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Whisker has done this once before with the Litter-Robot 4 but that accessory was clearly designed after the Litter-Robot, requiring the replacement of the entire top of the robot, plus the installation additional parts. Litter-Robot 5, on the other hand, was designed with the LitterHopper in mind and that shows both in installation and use.

So What Is it?

It should come as no surprise that Litter-Robot 5 LitterHopper is for, well, kitty litter. It automatically monitors and refills litter to keep the robot’s litter at the optimal level. It holds a little more than 17 cups of litter and works with just about any type of litter, from clay to natural (though Whisker does recommend options for best results).

It clips on to the back of the Litter-Robot 5 and 5 Pro in a two-step process. Just remove the back panel and place the LitterHopper onto the unit. That's it. Once installed, the LitterHopper automatically maintains the litter in your robot at or just below the MAX fill line inside the globe, using the OmniSense Detection system of the robot.

How Is It Better?

Just installing the LitterHopper onto the Litter-Robot 5 is a better experience. Since the LitterHopper key is pre-installed in every Litter-Robot 5, installation is toolless and hassle-free. With the 5's integrated support foot, there's no kickstand to install and afterwards you don't have to figure out what to do with the leftover bonnet. The entire process takes less than 10 minutes.

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The hopper itself is larger by 32%, holding 4 more cups of litter than the LitterHopper 4, which means less hands-on time with your litterbox. It also integrates with the Litter-Robot 5's screen, giving you realtime updates (though if you're the type that stands there and watches your Litter-Robot cycle, you might be missing the point of a "hands-free" system).

Does It Work As Advertised?

In a word, absolutely. As long as things are properly calibrated, you can walk away knowing that the litter in your Litter-Robot 5 will stay at the perfect level for as long as there is litter in the hopper. Obviously, that time frame will vary based on how often your cat uses its litter, how many cats you have, what kind of litter you're using, etc. Personally, I know that I can leave the house for a week and my cat sitter doesn't have to even touch the Litter-Robot, unless they're feeling magnanimous and want to empty the waste drawer.

There’s one caveat, however. If you don’t have your litter level calibrated to the MAX line in the globe prior to installing the LitterHopper, the calibration won’t be correct and the LitterHopper will dispense too much litter each cycle. The end result being that you’ll burn through an entire bag of kitty litter and dump out a ton of unused litter in no time at all (ask me how I know). To fix the issue, remove the hopper, run through the calibration steps, and re-install. Once done, everything works perfectly.

How Do I Get It?

The LitterHopper 5 is available now on the Whisker site as a standalone accessory for the same price as its predecessor at $129. It's refreshing to see that Whisker didn't go the "generational upcharge" route. If you don't have a Litter-Robot 5 yet, you can also purchase 5 and 5 Pro bundles that include the hopper (sorry, there's no hopper available for the EVO). If you're looking to get started with Whisker, there's also a handy trade-up program that'll knock $50 off your price at checkout.

I was dismayed when the Litter-Robot 5 debuted last year without the LitterHopper accessory and I'm thrilled to see that it's finally arrived. While getting into the Whisker ecosystem is an expensive proposition, if you travel, or just can't stand scooping, the 5 and 5 Pro are finally the full litter maintenance package that they were designed to be.