CatGenie Litter Box Review 2026: Our Expert’s Opinion

What is CatGenie? How Does It Work?

The CatGenie is a self-cleaning litter box that goes a step beyond most self-cleaning options on the market. Most self-cleaning litter boxes rotate and shove feces into a container to the side, which you must later remove. However, the CatGenie takes care of everything and literally flushes away all your cat’s waste.

It requires no litter and is septic-safe. However, it does use washable granules, but these do not need to be changed very often. You may need to refill them if your cat tracks them around the house. The litter box even washes and dries the granules after your cat does their business. It isn’t just a self-scooping box but a self-cleaning one.

The way CatGenie works is quite simple. When it starts a cleaning cycle, it first scoops all solids off the top. These solids are liquified for easy flushing. Then, it uses water and a cat-safe cleaning solution to wash the granules. These granules are then good-as-new. Then, the machine flushes everything out of your home. You don’t have to do anything.

The newer model of CatGenie that we reviewed also includes artificial intelligence, which helps monitor your cat’s bathroom behavior. It will also keep an eye on how everything is working in the machine and let you know if any supplies are running low. The machine can hook up to a smartphone app, which allows you to control it.

The app allows you to set exact cleaning times for up to 8x a day, though many people will not need it to clean that often. There is also a changeable delay for the cat activation setting, which is useful if the machine tends to scare your feline.

CatGenie – A Quick Look

CatGenie Pricing

CatGenie is one of the more expensive options on the market. In fact, out of all the self-cleaning litterboxes out there, it is one of the most expensive.

This is no small cost, especially for a cat litter box. However, much of the price is due to the unit’s comprehensiveness. It does a lot, thoroughly cleaning the litter and hooking up to an app for customization.

CatGenie Specifications

CatGenie Cleaning

A self-cleaning litterbox’s first job is to clean the litter. This machine does a reasonably good job at this, luckily. The cleaning phase is divided into three parts. First, the machine has an automatic scoop that will remove all solids. Then, the box fills up with water and a cleaning solution. The bowl will rotate around, and the “Genie Hand” will agitate the granules to ensure they are cleaned. When it is done, the machine flushes everything out.

Finally, it’s time for the drying phase. The bowl dries somewhat quickly, using hot air blown in from the sides of the litterbox. The whole process takes anywhere from five to 45 minutes. The company does not have an exact time listed, and it seems that all the users are reporting different cycle lengths. It likely depends on how dirty the box is and how long the drying step takes.

During the scoping phase, this machine didn’t seem like it removed all the bits of feces. Some got stuck in the Genie Hand, and others were left in the box.

CatGenie Noise

One of the most considerable downsides of this machine is its noise level. It isn’t necessarily a machine-like noise. There isn’t a lot of noise from the motor or anything of that sort. Instead, the water slushing around during the cleaning cycle seems to make up the bulk of the noise. It sounds a lot like a washing machine. However, it isn’t closed so that it can be a bit louder.

This machine does have a sleep cycle, which lasts about 10 hours. During this time, the machine will not clean anything. It assumes that you’re sleeping and doesn’t want to wake you up. This is an excellent addition. However, it does mean that the machine is loud enough to need a sleep cycle, to begin with.

CatGenie Odor Control

In between cleaning cycles, this machine does nothing to control odor. The only way to reduce odor almost wholly is to have it in the cat-activated setting. This ensures the machine states working as soon as the cat leaves, decreasing the amount of odor.

However, there is a bit of odor during the cycle as well. Because not all the feces get removed, the washing, agitating, and heating seemed to kick up quite a lot of odor. Once the cycle is over, much of this odor dissipates.

While this machine isn’t perfect at reducing odor, its automatic cleaning can make the odor less of a problem than other solutions. However, you should plan on dealing with some odor.

CatGenie Ease of Use

This machine is straightforward to set up. It requires maybe 15 minutes. However, it does need to be set up in particular places. Plus, it is also quite large. You need to have quite a bit of room in your laundry room or bathroom to accommodate it.

Depending on the setting you have it on, this machine requires little input from you once it is up and running. The manual setting requires you to push a button to make it work, but the other settings run the cleaning cycle without your input.

You’ll occasionally need to clean out the hopper. The liter will need to be replaced every 2-3 months, while the SaniSolution needs to be replaced at about the same frequency. However, it will depend on how often you have the cleaning cycle running.

Besides that, this machine doesn’t require any maintenance.

Is CatGenie a Good Value?

It depends on how much you want a self-cleaning litterbox. If you’re set on a self-cleaning box, then it doesn’t get better than the CatGenie. However, it is much more expensive than your average box.

Some people will find the high cost worth it. Others won’t.

What the Users Say

Many users report that the biggest problem with this box is that they often forget about it! It works so well that they forget about its existence, making them late to change out the cartridges and add more cleaning solutions. However, because the is new A.I. box comes with an app, this problem is less of an issue. Just use the app!

Some users reported that their felines wouldn’t use the box. Some cats are pickier than others. If your cat is going from a regular litterbox to this one, they may not like the fact that their new litterbox is moving. Some cats are downright terrified of it.

It may be recommended to avoid turning the machine on with your cat present until they start using it. That way, your cat is already used to using the box before it potentially scares them.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for the best self-cleaning litterbox, this is the most comprehensive option. It cleans itself – not just scoops out the dirty litter. It’s completely automatic. This box is best for 1 to 2 cats maximum. It also only works for firm stools. If your cat often has diarrhea, this box probably isn’t suitable.

You’ll also need quite a bit of space in your bathroom or laundry room, so ensure that you have plenty of space before making your purchase.

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