CatGenie Self Washing Self Flushing Cat Box (Not AI)

Dont take all the reviews seriously, some people expect too much and some too little. This is a long review but worth the read. Heres the scoop: 1-The cat genie is pretty much a litter box robot. I put it in the laundry room and with the supplied parts, installation was a breeze. I am a homeowner that tinkers with as much as i can to save a buck so if you dont have any experience turning a wrench or the basic plumbing knowledge save yourself the headache and hire someone to do it. My only tool was an adjustable wrench and for me, it took about 30 minutes. Going on 1 week and it is working as advertised. I took the regular litter box out today as the cats have fully adjusted to the cat genie. I still keep a regular litter box in the basement for back up incase they have to go while the cat genie is doing its washing cycle. I recommend everyone do the same. I will buy a 2nd cat genie for the basement if this one proves successful. Be weary about the food your cat eats. The cat genie does not scoop diarrhea very well. I had to help it, if i didn't a 2nd wash cycle may have been necessary. No biggy, its not a regular thing but sometimes my girls go crazy with the soft food. The cleaning cycle takes about 30 minutes and is about as noisy as my front loading washing machine. 30 minutes is a long time but I dont know how an automated machine can thoroughly clean and dry a litter box in less time or with less noise. A second box is a must. I dont have my box programed yet, i have been pushing the button to activate it a few times a day. I will eventually try the motion sensor. It looks like it uses about as much water as a toilet flush would. Looks like, dont quote me on it. 2-A very small amount of granules get scooped out and tracked out of the box. After a week its not enough to notice a difference, but be aware it will happen. My 2 cats made a bigger mess with the traditional litter so this doesn't bother me much. It is unrealistic to expect a product a cat steps in, digs in, and jumps out of to stay put 100%. Does anybody have kids? Have they ever played in a sand box or went to the beach? Sand gets everywhere. Just keep an extra box of granules and sanisolution on hand but dont over fill it or it wont dry properly. I have also seen people complain about the insides getting nasty. The cat genie sells a product that works like CLR. It cleans hard water stains, rust and lime scale. I have hard water and am used to periodic appliance cleaning because of it. Even if i have to go in and clean it by hand once every few months I will. The cat genie comes apart easily and goes back together easily. I almost expect a periodic cleaning even if there's no smell or sign of malfunction. My traditional litter box was dumped and scrubbed once a month AND I still had to scoop it out once or twice a day. It's unrealistic to expect a product to work 100% with no maintenance or upkeep. 3-The unit itself seems well built. The main part it heavy and the plastics dont bend easily. I cant speak for the longevity but in my experience with electronics and machinery, heavy and stiff are a good indication of a well built machine. Light and flimsy almost always indicates a cheaply made product. The gears come pre greased and should probably be greased periodically. Maybe the manual says that, double check before doing so but gears need lubricant for longevity and to work efficiently. Hoses and gaskets wear out, periodically check for leaks as well as damaged wires or electric cord. The cat genie is essentially another appliance, treat it the same. 4-I see people who have a champagne taste but are on a beer budget. The cat genie is expensive as are the granules and sanisolution. It stinks, but i will pay it so i dont have to scoop poop. If that bothers you i advise you to find another litter box. Just dont bash a product because it doesnt fall within a certain budget. Lastely, for anyone that made it this far... if you have some extra money to spend and dont wanna scoop litter anymore than give the cat genie a try. Again, im only on week one but love it so far. It comes with a 90 day return policy and a 2 year warranty which is good piece of mind. If it broke after 2 years than i will replace it. However as a somewhat expensive appliance and with proper upkeep, I expect it to last longer. This is my opinion after just a week. I will update my review if necessary.

I purchased this after looking at it popping up in my Facebook ads for several weeks. I was initially turned off by the price, because it seemed significantly expensive. I ultimately chose to go with the unit based solely on my dislike for cleaning the litter box (I am generally the only one in my house that does it). I was worried that the cats might not take to the unit, however after reading the information from the acclimation guides I decided I could likely get past this. Upon receiving the CatGenie, which came several days ahead of the quoted lead time, I unpacked it immediately. and set it up with just the sidewalls installed surrounding the bowl. I purchase the unit with the full dome and door, but in an effort to get the cats acclimated I have the dome and door off. Considering there is no significant cast off of the "litter" I may not end up using them. The sidewalls provide enough protection against knocking material out. I had a mat from my old litter box that I used in front which catches the minimal loss. Setup was easy with the included connections. I had a floor drain in my basement where I used to have a shower that I opted to drain the unit into. I raised the tubing behind the unit approximately a foot and attached it to the wall with a clamp. The fresh water line I used the included connector and attached it to the line from the stationary tub. Upon starting the unit initially I turned off the automatic cleaning cycles, and ran a manual cycle to see how it operated and to ensure I had set the unit up correctly. It ran through the first time with no issues. I opted to remove the old litter box upon installing the CatGenie, and monitor the situation. My two cats both immediately started using the unit, and for the first few days I manually ran the cleaning cycles to ensure the cats would not get spooked by the operation. A couple days in one of the cats came down during a cleaning cycle and sat there watching it so I chose that as the opportunity to enable the "cat activation" mode, since this would ultimately double the lifespan of the cleaning cartridges. The cats have used it without issue since this point, and seem to be enjoying that they always have a clean area. The scent of the fresh scent cartridge was fairly strong, and my wife is sensitive to smells so we did end up ordering the scent free cartridges to use a few days after getting the machine. I ordered through amazon, and did not have the option to choose to get a scent free cartridge with the machine. After changing the cartridge it took a couple cleaning cycles but the smell from the original one is gone. Ultimately since installing, I have not had any odor from the basement where the litter box used to generate a significant amount before. Even better, I don't have to clean the litter box at all. As soon as the cats go the box cleans 10 minutes after and the waste is just gone. I am exceptionally happy with the purchase, and honestly wish I had not waited as long as I did.

This cat potty is great. We have the litter box in our basement. I used to have one that scooped out after every use and that worked well enough. The thing is I am getting older. The bags of litter seemed to get heaver and heaver and both of my cats potted on the same side of the box. If I didn't go to the basement almost every day to shift their business to the other side of the holding box one side was overflowing onto the floor and the other side was empty. I was very doubtful when I saw this as well as the price but it is worth it. I had my knee replaced last year and couldn't go down the steps for several weeks. I purchased this unit about a month before the surgery and when ever one of my kids would stop by I would have them check on it. NO problems!!! About January this year it stopped on me but I called the help line and the woman was so nice. She talked me through what to take apart, what it should look like and when we got down to the problem it was my fault. No she did not say that but it was. I had no idea how often to do a maintenance check. I have two cats using it and one is a long hair. There was hair wrapped around propeller that breaks up the stool. When we got done she said if I get stuck when I do anything to call again. It's just the best. Okay I need to update my rating. In February the Genie stopped working. I had just done a maintenance check around the new year so it puzzled me. But I lifted the 'brain' out and went to set it down beside the unit and water started spraying every where. I had to get the shut off valve turned and it took a while but I finally got it shut all the way. The only thing I could think of was when I put it on (almost 2 years ago) it was not flush and had worked it's way lose. So I unscrewed it and screwed it back on. Then I proceeded to check the working part of the unit. There was really very little build up of hair on the properer so I checked the other things they had told me about but I could find nothing wrong so I put the brain back on and plugged it back in. It did it's beep thing then the lights went off. I unplugged it and tried again. First beeps then nothing. So I called for support. They called back and I went through everything. After we went through some more things the gentleman I spoke with said I might have gotten the processor (brain) wet and to set it up right out of the unit for at least 36 hours. I tried that but still nothing so I set a fan where it would blow on it for another 24 or so hours and tried again. Still nothing so I called them back. I spoke to a woman this time and went through the whole thing and was told that they would send me a new brain unit and all I had to do was take a picture of the back showing I has not tampered with it and when I got the new one send the old one back. Up to now I still have no problem with them. But then ten or fifteen minutes after I hung up she called me back and said that there was a new policy in place that if it was in the last three months of the warranty I needed to send it in and they would repair it. So I did that and I finally got it back. I hooked it up, slowly checking for any leaks and then plugged it in. It did its beep thing then went off. I made sure it was sitting all the way down and tried again . It took me three tries to get it to stay on and then it wouldn't set. I finally got it to set correctly and checked on it every day for a week. Every thing seemed good so I just glance on it when I did my wash. Then late last night, March 30th 2022, I heard it beeping. I went down this morning and there where no beeps one of the lights was flashing, not the error light. I reprogrammed it and waited but it seemed okay. The thing is that it is so close to the end of my warranty by the time I can figure out if it's doing any thing it will be out. Because in the end I could not find any thing wrong I don't know why it through up an Error and stopped to begin with. They said that they will not sell the processor by its self so that means I will have to purchase a whole new unit. I may get another one if it dose go out but if that one only lasts the two years I am hopping there will be a knock off I can try at that time. It's a good product unless it only two years. I'll keep you updated. August 2022 - Well it's been 5 months and my cat potty has had problems after they "Fixed" it. I will hear the alarm beeping and go downstairs to find the potty half full of water and stopped. After trying all the checks, I unplug it and plug it back in and it starts back up. The worst thing is I may have to give it up. Feeling I should have shut the water off when it got wet (that started this) I was willing to woman-up and buy a new one but I just checked and the price has almost doubled. I'm not sure I can pay that. The reason I removed the brain to begin with was I thought it needed cleaning. After I got the water under control I did check the rotor and it was not that dirty. So if it was going out to begin with at the time it got wet do I dare pay double for it to happen again in two years? I'll have to think on that.

When I look back on all my years on this world, this product may be one of the most life-changing things that I have ever encountered. If I had my choice of the Cat Genie or a time machine, I would probably choose the Cat Genie. Actually, scratch that. I'd take the time machine so I could go back and buy a Cat Genie much sooner in me and my wife's stint as pets for our mostly benign feline masters. Let me say at this point that I do not like scooping cat litter. I am highly allergic to cats, and the most allergen-rich part of cats is found in the things that come out of cats. I wore a industrial grade air purifying mask when I did it, and my eyes still watered. If you are NOT like me, and you DO enjoy litter box maintenance, then you and I are not likely to see eye-to-eye for the rest of this review. The Cat Genie is expensive. I'm not talking about the unit itself, although it is not a small investment, either. I'm talking about the solution and the granules for the continued operation of this fabulous, life-changing product. It's a bit like buying a BMW before they started including the maintenance when you purchased the car - your total cost of ownership was going to be a nasty surprise when you learned how much maintenance was going run. For the Cat Genie Miracle Feline Toilet, this takes the form of two things: granules, and solution. In order for the Cat Genie Magical Waste Elimination Contraption to function properly, you must have the granules. The granules are what replaces litter. They are either made out of really ordinary little pieces of hardened plastic that are perfectly sized for the operation of the product, or they are made out of clusters of anti-matter that naturally are attracted to any portion of your floor that is made of traditional matter, except that the matter/anti-matter union doesn't self annihilate until you accidentally step on one of the pieces with your bare foot. This stuff gets everywhere, and it HURTS when you step on it. The nice thing is that the granules are re-usable, so when the Cat Genie Waste Elimination Engine flushes, these granules are washed clean, sanitized, and ready for another round whenever your cat returns to deliver another round of punishment. The solution, which comes in a convenient cartridge that is specially designed to (A) cost a lot of money and (B) render your Cat Genie Kitty Tinkle Teleportation Automaton inoperable if it is not inserted or it becomes empty. This solution comes in scented and unscented varieties. Our masters do not seem to have a preference, although some other reviewers indicated that their whiskered overlords were averse to the smell of the scented variety. I'm pretty sure this solution is made by collecting and concentrating the tears of angels, probably while they are scooping litter boxes in the great beyond. The people at Cat Genie are very proud of this solution, but they are willing to part with it. All you have to do is pay them a lot of money. Focusing on the operation, we have our Cat Genie Trans-Dimensional Poo Gateway installed with the water line in being hooked to a sink cold water line at the valve, and the waste line is hooked to our washing machine discharge drain in the wall. The installation took less than 30 minutes, all told. I actually have our unit sitting inside a cabinet in our laundry room with some ventilation holes and a small air purifier fan providing good circulation. The device does get hot, which I can only assume results from the forces of evil that are being combated as the universe attempts to prevent you, as a custodian for such cute, fluffy creatures, from getting out of the cosmic trade-off of litter box cleaning. This battle isn't just hot, it's noisy! You can hear the infernal forces of the underworld storming the walls of the Cat Genie Bastion of Light and Goodness, and it sounds like WWWRRRAAAAAAAAAAA WWWRRAAAAAAAA WWWRRRAAAAAAAAA. I should also warn you at this point that during the onset of this mighty battle, one of the weapons deployed by the demonic forces has a strong and unpleasant odor. It does not smell like the kitty by-product being removed, but rather something more nefarious (and possibly on fire). After their initial volley, new tactics are employed, and the smell fades quickly. The demonic horde seems to grow tired after about 30 - 45 minutes of besieging the unit, once they realize that all of the naughty stuff has been liquefied and flushed away. Noiseless, odorless, a quiet peace descends upon the land, leaving all who experience to contemplate the joy of living in a world where litter boxes need not be scooped. Conveniently, the forward-thinking people at Cat Genie have incorporated a way for you to schedule these little Armageddon sessions depending on how many feline masters you have, your tolerance for the wails and lamentations of the end of days interrupting your quiet time, and how badly you want to conserve the angel tears that you took out a second mortgage on your house to procure. Lastly, I want to let you in on something mysterious about the initial setup of this miraculous device. Included with it will be a small rubber bouncy ball. At first you may think, as I did, that a toy was included to placate the soon-to-be users of this sophisticated and beneficent system. You are wrong. This small ball is actually the Orb of Atonement. It is an integral part of the karma-cheating drive within this great engine. The only malfunction I have experienced from this nearly flawless machine is when I mistakenly allowed one of the occupying commanders to play with the Orb of Atonement instead of inserting it into the Chamber of Secrets. YOU MUST INSERT THE ORB OF ATONEMENT INTO THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS. Skipping this step, even in innocent ignorance, can have dire repercussions in the future. Is it magical? Undoubtedly. Am I a little bit afraid of it? Sometimes. Would I purchase one again? Yes.

Our cat used to be an outdoor cat, and he did most of his business outdoors as well. I hardly ever had to worry about taking care of the litter box. Unfortunately this changed, when we moved in our new house in another state. I was not able anymore to let my cat "run wild" and thus the litter box use increased. The stench our cats business left in our ranch-style home was terrible, despite me cleaning the litter box at least twice a day. After some detailed research I decided to get the Cat Genie. In general it is a neat gadget. What cat-owner wouldn't like a self-cleaning litter box? It does it's job very well, and the manufacturer's customer service is amazing. Their reps are friendly helpful people, there are no overly long waiting times, and they actually do call you back, if they say so For me the cons are mainly two things: 1. I find the granules (litter) all over my house. There is not a place in the house where our cat doesn't drag it. If you like to walk barefoot, it can a tally be pretty painful to "find" the granules. At the moment I am trying to solve this problem by laying out good litter-trapping mats, and we'll just have to see. 2. My cat scares very easy and is scared to death of the automatic scooper. Every time he goes into his Genie, he tries to make sure not to come close to the scooper. This in turn quite often leads to "accidents" where his excremental end up halfway in and halfway out of the box. I think it would be a good idea to cover the scooper with some kind of a flexible door, like a mini "garage door style door that only opens and shoes the scooper, when the cleaning cycle starts. That definitely would save my cat the horror of using his Genie, and it would save me a lot of cleaning. I did buy the dome attachment so he wouldn't see the mechanics, however, he refuses to use it at all when the fine is on. Overall I think that this gadget has a great concept with room for improvement. Update 04/07/16 After I had this device for over a year now, there are unfortunately more "cons" to be observed. 1. For reasons unbeknownst to me this device mashes cat poop during the cleaning process in such small pieces that they fall through the grabber and are NOT removed from the litter! The nasty after effect is that this leftover poop is literally "baked" in the device and makes our whole house stink so bad, it's literally nauseating. The only way to fix this problem is to put some gloves on, put a clothes pin on your nose, and pick out the tiny, hard-baked poop pieces with your hands, and run another cleaning cycle! If that doesn't seem to be an option for you, you have to dispose of the very expensive granules completely, and fill the genie with a new pack! This however, leaves me to new problem number 2. 2. Since it is almost impossible to get supplies for this device locally, I signed up for the manufacturer's "VIP" program, which is in general a neat program to save you quite some money in purchasing these supplies directly there. This, however, only works if technology doesn't get the best of you. Just recently I had a literally mind-boggling problem with said subscription. My bank account showed 3 pending charges of $52.00 each from Petnovations, while my my Petnovations account showed a cancelled subscription for non-payment. While talking to Petnovations their rep told me that my plan was cancelled because my bank disapproved the charge. I was also told that they tried it 3 times. Upon discussion with my bank, who provided me with the 3 APPROVAL codes and the time stamps for each transaction, it became clear that someone obviously has a bug in their system, and it was not my bank. Even so customer service tried to help me out, by telling me to order a new box of granules on Amazon (not available for prime, so shipping was charged), and they would look out for the order and ship it asap, as they did; no one at Petnovations was able to provide me with a permanent solution for my problem. My bank removed the 3 pending charges upon my request, and Petnovations told me that they would discuss the problem with their boss upon his return to the office, and contact me as soon as they have a solution for the problem. Well I haven't heard from them yet. They did activate my subscription again at least, and I probably have to wait for the next subscription shipping date to see, if they were able to fix the bug in their system. IMO if the boss is the only one in a company that knows how to work their accounting system and adjust it, we are talking about bad management that also affects customer satisfaction negative. I am pretty p.o'd that I was crazy enough to buy a such expensive gadget without the appropriate support by the manufacturer behind it. This is also the reason why I changed my review to a one-star review. I bought because I thought it would make my cat hygiene easier, which, due to the problems with baked poop, extreme littering of the granules through my entire house, and problems with supplies, is unfortunately not the case! IMO the developers of this gadget need to step back to the drawing board and implement some serious improvements technically and accounting wise!

Purchased 3-16-16 I am going to give it 4 stars for now as I have only had it up and running for 4 days. Unpacking was a breeze and the quick set up guide was also a breeze. I have yet to read the in depth manuals. I am all about instant gratification and the Cat Genie doesn't disappoint there. It requires NO tools to assemble (wrench for water valve maybe) and is together in a few minutes. I also didn't follow the guide for the cats. I Placed them in the Cat Genie The older cat used right away. The younger one would go in and play around but not use took several hours for him to use. They are very curious about it when it's cleaning but haven't dared to enter. So far I LOVE it, life changing. it has given my more floor space. I think my cats enjoy it as well. They had timed themselves so they both get a clean box (I scooped twice a day) this way they both do and once I set up the auto wash they will always have a clean box. The only down side I can see now is the control buttons are exposed. My cat will climb on the back and I am concerned he may press the buttons. Also I will have to read about the pellet replacement as they still track litter out with them. I have gotten a mat that prevents tracking but they are still removing pellets. I will update if anything changes. But so far I love love love this Cat Genie. ****** UPDATE***** I have had the Cat Genie for over a year now. I still love it and it is still life changing. That is not to say I haven't encountered a few issues. 1. The litter I have one cat that kicks so the Dome is a MUST I also have one that shoots out of the Genie like a bull released from the chute. So a good mat is a MUST I use The Black Hole mat at the entrance works well but just not enough and not so comfy to stand on. Now that's the issue, cats tracking the hard plastic pellets all over the place and they hurt when you step on them. Gross also as you're not sure how clean they are but if you think your cat didn't track the other litters you’re dreaming and I am 100% certain that litter is filthy. The difference is that litter breaks down to dust and is then ground into where ever it was. The Cat Genie litter stays as is so you can vacuum it up. I recommend getting a mat that separates their paws like the black hole mat, I am now using an carpet runner system with mats the black hole mat is first, then my old one Easyology Premium Cat Litter Mat, followed by my bath mat. This seems to work best for me. I also keep a carpet sweeper near the entrance to the laundry room to sweep up as I go in to prevent further tracking. you don't have to scoop daily but you can still sweep. Bottom line is nothing in this issue is unfix-able. It's also better than the alternative of scooping litter and all that goes with it. 2. The odor issues. I have read all the complaints and I can concur there is nothing quite like the fresh scent of hot air dried poop. I have had to take mine apart twice now to clean it. Between my hair and the cat's hair the hair cutter just can’t keep up. Taking it apart and putting it back together is easy enough. I was not real consistent with the maintenance so that's on me and I don't think having to clean a toilet twice in a year is so bad. I deep cleaned the regular litter box more than that. So bottom line is I still love it, I am going to set up alarm reminders to do the maintenance with regularity to see if it prolongs the cleaning time but again I think 1 clean every 6 months isn't horrible. ****Update July 2018 **** Ok I have had the Genie for 2 years now and I still love it!! I solved my issues with the odor by doing regular maintenance. In my case that just means running the Genie once in a while when it doesn't need it. Sometimes I have a maintenance cartridge and I do the full maintenance and other times I just press start for a clean. I have had it set up for a year and I haven't had to take apart once, also no odor issues as the genie is bone dry when done. If it broke tomorrow I would buy a new one ASAP it's a life changing product for me and my 2 cats as well. They take turns using it so they both always have a clean litter box to use. I highly recommend this product and they gave me nothing to do so. ***** Update **** 12-26-18 I am still using and loving my Cat Genie, I use the maintenance cartridge regularly. I have added the Paw mat from Cat Genie and it has helped with the litter tracking issues. Over all it’s been two years and I would still buy another if mine broke tomorrow.

*******UPDATE 6/22/22******** I still have the unit. I did have to take it apart again a few months ago to give it a deep cleaning. It still works well. It will run anywhere from once to three times a day. I am very happy with this purchase. *******UPDATE 6/30/17******* So far so good! I did have a significant water sensor issue that required me take it apart but all that was needed to do to fix it was clean and wipe the plastic water sensor down. I gave it a good cleaning. I was fortunate that the hopper wasn't sewer like as many have mentioned. I have nothing but great things to say about the Cat Genie and I recomend it to everyone who has a cat(s). *********UPDATE 11/27/2016******* ONE YEAR UPDATE This weekend marks the one year anniversary since putting the Cat Genie in service. I have this product rated 9.5/10. Our experience with it has been positive. I have followed the manufactured suggested use and maintenance program as well as added some of my own ways of cleaning it and it has worked very well. I have purchased two additional regular Sani-solution cartridges and one deep cleaning cartridge during the year. I am on my third one for the year. I use the deep cleaning cartridge ever 4 months. I have had to add granules twice in less than a year. My C.O.O for the year was about $90 for supplies. I used the world's best kitty litter which was about $12 for a 5 pound bag. I would use a bag every 4 to 6 weeks. I am factoring the cost of an estimated $25 a year for water and electric and spreading out the cost of the Cat Genie over a two year period the unit is costing me about $20.33 a month. Well worth it! I did have a water sensor issue 6 weeks ago. I found this issue was resolved by switching the water supply from cold to hot and using some Clorox cleanup and the deep clean cartridge resolved the issue without having to take the unit apart. I also noticed it was starting to smell. Once I switched to the hot water supply the unit does not smell and is cleaning up better. I noticed that the overall operation is better too. I was worried that the hot water would damage the unit, so far that has not been the case. I highly recommend if setting this up in a laundry room to use the hot water tap. ******UPDATE 8/17/2016****** So far so good. My cat Genie continues to work well. It runs one to 4 times a day. I use the recommended sani-solution deep cleaner ever 3 to 4 months and a cartridge of sani-solution is lasting roughly 6 months. Every now and than if I am walking by during a cycle I will spray some Clorox clean up in there as well. Everyone I have shown it to is amazed by it. It changed my life and saved my relationship! This thing is worth every penny. I have one cat and it runs about 3 times a day on average. I started using it the week of Thanksgiving 2015 and as of today February 29th 2016, I haven't had to change the sani-cartridge. About once a week when it's running and has water inside it I will spray it with a good dose of Clorox cleanup. It really freshens it up and keeps the water sensor clean. Other than that I haven't done anything. Easy to put together and easy to maintain (so far) My cat loves it. I did purchase the sidewalls as well and it helps keep the granules in place. I will update this review periodically.

Update 11/2/17 - I decided to update my post. I have had the CatGenie since July 2015 (or a little after as thats when I purchased it). Last night it was making a strange noise. Then an error message came up. It’s 11PM! Great! So I mess around with it. Nothing. I take it apart and clean it some. Put it back together. Nope! Error again. Long story short at 12:45AM I get out the old standard litter box and fill that, unplug and CatGenie and leave it! Fortunately I had litter for the old style litter box!! Day 2 - Husband disconnects it. I get out the rubber gloves, cloth, dish soap, and scrubbing brush. Cleaned the entire thing which you may know is totally nasty toxic waist!! I’d rather scoop than clean this thing! First of all, I’ve used the cleaning solution as stated and this thing should not be so nasty. If I had a hazardous material (haz mat) suit with air mask I would of warn it! This is not the first time I’ve cleaned this thing either! I have too about every 3 months! An hour and a half of scrubbing every nook and cranny and it’s sparkling! I found litter pieces everywhere in this thing. It was in the bottom black gear section of the processing unit! HOW DID IT GET UP THERE??? It’s under the pan that spins, a ton of it down where the poo goes and under that poop slide! Again HOW DID IT GET UNDER IT?? Not to mention all around on top where scoop is and some under the litter pan. There was poop goo on the outer sides of the poop slide. Gross! HOW?? It was just plain nasty! Matter of fact, there was poop goo in places I did not think it could even get in. All parts looked fine once I cleaned the goo off. Matter of fact, it looked brand new! Long story short - 1 1/2 hours later I have it back together and it’s quieter and working great for about 2 minutes! Once the water went it, it’s back to grinding and not turning smoothly! Ugh! I’m guessing the poo goo has gotten up into the processing unit and it’s either clogging it or killing it! I cleaned goo around that bottom gear and litter was stuck to the gear but I didn’t want to take that all apart. It shoudn’t even be up there anyway! Of course, it’s 3 months past the warrantee. Figures! I’ve spent about $710 in two years on the litter box with accessories, cleaning solution, solution for litter box, and litter, not including electric which I don’t think is much. I used to go through a scoopable box/bag of litter once a month, maybe every two weeks. So, cost for two years of using a regular litter box and scoopable litter (buying it every two weeks) for two cats cost me about $520. CetGenie is not worth it. So, if it dies I’ll call to see how much part it but from what I’ve read it’s $100 for them to look at it (so must have to send it back - a total pain) and then whatever it is to fix it. I’m thinking CatGenie may be going to the dump. So, based on the fact that you DO HAVE TO CLEAN IT every 2 months (if you want to clean off less goo) to 4 months (that’s how long I waited this time and it was really nasty!) even using the cleaning solution, the solution for washing the litter mixed with the poo goo does stink (doesn’t matter if it’s non scented or scented), and 3 months out of warrantee and its sounding like it’s dying I changed from 5 stars to 3. I will still give 2 stars because you don’t have to scoop and one star because you can buy a door to fit on the dome top but that’s it! To be honest it’s not worth the money when you can buy other automatic litter boxes that scoop for a lot less money. Some you can use whatever litter you want in some of them. Two years in and I’m disappointed in the CatGenie. 2015 - I have a lot to say here. First of all I have read many posts on this product. Some good some not. I have spent a year looking at different products to try to get rid of scooping my litter boxes! When Amazon had their "Black Friday" early I took advantage of the sale and bought this. First of all, I have one big complaint in that we had a heck of a time getting it hooked up. The fittings that came with the CatGenie did not fit out toilet! Went to various hardware stores and NOTHING! Finally called tech support and despite the person sounding a bit annoyed (some training in how to speak to customers would be recommended) she did tell us to purchase Universal Toilet Connectors from some web site. I forget now. I found one amazon from Watts Water Technologies. This was around $12-13 which was cheaper than the web site CatGenie recommended. The only issue with this is that it did not come with a washer that fit the fitting we needed. Ugh! We found one and got it hooked up. Now I was about ready to send the entire thing back at this point! Yeah I know your thinking - she gave it 5 stars! Why. Well here's why. We have two regular litter boxes with the clay litter. I can't stand scooping so I generally just dump and refill. I got rid of one of the litter boxes and set it right next to the CatGenie. After a few days, one of my cats (I have two) was walking around in it but that was it. The two continued using the old litter box and the other cat didn't even go near the CatGenie. It's been about a week and a half now. The old litter box I have not emptied in a week. You can imagine the smell I am sure! GROSS!! I did this on purpose to encourage them to use the clean new one! Yesterday, my one VERY stubborn and skittish cat looked in the CatGenie. This is HUGE for her! The other cat who does not have a care in the world but is stubborn did use it!! I was sooooo excited! This morning I ran the CatGenie through it's cleaning cycle. I closed the bathroom door which is a pocket door but did not lock it. Oops! The very skittish and stubborn cat got the door open. From the look on her face, it may be a while before she goes near the CatGenie. : / So, make sure if you have cat like mine you don't let her in there when the CatGenie is running. It does tend to be a bit noisy and takes about 20-30 minutes to run through the entire cleaning and drying process. An advantage to having it in my bathroom is that it warms the bathroom up nicely when it runs through the dry cycle. :) This will be a big advantage in the winter months. Not so much when it's hot out and air conditioning is off. LOL Anyway, with one cat using the litter box, I am sure the other one will eventually and they'll get use to the noise too. If noise bothers you then don't run the CatGenie at night. I am not using the settings for it to run itself. I am doing it manually when it needs it. Also, I have the scented solution and I love the smell despite some comments that it stinks. If you have sensative nose then buy the unscented. I have this too but haven't tried it yet. So here are some pros and cons Pros: NO litter scooping, did not notice much smell after my cat used it, washable litter, don't need to buy litter much, less waist in land fills, cat poo and pee go into sewer, the CatGenie is fairly stylish not ugly, Self flushing if you use this feature, has cat eyes so it won't run when cat is in there (although I have not seen this as I don't use the automatic flushing part yet), helpful customer service (despite sounding annoyed), long hoses (can be pro or con so it's in both areas), empties right into toilet (see cons), Cons: Does not have correct fittings for manufactured homes (ours anyway), Overall size of the CatGenie is a bit large (not a problem for us as we have a big bathroom), you have to buy side panels and dome seperately, no door (this would be great if it had a swinging door like other domed litter boxes to help keep smell down if you are not using the self flush feature. It would help with keeping the litter in also. - Hey CatGenie people get on this!), litter sticks to cat's paws and gets on floor (this is the same as other litter boxes) so invest in mat or small carpet square for in front of it, long hoses (as I said can be a pro or con), how it attaches to toilet - this is a problem for us right now. The toilet seat we have sits directly on the toilet. It does not have a space beneith it at all except in the very back and if I put the hose there then the lid does not stay up because the hose is too wide. This can be solved by us purchasing a different toilet seat but there is another con - needing to buy something else again! You do have to flush the toilet (not a big issue for me because I do not have it on self flush mode. I am starting it when I want and then flush after it's done running.) There are probably more pros and cons but they are subjective so I listed what I thought of and are my opinions only. Overall, I love the CatGenie and would recommend it to anyone who has cats and hates scooping! This outways any cons in my mind. I have had no problems with mine running, leaking or anything else although I am sure like any other electronic with moving parts there will be issues and I'll have to fix it. Again, I personally think the CatGenie is worth the investment and so far I love it and hope both of my cats learn to love it too. One down one to go! :)