Self-cleaning litter box for two cats, one bullying

Litter box intimidation between bonded cats is really common, and it causes more problems than people realise — the cat being blocked often starts toileting elsewhere or holding it in, which can lead to UTIs. A self-cleaning box can genuinely help here because it cycles quickly after each use, which removes the scent triggers that make one cat guard the box against the other. That said, these things are expensive (typically £400–£600 for a good one), they need clumping litter, and some cats take a couple of weeks to trust the motion. Worth it in the right situation — and this sounds like it might be. Can I ask: is the intimidation happening at one specific box, or do you have multiple boxes already? And what's your rough budget?

That's a classic guarding pattern — two boxes doesn't help much if one cat is patrolling both. A self-cleaning box addresses part of this, but the bigger fix is making sure the boxes aren't in the same room or corridor, so Nori has an escape route and Mochi can't monitor both at once. With a £500 budget, you're in Litter-Robot territory, which is the most proven option. Before I land on a specific recommendation though — are both cats medium-sized, and has Nori always been the more anxious one, or is this a newer dynamic?

That context is really useful — a house move is a major stressor and it often reshuffles social dynamics between cats. Mochi has likely become more territorial about resources, and the litter box is ground zero. Here's my clear recommendation: the Litter-Robot 4. It's available on Amazon UK at around £499. The globe rotates after each use, depositing waste into a sealed drawer, so there's no lingering scent to guard and no reason for Mochi to hover. The opening is large enough for 4kg cats without being intimidating. I'd put this one in a room Nori uses confidently — a bedroom, wherever she sleeps — and keep your existing box in a separate location for Mochi. That way Nori has a box that feels reliably hers. Don't retire the old boxes immediately; let both cats choose to migrate.

It's a fair concern, but the Litter-Robot 4 has an 8-minute delay after a cat exits before it cycles, so Nori won't ever hear it move while she's inside or immediately after — which is the main thing that spooks anxious cats. The opening is also wider than it looks in photos. Most nervous cats come around within one to two weeks, especially if you place it in a low-traffic spot she already feels safe in. Sprinkle a small amount of her used litter from the old box into the new one the first day — familiar scent helps a lot. I wouldn't force anything; just leave it accessible alongside her current box and let her investigate at her own pace.

Honestly, I wouldn't rush to that. One Litter-Robot plus one standard box in separate locations is a solid setup for two cats and costs half as much. If things settle down and you want to upgrade the second box later, you can — but the priority right now is giving Nori a resource Mochi isn't monopolising. Start with one, place them in genuinely different parts of the house, and reassess in a month. You might find that's all you need.