Automatic Litterbox Central

I read and heard about the biodegradability of the granules and just not sure I believe it. I think it's just marketing garbage to make the company sound green. I have cut granules up and they are solid plastic, no powder inside. And I agree with Still2cats2many, you can say something will break down, but in what time frame? Come on, if they don't dissolve over time getting washed over and over, even with just water, what makes you think they will break down very fast in a land fill? I will stand corrected if someone knows something about the subject that I don't, I'm basing this off my observation.

The granules are not filled with talc...the talc is mixed in with the plastic before they are formed and cut into the granules/pellets.

I still have granules sitting on the driveway when I first washed my Cat Genie out (first clogged at 3 mos) that survived over 15 mos of exposure to Mother Nature's best weapons. They don't show any significant deterioration from the elements. I haven't picked them up to see if they crumble between my fingers but stepping on them they don't crack or crumble at all. They all show their same shape. I'm not sure on the mix of talc and plastic but I believe they are supposed to break down at around 24 months.

It sounds like the enzyme/bacterial cleaners (Simple Solution, Nature's Miracle, etc.) probably will work fine then.

I'm still using Sani-Solution.

Just an interesting tidbit of info... I can't remember where I read it, but, if all humans instantly disappeared off the face of the Earth, after around 10,000 years or so, bacteria would evolve/adapt to decompose most plastics.

Still2cats2many wrote:I am only on my second, maybe third box of granules in two years.

I went through the first two boxes of granules included with the unit in under 4 months. I ordered another box a few months later and it's almost time for one more now... I've had the machine since April...

How do you do it?

Pele wrote:I went through the first two boxes of granules included with the unit in under 4 months. I ordered another box a few months later and it's almost time for one more now... I've had the machine since April...
How do you do it?

I don't want to get this tread off topic, but I have two genies, the older on eats granules and newer one does not. I fixed the old one using this method with a few modification. If you're interested start a new topic and I will give more details of what I specifically did.
http://www.instructables.com/id/CatGenie--Solving-the-Disappearing-Granule-Proble/

Here's another Quat cleaner, I have not tested, vet supply grade.
http://www.dogcatetc.com/005ved01-g.html

That's the same one I linked. D128. The site I linked to has it for about 5 bucks cheaper.

Pelvis Popcan wrote:That's the same one I linked. D128. The site I linked to has it for about 5 bucks cheaper.

Oops, sorry I missed that! So have you used it? How's it working for you?

So basically I had nothing to do tonight so I decided to watch the complete wash cycle of the CatGenie from start to finish with the bowl & granules removed.

The CatGenie dispenses SaniSolution as follows; 1 "squirt" of SaniSolution during fill #2, and about 4-5 squirts during fill #3. It then dispenses 1 squirt about 2 minutes into the drying cycle and then about 4 more squirts towards the middle of the drying cycle. This would most likely be why the granules are sticky. It does not dispense any SaniSoultion in fill #1 most likely since there is residue left from the SaniSolution it puts in during the drying cycle. The SaniSolution is clear and when rubbed between your fingers is the consistency of a very runny dish soap, kinda slimey. It foams up just a tad when it's mixed into the water.

The Catgenie only drains about 80% of the water after fill-up #1 & #2 which is kind of nasty considering that all the poopie water isn't completely drained each time. It drains about 97% of the water after the last fill.

So what are you using for your refill solution?

I do believe that a bacteria & enzyme based solution such as Odokleen Deodorizing Cleaner (Super Concentrate) may do the trick? I've searched the net and it's hard to find a concentrate that's 1/4 ounce per gallon dillution ratio.

However I'm not so sure that's what CatGenie's dillution ratio is. Let me explain...I understand if you do the math that the CatGenie dispenses 1/4 ounce x 60 uses = 15oz. However since the actual dispensing isn't all at once how can we be for certain of their dillution ratio. Also I didn't measure how much water it actually fills up with so who know's if it's actually 1 gallon or 2?

I think that CatGenie does the actual sanitizing during the drying when it's dispensing SaniSoultion straight onto the wet granules. There you're getting 100% concentrated strength directly onto the Granules that have already been "rinsed". I say rinsed because the first fill doesn't get any SSolution and the second wash cycle only gets 1 squirt.

So all in all 1/8 oz is dispensed during the final fil-up and the remaining 1/8 oz is dispensed during the drying cycle.

What's working for you?

Thoughts? Please share!

Fantastic info flyguyjake! Thanks for doing the tedious research. This is very good into to know indeed!

Today I spoke to a rep at SimpleSolution and they indicated that none of their products disinfect. So SimpleSolution isn't the "solution".

I also spoke to OdoBan and it seems that their product may work. I also have several samples coming in from a large solution supplier that may be very promising. They also offer custom solutions so perhaps if the quantity was small enough we could get a custom solution produced that is exactly what we need.

I've been using undiluted Petzyme, readily available at all Petco as substitute for Sani-Solution. It is inexpensive, has a pleasant, yet not overpowering scent the way Sani-Solution has, and does not leave a sticky residue. Did I mention that it is also cheap? I have about six cartridges and recently refilled all of them. But this time, I included about two tablespoons of Dawn dishwashing soap and mixed thoroughly. So far, so good.

And to answer someone's question about how I go through so little granule waste, it's simply a matter of sweeping up the loose granules, gathering them with a hand vac, and dumping them back into the bowl. It's really that simple.

flyguyjake wrote:It then dispenses 1 squirt about 2 minutes into the drying cycle and then about 4 more squirts towards the middle of the drying cycle. This would most likely be why the granules are sticky.

Oh my gosh... I had absolutely no idea that it did that. I don't like that one bit. Kitty licks his paws after scratching all in that box... I didn't know he was getting straight disinfectant on his paws. That REALLY bothers me.

My cat's CRF developed several months after I had the CatGenie set up, I sure hope this isn't related! My cat currently gets Azodyl (a probiotic) twice a day.

I'm seriously considering getting rid of the CatGenie now. I am just WAY too uncomfortable with this.

Pelvis Popcan, That would be horrible if true!
I would definitely talk to your vet about it. Even though the company won't divulge to us common folk what is in their cartridges (it's not even spelled out in their Materials Safety Data Sheet - MSDS), by law they have to divulge this info to a doctor upon request. If I were you, I would ask my vet to put in a request to Petnovations to find out what your cat has been exposed to. Just so he/she can further look into his diagnosis and make sure it isn't a cause. Here is a copy of Petnovations MSDS someone here on the forums found, sorry I can't find the original post or poster who found it. Just give this to your vet and he/she should be able to contact the company and get the formula details... Hope this helps!