It was time to replace the old smelly plastic box, I never had a stainless steel litter box before, but with 3 cats I am always on the look out for reducing litter smell and eliminate tracking. I wasn't comfortable paying so much for a litter box, specially without any reviews available at the time, however my 18 year old cat needed something easier to get in and he liked to prop his front paws at the edge of the box to do his business, so the step/catch box along with the ledge caught my attention. Unfortunatelly he passed before the box arrived. The 2nd cat is a digger and throws litter everywhere, high walls are a must with him, and the 3rd cat is normal. I was certain they would jump over the step, but they are actually using it (well, 1 paw on the way out). The top latches in place nicely, no litter flying around. I like that its open and it is easier for me to keep it clean. I use silica litter, had no problem scooping and nothing got stuck to the bottom. The scoop is cute but the slots are too wide, smaller nuggets fall through. Aside the price and scoop, this litter box is perfect for what I wanted, looks good and my kittens got used to it very quickly.