Rotating drum~$500PETKIT
PETKIT's camera drum puts a 1080p, 210-degree lens beside the entry and claims it can tell up to 15 cats apart, even two of similar weight. Physically it is a 76-litre drum whose gear is deliberately incomplete, so the opening cannot rotate shut, backed by 12 sensors. The 8-litre bin is rated for up to 17 days with one cat.
Approx. price
~$500
maker's store, not a live price
Best for: Multi-cat homes that need cats told apart and can live with a 22 lb ceiling
PETKIT says the sensor detects cats from 3.3 lb. At the usual rate of about a pound a month, that means leaving automatic cleaning off until roughly 4 months. Below the threshold, a kitten may not register at all, and the box could start a cycle with it inside.
Detection: weight, infrared / radar, camera. The maker states anti-pinch protection on the moving part, by sensor or by design.
How minimum weights work, and what to do below them8 L ÷ (cats × 0.7 L a day). The maker claims up to 17 days for one cat, which is more generous than this arithmetic supports. Where 0.7 L comes from.
The two lists above are drawn from the maker’s own pages, manuals and prices, not from owner reports. Where owner discussion has been read it appears in its own section below, so the two are never mistaken for each other.
The Max Pro 2 is the first-generation camera drum with a larger entrance, and most of what owners report is continuity with that model: cats adapt quickly, the drum scoops reliably, and the camera and weight profiles are what people bought it for. The entrance change is the upgrade that people coming from the original Max Pro mention.
The friction is around the edges of the machine rather than the mechanism. The drawstring bags are the most discussed topic, because PETKIT recommends its own and warns that some others will not fit. Owners also report a waste bin whose plastic seemed to hold odour when used with tofu litter, one case of a standing urinator spraying into the camera housing, and app clips that would not play.
Multi-cat homes that want camera identification and do not mind buying PETKIT's bags are its natural owners. Buyers weighing it against the Purobot Max 3 are choosing between the camera and pH-litter support here and the lower entry and newer usage alerts there; those weighing it against the Ultra are paying extra mainly for self-sealing bags.
PETKIT says standard bags can be used but recommends its own for the drawstring packing, warning that some third-party bags are too thick or sized differently to attach properly. Owners who tried other bags report mixed results.
Mainly the entrance, which PETKIT describes as larger for easier access. PETKIT's own launch post says the other hardware and software features are unchanged, including meow detection and pH litter monitoring.
Most owners are satisfied, but not all. One owner in a small bathroom found the smell unbearable within days despite fitting both odour modules; another noticed the waste bin plastic holding odour with tofu litter. Emptying the bin more often than the maximum rating helps.
Owners use Kitten mode while young cats learn the box, which stops automatic cleaning. PETKIT rates the drum for cats from 3.3 lb, so leave automation off until a kitten is past that weight.
The box cleans and records visits without it. Longer video history and some camera analysis features need Care+ after the free trial, which is why several new owners ask whether it is worth keeping.
Rotating drum
Best for: One or two cats under 22 lb, especially older cats that struggle with a high step
Rotating drum
Best for: Owners who most want never to handle an open waste bag
Rotating drum
Best for: Owners who use pine, tofu or crystal and do not want to switch