I wished for no more cat stink and no more pain in the butt cat litters to clean and worry about. And my wish has been granted. Long live Jambi!
We decided we were tired of cleaning cat litter boxes and that no matter how often it gets cleaned, it still tends to smell. Many cat owners get used to the smell, but it's there lurking in the shadows and taunting your guests. We finally said we weren't going to take it anymore so we broke down and forked out the cash for the
Cat Genie.
So far I am pretty impressed with the thing. It was not difficult to install and it takes up only slightly more room than a standard "large" cat litter box with a hood. The entrance lip is only about half an inch, to an inch higher than a standard litter box (even lower than that if you don't buy the hood accessory). Based on screenshots I was afraid it would sit higher than it does.
I was also worried about how loud it was, based on the home made videos I've seen of the thing. I was actually pleasantly surprised to find it was quieter than I was expecting. This was something I was afraid I would not be able to sleep through, since our master bathroom is where the litter box is and there is no door separating the two rooms, just a curtain. With no door to an adjoining room, I'd say the noise level is on par with a washing machine that is several rooms down behind a closed door. Easily sleep-able through.
But, even so, my fears for not being able to sleep through it weren't a problem anyway. You can have it set to either perform it's cycle at a specific time or to wait until the box gets used (it senses when the cat comes and leaves). And on top of that, you can have a sleep setting on it, so it won't ever run during that period of time.
It does take 30 minutes to go through a complete cycle, but it cleans everything. It gets rid of all waste and thoroughly washes, sanitizes, and dries the granules. The waste breaks down via septic system and gets deposited either directly into a toilet or out a laundry drain. For me, flushing a toilet is a small price to pay than having to deal with the mess I've had to deal with for years.
We spent some time researching what self-cleaning box to get. Out of all the reviews of self-cleaning litter boxes, this one got the best reviews. There is a 90 day complete refund money-back guarantee, which is also what helped sell us the product. Three months should be plenty of time to figure out if the product is worth it or not. The two year warranty is also nice.
The only negative reviews we came across were from owners of a multi-cat house. I can see the cat genie not being ideal if you have probably 3+ cats, especially if it's set to wash immediately after a cat goes. If a cat has to wait to use the litter box, there can be problems. I imagine it might be lessened if you go with the once-a-day cleaning.
As for upkeep cost, you do have to purchase sani-solution packs in order to keep the granules clean. Each pack will last either 120 days if you have it set to clean at a set time, or double that length of time if you set it to clean itself right after the cat uses the box. You may have to replace granules as they slowly deplete from either being tracked out of the box or washed out (though the cleaning arm does a good job of shaking them off as best it can).
For me, the cost came out to be less than what I pay for cat litter, liners, and filters. But the fact that there is no more mess or stink ever again is what really makes the price of any upkeep absolutely negligible.