Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Just installed the improved CatGenie 120 A.I. to replace a CatGenie 120. I upgraded so that I could have the controls — which historically have been confusing beep-and-light-menus on prior versions — offloaded to my smartphone. (N.B.: There are reports that the manufacturer warranty, etc., may be treated differently if you buy from Amazon rather than directly from CatGenie’s site. I do not know if this is so. I’d call to find out, first.) IS THE CATGENIE 120 A.I. BETTER? I’ve had CatGenie devices for 10+ years (the series 60, and now two 120s), and long-opted to configure a bathroom-adjacent closet to house the CatGenie, easily plumbing in the necessary water supply and waste line and electrical outlet. I also extended the bathroom fan to the closet to evacuate any odors from operation. But the A.I. redesign seems to have taken care of 95%+ of the odor problem, so it really is no longer necessary. The new CatGenie 120 A.I. is materially quieter — maybe even 60% more quiet — than the outgoing 120 unit. There are no more snaps and pops, as used to occur. One clever way Petnovations reduced noise is to pause the rotating bowl at points when the scoop is raised and not interacting with the litter. This rotating pause simply cuts down on unnecessary noise, and is effective. Design improvements also clearly have made the engine, itself, much more settled. The dome and door configuration ensures maximum recycling of the air during the litter drying process, and it is effective at trapping 95%+ of odors from the scented SaniSolution. I am hoping and expect it to be equally effective during the infrequent (2 or maybe 3 times per year) baking of waste missed by the scoop (documented by everyone who has ever had one of these now-excellent, devices). The air recycling port is pointed out in a picture attached to this review. CatGenie avers that this air recycling reduces energy consumption during litter drying by 50%, and I believe them. But the most important thing is that it traps cat box odor. And that’s all I really care about. Of note, I imagine the air-recycling redesign will be inherently less effective without the dome and door. I strongly recommend buyers get both. The smartphone app is welcome as it provides instantaneous information about SaniSolution levels and alerts to any problems that may occur. My outgoing unit worked very well —so well that I would forget about it, only to belatedly discover that I needed to replace a cartridge. I am also pleased to be notified when my cat uses the unit, as annual checkups may require collecting solid wastes for lab analysis. Some users complain that the litter area is insufficiently large. My slightly-tubby 12-pound American short hair does just fine. Have a Maine Coon cat? Well...could be a bit tight, especially with the dome on. MAINTENANCE For single-cat, ‘Cat Activation’ usage, one SaniSolution (~$24) lasts about 3.5-4 months. So you’ll have to replace that about 4 times per year. Granule loss due to operation and tracking for a single cat is about one box (~$22) every 3-4 months. So, if you are currently spending more than $10 per month on cat litter supplies (I’d bet you are), this will be a cost savings for you (and good for the environment). The water hardness in my location does not even register on test strips, but if you are in an area with high lime geologic deposits that make for hard water (most areas in the U.S.), then using CatGenie’s special quarterly cleaning cartridge is highly recommended. Hard water deposits cloud a clear, removable water-level sensor, and quarterly operation using the special cartridge should manage that well. I have not yet had to disassemble and clean the CatGenie 120 A.I. but, based on years of ownership of prior models, I fully expect that an at-least annual breakdown and hose-out will be required. Do it in the tub or, better yet, in the garden. And wear gloves. It’s gross, and there are plenty of YouTubes showing you how. The main reasons to get the durable CatGenie are still here in the new 120 A.I.: (1) fully-automated kitty waste disposal, (2) virtually odor-free (now: even more so, due to the redesign), and (3) no environmentally-unfriendly and completely disgusting daily cat litter cleanup. As I just said, you’ll be in for an annual disassembly maintenance on top of the SaniSolution and granual supplies; but that in no way compares to DAILY cat box cleanup and smells. I mean: Not. At. All. Not even close. Not comparable. A few hundred dollars to forever NOT think of cat waste? Consider me sold, sold, sold. LITTER TRACKING The last thing CatGenie could improve is litter tracking. The main reason this occurs to a higher-than-expected degree is because a small amount of SaniSolution is dribbled on the drying litter, effectively lightly coating it in paw-sticky soap. I carefully tried to figure out why litter tracked so much by completely rinsing and drying a pan of litter manually; then operating the (just-replaced) 120 device; and then carefully noting that it is the modest distribution of SaniSolution during the drying process that makes the litter so paw-sticky. The deliberate SaniSolution coating may be hygienic, but — and mainly because the re-useable litter is very, very light — it also ensures that above-normal amounts will be tracked out of the box. I’ve reported this to CatGenie, and I hope that this now-internet-connected device will permit them to update the OS so that it stops dribbling SaniSolution on the drying litter. Because stopping the SaniSolution from dribbling on to the drying litter would GREATLY ameliorate CatGenie’s ONLY outstanding issue. (Ahem...CatGenie.) In the meantime, use litter mats and keep a stick vac handy for regular (minor but annoying) cleanup of the granules. CONCLUSION In sum, the CatGenie has gone from very, very good and reliable cat waste management to almost absolutely perfect by (1) greatly reducing operating noise, (2) vastly improving odor containment, and (3) hugely improving the controls in the 120 A.I. model. Except for the pronounced granule tracking — which I am convinced CatGenie can now correct with an over-the-internet software patch — hard to see how anyone can improve on this. If you have laundry-room space, a guest bathroom, or even can configure a closet: The CatGenie 120 A.I. is a very strong buy. Because it is the best solution for cat litter, by far.