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PETKIT PURA MAX: a first week with three cats in Japan, with PuraMax 2 buying context

I used the PETKIT PURA MAX with three cats for just over a week: it reduced scooping, but small clumps could remain in the drum and dust needed attention.

A white Petkit automatic self-cleaning cat litter box with litter inside, featuring an entryway, small digital control display, and warning labels, set on the floor between a pet feeder and a cat tree.
An automatic white domed cat litter box rests on a wooden floor, with one ginger and white cat curled up asleep inside the chamber while another ginger and white cat watches from outside in the foreground.
A close-up view of interior curved surfaces, showing a smooth, light gray curved panel fitted against an off-white wall with subtle lighting reflections and small screw holes along the edges.
Interior view of an automatic cat litter box chamber showing a white deodorizer unit mounted on the left inner wall, a yellow warning label, and a curved red plastic sifting grate set against the grey curved interior.
Interior view of a white plastic basin or appliance compartment, featuring yellowish liquid droplets dripping down the curved wall into the central recessed area, with stray hairs and small specks of dirt on the surface.
Interior mechanical compartment of a white plastic appliance with a circular aperture, hinged access covers, and a yellow warning sticker reading 'Wet wipes are allowed for base engine unit cleaning. Running water and water sprays are prohibited.'
An overhead view into the interior drum of an automatic self-cleaning cat litter box, showing an empty patterned liner with numbered markers along the rim and pellet litter partially sifted above a curved red grate at the top.
A close-up view of the interior surface of a smooth, white curved plastic appliance, likely a cat litter box drum, with scattered small grey litter particles in the center and mechanical clips visible along the edges.
A fluffy cream and white cat rests comfortably with eyes half-closed inside a rounded white automatic self-cleaning litter box, its paws propped over the entryway ledge.
An orange and white cat curled up and resting inside a rounded white automatic cat litter box filled with litter.
A mobile app interface displaying the status and controls of a smart cat litter box named 'Smart Cat Litter Box MAX'. It shows device status indicators, a notification saying the cat is currently using the toilet, daily statistics including 64 visits and an average duration of 39 seconds, and bottom action buttons for cleaning, maintenance, emptying litter, and settings.
A smartphone app dashboard for 'Smart Cat Litter Box MAX' displaying pet usage data. At the top, stats highlight today's total visits (64 times, +13 from yesterday) and average duration (39 seconds, -10 seconds from yesterday). A timeline scatter plot displays visit durations across 24 hours. Below, an activity log records entries for a cat named Mao Mao, including visit duration and weight (e.g., 3.9 kg). A bottom navigation drawer offers quick actions: Clean Now, Maintenance Mode, Dump Cat Litter, and Smart Settings.
A mobile app activity log interface for the 'Smart Cat Litter Box MAX'.

I read many reviews and user-experience posts before buying. In the end, I bought it from Amazon Japan during a sale because of the app’s regional restrictions and after-sales support concerns. It cost more than buying in China, but I felt more reassured.

  1. Spray:

    I bought the version with automatic spraying. The spray holder inside the litter box is already the improved version: the sprayer does not rotate with the litter cylinder, avoiding the earlier version’s problem of liquid flowing back and damaging the sprayer.

  2. Does it leak litter?

    I bought the bentonite cat litter most commonly sold in Japanese supermarkets. I felt that some gaps and screw areas inside the cylinder could still let litter leak or enter the mechanism, so I used antibacterial masking tape, sold at 100-yen shops, to seal around it. A little litter dust leaked from the connection between the cylinder and waste bin. A small amount of litter also appeared in the gap between the cylinder and base, probably carried out by the cats, but very little. I also noticed a tiny urine mark, which was probably caused by the only male cat in my home; again, it was very minor.

  3. Does litter stick to the walls or bottom?

    So far, I have not seen any litter stuck to the walls or bottom. It has been very clean. The bottom of the cylinder also seems to use the improved design, like the spray holder. My cats eat Orijen food and have not had soft stools, which may also be one reason there has been no sticking. Because of my cats’ size, some pieces of poop are not sifted out because the filter openings are too large. I hope PETKIT improves this issue.

  4. Multi-cat recognition and sensors:

    Multi-cat recognition has worked without any problems. Once the cats’ names and corresponding weights were set up, it worked. The cats were recognized both when they were inside the box and when they stood on top of it. If a cat entered or approached the front entrance while the litter box was cleaning, it stopped immediately. I have not found any safety problems so far.

  5. Odor control:

    Amazon Japan did not have the small deodorizing blocks, so I used substitute deodorizing balls and activated-carbon bags from a 100-yen shop. The waste bin has a lid, and I close it after every cleaning, so I have not noticed any odor. Together with deodorizing spray after each cleanup, it smells very pleasant.

  6. Waste-bin size:

    The official capacity is said to be 7 liters. After one week, my waste bin was still not full. Since buying the automatic litter box, my three cats have stopped using the other litter boxes. After 10 days, it notified me that the bin was full and I replaced the waste bag.

  7. Consumables:

    With three cats, I need to add litter once a week. I replace the deodorizer in the waste bin as needed. The deodorizing spray can be replaced with pet deodorizing spray sold at drugstores or pet shops, and I can buy a large supply of waste bags from Taobao.

I have only used it for a little over a week, so these are my current conclusions. Before this, I used a System Toilet, which separates solids and liquids. It was also good and saved a lot of litter, but scooping and changing the urine pads were troublesome. Switching to an automatic litter box feels fantastic: I am freed from scooping completely.

Source: mer来了mer走了 · Xiaohongshu · 2023-02-15 · 小佩自动猫砂盆max使用感受多图多字. Search this Chinese title in Xiaohongshu to find the original post.

Before You Buy

Models in your region

The owner describes a PETKIT automatic litter box sold as the MAX on Amazon Japan, but does not provide a full model number. The supplied international manual identifies the PURA MAX P9902, while the current UK PuraMax 2 with PURA Air is a newer regional counterpart; buyers should not assume that accessories, app regions or support terms are identical.

Model in this review Related regional model What to know
PETKIT MAX (source unit) PETKIT PURA MAX P9902 (International English manual) The international PURA MAX manual covers the model family in this Japan-market account. The owner does not give a full model number, so the exact Japanese configuration and included automatic-spray accessory are not independently established here.
PETKIT MAX (source unit) PETKIT PuraMax 2 with PURA Air P9902 (UK) The UK PuraMax 2 is a newer same-brand option. It has an upgraded cylinder, two litter sifters, a 7-liter waste bin and 2.4 GHz app connection; accessory, app-region and support compatibility with the owner’s version is uncertain.
Model in this review
PETKIT MAX (source unit)
Related regional model
PETKIT PURA MAX P9902 (International English manual)
What to know
The international PURA MAX manual covers the model family in this Japan-market account. The owner does not give a full model number, so the exact Japanese configuration and included automatic-spray accessory are not independently established here.
Model in this review
PETKIT MAX (source unit)
Related regional model
PETKIT PuraMax 2 with PURA Air P9902 (UK)
What to know
The UK PuraMax 2 is a newer same-brand option. It has an upgraded cylinder, two litter sifters, a 7-liter waste bin and 2.4 GHz app connection; accessory, app-region and support compatibility with the owner’s version is uncertain.

What the owner’s experience does and does not establish

The owner reports successful recognition of three cats after assigning names and weights, and says the machine stopped when a cat entered or approached during cleaning. This is a little-over-one-week account, not a long-term reliability or zero-risk test. The owner also does not provide the full model number, so the experience should be matched carefully to the local listing.

The supplied manual identifies the international PURA MAX as P9902 and lists dimensions of 620 × 538 × 552 mm, 12 V and 24 W. These specifications describe that documented regional product, not necessarily every Japan-market package or revision.

Litter choice, gaps and cleaning

The owner used bentonite litter bought from a Japanese supermarket and added masking tape around areas where litter could enter or escape. The official manual, however, specifies litter shorter than 12 mm and under 3 mm in diameter, and does not present taping gaps as an official maintenance procedure. Treat the tape as the owner’s modification rather than a verified repair.

The owner saw very little litter dust, a small amount of litter in the cylinder-to-base gap and a tiny urine mark, while reporting no wall or bottom sticking. The owner also says some waste was not caught because the filter openings were too large. These observations depend on the owner’s litter and cats, so they should not be generalized to every litter type or stool consistency.

For the documented PURA MAX, the manual requires a level surface, unobstructed proximity and weight sensors, and litter at or below the MAX line. It says to turn off or unplug the unit before removing the cylinder, wash the detached cylinder and sifter, wipe the electronic base only, and dry parts fully before reassembly.

Capacity, consumables and odor control

In the owner’s home, three cats used the automatic box instead of the other litter boxes. The waste bin lasted 10 days before the full alert, while litter needed topping up once a week. This is the owner’s result under the owner’s household conditions, not a guaranteed interval for other homes.

The owner substituted deodorizing balls, activated-carbon bags and another pet deodorizing spray after not finding the preferred deodorizing blocks on Amazon Japan. The owner reports no noticeable odor with the lidded bin and post-cleaning spray. The supplied manual does not verify these substitutions. The account is not a recommendation to add scented products or loose deodorizer bags to the mechanism; use only consumables permitted by the local instructions.

The UK PuraMax 2 listing specifies a 7-liter waste bin and says storage can reach up to 15 days in single-cat laboratory conditions, with results varying by heat and humidity. That advertised figure should not be compared directly with the owner’s three-cat, 10-day result.

Regional buying checks

The owner bought in Japan partly because of app regional restrictions and after-sales concerns. For a local purchase, confirm the app region, support terms, included spray or deodorizing accessories, power requirements and the exact model number before treating this account as directly applicable.

The current UK counterpart supports a 2.4 GHz app connection and can operate preset settings without internet, although app data is not updated offline. Its listing specifies cats from 1.5 to 10 kg and a hard, level surface at least 5 cm from walls. The UK product is newer, so these details should not be silently transferred to the owner’s Japan-market unit.

The manual does not recommend cats under six months or 1.5 kg, and an open entrance plus automatic stopping does not establish zero injury risk. Buyers should follow the local manual and supervise early use, especially when introducing the machine to multiple cats.

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