Ask Carlos – Acclimating My Rebellious Cat to His CatGenie

Ask Carlos – Acclimating My Rebellious Cat to His CatGenie

Dear Carlos,

I just adopted 2 cats January 9th of this year. Chino is aprox 2-3 years old. A purebred shorthaired fawn Manx. & Beau is about the same age, a beautiful grey & white domestic. I bought the cat genie & they took to it immediately. Then 2 weeks later Beau started to rebel, leaving me with crap to clean up off my living room carpet. I got a regular box to help with the transition. (I reside in a 1 bedroom) anyway, I began to put Beau in the bathroom with food and water on opposite side. I wake up a lot during the night. As soon as he uses the cat genie, I praise him, give him treats, and then keep the bathroom door open. It seems to be working. (Then I tried to take the regular box away. I guess it was too soon) should I continue with what I was doing? (I know I’m supposed to be patient) but, I work from home, I have many things that need my attention. However, I keep them on the same routine. Actually, how long should I wait, and do you think Beau will catch on? What’s your opinion?

Thank you in advance.

-Carol

 

Hi Carol,

All cats are different. I, like Chino, took to the CatGenie right away and have never had an accident. I’ve met other kitties who take up to three weeks to get used to the new toilet.  Confining Beau to the bathroom with the CatGenie is something the humans recommend in extreme cases, but honestly, even though it is aggressive, it works the best for stubborn cats. You’re doing the right thing by praising, petting and giving him delicious treats when you see him using his CatGenie. He’s obviously not scared of the unit if he will use it when he feels like it, which is good! Here are somethings to consider and try.

Maybe run the CatGenie more often. Chino might not mind sharing but Beau may want a clean box every time, like me.

Let the other cat box get dirty. Your back up, old cat box should be getting dirtier and dirtier before you remove it completely to discourage your cats from using it and encourage them to use the clean CatGenie instead. The two boxes should also be very close together. You can  try adding some poop from the old box to the new CatGenie. The smell of our own waste in the new unit makes us more comfortable and more likely to switch.

So like I said before, all cats are different and some require more finessing than others. Try to be patient with Beau. He’s on the right track and I’m confident he will figure it out very soon.

– Carlos

 

10 Comments

  1. Jody A. Corthell

    Help!!
    I have 3 cats that I love very much! Recently, I have become physically unable to manage a conventional litter box. I got my a CatGenie in the hope that I could manage to continue to take care of my cats. 2 of the 3 are having no problems, while the 3rd kitty will not go anywhere near the CatGenie (hisses at it) and instead has decided my bed is the place to go. This stresses me out physically as well. I need some more ideas to get him on board. I’d be devastated if I had to rehome him, but going back to a regular litter box is out of the question. Any help?

    • Hi Jody, So sorry to hear your having issues with cat acclimation. The first thing you should do is limit access to the bedroom if possible to stop him from using your bed. It’s possible he witnessed a cycle too early and got spooked by the unit. You can try spending time with him in the room with the CatGenie. Praise him and give him treats but do not run a cycle while hes exploring it. Only run manual cycles when he is not in the room (with the door to the CatGenie room closed if possible) so it wont startle him.

      You may have to start over with leaving the old cat box out near the CatGenie and letting it get dirty again. Doing that, combined with running manual cycles and encouraging the spooked kitty to explore the unit with praise and treats should help. Once he gets used to the unit, you can resume running it on a timed/cat activation setting and remove the old litter box. If you need additional help, do not hesitate to call our customer support at 888-735-3927 for assistance. We have a special cat acclimation expert you can talk to.

  2. Ronald W. Pant

    Our cats transitioned to the Cat-genie after letting the old liter box get dirtier, which was sitting RIGHT next to the Cat-genie. However, after the first week of them using the Cat-genie consistently we removed the old liter box. Then in just a few days the cats stopped using the Cat-genie, and started defecating on the floor around the Cat-genie, and have not stepped one paw in the Cat-genie.

    I even would pick the poop up and place it in the Cat-genie and let it sit there. While also placing the Cat-genie on manual cleaning so as to not clean the Cat-genie before the cats would see or smell their poop in the Cat-genie.

    So, here we are almost 2 months after getting the Cat-genie and the cats have not once used it and continue to just defecate on the floor.

    Please help.

    • Did you ever figure out how to solve the problem??? I am dealing with the exact same thing right now. I have a 12 year old cat that just won’t take to the cat genie!

      • Hi Devin,

        I’m sorry to hear that you’re having issues acclimating your cat to the CatGenie. One thing to try is to add Washable Granules to your old cat box so your cat will get used to the texture of them. As you scoop out the clumps of regular cat litter, the litter box will be left with just the Washable Granules.

        Then, let the litter box get dirty to encourage them to switch. However, be aware that not every cat will switch to the CatGenie, senior cats especially. Unfortunately, since senior cats have used a litter box their whole life, some will simply not take to the CatGenie very easily.

        Let us know if you resolve your issue!

  3. My cat is 16lb Bengal, 28″ front front to rear paw when stretching. He was using the cat Genie everyday until 2-months ago when he went from kitten food to cat food. Ive tried 3-different foods now and its the same, he uses it for 1-2 days then goes over to the carpet again. What to do?? Is he just too big. He does pee it the Genie, I believe.

    • Anna Brown

      Hi Brian! What prompted the change from kitten food to cat food? Did he grow from a kitten to a cat or was he already a fully grown cat and you switched his food for a different reason?

  4. Ron Ramseur

    Ohhh goodness I’m having the same issue. I have 2 cats and one will use it. The other seems to be so afraid of it. I’ve used the regular box and let it get dirty then moved it away. He used it for a bit but he heard the loud noise and now is using it on the floor. I’ve done this twice with the dirty litter box. I am so over this. Cat Genii you might be going back although I do love you. It’s the genie or one of my cats… I think I read that someone locked the cat up in the room with the genie… I’m going to do that… I need HELP…

    • Anna Brown
      Anna Brown

      Hi Ron! Please call CatGenie customer support at 1-888-735-3927. They can help with cat acclimation!

  5. Hi there!

    Did anyone figure out a solution for this? I have 3 kitties as well and 2 of them are fine with it but the 3rd is not. I ended up having to go back to purchasing a regular litter box for the other cat because she kept pooping on the floor in front of the genie.

    I would love to be able to use it full time and wish there were a solution! Are there possibly granules that feel more like traditional cat litter? I have a feeling the texture may be the issue. Anyone have any suggestions?

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