Whisker’s Litter-Robot 5 Pro tries to turn a familiar smart-home convenience into something more ambitious: a litter box that not only cleans up after cats, but also watches, identifies, weighs, and interprets their bathroom habits. In testing described by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy for The Verge, the core cleaning job worked well. The AI layer was the problem.
A strong automatic litter box with an expensive AI pitch
The Litter-Robot 5 Pro is Whisker’s highest-end model, priced at $899. It sits above the $599 Litter-Robot Evo and the $699 Litter-Robot 4, with the standard Litter-Robot 5 also in the current lineup.
All four models share the same basic purpose. A cat enters a globe filled with litter, sensors detect the visit, and after the cat leaves, the machine rotates the drum. Waste is sifted away into a sealed bin below, reducing the need for daily scooping.
That basic automation remains the most persuasive part of the product. The 5 Pro was described as excellent at dispatching waste, with a bigger bin, larger dome, and more intuitive controls than the Litter-Robot 4. Its LCD screen was also called out as clearer than the Litter-Robot 4’s LED indicator lights.
The appeal of the 5 Pro, however, is not just cleaning. Whisker adds a dual camera system, an array of sensors, AI algorithms, and machine learning. The promise is that the device can help track cats’ litter box behavior and potentially surface useful health-related insights.
The health tracking did not produce useful results
The review’s central finding is that the premium AI features did not justify their cost. After six months with the Litter-Robot 5 Pro, the $8-a-month Whisker Plus subscription, which covers AI health features and video storage, did not produce one actionable or useful insight.
That matters because the product’s extra value depends on confidence. For a cat owner, litter box changes can be meaningful, and a device that reliably tracks visits, weight, and waste type could be useful. But the source article makes clear that this version did not deliver that dependable interpretation.
The WasteID system was one example. It is supposed to distinguish between #1 and #2 and move the latter away faster to reduce odors. In practice, it repeatedly failed to identify waste accurately.
Cat ID was an even larger disappointment. The feature is meant to recognize which cat is entering and assign the visit to that cat in the app’s history. It can apparently track up to five cats, yet it struggled with two cats that the reviewer described as visually very different: one large gray and white tabby and one small tuxedo cat.
After about a week, the app offered PawPrint setup, Whisker’s facial recognition process. It showed captured images and asked the user to pick the two best. The available images were reportedly poor, and the system eventually confused the two cats so badly that it merged them into two identical cats.
The cameras add visibility, but not the expected record
The 5 Pro’s cameras were not completely without value. The front-facing camera records visits, and it could help remotely check whether a cat was stuck inside after a “cycle interrupted” or “obstruction detected” alert. Those alerts stop the globe from rotating if activity is detected while the machine is in motion.
Still, the camera setup fell short of expectations. The source article says the interior cameras only allow a live view, while only the front-facing camera records anything, even with the monthly subscription. The reviewer managed to catch a cat in the act only once.
That distinction is important because the advertised experience implies recordings from both camera views. Whisker told the reviewer that the poop-view is coming soon, but the tested product did not yet provide that recorded inside look.
There is also a privacy concern created by placement. In the reviewer’s home, the front-facing camera captured not only cats using the Litter-Robot, but also people using a powder room across the hall. Recording can be limited to moments when a cat is spotted, but that still may not fully solve the issue if cats follow owners into the bathroom.
How the Evo comparison shapes the buying decision
The six-month test also included the $599 Litter-Robot Evo, which launched late last year along with the 5 Pro. The Evo has a smaller footprint, which can help in tighter spaces, and it also has an LCD screen.
But the lower price comes with tradeoffs. The Evo lacks litter-level monitoring, so the app does not warn when litter is low. It supports fewer and smaller cats, has a smaller bin, has no night light, and does not work with Whisker’s litter hopper accessory.
Build quality was another concern. The Evo did not feel as sturdy, and its waste drawer was described as finicky and sometimes difficult to close properly.
That leaves the Litter-Robot 5 Pro in an awkward position. It appears to be a better robot than the Litter-Robot 4 in several physical and usability respects, but the AI features that separate it from cheaper options were the weakest part of the experience.
The practical takeaway
The Litter-Robot 5 Pro shows the difference between automation that works and AI that still needs proving. As an automatic litter box, it reduces a daily chore, hides much of the mess, contains most of the smell, and lets owners check waste and litter levels through the app. The onboard scale can also show a cat’s weight, although the review notes that the robot still thought one cat was lighter than he was.
As an AI health-monitoring device, the case is less convincing. WasteID did not classify reliably, Cat ID confused two distinct cats, and the camera system did not record the interior view that many owners would consider most useful.
For buyers, the question is whether the 5 Pro’s better hardware is enough to offset paying for AI features that did not perform well in this test. Based only on the source review, the safest conclusion is narrow: the Litter-Robot 5 Pro is an impressive automatic scooper, but its smart features are not yet a reason to pay the premium.