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Post by mouse on Jun 25, 2008 14:19:04 GMT -5
A few people have requested that I give a review of my new Cat Genie, so here it is!
The fact that I've always had trouble keeping the cat boxes clean is one of the main contributing factors to my 3rd-degree squalor. When the cat boxes are clean, I'm usually able to maintain my apartment at a Level 0 to 1. Bearing this in mind, I decided to try a Cat Genie, the idea being that if cleaning the cat boxes was as simple as pushing a button once a day, then I would likely keep on top of it better.
(If the mods feel this is a bit too off-topic, please feel free to move this to By-Ways. I was just working under the assumption that those who don't read By-Ways might be interested in a gizmo that helps keep things clean).
All right, here goes.
The Good
The Cat Genie was stupidly easy to install. I had to borrow a pair of pliers from a neighbour, but otherwise I set up by hand in about fifteen minutes. No muss, no fuss.
The Cat Genie is stupidly easy to use. I press the button, it goes clonk-clonk-clonk swoosh-swoosh-swoosh, and twenty-odd minutes later, the thing is clean.
I have had it "malfunction" once. It stopped halfway through a cycle and bleeped miserably at me. I unplugged it, let it sit for a while, re-plugged it, and it finished its cycle just fine.
The cats appear to have all taken to the thing within about three weeks of initial installation. I transitioned them gradually, first by moving the cat boxes, and then gradually removing all the cat boxes except for the Cat Genie. Thus far, there have been no incidents of inappropriate litter box use.
The Bad
Well, it doesn't exactly smell like heaven. It's sort of chemical-smelling, and it doesn't scoop the really small bits of cat poop. During the drying cycle, that means that the room smells a bit of baking poop. That being said, it's still better than the smell that permeated the place before, so I don't mind it nearly as much as I should.
The biodegradable granules are small and have sharp edges. The cats spread them around easily, and they are therefore painful on bare feet. I find that I have to spend a couple of minutes each day either sweeping or vacuuming. Again, I don't find this to be much of a problem, given the alternative.
You have to have an electrical outlet close at hand. The closest one to my bathroom is outside the room, and so the electrical cord interferes with the door closing. Not the end of the world, just a hassle of plug/unplug if I want the door to close.
The Ugly
The price tag on this thing is steep. The initial outlay of funds is high, but I thought it was manageable (in the neighbourhood of $250 CDN). Then it arrived on my doorstep with an extra C.O.D. charge of $40. I gritted my teeth and paid that.
Then I tried ordering new supplies (the sanisolution and the granules), and the shipping cost as much as the products. I searched my tracking ticket to see if I'm going to get an extra C.O.D. charge this time too, but can't find any indication one way or the other. The supplies (which should technically last me for a year) cost almost as much as the Cat Genie itself.
In short, this thing is NOT cost effective. It is freaking expensive. Had I known just how expensive it would be after all the hidden costs were factored in, I probably would have thought twice about buying it. However, it's here, and so far in terms of peace of mind and ease of use, it has been worth it.
~Mouse
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Post by crazycatlady on Jun 26, 2008 9:46:50 GMT -5
I don't have a Cat Genie, but I do have litter scatter. This is the BEST littermat I have ever found. It is soft enough that the cats will step on it (not jump over it flinging litter all over). And most of the litter catches in the mat.
You can simply shake it outside when it gets kinda full.
I have one small 1/2 moon one as pictured, and two larger rectangle ones that my giant litterboxes sit on. They are rubber, and machine washable. (I have never washed mine in the machine...I just shake them out, and occasionally wipe with a bleach wipe...but if a kitty had an accident, its possible to wash them!)www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2755053
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Post by hypatia on Jun 26, 2008 12:37:41 GMT -5
Thanks for the review, mouse, I was wondering how it was working out for you!
CCL, we used to have a litter mat like that, I need to get another one. It's so hard to find one that my cats won't do amazing acrobatics to get into/out of the litter box without their dainty little paws touching the mat!
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Post by tenderness on Jun 26, 2008 14:41:54 GMT -5
gasp!!!
I thought they stopped making these!
THANK GOD some other company picked it up!
I want one. I want one. I want one!
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dreamer
New Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3
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Post by dreamer on Jun 27, 2008 14:36:22 GMT -5
Mouse,
I just wanted to mention that you can buy the supplies from Amazon.com, and the shipping is free if you buy them from Amazon directly. (Third party vendors do charge shipping.) I recently bought the litter granules, and Amazon offers them in their buy 4 for 3 program, so you actually get one free box. I thought I might throw that out there, since it saves me money.
In fact, I bought my Cat Genie directly from Amazon too, during a sale last Labor Day. It was $35 cheaper than at the Cat Genie site at the time, and it included free shipping and starter supplies. Amazon does seem to put them on sale from time to time. I thought I'd mention that if someone else is looking to purchase one.
Dreamer
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dreamer
New Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3
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Post by dreamer on Jun 27, 2008 14:44:36 GMT -5
krazykatlady,
I believe that is actually a fix for folks who lose granules under the rim of the bowl, as it turns during the cleaning process. I guess some folks have had that problem, as the Cat Genie might get warped in shipping, etc. I am fortunate that it did not occur to me.
I have seen a couple of items made for Cat Genie for escaping granules. One item is a set of Cat Genie sidewalls that attach to the top of the rim, and the other is a dome for the unit. I haven't tried either one, as I have one very large cat, and I worry that he wouldn't be able to get his belly through the space allowed. I've seen those items on both the Cat Genie site and on Amazon as well.
Anyway, I just thought I'd add that, in case anyone was interested.
Dreamer
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Post by mouse on Jun 27, 2008 14:46:24 GMT -5
I have seen a couple of items made for Cat Genie for escaping granules. One item is a set of Cat Genie sidewalls that attach to the top of the rim, and the other is a dome for the unit. I haven't tried either one, as I have one very large cat, and I worry that he wouldn't be able to get his belly through the space allowed. I've seen those items on both the Cat Genie site and on Amazon as well. I'm thinking of investing in a mat or something. I have very big cats too, and I'm worried that they wouldn't have room to turn around if I got the sidewalls or dome. ~Mouse |
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my2cats
New Member
Joined: July 2008
Posts: 63 
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Post by my2cats on Jul 2, 2008 20:30:57 GMT -5
I'm considering getting a Cat Genie (I have a Littermaid now, and though my cats use it no problem, the plastic containers are pretty expensive.. more expensive than Cat Genie would be with the SaniSolution refills.)
Two reasons I am still undecided:
I kept reading about "clogs" online. When there's a clog in the hose, you have to jam the waste nozzle against your sink faucet, cup it with your hands to maintain water pressure, and push the clog back into the Cat Genie, which is then filled with watery feces and has to be cleaned. I live in a 4th floor apartment so this would have to be in the tub or in the sink. This frankly sounds like all kinds of unpleasant - I really dont want cat feces in my sink, or on my hands.
Also, the Cat Genie works by feeding directly into the toilet. Does the tube sit under the seat, and can you close the lid while it's in? One of my cats has the love-ly habit of drinking out of the toilet (yeah you know she's been in there when you find wet little pawprints, or a few grains of clumping litter stuck to the seat.. she actually puts both front paws IN the toilet). I can't think of anything much worse than having cat urine dump into the commode and then have her stick her paws in it and drink.
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Post by mouse on Jul 7, 2008 8:12:33 GMT -5
The CatGenie has malfunctioned.
It developed a clog, which I am in the process of dealing with. I have to figure a way to wash it out now, but the whole process is kind of gross.
I think the clog is due to the fact that I have been running it only once a day, and there's too much "waste" to dispose of by running it only once a day. I'll try running it twice a day after this to see what happens.
I am NOT looking forward to the cleaning process. The thing is filled with filthy water.
~Mouse
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Post by mouse on Jul 7, 2008 11:06:01 GMT -5
Gnarr. Cleaning the Cat Genie has proved to be an epic undertaking. For one, I understand why it malfunctioned: the whole system was gunked up with the litter pellets and dissolved poop that had, umm, sedimented. I rinsed and wiped everything down (the bathroom is a mess... *sigh*), and tried putting the Cat Genie back together, only to run into a problem: I can't get the bowl back into proper position, which impedes the functioning of the machine. *sigh* I'm taking a short break. I am hot, sweaty, irritated and frustrated, and thus beating at this problem is going to do nothing for me. I am going to give it about half an hour and then go back. I have to get the bathroom into minimally working order, so that I can take a shower before going to work. Luckily I still have my old litter boxes, so I've filled one with regular litter and am going to deal with the Cat Genie later if I have to. This is really annoying. It was fantastic as long as it was working. I don't know if running it twice a day will solve this problem or not. Maybe I'll have to take it apart and wash it once a month. That is, supposing I can get it to work again at all. Right now, like I said, the bowl refuses to sit properly, which means it's not functioning at all right now.  ~Mouse |
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Post by heylady1 on Jul 7, 2008 14:09:59 GMT -5
Well that's a bummer....... Sorry to hear you're having problems with it already....  |
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Post by mouse on Jul 8, 2008 9:51:35 GMT -5
Further to gnarr. The Cat Genie customer service people (when I finally got through) were very helpful, but they have to send me replacement parts. That means I'm back to regular old litter for the next week. Bah. ~Mouse
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