~Cat Genie?? Anybody have one?~$329.00

[mom_2_3]

~Okay I saw this on TV and looked up the website. It SEEMS like a great idea. Its sorta like a real toilet for a cat. Cleans and washes the litter, hooks to the side of the human toilet to dispose of "stuff" and umm I mean it looks neat but it has a pretty hefty price and does anybody know if this really works? I wouldnt mind dishing out the money even though I only have 2 cats but I want to know if anybody has one and if it actually works?~

http://www.catgenie.com/

 

[catk102]

Don't have one myself but neighbor had one.Still can't say how they work as kitty was horrified frightened out of her mind.So she is back to regular litter box but it took her a few days to quit looking at the box like the box will eat her lol.
Kat

 

[mom_2_3]

~It seems neat but only problem I would have is its LOW sides. My cats tend to sling litter EVERYWHERE when they are done...so alot of litter ends up on my floor. I HATE the conventional litter boxes because I have a messed up back and its not good having to bend down to scoop so many times a day. I like this better than the Littermaid boxes because it CLEANS and sanitizes the litter. You can set it so that it cleans at night or at a certain time so no problem with the kittys being IN the box when it starts to clean. It does have some great advantages but I wish it was alittle larger. I wish it looked more like a real toilet haha so it would blend in with my bathroom more. Im still debating on buying one~

 

[starryeyedtiger]

it seems like a neat idea but i'm wondering if there is enough space in it? my kitties like lots of room when they go potty and are notorious poo slingers

i'd be interested to know if it really works!

 

[carolpetunia]

I studied that device in painstaking detail, because it surely would be a wonderful thing if it worked the way one imagines... but buried 'way down deep in the website is the information that the cleaning cycle takes about 30 minutes. Which means you could only run it a few times a day at best, or your cats would be lining up with their hind legs crossed!

And there still might be accidents during those 30 minutes.

And that means that, in effect, you'd have an ordinary litter box sitting open in your bathroom for the vast majority of the day, and the kitties would still have to step into used litter most of the time. So the only real advantage is that you never have to scoop or carry litter to the trash.

We have a Litter Robot (litter-robot.com), which also eliminates the need to scoop -- all we have to do is open a drawer, take one bag out, and put a new one in. The only time you have "exposed poop" (so to speak) is during the seven minutes it gives the litter to clump before it cycles it down into the completely enclosed drawer.

So every seven minutes, there's clean fresh litter for the kitties, which they love, of course. Grocery-store sacks work fine, so there are no special containers to buy. No special litter to buy, either... no plumbing to worry about, and no rake to get icky and need cleaning. We've never had to do more than just wipe out the inside of the globe part of our Litter Robot with a damp towel, and that only once a month or so.

The Litter Robot is a near-perfect system, and we love it. It's more than worth the price, which is about the same as the Genie. I can't recommend it highly enough!

 

[carolpetunia]

Ah! Just read your follow-up post, Mom2-3 -- the main reason we bought the Litter Robot was because my mom and I both have back trouble, and it's helped tremendously -- because there's only one brief bendover to change the bag, not three or four minutes of stooping and scooping.

Also, I have in mind to build a platform that will raise the thing a couple of feet and provide enough room in front of it for the kitties to get in... that would make it even easier. I bet this would really help you!

P.S. -- On the litter-robot.com site, they have a lot of discussion of how to get your cats to feel comfortable with it, making the switch over a long period of time, etc. We have five cats using it as their primary litterbox, and they all took to it instantly! No problems whatsoever. Might not be the same for everyone, but it was easy for us.

And no, I don't own stock in the company. Maybe I should!

 

[mom_2_3]

~Hmm the Litter-Robot looks neat and sound like it works well but it also says cats under 5 lbs wont trigger the sensor. My cats are both very petite cats plus we have 3 kittens. Also you still have to take the top off and clean it every 1-3 months. With the Cat Genie you never have to clean it except for wiping down the outside every now and then. Im trying to compare the 2.

Cat Genie
No litter to scoop, touch, breathe, or buy
Cleans
Separates, Liquefies, and Flushes only cat waste down the drain and out of the home.
Washes, Sanitizes, and Dries its permanent Washable Granules that never need changing.

Takes 30 minutes to clean
Quiet as a purr during cleaning
Price $329.00
Is Open topped
Doesnt seem to be very large
Looks like a small version of the larger human toilet.
Runs automatic or manual but needs to run once a day at least.
Must buy Sanisolution smart cartriges



Litter Robot
No rake that can jam or clog
No special receptacles or bags
Works with any clumping litter
Large capacity waste drawer
Reliable and safe
60 day Money-Back Guarantee
18-month full warranty
$299.00 and comes in black or beige colors to match decor
Is covered
Runs several minutes after a cat LEAVES the litter robot.
Only thing you need to buy is litter

Hmm I dunno they both sound very neat. I have my good/bad opinions about each of them. I hate that the Cat Genie is OPEN because my cats SLING things out the box but the Litter Robot looks weird and my cats may not want to go IN it. They didnt much care for the covered litter box they use now. With one it cleans and washes the litter and the other you just buy normal clumping litter. With the cat genie it needs to be in a bathroom or kitchen so it can hook into a water outlet and have a place to drain the waist away. The other can be used anywhere. Im not sure Im still debating!

 

[starryeyedtiger]

Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

I studied that device in painstaking detail, because it surely would be a wonderful thing if it worked the way one imagines... but buried 'way down deep in the website is the information that the cleaning cycle takes about 30 minutes. Which means you could only run it a few times a day at best, or your cats would be lining up with their hind legs crossed!

And there still might be accidents during those 30 minutes.

And that means that, in effect, you'd have an ordinary litter box sitting open in your bathroom for the vast majority of the day, and the kitties would still have to step into used litter most of the time. So the only real advantage is that you never have to scoop or carry litter to the trash.

We have a Litter Robot (litter-robot.com), which also eliminates the need to scoop -- all we have to do is open a drawer, take one bag out, and put a new one in. The only time you have "exposed poop" (so to speak) is during the seven minutes it gives the litter to clump before it cycles it down into the completely enclosed drawer.

So every seven minutes, there's clean fresh litter for the kitties, which they love, of course. Grocery-store sacks work fine, so there are no special containers to buy. No special litter to buy, either... no plumbing to worry about, and no rake to get icky and need cleaning. We've never had to do more than just wipe out the inside of the globe part of our Litter Robot with a damp towel, and that only once a month or so.

The Litter Robot is a near-perfect system, and we love it. It's more than worth the price, which is about the same as the Genie. I can't recommend it highly enough!

wow! that litter robot looks pretty darn cool!!!!!!! so you're completly happy with it? would you recommend it to others? the litter robot II on their site looks neat! and they have a money back gurantee if you're not happy with it- i might just have to try it if i ever get the extra money! that sure would be nice!!!

 

[carolpetunia]

Gosh, I'm really starting to sound like a salesperson here, but...

You're right, you would want to let the kittens use a regular box until they're at least a couple of months old -- but our St. John was just six weeks when we first brought him home as a foster, and I'm ashamed to say that it didn't even occur to us to worry about it! We had regular boxes available, but he used the Litter-Robot from day one with no trouble at all -- by triggering it on his way out, rather than in, with the help of downward momentum.

None of our other cats, even my tiny Pearl, has ever had a problem triggering the sensor -- and we only have the original version of the Litter Robot. You'd be getting their new-and-improved Litter Robot II, which has an adjustable sensor, so you could set it up perfectly for your smaller kitties! Also, if the sensor ever doesn't get triggered for some reason, you can just touch a button to start the cycle manually.

You could even leave it off while the kittens are tiny, and just turn it on a few times a day to cycle whatever's been deposited! That would be an easy solution.

By the way, I should have mentioned that the Litter Robot drastically reduces the amount of litter you use... we buy maybe a third of the amount we used to.

And actually, you don't have to take the top off to clean it -- but even if you choose to, there's nothing to it. It's not attached in any way... you just pick it up and put it back down! It's very lightweight, too.

The Cat Genie granules are "permanent" in that they don't get thrown out the way litter eventually does -- but of course they do have to be replenished, because a certain amount gets flushed away along with the sanitizing solution. It worries me that, if the company went out of business, I wouldn't have a source for their special supplies.

Okay, I'm sitting here trying to think of something negative to say, so I won't sound like a shameless shill for the company. The only things I can come up with are:

1. There's a rubber liner around the inside of the globe, and when we first got ours, one area of that liner was not completely adhered, so I had to press it into place. It's stayed in place for two years now... no problem.

2. Every six or eight months, something happens that confuses the machine -- probably a kitty stepping on the sensor while it's cycling, something like that. When that happens, the globe stops turning, and I have to press a button to make it finish the cycle and reset itself. Again, no problem.

As for your kitties being afraid of it... they might be, certainly. But that doesn't seem to be the case for most people. And when I read the testimonials on the Litter Robot site, I noticed someone had a great idea for getting his cats used to it: he put the regular litter box beside the Litter Robot and started gradually raising it so it was level with the entrance of the globe... and then once the kitties hopped into the globe, he raised the old box higher, so it would be harder to reach than the globe! Brilliant! He also placed big cardboard boxes around both litterboxes so the difference in their appearance would be less obvious while the cats were getting used to the new one. But as I say, our cats -- even Sassy the scaredycat -- loved it from the very first day.

Okay, that's the end of my sales pitch! Promise!

I'm sorry... I just really believe in this product.

 

[carolpetunia]

Oh, hi, Starry! Yes ma'am, I do recommend it -- I can't imagine anybody not being happy with it, unless they just flat couldn't get their cats to accept it. I was worried when we ordered it, because our Dylan is such a big guy, almost 20 pounds, and Sassy is also plump... but neither of them has the slightest trouble with it. Really, you won't be sorry! We're saving up for a second one ourselves.

Also, you can get a "reconditioned" one -- meaning one that was returned for one reason or another and fixed up like new -- for a hundred dollars less, and it carries the same guarantee.

EDIT: I'm sorry, I said a hundred dollars less because I was thinking of the $329 price on the Cat Genie -- but the Litter Robot II, brand-new, is only $299, and the reconditioned ones are $229, so that's only a $70 difference.

I need to write to these people and ask for spokesperson compensation!

 

[dragoriana]

OMG! That is the funnies and coolest thing i have ever seen! It's so weird

 

[natalie_ca]

I've never heard of that before. The concept sounds nice, but I doubt it would be effective for my cats.

Both of my cats are what I call "edgers", and tend to over shoot the litter box. Chynna mainly because she's on the fat side, and Abby because she sometimes forgets to turn around and perches herself in the wrong direction.

In addition to that I think Abby would be terrified of it. It would probably rank up there along with the vacuum cleaner, especially if it was set to auto and it started to scoop and clean while she was trying to use it!

As much as I hate cleaning the litter box, I can't see spending $500.00 on a litter box either.

Also, the ad says that you never have to change the litter because it's reusable and cleaned. Yet I see a container with litter and a scoop in it. So that is a bit inconsistent to what they are saying.

 

[carolpetunia]

Me again...

I'm afraid I've confused this thread by bringing up another product. To keep things straight, let me clarify...

The original poster was asking about the Cat Genie -- www.catgenie.com

I've been writing about the Litter Robot -- www.litter-robot.com

Okay, NOW I'm shutting up.

 

[mom_2_3]

For anybody who isnt sure on how the Cat Genie works visit this for a few short videos that explains it. https://www.catgenie.com/about-catgenie/2-video-demos/

It does state that the cat genie is best for 2-3 cats so it seems like it would be perfect for my 2 adult cat household. It also has a 4 year warranty and a 90 day money back guarantee with a 3 payment plan option.

 

[tru]

I thought the Cat Genie looked like a neat idea at first, BUT....
If it takes a half hour to do it's cleaning, etc. which would kind of encourage people to not run it as often. Then you are going to have cat pee and poo sitting in the little plastic litter like beads with no odor control until you do decide to run the cleaning cycle.

When considering that, I would opt for the Litter Robot rather than the Cat Genie. I think if your cats aren't put off by a covered litter box then they would be fine with the Litter Robot.

Of course I have all I can do to afford food for my hordes of cats now so we will be continuing on in our poverty stricken fashion of meowmy being the "Robot Genie", but maybe someday..............

 

[smithjen]

I do have one (actually have had two since we upgraded to the newer model). The older model was wonderful so when it came time to upgrade, it was a no brainier or so I thought. The newer model (120) has given me nothing but problems. It has been nonstop replacement parts, speaking with techs, and finally giving up. The current issue is if the water does not fill fast enough into the bowl to clean the granules, it will error out and stop working until it is reset. Our last weekend trip resulted in many accidents on my carpets because it errors out randomly and we were not here. So I am currently looking for something different. In all, the unit itself is expensive, the cartridges/granules are expensive, constant maintenance and being out of order, and is only a 2 year warranty, not 4 like someone else previously stated. Good luck and I hope this helps.

 

[GoldyCat]

Hello S smithjen and welcome to TheCatSite

I'm sure you didn't notice that this thread is 7 years old, which means most of the information in previous posts is out of date. You might consider posting a review of the product.

We'd love to have you introduce yourself and your cat(s) in the New Cats on the Block forum.