Comments on: Cat Genie Cat Box

By: Patrick Ryan

Patrick Ryan — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 23:57:03 +0000

For a device which costs as much as a low-end washing machine and has to be connected to the plumbing, the Cat Genie is very unreliable. If it were a washing machine, the Maytag repair man would have died from overwork and exhaustion years ago.

I bought mine in February of 2008. Occasionally the unit will go for a few weeks without incident, which is why I’m giving it two stars instead of one. These periods of trouble-free operation sadly come to end, and then I know that I’m in for several days of playing phone tag with customer service and cleaning the unit manually. Cat Genie customer service used to be pretty good, but now you can never get a hold of them. Every time I call, I’m instructed to leave a message. When they finally get around to calling back, it’s the next day and I’m at work. Then I call the following evening and we repeat the process.

The unit just has too many design flaws. There’s a glass tube that senses the water level, and when it gets dirty, the unit malfunctions. The impeller which grinds up the solid waste sometimes clogs, and the unit malfunctions. There’s a cartidge which contains a disinfecting solution. The unit won’t run without it. Sometimes the unit won’t run even if the cartridge is in place and brand new, because the contacts are dirty. And now the unit complains about the (brand new) cartridge and refuses to run even though I’ve cleaned the contacts on the unit and on the cartridge, and vacuumed out the compartment it sits in.

I’m fed up. I want a Cat Genie that works.

By: April

April — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:44:36 +0000

To Lauralyn:

The new cat genie actually tells you how many washed are left. As for the cleaning solution being too strong, have you tried the unscented version?

By: Lauralyn

Lauralyn — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:35:19 +0000

I have had 2 cat genies for approx 1 1/2 years. At first we had problems with clogging but now have the replacement whirly propeller that chops up the poo..so that works better. My problem with the cat genie is that when we go on vacatiion – unless someone LIVES at our place full time – and is present for every cleaning….sometimes the cat genie will not work…in that it is not problem free reliably enough to leave it on its own. It will either stop due to a “kink” or the cartridge is low…and there is no indicator as to “how low” it is…you more or less have to keep track as to when you put it in and then change it well before it is low if you dont want it to run out when you are on vacation. Also…the beep can be annoying. Take for instance….we just got home from a MD appt and while we were gone the cat genie started beeping 3 times (very annoying) and when i looked up the beeps…it said if it isnt draining….do such and such…well it was cleaned and drained etc….I pressed the button and it stopped the beep but the red light still flashed….and now i have no clue what to do. Yes they give a number and are really nice, however, they dont always answer and if you have an annoying beep coming back all the time…well you get the picture. So while we were gone for a whole 2 hrs the thing was beeping away….which then the cats will not use the genie because of the annoying beeps frightening them away….if we had been on vacation and that happened and someone never checked on them until the following day….well , heaven knows where the cats would have picked to go………………….
Anyway…all i say is, I found the other kind of litter maid a little bit more reliable….in that i felt that i could leave it when gone…. i just put it on a higher shelf so i could make the container deeper.
I am not really sure i would recommend this for anyone…the smell of the cleaning solution is a little strong too…it really overpowers the place when it runs…and for a good while after…so if they could make the disinfectant with less odor…
It is a pain in the neck most of the time…you cant just “forget about it” you always have to check on it….so what is so different about your regular litter boxes…
anyway…that is my thoughts on it…

By: Chris Flanery

Chris Flanery — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 06:03:39 +0000

I have had my Cat Genie for 2 weeks now and my two kittens have taken to it very quickly. The machine lives up to all expectations. I have experienced no clogs or other problems. The only issue was the kittens had runny stools due to age, where they were born (farm) and change in food and the Cat Genie had no problem cleaning up that mess. I would also like to say that the customer service department at CatGenie is staffed with some of the best customer service people I have encountered in a long time. They have called me back after hours and have walked me though some stepps to add extra wash cycles when the solids were not solid at all. They have been very pleasant every time I have called, returned my calls promptly and followed up with me everytime. I would not hesitate to recommend this product or company to anyone, anywhere and if you are in the area feel free to contact me to stop by and see for yourself how well this product works. Very satisfied customers!!!