CatGenie Self Washing Self Flushing Cat Box (Not AI)

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.

Purchased 3-16-16I 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 **** 12-26-18I 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.