The most recent unit failed well within the warranty period, and despite thorough troubleshooting, CatGenie refused to honor the warranty unless I went through a lengthy phone or live chat process. This requirement is not disclosed anywhere in their written warranty, and it places the burden on the customer to continually troubleshoot defective products for hours.

After years of loyalty and thousands of dollars spent, we can no longer recommend CatGenie. Our family is switching to the Litter-Robot.

I’ve worked in veterinary medicine for over 13 years. I bottle-feed shelter kittens. I care deeply about animals. That’s why I bought the CatGenie. And it has been one of the biggest regrets of my life.

Since 2022, I’ve been through four separate CatGenie units—each one failing due to internal malfunctions, not user error. These machines break down within 6–12 months, and their support team does everything they can to blame the customer and avoid accountability.

My most recent unit failed catastrophically: it filled with urine and feces, wouldn’t drain, and even clogged my plumbing. When I contacted support, I was told I’d need to pay over $200 for a repair—a repair they diagnosed over the phone. If they’re identifying the same issue so easily, that sounds like a recall-level failure, not a customer problem. And $200+ for a repair? That’s half the price of a new unit, which comes with a starter pack and warranty.

I never agreed to pay it, because I shouldn’t have to. I had done everything right. So I tried to avoid more conflict—I ordered a new unit on my own. They refunded me three times without explanation. Then, after months of silence, they finally sent an email—not to help, not to apologize—but to tell me they were permanently refusing me service.

That email was the only response I ever received after weeks and months of waiting for calls that never came. My mental health was suffering. My cats were stressed and urinating inappropriately because their toilet was constantly full of soaked, dirty granules or standing water. It was heartbreaking. And the company never once asked how my pets were. Never once said sorry.

The company claims they “took care of me” by replacing faulty units under warranty—but that ignores the fact that they never should have failed in the first place. Not when you’ve spent nearly $1,000. And let’s be honest—when you send the unit in for repair, you only send the core unit, not the full litter box. That means you’re left with a bowl your cat urinates into that has no way to drain, forcing them to step into their own wet waste, which the granules do not absorb. The smell is absolutely foul. The process takes weeks, during which your other unit parts degrade—and your cats suffer. When I voiced this concern, I was told: “Just scoop it out.” That’s not support. That’s cruelty disguised as customer service.

They accused me of sending “too many emails” and “threatening legal action.” Yes—I followed up, because they ignored me. I asked for help. I was desperate. My mother—watching me sob over this situation—posted a frustrated review online. And CatGenie used that to justify cutting me off entirely. They never took responsibility. Instead, they defended the employee who told me “no one is going to care.” Sadly, that checks out.

I’m not alone. Check Facebook Marketplace—you’ll see CatGenie supplies being dumped by frustrated owners who were told to pay hundreds for repairs on failed units just like mine.

Also beware of their “90-day free trial”—it’s not free. If you return the unit, you’re charged for shipping, and per other customer experiences, cleaning fees as well.

And don’t fall for the claim that they offer lifetime support. That promise was on their website when I purchased—it’s been removed. And when I tried to get help, they literally cut me off from support completely.

Their support process is terrible—you leave a voicemail, wait for a call back, and are expected to be standing next to the unit like it’s your job. When I did get someone on the phone, I was talked over, dismissed, and then ignored entirely.

I cried over this. I spent money I couldn’t afford to lose. I carried a waste-filled 40 lb machine across my house to keep it from leaking on the floor and fell trying to do it. I have vet bills, ruined belongings, and nothing but silence in return.

This company doesn’t care about customers, and they definitely don’t care about pets.

Please, avoid CatGenie at all costs.

Screenshots provided are just a fraction of my documentation. I have extensive videos and photos showing the unit and even the app malfunctioning repeatedly. I wish I could post all of it here. Also—no one talks about how loud this unit is, even when it does work. The granules track everywhere and are very expensive. The smell is worse than when I manually scooped- it’s disgusting. Save yourself the money and the stress: just go with Litter-Robot (Whisker). It’s far superior and actually worth the cost. Don’t waste your hard-earned money on a company that clearly does not care about animals—or customers.

I even sent a certified letter to their corporate office with copies of all the emails I had sent—which received no replies. I truly believed maybe the support team was the issue. But instead of helping, the corporate office completely ignored me and stood behind the same unprofessional behavior from their support team. That told me everything I needed to know: this company protects itself, not its customers, and certainly not pets.
The worst part? This company made me feel like I was the problem—like I was annoying them for simply asking for help and holding them accountable. Instead of showing compassion or ownership, they cut ties with me entirely, like I was disposable. For a company that claims to care about pets and their people, that’s beyond disappointing—it’s disturbing.

I’m not made of money. Buying this unit was a huge decision for me—one I thought would improve life for me and my pets. Instead, it’s been a nightmare. I’ve lost time, money, peace of mind, and trust. And the most disappointing part is that they just don’t care.

First, they have outright ignored my inquiries through their site regarding the messy granule situation and whether they’re working on a design that doesn’t stick to my cat’s paws like glue. That alone speaks volumes about their commitment to improvement.

Second, the technology could be vastly improved. Just look at the flimsy little device we’re all using to write reviews like this. There are countless minor tweaks that could take this from frustrating to fantastic, yet nothing changes.

And that’s where this company really loses me. I can’t help but feel they’re content with granules tracking all over people’s homes—after all, that just means customers will need to buy more sooner. Worse, they’ve designed the machine to “punish” users for running a no-scoop cycle by doubling the amount of sanitizer solution used. Why not develop a waste detector instead?

One of my biggest frustrations is that when my cat pees (which, let’s be honest, most cats don’t do at the same time as #2), the scooper still comes down and flings wet granules into the back of the hopper—wasting them. I’ve even found them in my ear.

To work around this, I installed a camera above my unit and set the longest “cat sensor mode” available (30 minutes) to allow urine to drain. Then, I check the camera to see if my cat only peed. If so, I manually run a no-scoop cycle through the app to save granules. But even then, they get you—the machine doubles the sanitizer solution usage when you skip a scoop cycle.

The moral of the story? This company is more interested in selling refills than improving the user experience. They expect you to buy the supplies, shut up, and be happy with it. That’s why this is my second review—because they never posted my first one—and why they continue to ignore these issues.

Beware of overly happy reviews that don’t mention the granule problem. It is a problem, and it’s not going anywhere.

As for installation, I rated it “difficult” because even if I had space next to my toilet, I wouldn’t want it there. My laundry room wasn’t an option either, so I had mine plumbed to drain into my utility room floor drain. Who wants a giant litter-cleaning machine next to their toilet or washing machine? If that’s your thing, great. But I wanted it out of sight.

If I had to do it all over again, I’d stick with a dust-free, modern clumping litter and be much happier—both in terms of cost and cleanliness.

Im have a similiar experience with the cat genie. I tried it for an entire year. During that year it broke down about 30 times. Almost every week was something new. I cleaned the unit multiple times. It always had a funky smell. When i finally got so angry and fed up i threw the EXPENSIVE unit into the trash the bottom cracked open in the back where the poop would go I saw MOLD growing . I NOW HAVE THE NEAKASAM1 I HAVE HAD IT FOR 6 MONTHS SO FAR WITH ZERO ISSUES AND ZERO SMELL. Changing the waste bin takes 1 min at most. I do it on garbage night so its gone the next day. I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH TO PEOPLE DO NOT BUY THIS BOX.

Thanks for your detailed feedback, Oscar! It’s interesting to see how the Cat Genie has changed over the years. I wonder what the next model will be like!

Thanks for sharing your experience, Molly!