After wrangling the cat box for my three cats for years, I went on a quest for the best automatic litter box for multiple cats.
I’ve cleaned enough litter boxes in my life to know that cat urine and feces smell worse than just about anything. Depending on the litter and ratio of cats to box, the stench can be strong enough to make the dead cry for mercy.
In our opinion, the CatGenie is the best automatic litter box for multiple cats out there – and using it means you won’t be scooping cat poop anymore.
To be honest, when we first got our CatGenie it became a household ‘event’ when the cleaning cycle ran – everyone in the house would run to the bathroom to watch it run through the cycle. The scooper-arm and waste disposal being the highlight!
And our cats love the Cat Genie too. Our oldest cat insists we run a cleaning cycle when he’s finished using the box. He glares at you, and punctuates it with a loud “Meow” until you press the Clean button!
What if you never had to scoop a litter box again?
Sounds like a dream come true? Keep reading for our extensive review of the Cat Genie.
What to Consider Before Buying an Automatic Cat Litter Box
Table of Contents
An automatic litter box doesn’t come cheap, and it should really be viewed as an investment rather than a regular purchase. Sure, you might not be buying big bags of cat litter anymore, but automatic litter boxes won’t save you a ton of money in litter, just time spent cleaning.
The CatGenie has a cleaning solution that must be purchased from the CatGenie company, kind of like how modern printers require name-brand inks to print. You’ll need to refill the cleaning fluid more often, depending on how many cats you have and how often you set the system to clean the box.
If you’re tired of cleaning messy litter boxes for multiple cats, the CatGenie might be a good investment for you. However, like all machines, the CatGenie requires maintenance to keep things running smoothly, or even to prevent ‘accidents.’
Features & Benefits
No More Scooping!
Scooping cat poop isn’t exactly fun, but it’s just a part of owning a cat. Or is it? Using a CatGenie means that you won’t have to grin and bear cleaning the litter box anymore.
You’ll have less waste too because you won’t be sticking bags of smelly clumping cat litter on the curb or in the can for garbage collection. The CatGenie’s litter-like granules are cleaned and reused, unlike traditional litter, which has to be refilled when it starts getting a bit too low in the box.
Fresh & Clean Whenever you Want
Nobody really likes using dirty bathrooms, and cats are no exception. Depending on how you program it, the CatGenie can flush out your cat’s waste every time they use the box. That means each time your cat needs to go, they’ll have a clean box waiting for them.
This is especially useful if you’ve got a cat who adamantly refuses to use a litter box that is dirtier than their liking because you forgot to clean it.
Alternatively, you can manually start a cleaning cycle yourself, or program the CatGenie to clean the box on a regular schedule.
Travel Without Worry
What’s great about the CatGenie is that you can set it to ‘flush’ when you want. The system can be manually controlled to clean, use motion-activated technology to clean whenever your cat uses it, or set specific times for cleaning. The latter is particularly useful.
You can set the CatGenie to clean itself before going to work, or before heading to the cottage for the long weekend. Using the set-time mode of the Cat Genie means you won’t waste the SaniSolution – you’ve probably experienced motion-activated sinks and toilets in airports, and know the technology can be more than a bit overreactive.
CatGenie: The Self-Washing, Self-Flushing Cat Box
Attaching to a water line (or your toilet) and plugging into an electrical outlet, the CatGenie is a little miracle box that flushes away your cat’s waste after they do their business.
After clearing away waste, the CatGenie washes the reusable plastic litter granules in SaniSolution, and then heat-dries them, leaving the box fresh and clean for the next cat. This process takes about half an hour.
The cleaning process can be motion-activated (will clean every time a cat leaves the box), manually activated by you, or programmed to clean at set times throughout the day.
With these different cleaning cycles, the CatGenie is excellent if you go to work or school during the day, or even if you’ve gone on a weekend vacation, as you won’t have to worry about your cat’s litter box getting too dirty while you’re gone.
Pros
- No more scooping cat litter! The CatGenie will clean away the waste for you.
- Your cat will be happy to have a fresh and clean box to do their business in every time.
- Can be programmed to clean manually, with motion sensors, or set times throughout the day.
Cons
- The cleaning process can take half an hour or more to complete, and it’s pretty noisy while doing so.
- The SaniSolution is expensive, and you’ll need to replace the cartridge every 2-3 months, depending on how many cats you have and how often the machine cleans itself.
- The plastic litter granules will have to be replaced eventually, as some may get flushed away or tracked around the house from your cat’s feet. Stepping on little plastic beads isn’t fun. Setting a mat in front of the CatGenie may help with this.
Alternatives to the CatGenie
PetSafe Ultra Automatic Self-Cleaning Hooded Litter Box
PetSafe’s litter box requires no daily cleaning, refilling of litter, or scooping. The special crystal litter dries out solid waste and absorbs liquids to reduce odor.
The crystal litter is also 99% dust-free and won’t track through your house via kitty paws. To clean the box, all you have to do is remove the leak-free bottom tray and dispose of it, replacing it with a fresh one.
What’s also great about this box is its motion sensors that tell you how often your cat uses it, convenient for knowing when to replace the bottom tray.
Additionally, PetSafe’s litter box is available in 2 different hood styles: front-entry and top-entry, so you can get the one best suited to your cats’ preferences.
Pros
- There’s no need to clean this box for weeks. When it’s time to clean, all you have to do is throw out the bottom tray and replace it with a new one.
- The crystal litter absorbs liquids and dries out solid waste, so it won’t stink up your bathroom or wherever you keep the litter box. The litter won’t stick to cat paws and be tracked all over the house.
- A hooded box gives your cat more privacy and keeps you from having to look at cat litter all the time. Can choose between a front-entry or top-entry hood.
- Motion sensors allow you to track how often your cat uses the box, which lets you know when it’s time to clean.
Cons
- Throwing away trays means a lot of waste in your garbage bag and spending more money. You could invest in a permanent tray that you clean and sanitize every time you empty the box to counteract this problem.
- Buying crystals from the company, like the disposable trays, will add up.
- The inside of the litter box is a bit on the smaller side, making this box unsuitable for larger cats.
LitterMaid Multi-Cat Self-Cleaning Litter Box
LitterMaid’s litter box has been specifically designed for households with multiple cats, including larger ones.
Depending on how many cats you have and how often they use the litter box, you may have to empty out the waste receptacle more often than once a week. The waste receptacle (depending on which version of the LitterMaid you buy) isn’t large enough to handle clumping cat litter or holding the waste of more than 1 cat for a week.
When used according to the manufacturer’s instructions, this box should be scoop and cleaning-free for up to a week. The cleaning rake pulls the cat’s waste into a receptacle with carbon filters to reduce odors.
To top it off, the litter box has a ramp leading to the entryway. The ramp will help catch any litter that’s stuck to your cat’s paws, so they won’t be tracking as much of the stuff around the house.
Pros
- Specifically designed for larger cats and/or multi-cat households.
- The entryway ramp will help curb the amount of litter that gets tracked around your house.
- Carbon filters will trap odors from waste.
- Significantly cheaper than the CatGenie.
Cons
- The cleaning rake doesn’t go down far enough, missing some waste.
- The motor runs loudly while cleaning.
Conclusion
Cats make excellent pets, but unfortunately, their litter boxes smell and need to be cleaned often.
Automatic litter boxes like the CatGenie do most of the dirty work for you. You can program the CatGenie to flush itself clean and heat-dry all the reusable litter granules whenever you want, so your furry friends will always have a clean and dry place to do their business.
The CatGenie is unique because it connects to either your toilet or a water main in your house to clean itself, but other automatic litter boxes exist. PetSafe and LitterMaid’s automatic litter boxes use cleaning rakes and waste holding receptacles to clean themselves. Still, they get dirtier faster and require a little more human management than the CatGenie.
Though the CatGenie is expensive, not having to scoop cat litter every day for all the cats in your family is worth it.
If you decide to invest in a CatGenie or one of its alternatives, we hope you and your cats will be enjoying cleaner litter boxes and reduced odors!