Pets

I’ve simplified my life by getting a three-layer litter box with two trays and an extra one with holes so you can sift out the lumps, the litter falls into the clean tray, and then you clean the first and stack it on the bottom.

I also use the clumping crystal litter so we can scoop the crap out a couple times a day, leaving the clean litter (if you let it sit, the damp crystal litter kind of welds itself to the plastic tray, so scooping often helps eliminate that). I keep both near the toilet so it’s no effort to scoop as you’re already sitting there.

I use what’s essentially a diaper genie for the stuff I scoop, so there’s really no odor. Clean it out once a week and you’re good.

We have two cats—one huge and one tiny—and if we had room for more, I think more than one poop station would be a must.

I’ve heard from someone who went the $700 route for a robotic litter box and she complains about it a lot, not the hands-off solution she expected.

Hobbes and Pixie, my prolific poopers: