I specifically bought this litter pan for the indent at the front under the entry stair. It works almost like a handle. It makes it incredibly easy to pick the pan up. And then the shape and high walls of the pan allow me to hold that handle and pour out all the litter in one swift easy motion that doesn't hurt my back. No one's paying me to say this, it's just that after I found this system a year ago, after over a decade of having cats and having changing the litter be the bane of my existence, I feel a need to tell someone the thing I found that works for me. And that's very specifically the combination of this litter pan and the Sift Ease litter sifter. I'd used the litter sifter before when helping a friend, but always ran into the problem of lifting her litter pan and pouring the litter being kind of cumbersome. I'm clumsy, and any litter pan tall enough to actually protect from spraying tended to also be unwieldly. I'd either kind of hurt my back doing it and also have to get closer to the litter than I'd like, or I'd make a big mess (and then have to get closer to clean it up). But I remember thinking if I ever needed to buy new litter pans, maybe I'd look for one that felt more made to pour, and then I'd get my own Sift Ease. And then I moved states and so I decided to try it. And I looked and looked at so many litter pans, and this was the only one that seemed to be able to do what I was picturing. It worked SO WELL. It still works so well. When I think of the years I spent with cleaning the litter being this big exhausting task, and now I can do it in under a minute, on a whim. I don't have to build myself up to it. I don't feel like I need to shower or I'll die right afterwards. I'm not exhausted. And I haven't made a huge mess. I've used those rotating circular litter pans, and just found the doors got stuck and they made a mess everywhere. I've used the kind where you're supposed to pan for gold every time, and things got stuck and weird and it just never worked like it was supposed to. This system just works. This litter pan and the Sift Ease litter sifter. I lift, pour, dump the grate contents in the garbage, dump the litter back in the pan. My litter lasts so much longer! I am able to actually clean it regularly! This is now a chore on the easy automatic level of taking out the garbage - simple and you can do it the moment you see it needs to be done. Instead of where it was before, more akin to pulling a few stubborn weeds, where you kind of need to plan it into your day and you feel tired and gross after. Plus, finally being able to actually sift the litter every day makes the litter last so much longer and saves me money! Of note: I also only use Arm & Hammer Platinum Clump and Seal. I used a different Arm & Hammer litter once and it stuck to the pan more when pouring. I don't know if that litter is the only one that will work, but I do know you want solid dry clumps - anything less will just stick to the litter pan when you're pouring. Anyway, if you need a simple lift-and-pour shape for your litter pan, this one can do that. It's so easy to grab by its little under-the-stair handle. Genuinely feels like it was made for it, even though I think it's actually just a happy coincidence. Combine it with a strong enough clumping litter and a good litter sifter, and you can clean your litter in under a minute. The one drawback that the negative reviews point out - that litter tends to clump under the "stair" - are true. I'm able to avoid that if I sift the litter every day (which I now am much more consistent about!), but if I miss a day, it's there. Once a month I get a new box of litter delivered, and when I do that I start completely fresh and deep clean the litter pan, including under the removable wicked stair piece. It's never been difficult during the deep clean to get those places that tend to build up, and while I'm sure a design could be made that avoids that problem, considering how well the shape of this pan suits my other purposes, I'm fine with it.
