Is The HomerunPET CS106 Worth Buying? Our Reviewer Thinks It's Almost Purrfect

When the editors at House Digest let me know that homerunPET wanted to send me their Smart Cat Litter Box CS106 to try out, I jumped at the opportunity. Like most pet parents, I'll happily splurge on high-quality food, cat trees, and catnip toys. But automatic litter boxes are awfully pricey, so I've just gritted my teeth through cleaning a few bog standard plastic boxes every day. And, I do mean bog. When it's hot and muggy in our so-old-there's-no-air-conditioning farmhouse, the litter boxes quickly turn into the spongiest, nastiest spots you can find. So when August rolled around, the promise of an odor-free automatic litter box that scoops and refills itself was too tempting to pass up.

Full disclosure, I received the product for free in exchange for an honest review. HomerunPET didn't provide me with any instructions or conditions beyond shipping me the same product any other customer receives. In other words, the cat does not have my tongue on this one.

The key selling points are big ones, literally. The CS106 has a 106-liter chamber designed for large cats or multi-cat households. The 12-liter waste compartment is one of the biggest on the market. A refill canister tops the litter bed automatically. When you add to those features an app that lets you monitor use, triggers remote cleaning, and notifies you when it's time to refill, you can see why I started grinning like a Cheshire cat at the opportunity to try it out. I planned to put it to the test with our two indoor rescues, Willow and Ping.

When the Smart Cat Litter Box CS106 arrived, I realized immediately just how seriously homerunPET takes its "world's largest" claim. The box was absolutely enormous. It was so large that I had to enlist my husband's help. He wrangled a hand truck to move it from the garage into the house. Although it wasn't unmanageably heavy, it was awkward enough that this isn't a device you'd want to wrestle with alone. For anyone in a small apartment or tiny home, let's be real: this isn't the droid you've been looking for.

Once we psyched ourselves up for unboxing, it went more smoothly than I expected. The device came mostly assembled, so I could instantly see how the pieces fit together. Feeling intimidated by the sheer size, I read the included how-to guide cover to cover before, during, and after setup. It was clear and thorough, making the process feel more plug-and-play than a major undertaking.

The only hiccup was pairing it with our WiFi. I had to power cycle the unit a couple of times before the app connected. Since then, it's worked like a charm. The app itself is super slick. Once all the pieces were snapped together, and the box was filled with our usual litter, I couldn't resist triggering the cleaning cycle remotely just to watch the sphere rotate, sift, and reset. I also tested the safety shut-off feature by tapping it mid-spin. It stopped instantly. First impressions? A lion cub could fit in this thing. Cat-friendly? Maybe. Everyone in the house came to marvel at our setup prowess, but it wasn't the sleek design we were talking about. It was the size.

Our dogs will do anything for a treat — a piece of carrot, some chicken. It doesn't matter to them. But the thing about cats is that no matter how shiny or high-tech a litter box may be, the final verdict rests entirely in their paws. Ping and Willow are experts at doing exactly what they want, when they want. At first, their reaction to the CS106 could best be described as indifference. They sniffed. And then ... nothing. The dogs couldn't wait to stick their heads inside. But the cats? Not so much as a tentative paw.

So we tried to entice them. The box was initially filled with their usual Purina Tidy Cats litter, and we left the old manual box nearby. Still, no takers. Eventually, in the name of science (and a thorough review), I even added a small scoop of their old litter-crusted poop inside. Nothing. Finally, we removed the manual box entirely. A few days later, a notification pinged on my smartphone. Someone had used the box! I couldn't tell who, but the evidence was clear. The CS106 had earned at least one cat's seal of approval.

Another week later, the cats remain casual users. Another old manual box located in a separate wing of the house is still seeing traffic. I haven't caught either of the cats in action. But the promise of a completely hands-off litter box cleaning experience is there. It's just a matter of patiently waiting for our purrfect girls to embrace what we've affectionately dubbed the "palace of poop."

Once the CS106 finally saw some feline action, I put the technology into motion. Aside from finally getting that first notification, the cleaning cycle is definitely the best part. The litter sphere spins around, sifting clumps before depositing the mess into a massive waste drawer below it. Extra litter from the refill canister then flows in automatically, smoothing the surface for the next visitor. It's quiet, clever, and almost mesmerizing to watch. I've also triggered a clean remotely via app. If you travel frequently, that feature alone may make this device worth the investment.

The next best part was the smell control. We don't call our cats "stinky girls" for nothing. When their old manual boxes need to be cleaned, there's no wondering whether they've used them or not. But the CS106 is virtually odorless, and litter tracking is nonexistent. Cleaning the device itself has also been effortless. With the cats' limited use so far, I've only emptied the drawer once. It took under 30 seconds to pull it out, dump the clumps, and slide the lined drawer back in. The included liners are sturdy, though once I run out I'd probably switch to recycled grocery bags for long-term savings. 

If our cats ever commit to the CS106 full-time, it will be a total game changer. When I finally saw a notification of use, I felt like the cat that got the cream. The convenience factor is sky high. It eliminates time spent scooping and scrubbing, making the worst pet parent chore a hands-off solution. If your home can accommodate the size, I highly recommend this product.

I tested the homerunPET CS106 for about two and a half weeks, giving myself enough time to assemble it as well as observe both the technology and our choosy cats' interactions with it. Early in the setup process, I took everything apart to better understand how it all fit together, figure out what each piece does, and assess whether future cleaning or troubleshooting would be as straightforward as homerunPET promises. To ensure a fair assessment, we kept both the automatic box and a manual box available to our cats at all times. Usage was tracked in two ways. The app provided notifications when the box had been used and when litter needed refilling, and I conducted frequent visual checks, hoping to catch a glimpse of the cats in action. We used the same Purina Tidy Cats clumping litter in both types of boxes, keeping that variable constant for testing.

My evaluation criteria included ease of use, convenience, odor control, and maintenance. I considered setup, app functionality, noise, and the overall hands-off nature of the experience while conducting my review. Cleaning the drawer and monitoring refill notifications were also factored into my assessment, along with litter tracking around the box. I also considered the opinions of other household members as they interacted with the product. Convenience and the potential for a totally hands-off litter box cleaning experience were my main priorities. Cat acceptance was treated as a variable outside of my control. Overall, the CS106 was evaluated through a combination of daily observations, remote monitoring, and hands-on testing of its cleaning and refilling processes. 

All our reviews are completed in accordance with Reviews Policy Guidelines.