Automatic Litterbox Central

BamZipPow wrote:I just loaded up a cartridge with 50/50 of household bleach and vinegar (stuffed in 17oz) and I didn't notice any smell at all after it was done. I think I'm gonna set it fer 4 cycles a day since it's gonna be pretty cheap to run now.

Hey everyone, be very careful MIXING chemicals, know what you're doing first. Bleach and vinegar make chlorine gas. Don't accidentally poison yourself or your cats!
http://chemistry.about.com/b/2007/09/26/the-killing-power-of-bleach-and-vinegar.htm
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf59105639.tip.html
http://chemistry.about.com/b/2003/07/08/mixing-bleach-and-vinegar-always-a-bad-idea.htm
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-02/asfm-vik021306.php

Ooops...

Solution purged and dumped.

Gonna load it with just vinegar fer the moment and see how well that does.

hey everyone, ive been using "sparkling wave" scented pinesol for about a month now, with no problems. i would like to try the lavender, but my local stores dont carry it. my laudry room and kitchen always smells like pinesol now since i run the genie 4 times a day. as far as toxicity, i figured:

1. give me a break, they are crapping on it, hey, i use the same pinesol to clean my toilet, other than a slight twitch now and then, im fine.
2. my cats (2 of them) dont really lick thier paws too much, so im not too worried about them ingesting any.
3. my house is about 40% tile, and i use the same pinesol to clean all the floors, so they are walking on it anyway. if it was going to hurt them, it would have by now.
4. i live in the country, and have livestock around me, so mice were a problem when i first moved in, hence the cats. id be more concerned with them getting some disease from a mouse they were killing. (even though they havent caught one in over a year and a half, because they ran them all out, which is thier job, and they are good at it apparently)

every so often, i spray some vinegar in during the drying cycle to further disinfect. ive thought about mixing the vinegar in, and may try it, but as catman said, you have to be careful mixing chemicals.

one chemical i would stay away from is bleach. diluted properly, it should be harmless to cats, as it is to people, and is a great disinfectant, however, it is very hard on surfaces. im particularly concerned with the rubber grommets the hopper, the hopper "propeller" and hose, as they are cheaper plastic and i think over time the bleach may deteriorate them. especially if it is mixed too strong. if you are going to use it, dont mix it with ANYTHING other than water. bleach reacts negatively to almost any other chemical.

Hi all... me again (from the pellet alternatives..)
Just wanted to let you guys know that I purchased one of those resetter/reader doodads from Catman's site... Holy shamoley!! What A COOL THINGIE!!!! Works like a dream... *end cheap plug*

AnyWHO... we did a bit of research about refilling the cartridge and settled upon OdoBan... I looked at the website and read up on what it is ...and how it works...etc etc...I bought a 1 gallon bottle of the concentrate on Amazon (which coincidentally showed up with a free bottle of the RTU stuff attached to it!BONUS!), cost about $22? Something like that...

I refilled the cartridge with a diluted solution of 2oz to 2 cups of water (this stuff seems like it packs a good cleaning punch according to the dilution table on the bottle..for "regular household cleaning" they recommended 4oz per gallon...), I ran the box, and the pellets are not sticky, they don't smell funny..and there is a nice, clean smell in the house. I think I need to adjust the dilution a bit (I think it's too watered down..I will do the math and repost what I figure for this stuff..)

This stuff can be used for about a billion things too, here's what's listed on the bottle: (Deodorizer-removes odor instantly) Air freshener, pet odors, sewage backup and water damage, carpets, cleaning solution (large routine application); (Sanitizer-kills 99.9% of germs in 60 sec)-Precleaned, hard and non-porous nonfood contact surfaces; (Disinfectant- kills common germs in 10 minutes)-Hard, nonporous, precleaned surfaces fungicidal, mildewstat, bactericidal; (Virucidal-kills HIV in 60 sec).-Hard, nonporous, pre-cleaned surfaces....

It says it is safe for use on pet bedding and in litter boxes (Woohoo)

So... I will get to that dilution chart... and post it for anyone who is interested... (I am calculating based upon the dilution for the "sanitizer" directions...)

okay then...

Okay..

So this stuff seems as though this stuff is comparable to the D128. I am still nervous about using it at full strength (call me paranoid).

Oh.. and I looked at the ingredients in the OdoBan..and it is (C14 50% C12 40% C16 10%) dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride 2.0% .. .which means that the difference between this stuff and the D128 is Didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride 4.61% n-Alkyl <----doesn't have this... and it has 1.07% less of the other stuff...

I don't know... maybe I am just being paranoid..if the other stuff hasn't made them sick, then this ought not either.

Any thoughts? Concerns? Anything...? Anyone else have anything to say about the OdoBan... or how they use it?

I don't know, but I'd be very cautious about the long-term effects of all these household cleaners on my cat. The one thing about SaniSolution is that it's been tested specifically for cats, bearing in mind that they'll ingest the stuff through licking themselves. All of these long list of household cleaners and chemicals appearing in these threads might sound harmless, but the fact is that they haven't been tested for use with cats, and without some sort of testing, none of us knows the long term results.

Personally, I use a product, can't think of the name of it now, that I get from the pet store that's specifically used to clean stables, kennels and litter boxes. It's tested safe for animals, vet approved, leaves a very mild pine scent, is super concentrated but very expensive (something like $10 for 750ml). It probably wouldn't make any sense for me to actually look up the name and post it since I'm in Europe, but the point is, I purposefully wanted to stay away from household cleaners and bleach and only use animal-safe products. Took me a while to find this product and I have to drive 20 miles each way whenever I need a batch, but it's worth the peace of mind.

Petnovations should just face reality and start selling bulk sani-solution refill kits consisting of new silicone bungs and sani-solution concentrate.

Still2cats2many wrote:Petnovations should just face reality and start selling bulk sani-solution refill kits consisting of new silicone bungs and sani-solution concentrate.

I agree. Too many people are going to be tempted to concoct chemicals, the effects of which they have absolutely no idea. We've already seen one user here who mixed vinegar and bleach - I'm actually surprised he/she didn't pass out from the toxic fumes! It really makes you wonder what else other people might be mixing at home.

I live in Montreal, many products mentioned in the posts cannot be found here.
I just ordered this product from my vet:
http://veto.naccvp.com/index.php?mainfr ... Dclinicide

recommended dilution is 1:128 I plan to test it pure and diluted in half. cost 80$ / gal

more infos here: http://veto.naccvp.com/view_label.php?p ... um=1194013

I don't know, but I'd be very cautious about the long-term effects of all these household cleaners on my cat. The one thing about SaniSolution is that it's been tested specifically for cats, bearing in mind that they'll ingest the stuff through licking themselves. All of these long list of household cleaners and chemicals appearing in these threads might sound harmless, but the fact is that they haven't been tested for use with cats, and without some sort of testing, none of us knows the long term results.

Yes, I totally agree with that. I'm afraid for some cats, as their owners are trying to do good and search for a less toxic alternative, but it may in fact have the opposite effect on the animals.

I live in Montreal, many products mentioned in the posts cannot be found here.
I just ordered this product from my vet:
http://veto.naccvp.com/index.php?mainfr ... Dclinicide

recommended dilution is 1:128 I plan to test it pure and diluted in half. cost 80$ / gal

more infos here: http://veto.naccvp.com/view_label.php?p ... um=1194013

Sorry here are the right url: you may click on print label for the details.

The product is called clinicide. sold by www.vetoquinol.ca --> find product --> clinicide

http://canupdates.naccvp.com/view.php?prodnum=1194013

I'm sorry to say that all bleach is not safe for humans, Question if you take a 1/2 oz of bleach, place in a 1/2 gallon of water, would you drink it.
I wouldn't.
Anyway bleach as it sits over time loses its germ killing ability, why because your adding air to the bottle.
That’s the reason why you don’t see many if any bleaches with an EPA rating.
EPA rating means the government has rated it, to kill the number of germs the manufacture claims it kills.
Most bleach has other chemicals in it then just chorine.
To be the safe as you can for your cats you should be looking for a Quaternary Disinfectant with a food Grade rating of A.
A Food Grade Rating of A means you can use it to Sanitize Food contact areas without a rinse of water. Or use it as your last rinse when doing dishes.
If you diluted properly I’m sure it would be safer to drink then bleach.

I was informed if you take any germicide and mix it with your water it, most company will recommend making a new solution every day, why because they have know idea what is in your water, therefore it could be killing off the germicide.

Only germicide that come from the manufacture Ready To Use RTD can last a long time, manufactured with their pure formula.

It's interesting that you doral bring up the EPA.

Here are some facts about SaniSolution that I've recently learned;

SaniSolution is NOT EPA registered therefore by law cannot be labeled as a disinfectant or a sanitizer.

The proof is that the EPA requires a company to register a "disinfectant" or "Sanitizer" prior to being available for sale. Furthermore the product MUST KILL bacteria and germs in order to make this claim. During the EPA registration process, the companies chemical is "professionally" tested in an EPA approved laboratory to prove it's claim as a disinfectant or a sanitizer. Without an EPA # it is against the law to make such claims about a product.

Something's fishy here folks.... and on a separate note...

Interestingly this is PetNovations definition of SaniSolution in the Onwers Manual:

ABOUT THE SANISOLUTION.
SaniSolution is safe and non-toxic for cats and humans when properly used in
the CatGenie. The ingredients "are similar to" disinfectants used by veterinarians to
clean and sterilize their exam and operating areas.
CAUTION: This is a concentrated Solution that may be irritating to skin and
eyes, so avoid contact. Do not ingest. Keep out of reach of children. In case of
skin or eye contact, wash with copious amounts of water. If swallowed get medical
advice or call this emergency number: 1 - 8 0 0 - 4 2 4 - 9 3 0 0

I can, by accident, verify that if you handle SaniSolution directly such as getting it on your fingers for a few seconds, within a few days your fingers will big time peel.

So let's briefly go over PetNovations definition of SaniSolution. So they say the ingredients are "similar to" what vet's use, which basically means that they ARE NOT the same. And as we've been discussing, SaniSolution is irritating to skin and eyes. How can a company in one sentence say that it's safe and non-toxic and then in the 3rd sentence tell you to "avoid contact" to skin and eyes! What the hell ???

Now let's take another look at the MSDS... the title of the sanisolution is "Cleaner/Deodorizer" ... um hello what part of that says disinfectant or sanitizer?
The PH level is less than <3 ... hydrochloric acid is 0 ... so basically the solution is very acidic. The PH of water is 7 and our skin is around 5.5 to 6.
There's a N/A for inhilation danger which is pretty ludacris considering the acidic level of the solution. Basically we're all breathing straight fumes during the drying cycle since SaniSolution is added at that time. How often do you choose to inhail straight bleach or how about straight shower power? Yea they take your head off... and the companies clearly put "use in a well ventilated area" on the label.

I've seen many videos on Youtube where cats are playing with the machine and or dirty water while it's running. So basically your cats paws or eyes could quite easily get containminated, unless you are a "perfect" parent and lock the cat out of the room while the CatGenie is running. How many of you really do that?

Just because a company says it's safe doesn't make it so... That's why we have the EPA!!! So why isn't sanisolution registered with the EPA?

Your thoughts?

There are other things that are questionable. For example, when was the last time you saw ANY electrical product sold in America without a UL listing? Look on the processor unit label, nada!!!

I was told by a reliable source who works with MSDS's all the time, that Petnovation's MSDS is not OSHA approved.

So Petnovations is kind of sticking their neck on in a couple of places.

Ya I noticed that too. It's no secret that the parent company is based in Israel so perhaps their not up on US standards or policies which wouldn't make sense. You would think that a company would take every necessary precaution prior to entering into a market, especially one like the USA where we have so many rules and regulations to protect it's citizens. I called into CG customer service like 4 days ago and asked for the EPA # of the sanisolution and the customer service rep had no idea what I was talking about. After I briefly explained she said that she would email an engineer and get back to me. Well nothing so far. Furthermore we don't even know where the solution is made and CG doesn't disclose what tests if any were done to ensure that the sanisolution is pet safe as they claim.

Lastly, you'll notice on the main catgenie homepage at the bottom under environment they have EPA Approved! HA Such bullshit!
The EPA does not endorse nor "approve" any products, they simply register products. Companies are NOT ALLOWED to say that they are "EPA Approved"!