CatGenie Review

This latest entry is something a little different. I've never intended to write product reviews, but we've recently purchased a new CatGenie, a self-cleaning/self-flushing litter box. It's such an unusual item - and one that holds the promise of fulfilling every cat owner's dream come true: no more smelly litter boxes! - that I though it might be of interest to our readers. The basic idea with the CatGenie is that your kitty can have, essentially, his own automated toilet. No more changing the litter, dealing with ripped litter box liners, lugging sacks of clay around the grocery store, or dumping hundreds of pounds of litter in the local landfill every year. Instead of a box, the CatGenie is a programmable toilet that can scoop, wash, sanitize, and blow dry the litter as well as flush the mess away.

The trick, as it were, is that the CatGenie, hooked into the plumbing in a spare bathroom or the laundry room, doesn't use traditional litter per se, but instead uses biodegradable plastic granules. At programmed times, up to four times a day, the CatGenie will run a complete scoop, wash, and drying cycle that removes the mess and either empties into the toilet or down the laundry room drain. We decided to use a spare powder room for our CatGenie, but it's not a bother to remember to flush once a day.

The main challenge to date has been acclimating our kitties to their fancy new box. At first, I'd think the sight of a whirring, water-spraying litter box is enough to frighten off most cats. With a slow introduction and a bit of patience, we've had reasonable success so far. One of our cats seems to be perfectly happy with the CatGenie; our other cat is somewhat more hesitant - she just didn't want to use it. We discovered eventually, that she really preferred to use it only when it was absolutely clean; it's a little odd, as she never minded using our old litter box even when we were away for a few days, but cats are just a little mysterious that way! At any rate, finding out when she liked to use the box, and then setting the program to make sure the box was fresh and clean when she likes to use it, pretty much solved the problem. Your experience may vary, but a careful introduction to the new system seems to be the key to a smooth transition.

Though we are pretty happy with the results of our CatGenie experiment, there are a couple of issues to be aware of when considering whether or not to give it a try. The CatGenie does use a perfumed sanitizing solution to clean the granules, and the perfume can be a little strong for the more sensitive nose. Similarly, should it miss any pieces of your kitty's "business" occasionally, those remainders will also be blown dry with heated air along with the granules - this may produce a bit of an odor in the area for a while. To counter this, I'd recommend keeping the CatGenie in as inconspicuous a spot in your house as possible. Finally, the CatGenie will not run if the sanitizing solution runs dry, so be certain to keep spare cartridges on hand. Unfortunately, at least from my perspective, the CatGenie will beep continuously to complain that it needs a change when the cartridge empties. Hopefully, that beeping reminder will be optional in future versions, as no one likes to be awakened in the wee hours of the morning by a beeping litter box!

All things considered, I have no hesitation in recommending the CatGenie as an alternative to the traditional litter box. You can check out the manufacturer's web site for more information.