CatGenie Litter Box Review

Of all the amazing things you love about your cat – cleaning his litter box probably isn’t high on the list. Cleaning a litter tray is time-consuming, smelly, exhausting, and just plain gross. It’s bad enough that some homeowners even teach their cats how to use a toilet.

If potty-training your cat doesn’t sound like the best idea for you – don’t panic. There’s an alternative. Self-cleaning litter boxes are growing increasingly popular, with their unique features to allow you to simplify the annoying process of cleaning up after your cat.

Today, we’re exploring the benefits of one of the most attractive self-cleaning litter boxes on the market. The Cat Genie doesn’t just clean away waste; it also washes your litter, so you can use it multiple times. Let’s take a closer look.

What is CatGenie? Introducing the CatGenie Litter Box.

Cat Genie is the world’s first self-flush and self-washing litter box. Earning attention around the globe, the Cat Genie eliminates the need to spend your time hunched over a litter box cleaning up poop. You can even reduce the amount you spend on litter because the CatGenie washes the reusable litter granules to minimize odors. 

Most kitty parents are familiar with self-cleaning litter trays, which sift through the letter, helping you to collect poop and other waste as quickly as possible. CatGenie takes this concept to the next level, by washing away the muck, so you don’t have to. 

So, how does it do that? Simply put, CatGenie isn’t a standard litter box. Rather than using litter, you use only vet-approved washable granules you never need to change. All you need to do is add more granules when you start to run out. When your feline friend visits the litter tray, the liquid drains through the washable granules. The Cat Genie system then scoops and liquifies the solids in an odor trapping system and disposes of everything down the toilet or laundry drain.

If that wasn’t impressive enough, the CatGenie also uses hot air to dry the granules and get the litter box ready to use again. You can also choose to have your cleaning cycles run automatically, so you don’t even have to think about your litter trays.

Cat Genie Litter Box Tray: Features

The CatGenie is a simple and easy-to-use solution for people who are sick and tired of cleaning up poop (so all of us). You can set your system up to operate on its own or run it whenever you choose to save on power. One single cartridge can even support up to 120 washes. 

Features include:

Depending on your cat’s preferences, you can also apply the CatGenie dome, which helps to reduce the risk of your cat kicking the granules around. If you have a big cat, unfortunately, this dome probably won’t be much good, as it’s quite low, and the entrance is pretty small.

CatGenie Litter Tray Review: Setup

The CatGenie is not your standard litter tray. In some ways, this is a good thing, as it reduces the amount of work you need to do to get rid of cat waste. However, you’ll also have a few challenges to consider too. For instance, your Cat Genie requires more of a complex setup than your average litter box. You’ll need access to a cold-water line, a wastewater line, and electricity. 

At around 24.5 inches long, 21 inches high, and 19.25 inches wide, the CatGenie takes up a decent amount of space, so it’s worth measuring if you have enough room before you buy. 

On the plus side, setting up the Cat Genie unit once you find the correct position isn’t too complicated. Although it can be a little awkward to get everything assembled if you’re setting it up in a small space, the CatGenie slots together somewhat intuitively.

There are two adapters included with your purchase, so you can attach the hose to your cold water and wastewater pipe. You may need to consider looking into support from a plumber if you have a non-standard plumbing system.

Once everything is hooked up properly, you add your Sanisolution cartridge and the washable granules fromCatGenie.

Cat Genie Litter Tray Review: The Cat Litter

Your initial purchase of the CatGenie will come with a Sanisolution cartridge – a recyclable and biodegradable plastic box with a bag of cleaning solution. The company promises this solution is safe for your cats, similar to the substances vets use to clean the surfaces in their clinics. 

Before you run a cycle, you’ll need to insert the cartridge into the top of the processing unit, which is pretty simple to do. Next, add your Cat Genie granules to the litter bowl. Crucially, you can’t just use normal litter here. This system uses proprietary plastic granules which look and feel similar to litter.

The dust-free design of the “cat litter” is a nice touch, as it ensures you’re not going to make a mess every time you clear out your litter tray. The granules are also septic-safe and shouldn’t cause any damage to your plumbing when they’re flushed away.

CatGenie Litter Box Review: The Cleaning Cycles

CatGenie recommends using the unit in manual mode to begin with, so you can get a feel for how to use it and how often the cleaning cycle is needed. 

Once you get into the habit of using your Cat Genie, you can set it up to run automatically between one and four times a day or set it to Cat Activation mode. In the Cat Activation mode, the Cat Genie detects when a cat is present in the bowl and start a cycle timer, giving your cat 10 minutes to leave the litter box before the cycle begins.

Each cleaning cycle breaks down into three phases and runs for about 30 to 40 minutes overall. The phases are:

CatGenie Litter Tray Review: Performance

The CatGenie litter box is a pretty complex device for today’s kitty owners, with a host of features to simplify your life and make your home smell a little better. The question is – how well does it work?

During the initial scooping phase, the CatGenie is pretty effective at capturing most of your cat’s waste – but it won’t get everything. You might end up with a little bit of extra waste left behind. This also means that you could have streaks of poop left on the Genie hand, or just scattered around the litter bowl, depending on how unlucky you are.

The good news is that you won’t have to get a wipe and start cleaning, as the washing system helps to clean away anything that didn’t get picked up by hand in the first place.

Notably, the CatGenie is great at reducing the odors in your home if you don’t usually clean up every time your cat goes to the bathroom.

However, the Cat Genie system doesn’t do much to reduce smells between cycles, so you might have some initial odor to deal with. The hopper is odor protected, to help reduce any unwanted smells, and by the time the hot air-drying process begins, most of the smell should dissipate. Even if your CatGenie doesn’t get everything crystal clean, you should have no smells to worry about.

CatGenie Litter Tray Review: Ease of Use

The CatGenie Litter tray is a pretty simple and straightforward tool. You don’t have to do anything much once you’ve set the system up, as all the hard work is handled for you. You might need to occasionally remove a missed piece of waste – or top up the granules or Sanisolution, but that’s about it. 

Depending on whether you’re using the hood for your CatGenie litter tray, there’s a risk you could end up with some granules scattered around the floor. This means you will have to brush your floors every so often, and you’ll notice the granule volume going down more over time. This can mean you end up spending quite a bit on replacement granules. 

In some cases, you may also need to clean out the hopper, particularly if it hasn’t gotten rid of all the waste perfectly. This could be a pretty exhausting process – particularly if you’re trying to avoid cleaning your litter trays as often.

Even despite a few issues, the Cat Genie litter tray is extremely easy to use, and requires a lot less maintenance than looking after a standard litter box daily. You get an almost hands-off solution for cleaning up after your kitties here, and each cycle only takes around 35 minutes overall, so you shouldn’t have to deal with the noise too often.

CatGenie Litter Tray: FAQ

The CatGenie is one of the first litter trays of its kind to offer a unique solution for cleaning away cat waste. Impressive for those who hate the smell of cat waste in their home, the CatGenie could change your life, but it does take a little getting used to. Here are some quick questions and answers that might help you.

Q: How long does the washing cycle take?

The washing cycle can take between around 30 and 40 minutes to complete fully. While this probably won’t be a problem if you only have a single cat, it isn’t going to be ideal for people with multiple felines all waiting to use the tray at the same time.

Q: How loud is the CatGenie?

The team at CatGenie have clearly done everything they can to make the litter tray as quiet as possible – but with so many technologies working at once, you’re going to hear something. The sound is similar to a washing machine or dishwasher. Chances are your cats will be a little nervous about the noise at first, but they should get used to it.

Q: How much does the CatGenie litter tray cost?

Depending on whether you’re lucky enough to track down a voucher code or a deal, the CatGenie could cost anywhere between $290 and over $300. This is just the price for the initial litter box, too – making it one of the most expensive products on the market.

Q: Are there other expenses?

CatGenie promises you’ll be able to save money on your litter trays overall by reducing the amount you spend on replacement cat litter. However, you do still need to buy a top-up of special cat granules from time to time, which are also quite expensive. A single box of granules will usually cost around $25. You’ll also need Sanisolution to clean your litter trays too. One box of SaniSolution can also cost over $20 and usually manages around 120 washes.

Q: How often do I need to top up my litter tray?

Generally, you should be able to get around 2-3 months out of a CatGenie before topping it up. However, the number of granules you use will be dependent on the number of cats in your home and how often they kick granules out of the tray. Compared to traditional cat litter, you’re probably not saving any money on buying litter, but you are saving time on cleaning your trays.

Should You Get the CatGenie Litter Tray?

The CatGenie self-washing litter box really is a revolution in feline care. It’s worth consideration if you have enough money and space in your home to allow for a self-flushing solution. Probably the closest we can actually get to a fully automated cat litter cleaning service, the CatGenie can save you a lot of time and take some undesirable tasks off your to-do list.

While you will have to shell out quite a bit of cash for the CatGenie, it could definitely be worth the cost for many households. The product is great at controlling odors, and it does a decent job of really cleaning your litter, so you can use the same granules for longer. You also get the added benefit of knowing you’re not hurting the environment with your litter choices.

The Cat Genie certainly isn’t perfect. Like most self-cleaning litter tray solutions there are a few issues you’ll need to work around to really enjoy this system. However, it’s as close to an ideal solution on the market today – plus you get a two-year warranty included for your purchase, which is excellent for peace of mind.