Customer Reviews

CatGenie GenieDome

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

My husband and I ordered the CatGenie Dome after realizing that our cat knocks the plastic pellets over the sides quite a bit. Our cat also had some adjustment issues to this new litter box, so we thought the cover might make him feel more welcome -- like his old box. However, the Dome set us back. He stopped going in it completely. We realized it was simply too small for him with the Dome on it. He's not a Maine Coon or anything, but he is sort of a tall, big-boned Tom cat. I would not recommend this product if your cats are large. I would recommend ordering the Side Walls. It helps with the spillage. He started using it again after we took the top off and gave him some positive reinforcement with treats.

I really like this product because once you get it set up you can almost forget about it. I like the fact that I can turn on the auto clean and it will clean itself from start to finish. The system works well as far as the mechanics of it, although it is loud. Customer Service is very good. I have called for trouble shooting and the rep is always helpful. I still have to scoop out little pieces of poo that do not get caught by the scoop arm. I have three cats and two of the three took to it immediately. The third started going to the bathroom in one place in the house for two months until he started using the box. I had to lock him in the laundry room at night to get him comfortable with it. The granules get all over because the cats dig around so much and this increases the amount of granules I have to keep adding. The dome is pretty small and I would not recommend for a big cat. The biggest drawback is the smell. When it dries the granules, it produces a really horrible smell that will linger for about a half hour after it is done with a cycle. I have tried both scented and unscented cleaning solutions neither makes a difference for the smell. I am glad I purchases this product because it is an end to bi-weekly little box cleanings, but it is definitely not the end all to smells.

This thing cuts down on at least half of the washable granuals getting tossed out. A must have if you ask me!!!

Only challenge I had was drain hose issue due to a costomized toilet seat that lays very flat. The problem this causes is the hose that goes into the toilet gets pinched and the beeping starts because the genie can't drain. Issue resolved by using 3/4" conduit clamps from home depot($1.79/4 clamps), wich compress and then spring back into shape.

As other reviewers stated, during the dry cycle, the smell from the original sanitizing solution and missed fecal matter (too tiny to be picked up... and we are talking about less than a pea size) is, without a doubt, quite repulsive. Problem resolved: I run my system 3x per day. It is set to come on within 15 minutes after they are all done doing their business, while the waste is still very soft. I also switched to the unscented sanitizer. Folks, we are talking about an exponential decrease in odor here. Nice improvement Cat Genie! You get 5 stars from me due to the unscented solution, alone.

Overall, this was a solid investment for us and works very well. If you have 1 cat, this is a "nice to have." You have 3, like me, and this is definitely a "need to have." We haven't had any issues with the device, the cats use it all the time, we have not had to change litter or scoop in 45 days. NICE! Downside: You will have some of the litter tracked around by the cats after doing their business. Use a track mat to catch it, or set your roomba to hit that area 3 to 4x per day and you are set.

I LOVE the CatGenie and I will NEVER go back to scooping a litterbox. I did a TON of research before buying one due to the cost. Here's the lowdown:
The BIGGEST difference between the CatGenie, Litter Robot, Littermaid and every other "self cleaning" litterbox out there - The CatGenie was made for the conveinience of the owner. There is NOTHING TO SCOOP. NOTHING TO SMELL. NOTHING TO CLEAN. The others just clear the clumps out of the way for the cat - the smell is still there and there is still digging and cleaning to do on your part.

I have 3 cats - a persian (whom is shaved) a maine coon (also shaved) and a sphynx. It took about a week for everyone to use the box - had I just locked everyone in the laundry room for three days, it probably would have happened faster. The hook up was sooooo easy - don't let that scare you.

The Sidewalls and Dome are a MUST. The CatGenie granules will go a lot longer without refilling if you have these. I bought mine on Amazon - which was way cheaper than anything on EBAY.

I LOVE this product - I still can't belive it works as well as it does!

I bought the hood because, like so many others, I was having a problem with the pellets getting kicked out and tracked all around the house. Unfortunately, I still am. While the hood limits the direction the pellets get kicked in, it does very little to contain them. I think the main issue is the pellets getting stuck to my cat's feet as he jumps out of the unit. This may be solvable with the right mat placed in front of the door, I have yet to try it. I will say that it makes the machine look a lot nicer. You don't have to stare at the mess inside and it looks a litter more high-tech. One last note, I was hesitant to try the hood because of the reviews stating that it was not for big cats. I have a 20lb male cat and he has been using the machine with the hood for weeks now with no problems, in fact I think he prefers the privacy.

I have tried a cat genie in the past and I couldn't get the cats to use it. When we were "adopted" by our new kitten we decided to give the cat genie a try again. She took right to it almost instantly, but was spraying the litter all over the floor. I ordered the dome and the sidewalls separately, but the dome was delivered first. I didn't bother opening the box for several days, thinking that the dome was useless with out the sidewalls. I was surprised to find the sidewalls were included in the box, and the litter on the floor is reduced to a more manageable amount.

We got this because one of my cats (we have 6) likes to raise her behind while she urinates. To save the walls and/or washing machine from a golden bath it works wonderfully. The granuals fly everywhere, so it works well for keeping that mess minimal also. Most of my cats are less than 10lbs, so they fit fine. One of my cats is about 13lbs (fatty fat fat cat) and hardly fits through the door! Lucky for us, she isn't very picky like some of the cats. She can manage to get herself in and use the box but it is a tight fit and very difficult for her to turn in the box to do the digging needed. It would be a perfect 5 star review if the dome were a little larger all around with a bigger door. If you have larger kitties, this probably will not work well for your house.

My husband and I finally broke down recently and had to do something...anything...to keep from having to scoop poop! We've had our feline child, Chester, now for approximately 3 months, and needless to say after the very 1st a solution had to be found. I DESPISE the dust, smell, and also the "appearance" of a litter box and had hidden it away in an extra closet leaving the door cracked so Chester could squeeze through to use the bathroom. Even after doing all of this, the smell still bothered me, (as I am OCD and detest my home being unclean and smelling foul). I know, I know...these things are super expensive, right? Do the math. Add up how much you would spend over the period of year just on cat litter, not to mention the Arm and Hammer deodorizer, etc. Pretty close figure in comparison, eh? That's what we basically did: weighed the pros and cons and purchased the CatGenie. At first, I was VERY skeptical about it; I've read both good and bad reviews, so I wasn't sold all the way. Let me tell you first of all...It is a pain in the a** to hook up, but once it is all is well. Chester took to it immediately, (as he is shy by no means), and we were able to take away his litter box in the same day. The directions also say to wait a week before you run it in their presence; after about the third day I said, "what the heck," and ran it while Chester was awake. He loved it! He gets such a kick out of watching the thing! Be warned...MAIN CON: If you cannot stand a mess, like myself, buy the CatGenie sidewalls and dome. When your cat jumps out, he/she will leave some of the pellets on the floor. We couldn't stand these little things in our bathroom where we tread barefoot, so we purchased sidewalls and dome, (which Chester also loves), and a little mat that catches most of the pellets, then moved the contraption into his room, (aka the "guestroom"). I would have never in a million years put a cat's "litter box" in the guestroom, but with the dome and sidewalls the smell is nonexistent and you cannot actually "see" the cat waste because it is covered by the dome, (which is pretty stylish). I use a little hand held mini vac for sucking up the loose pellets that Chester tracks and then dump them back in the CatGenie, (this saves the $ that you would waste buying more pellets because of them being tracked through your home). Oh! One more thing: Make sure, (I cannot stress this enough), that you get the unscented cleanser to go with it! The scented smells AWFUL while it's cleaning! It eventually dissipates after about 30 minutes, but when the CatGenie is blow-drying the pellets, the smell of poop mingled with a citrusy-flower smell is not appealing at all! So, good luck to all of you pet owners....I, for one, am NEVER going back to scooping poop again; I'll stick with pressing my one button and letting the CatGenie do all of the work.

TIP: my husband and I bought our on Black Friday and saved around $100. If you can put it off until then you'll save a few bucks.

The Auto Cycle (scheduled run) does not work with the Dome. The CatGenie seems to think that a cat is in it and will not start with the dome in place. If you are only running the unit manually (pressing the button) this is not an issue. Not sure if other customers are having this issue. For my cats the side walls are enough and the Auto Cycle will work with them.