CatGenie is the best automatic litter box! You don't have to scoop anymore, just hook it up to your water and plug it in and thats all.

I have been using ScoopFree for a couple of years. I have one 20-lb cat, and I have to change the cartridge every 17-20 days. I am very interested in your post, and I am considering buying the Forever Litter Tray, however, I was always told by Scoopfree that you had to use their crystals or it would mess up the mechanisms and the rake. After reading your post, it sounds like that is not the case. I have been thinking about purchasing a new automatic litter box, because I think it's a bit on the costly side to keep buying the cartridges, but I really do like the Scoopfree a lot. I'm not a slave to the litter box anymore and it's very clean and easy to deal with. Thanks for your post. I am probably going to buy a Forever Litter Tray and will also try the crystals you suggest.

I've now had the Scoop Free running for 7 months with no problems at all. I found the 4lb bag of "Mimi Crystals" from Walmart to be the perfect size for refilling.

I received the CatGenie from my in-laws as a Christmas present and was a bit concerned about how well it would work. After about 7 months of use, I'm ready for a different cat box.

My #1 reason for not wanting this box anymore is because of the types of BM's my one cat makes. She has a sensitive stomach and her #2's are not always the consistency that the CatGenie can accommodate. In most cases this means the loose stools are spread around the entire cat box and are not removed during the scooping or washing cycle, left only to be baked during the 16-minute drying cycle. Imagine how pleasant your house will smell after hitting your kitties #2 with a hair dryer for 16 minutes. It's TERRIBLE.

Aside from that, I had our CatGenie jam with fecal matter. I'll spare you the details of how I cleaned this out, but just know that it was not a fun experience. Being that this litter box removes waste and turns it into a liquid, any malfunction mid-cycle will end up being a stomach-turning experience.

At this point, my cat with the sensitive stomach, who also happens to be deaf, is terrified of the litter box because she can not hear it during its cycle and is not sure when the scoop with come down. Rather than taking the risk of being bopped on the head, she has starting relieving herself next to the CatGenie, leaving the unit pretty much useless.

Oh, I also want to mention that the plastic pieces of litter are IMPOSSIBLE to keep in the actual litter box. I find these things tracked all over my house. I have numerous 'litter mats' outside of the box but they are of no help whatsoever. The 'litter' sticks to my cats fur like magnets and are deposited wherever my kitties decide to take their next bath.

I'm a slow learner. I have 4 Cat Genie's--i love the concept. Unfortunately they don't work. They're a bit of a pain to hook up, but not that bad. They cost to purchase, but it would be worth it--if they worked. The replacement material, i.e. litter, and cleaner are not cheap, but there is at least 1 place online where you can purchase something to fool the bar code on the bottom and thereby refill the litter cleaner (haven't tried it). That would make it cheaper. Anyway, bottom line, mine all worked for about 3 months and then it was one problem after another. The Cat Genie people are really nice, and can solve many problems over the phone but I wound up spending more hours on the phone than scooping by hand takes. I have had to replace at least 2 processors, they have supplied new "arms", they make a new part that keeps the litter from going underneath the bowl, which I put on, and a new "grinder" which I also got (all this times 4 because I have several cats--I raise Sphynx). All of this was supplied free or for very little cost--doing all the work was the problem, plus the down time while the parts were coming, which meant the ones that were running had to be run more often. As someone else said the litter tracks everywhere--I have 6 of their litter mats and the whole group were on carpet. If I vacuumed everyday it wasn't as bad. Also, my Sphynx often have loose stools, so the drying issue with stool there is really an issue. There were times I had to leave the house because of the odor. Bottom line it's a great concept, they staff are nice and very helpful, customer service is great, it just doesn't work. If there is anyone who lives in the Tampa, Florida area who would like to try it at a greatly reduced price, feel free to look me up in the phone book (I don't like putting all my personal info on line)--I have four of them including supplies (lots) and all with tops. I've been scooping regular for about 2 months now, and I just bought a LitterMaid. If it breaks as quickly as everyone says, and I feel industrious enough I may put them all back together again, hook the water up and try again. I hate scooping. I also tried the ScoopFree and it worked pretty well, but gave it up the 4 CatGenies. That was before I discovered the "forever" bottom online. I had no problem with my cats changing from regular litter to the CatGenie, but Sphynx are pretty nosey so they'll get into anything and noise just makes them want to find out what is causing it, so that wasn't a problem either.

I'm CWhaleysecond2, see the above post. My phone number is 813-361-8834. My cats have no hair at all, but the Cat Genie litter sticks between their paw pads--hence litter everywhere for me too.

Hey there-

Cant speak to how well the forever litter tray works - i've stuck to the standard scoopfree trays for a couple reasons, the least of them being not wanting to void my warantee on my ScoopFree box by using a non-compatible tray. :/


Also! Just got myself locked in with their subscription service - they automatically ship the trays every few months and charge my card. One less thing for me to worry about! I dont have to think about going to the store and lugging home trays or 8lb jugs of litter or anything - it all comes right to me! Even better, with the subscription service they won't charge shipping and handling on your order and they took off $20 on my first order. This isnt on their website (www.scoopfree.com) right now, but they told me it will be available via the web by the end of the week. Until then, you should call them directly and they'll hook you up. 888.726.MEOW (6369)

Happy scooping! (Or should I say "raking" :P )

-j

I have had my ScoopFree litter box for three years now, and never needed to use the warranty. It's made so well I have never had any problems with it whatsoever. Voiding my warranty would not be an issue for me since the warranty expired long ago. I just love the fact that my Forever Tray works so well and saves me money and I don't have to deal with cartridges any longer.

Actually, I have had ONE problem with my ScoopFree and that's when it begins to rake, my cat immediately runs over to it and intently watches the rake while it moves and then he attacks it -- but after having being told "NO" several times, he's learning to just watch it move. At least he's getting some exercise since he is an indoor cat. LOL! (He weighs 20 pounds and is too big for the hood so we have to leave it uncovered.)

Don't know about Litter Maid but Scoop Free is an expensive option. Their claims that the cartridges last for 30 days for one cat, two weeks for two cats is ridiculous. The replacement cartridges last one week, max for two normal size cats and they cost $16 apiece so you do the math... also the company has distribution problems so it's really difficult to find the cartridges anywhere, and when they deliver them the boxes are super heavy, and UPS will not leave them at your door if you're not home.

For those of you thinking of purchasing a Littermaid LME9000,the newest desing,don't, they claim it's new and improved. First, it has a metal rake(that was okay). But, they changed the design so it's not like the older ones with the plastic rake. The rake now rides across the wet clumping litter, instead of scraping along the bottom of the litterbox and only gets some of the litter. I ended up cleaning it every day(because it would get clogged) and I was still scooping litter daily. And it still would have problems.
My first litterbox was the LME 900 I had it for a few years,(four cats-one litterbox-imagine that). Instead of using the smaller plastic receptacles that come with it,I purchased the permanent plastic receptacle on ebay, (bigger than the throwaway ones) It cost about $30.00, but it was worth it. I put a grocery bag in it as a liner and just had to bag the litter.
Long story short-I purchased another LME900 and boxed up the LME 9000. I'd recommend Littermaid litterboxes to anyone.
An FYI- I also tried the Purforma litterbox, that was a joke.

Good luck getting help with the Cat Genie when it breaks (and it WILL break). I've tried several times to reach the "help" line for support to no avail. I'm now stuck with a cat crapper that refuses to drain and no way of getting it out of my bathroom without an ENORMOUS mess. Don't buy this product. You WILL REGRET IT.

I ended up on this site looking for an automatic litter box. We've had 2 Littermaids over the years (our cat is 14 human years old). We've had to have parts replaced twice between the two models. The concept is good, but it does not work as cleanly as you would think. The disposal receptacle fills up within a day or so, certainly not good for a week. It's big, so it does not fit in tight spaces, and our cat would spray urine all over the box...what's up with that I don't know, perhaps he needed the cover for privacy, we did not have one for the Littermaid. I am hoping to try another "mousetrap" for this function. We are looking at the CatGeni, but from what I'm reading on this site, that does not sound like too much better....and it's a lot pricier!. My hope for the CatGeni is that it does not have to be changed...the quest continues.

Hi,

I read that you have 20lb cat. I have a 17 lb. She urinates in bulk. I'm curious if your cat does the same. I'm in a quandary because the volume of her urination has broken 3 Littermaids. My most recent purchase lasted for 2 months before it was out of commission. The "clumping" litter sticks like glue to the tray and the rake. And, she pees so much that it actually goes above the tray and leaks!

Does your cat do the same as far as a large volume in one shot? I can't afford to keep buying automatic litter boxes, and I don't have the patience or time to keep scooping.

Yes, she's been checked by the vet and she simply has a large bladder. So, when she goes, she really goes!

I need help!

I think you might want to try the ScoopFree--if you want to use an automatic litter box. It uses crystals, not regular litter or clumping litter. The crystals absorb the urine so you may not have as much of a problem. You might want to buy a bag of the Fresh Step crystals (Target has them) and put them in a regular litter box just to try them before you purchase the ScoopFree to see how that works for you. I use the Fresh Step crystals and in my ScoopFree box. I also use the Forever Tray so I don't have to keep purchasing the ScoopFree cartridges. Now I change the box out about every two weeks--my 20 pound cat requires a box change every 13-15 days--which is a lot better than having to mess with cleaning out a litter box everyday. You can go to foreverlittertrays.com and see that they are coming out with a good deal on crystals for the ScoopFree. You can't just use any type of crystals in the ScoopFree. I hope this helps you.