of the drum during rotation. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case, because enough litter sticks to it. However, the strainer that filters out the clumps needs to be wiped down with a damp kitchen towel every now and then. If the stool is very soft, you can activate diarrhoea mode. The drum then moves the litter back and forth a few times to completely cover the stool.
The manual recommends you thoroughly clean the interior and completely replace the litter once a month. After four weeks, I didn’t feel it was necessary.
Smell is a different story. Even though the toilet looks clean, the piles of poop in the base stink to high heaven. The bin has a capacity of 11 litres. According to Mova, it takes about two weeks for the litter box to fill up when used by one cat. The container doesn’t have an airtight lid; instead, it simply sits beneath the drum.
To help mitigate the stench, the toilet sprays a deodorising liquid over the surface after cleaning. According to Mova, it’s a combination of a mysterious «nano-film surface» and «bioenzymes» that are supposed to neutralise the odours. The liquid in my tank lasts about three weeks. With the included bottle, I can refill it about three or four times.
It helped to begin with. After a few days, the toilet really started to smell. I can’t imagine Mova’s engineers putting up with an unemptied bin for two weeks. For me, the smell becomes unbearable when the container’s about one-third full.
The problem is that if I swapped out the bag every time, I’d be creating a huge amount of waste. So I found a workaround: I dump the clumps from the container into the old toilet’s waste bucket, which has a tight-fitting lid. It’s hard to believe the manufacturer’s claim that you only have to dispose of the waste every two weeks.
Even so, it’s less work for me, and the litter box is always reasonably clean.
A toilet corner is a toilet corner
Even a self-cleaning litter box is no match for litter that’s been kicked out. When Bonnie digs enthusiastically, the crumbs fly out of the drum despite the high sides, and she takes some litter with her when she jumps out. The practical solution I’ve found for this comes in the form of my robot vacuum cleaner – I’ve programmed it to clean around the toilet twice a day. Smart home devices win yet again.
By the way, the included mat – which was supposed to catch litter in front of the litter box – also ended up in the bin after just a short while. It’s way too light and doesn’t stick to the floor.
I’d say the entire device is solid enough for its purpose. The drum and upper assembly are well-made and appear sturdy. The base, on the other hand, consists of four lightweight plastic frames joined to form a cylinder. The toilet’s sturdy, but it looks a bit rickety because of the slightly uneven gaps between the base pieces.
Like any toilet, the MeowgicPod won’t pass as a pretty addition to your living space. It is and always will be a pretty big white plastic eyesore that’s just there to be pooped in. But since there’s no other way around it, it’s a huge relief to see that it’s tidy and clean.
App tracks toilet visits
There are buttons on the device itself for the most important functions. This includes levelling out the litter after refilling and emptying it completely into the waste bin. But you can only access all the overviews and settings through the Mova app, which requires an account. To do this, the toilet connects to your Wi-Fi. The app has an intuitive layout and doesn’t overwhelm you with an excessive number of features.
The first thing I had to do was add Bonnie and Balu to the app, along with their weights. Thanks to weight sensors, the device can tell which animal is currently using the litter box and what it’s doing there. The identification works very well, but then again, there’s a three-kilogram difference between my cats. It also appears largely reliable at distinguishing major and minor business. Since I’m not usually watching the toilet visits, I can’t say for sure.
The logbook shows you all the important information: the time and duration of the visit, the cat’s weight and what it did. A smiling poop emoji or a droplet indicates the type of business. You can also delete entries, assign them to another cat or change the type of business.
In addition, there are weekly and monthly statistics. During the short week Balu used the toilet, I noticed that he always goes at around the same times. The app also alerts you if it detects unusual behaviour, such as significantly more or fewer trips to the toilet. In my case, that’s only somewhat helpful, because the cats can still use the other litter box.
As with many apps from the Far East, the translation is hit and miss, and the features aren’t always immediately clear.
As a smart home enthusiast, I’d have liked to see the Mova toilet integrated into my Home Assistant system. There is a Mova integration for Home Assistant, but the toilet apparently doesn’t have an API. That’s too bad, but it’s no big deal.
In a nutshell
Self-cleaning feature is a real bonus in everyday life
Thanks to the new cleaner, everyday life with cats is a little less «shit». This doesn’t mean the MeowgicPod LR10 Prime solves every problem – litter and odours are still an issue. But at least I don’t have to pick up the shovel and deal with the bin bags as much. When I walk past, I notice a smooth surface covered in litter instead of disgusting cat droppings. That’s a real relief.
Bonnie’s also happy with the device, but Balu is still a bit wary. The statistics show me who uses the toilet and when, and help me identify health issues earlier.
Pro
- Good self-cleaning properties
- Quiet drum motor
- App offers insights into your cat’s business
- Reliable animal detection
- Much less work for me!
Contra
- Waste not sealed in an airtight container
- Fan is a bit too loud
- No smart home integration
- The included mat is unusable
Header image: Debora Pape
Feels just as comfortable in front of a gaming PC as she does in a hammock in the garden. Likes the Roman Empire, container ships and science fiction books. Focuses mostly on unearthing news stories about IT and smart products.
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