How We Test

Two labels, one rule

Every guide carries one of two labels at the top:

• Hands-on tested. The product was used in our home, by our cats, for at least four weeks. The guide describes what we saw, what broke, and what we would change.
• Research guide. We have not run the product in our home yet. The recommendation is built from manufacturer documentation, independent teardowns, and hundreds of owner reports, and the guide says so in the first screen. We never describe a research-based pick as if we had used it.

The rule: if we did not do it, we do not say we did.

What a hands-on test covers

Automatic litter boxes

• Minimum four weeks with all cats using it, after a two-week transition next to the old box.
• Cycle count, waste drawer capacity in real days between emptying, and how often the sensor false-triggered.
• Noise measured at three feet with a phone meter, day and night, since some units are louder once the drum is full.
• Cleaning: full teardown and wash, timed, and how much litter ended up on the floor around the box.
• Safety: whether the pinch and weight sensors stopped a cycle when a cat approached mid-cycle. We do not stage this with a cat; we watch what happens naturally.
• App reliability over Wi-Fi drops and router restarts.

Water fountains

• Water consumed per day measured with a kitchen scale, compared against a plain bowl in the same spot for one week before.
• Noise at the lowest and highest flow, and when the reservoir is near empty.
• Days between full cleans before visible slime forms, and how many parts the clean involves.
• Whether any cat with a history of chin acne flared during the test.

Feeders

• Portion accuracy checked with a scale across twenty dispenses.
• Whether a second cat could get food out, including by pushing in behind the registered cat.
• Wet food freshness after eight hours with the lid closed.
• Battery life and behaviour on power loss.

Trackers and cameras

• Weight on a jeweller's scale and fit on our smallest cat's breakaway collar.
• Battery life with live tracking on and off.
• Location accuracy at home, in the garden, and on a known walk, compared against a phone GPS log.
• For cameras: alert accuracy over a week, false positives, and video quality on ordinary home Wi-Fi.

What we do not do

• We do not accept payment for reviews or placement. Brands can send review units; that fact is disclosed in the guide and does not buy a verdict.
• We do not publish star ratings or review counts. They go stale and they invite gaming.
• We do not invent customer testimonials. Quotes are from real owners, and we say where they came from.
• We do not make health claims. Where a product touches on hydration, urinary health, or supplements, a vet note in the guide tells you what to ask your vet.

Updates

Every guide shows its last updated date. We revisit hands-on guides when a product is revised, recalled, or when a repeated owner complaint shows up that we did not see. If you spot something out of date,tell us.