Best Petmate Vs Frisco Top Entry Litter Box: A Comparison Analysis 2026

Both of these boxes solve the same problem: litter on your floor. The Petmate Top Entry Litter Pan and the Frisco Top Entry Cat Litter Box both make your cat climb up and drop in from the top instead of walking through a side door, and that one design choice does most of the work of keeping litter where it belongs. But the two boxes are not identical. Petmate sells for about $10 to $20 more at most retailers and ships in recycled plastic made in the USA. Frisco is Chewy’s own house brand, costs less, and has racked up over 1,400 reviews averaging 4.3 stars. Below, we break down the real differences: dimensions, weight limits, liner compatibility, and which cats should skip top-entry boxes altogether.

⚡ Quick Verdict

If price and review volume matter most to you, go with the Frisco Top Entry Cat Litter Box. It costs about $2 to $19 less depending on the retailer, and Chewy shoppers have rated it 4.3 out of 5 across nearly 1,500 reviews. Choose the Petmate Top Entry Litter Pan instead if you want a box made from recycled plastic in the USA, or if you shop somewhere other than Chewy, since Petmate is stocked at Walmart, Tractor Supply, Wayfair, and most independent pet stores. Neither box is a good fit for senior cats or cats with joint pain. Both require your cat to jump up and over a rim of 14 to 15 inches.

Analysis: Petmate Top Entry Litter Pan

This pan makes sense if you already shop Petmate elsewhere, want a US-made product, or need a box you can pick up at a physical pet store the same day.

The Petmate Top Entry Litter Pan measures 20 inches long, 15 inches wide, and 15 inches tall on the outside. Petmate hasn’t published a separate interior breakdown for this model, so plan around the exterior number when you’re checking clearance under a cabinet or beside a toilet. It’s made from 95% pre-consumer recycled plastic and assembled in the USA, a detail that matters if sourcing is part of your buying decision.

The lid does two jobs. It’s textured and non-slip, so it catches litter stuck to your cat’s paws as she jumps down. And it has grates cut into it, so that trapped litter falls back into the pan instead of building up on top where you’d have to brush it off by hand. A molded-in hook holds a scoop, and built-in handles let you lift the whole pan to dump old litter without gripping a slick plastic edge.

Price varies more than you’d expect for a single product. Chewy has listed it around $31.99 (down from a $48.99 list price), while other retailers price it anywhere from about $47 to $70. If you’re price-sensitive, check more than one store before buying.

Build Quality

The recycled plastic shell holds up fine to daily scooping and doesn’t stain or scratch easily. The one recurring weak point in owner feedback is the lid attachment. A handful of buyers report the lid loosening or popping off its hinge point after months of use, especially with a heavier cat vaulting in and out several times a day. It’s not a common complaint, but it shows up often enough across retailer review sections to mention here.

Ease of Cleaning

Scooping means lifting the lid, which pivots open from one side. The grates mean you don’t need to shake litter off the lid separately; it falls through on its own. Petmate sells matching drawstring liners, so full litter changes take a few minutes if you use them.

Availability

This is Petmate’s real advantage over Frisco. You’ll find it at Walmart, Wayfair, Tractor Supply, and independent pet retailers, plus Chewy. If you want to see it in person before buying, or you need it same-day from a local store, Petmate is easier to track down.

Analysis: Frisco Top Entry Cat Litter Box

This is the box to buy if you already order pet supplies from Chewy and want the best-reviewed top-entry option at the lowest price point.

The Frisco Top Entry Cat Litter Box comes in one extra-large size, listed at 23 inches overall. Chewy’s own product Q&A gives more specific numbers: the interior base measures 18.5 inches long by 10.5 inches wide, with an interior height of 14.5 inches. That’s the figure to check against your cat’s size, not the 23-inch overall spec, since the box tapers toward the base. It’s made of BPA-free plastic and sold exclusively through Chewy under their Frisco house brand.

The lid works the same way as most top-entry designs: textured to trap litter off your cat’s paws, hinged so it lifts for scooping, with the litter sliding back into the box when you close it. Chewy’s own support answers list the lid’s weight capacity at 33 pounds, which is a genuinely useful number if you have a large cat or multiple cats jumping on and off it during the day.

At $29.99, it’s the cheaper of the two boxes at full price, and Chewy runs frequent promotions on top of that. It’s also the more proven option by volume: it holds a 4.3-star average across roughly 1,497 ratings, and it ranks second on Chewy’s own “10 Best Top Entry Litter Boxes” list, built from review data and input from Chewy’s veterinary team.

Build Quality

The plastic feels lighter than Petmate’s pan, but that’s not automatically a downside. It holds its shape under normal use, and the 33-pound lid rating covers most adult cats with room to spare. Chewy’s customer answers confirm this is BPA-free, which is worth knowing if you’re specifically shopping for that.

Ease of Cleaning

Same lift-and-scoop process as Petmate’s pan. Frisco sells matching pan liners separately (39 by 21.5 inches), which Chewy notes will fit “most litter pans,” including this one, though you should confirm the fit before assuming it’s an exact match.

Where to Buy It

This is Frisco’s one real limitation. It’s a Chewy house brand, so you won’t find it at Walmart, Target, or your local pet store. If you don’t already have a Chewy account or you want same-day pickup somewhere, that’s a real inconvenience, not just a minor detail.

Feature Comparison

Both boxes tackle the same core problem, litter tracking, with a similar approach. Here’s where they actually differ.

Specifications Comparison

Prices and ratings change often. Check the retailer page directly before buying for the current number.

Who Should Skip Top-Entry Litter Boxes Entirely?

Neither of these boxes is right for every cat, and it’s worth saying plainly before you buy either one. Top-entry design asks your cat to jump up 14 to 15 inches, balance on a narrow rim, and drop down into a fairly tight interior. That’s fine for a healthy adult cat. It’s a real problem for:

• Senior cats or cats with arthritis. Jumping and climbing gets harder as cats age, and a box they can’t easily enter is a common cause of litter box avoidance in older cats.
• Kittens under a few months old. They may not be tall enough to reach the opening or strong enough to climb out.
• Overweight cats. A narrow entry combined with a tight interior (Frisco’s base is 10.5 inches wide) can make it physically hard for a large cat to turn around inside.
• Cats recovering from surgery or injury. Any condition that limits jumping calls for a low-entry, open pan instead.

If any of that describes your cat, a high-sided open pan or a low-entry box will serve them better than either product reviewed here.

Quick Buying Checklist

Run through this before you add either box to your cart:

• Measure your cat from nose to tail base. The box’s interior should be at least one and a half times that length.
• Check your cat’s age and mobility. Skip top-entry entirely for seniors or cats with joint issues.
• Decide if you’re ordering from Chewy or shopping around. That alone rules one of these two boxes in or out.
• If you have a dog in the house, confirm the box’s overall height clears your dog’s reach, both boxes are designed to keep dogs out, but a determined large dog can sometimes still nose the lid open.
• Budget for a liner and a compatible scoop if the box doesn’t include one.

🏆 Winner: Frisco Top Entry Cat Litter Box

Frisco edges out Petmate on the numbers that matter most to most buyers: it’s cheaper, it has far more reviews at a higher average rating, and Chewy publishes a specific lid weight limit that Petmate doesn’t. That said, “winner” comes with a real condition attached. If you don’t shop Chewy, or you want a box made from recycled material in the USA, Petmate is the better fit for you specifically, and that’s a legitimate reason to choose it even though it scores lower on review volume.

🎯 Final Recommendation

Buy the Frisco Top Entry Cat Litter Box if you’re already a Chewy customer and want the lowest price with the strongest review history. Buy the Petmate Top Entry Litter Pan if you shop in person, want US-made construction, or your cat is on the larger side and you’d rather size up (some retailers stock an XX-Large Petmate version; Frisco offers only one size). Skip both if your cat is a senior, overweight, or recovering from an injury, and look at a low-entry open pan instead.

Summary

• Both boxes use a top-entry design to cut down on litter tracking. Neither is a good match for senior, injured, or very young cats.
• The Petmate Top Entry Litter Pan is made in the USA from 95% recycled plastic and sold at multiple retailers, including Walmart and Tractor Supply.
• The Frisco Top Entry Cat Litter Box is Chewy’s exclusive house brand, priced at $29.99, and carries a 4.3-star average across nearly 1,500 reviews.
• Frisco publishes a 33-pound lid weight limit; Petmate does not publish an equivalent number.
• Petmate’s interior dimensions aren’t published; Frisco’s interior base measures 18.5 by 10.5 inches with 14.5 inches of height.
• Where you shop is often the deciding factor: Frisco requires a Chewy order, while Petmate is available almost everywhere.

Frequently Asked Questions