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u/Brokenforthelasttime4d ago
Full disclosure, I have never owned a Litter Robot, but my friend does and we frequently compare the two.
With the Litter Robot, you still have to empty the waste receptacle. Also it’s enormous. And it’s more expensive than the Cat Genie, although neither option is cheap.
The Cat Genie has its downsides as well. It has to be hooked up to water, so you need to have a convenient place to put it. It’s also larger than a normal litter box, so you really need to make sure it will fit. But for convenience and cleanliness, it’s the BOMB. It uses special granules that are washable- you hook it up to a cold water line (tap into your toilet line, or washing machine cold water hookup), it runs on either a set schedule for cleaning or every time your cat uses it, it scoops up any solids, then heats the water and quite literally washes the litter granules, dries them, and all of the waste drains out either into your toilet or washing mashing waste water drain. You do have to buy replacement granules from Cat Genie, but I find my cat goes through far less litter with the Cat Genie than he ever did with any other type of litter box. The cleaning cycle can be a bit noisy, so having a place that’s a bit out of the way is helpful if you are sensitive to noise. Sound level is roughly equivalent to my washing machine.
I bought my Cat Genie about 18 months ago, when we finally moved into a house with enough space to install it. We first had it set up in a shower no one was using (tapped into the toilet water line and drained directly down the shower drain), but when we started using that bathroom and shower occasionally, we moved it to the laundry room. I did all of the installation by myself, it took about 20 minutes to set it up. I will never use any other litter box ever again. My cat is over 8 years old and he had zero issue switching to the Cat Genie.
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u/Key_Glass48004d ago
Just hearsay, but aren't we supposed to avoid flushing cat poop and litter in toilets?
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u/Brokenforthelasttime4d ago
Cat poop is fine, but flushing typical clay/clumping litter is definitely a bad idea. The litter used in the Cat Genie is not your normal litter. It’s biodegradable granules. Very few of them actually escape when the unit drains due to the filters, but even if they do, they are not considered to be harmful to septic or sewer systems.
From the Cat Genie FAQs: Will the Granules clog my pipes or damage my septic system?No. In a traditional sewer or septic system, the Washable Granules are safe for your pipes and will break down in a septic or sewer system. Only the few Granules that stick to solids will end up down the drain or in the septic system.
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u/CosmicCreeperz3d ago
It’s actually illegal to flush cat litter in California, regardless of the type.
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u/science_vs_romance4d ago
We aren’t, because of the possibility of toxoplasmosis, which is not eliminated in waste treatment centers and can harm wildlife, like otters. It’s the same reason pregnant women aren’t supposed to go near cat litter.
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u/thedeepestofstates4d ago
Toxoplasmosis is fairly common in cats that have access to the outdoors, hunt, and eat raw meat. Indoor cats, however, are orders of magnitude less likely to be carriers of toxoplasmosis.
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u/blacktickle4d ago
Why couldn’t cat poop go in the toilet? I get why litter shouldn’t but why not the poop itself? I never heard that one before
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u/Glorinsson4d ago
Because of toxomaplosis
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u/huskers24684d agoedited 4d ago
Edit: I stand corrected.
That probably stemmed from the poop being covered in litter by the time it gets put in the toilet. Which wouldn't be relevant with the litter used in the litter genie.
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u/Glorinsson4d ago
It’s because of parasites in cat poo
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u/kkeut4d ago
thanks a lot for this detailed response
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u/BubblyTrouble21813d ago
The cat genie is great until it starts going bad. Ours lasted about 4 years and then it either wouldn't drain all the way or not scoop all the solids out. Once it heated it was one of the most awful smells I have ever smelled.
