CatGenie; Experience and realtime cycle monitoring

[Jeffrey]

As you've read here (or not) I've ordered a CatGenie based on the good experience that MindBender has with the unit (link to that thread --> domoticaforum.eu/viewtopic.php?f=8& ... nie#p39672). If you want more information about the CatGenie, then go to the link in the last rule as Mindbender already put all information in that thread.

What I'll be talking about in this topic is my experience with the CatGenie and how I "integrated" it with HomeSeer to do some monitoring.

My experience after 8 days of using the CG:
- Granulates are everywhere;
Reason: When the cats jump out, they scoop a bunch of granulates out of the box. It's basically because the granulates are so small and very light (compared to regular clumping litter). The mat that comes with the unit is to small to catch all granules that get out of the CG.
Solution: Get a bigger mat obviously. In petshops they only sell A4 size mats. Thats to small so I'm still looking for a big one (think of 4x a4 in size). Another option is to buy the extra mats at the CG shop, but i think that will still not cover the area.
- Not all turds getting scooped;
Reason: When the scooping process starts all granulates in the CG will grow into one big pile with the scooper as the bowl is turning around. If a turd is at the end of the pile it's likely to not getting scooped into the hopper. I saw this already on 3 occasions so basically it happens a lot rather then sometimes. The second reason this occurs is when a turd is located in the center and will "stick" at the side of behind the scooper.
Solution: uhmm...none. But the question is if this will be a problem. A few times I've scooped them out manually, but also I've let the turd in the bowl and when I looked again when it was finished all turds were gone and the CG was clean.
- The smell.....;
One of the bennefits I hoped for was that there would be little or no smell. The thruth is that because urine and turds are not clumped together like in regular litter the stuff will smell.

[drmacchi]

To avoid smell you could use an addictive : standard treament could be a chemical product (i'm chemist) , but i suggest a better , natural, product that consist of "active microrganism" . I use them for similar (worst) problems : the smell of home conventional septic tank , and it really works !
for your problem a spoon of product will work form many days

a link :

www.ig-em.ch

[Jeffrey]

That results in a smelly environment.
Reason: The box is not running a cleaning cycle each time the CG is used.
Solution: Well...let it clean more often.But....(here's the but)... a cleaning cycle takes 41 minutes (41:33 to be exact ). When you have 2 cats it's not a good idea to let it clean every time a cat has used the box. Also you don't know what happened. Was it a number 1, a number 2 or just a rearangementvisit of the granulates. Most of the times it will not be needed to perform a full clean. A better option is the custom firmware that makes it possible to do a scoop only cycle besides regular full cycles (review the link mentioned in the first post for details).
- At least one cat refuses to use it;
Reason: uhmm..he prefers his old trusted non domitica-non geek-standard-litterbox. I let the old litterbox be next to the CG without cleaning it for a week as the manual suggests. The problem was that one cat would crap in the CG but both cats still used the old litterbox. Yesterday evening the cat that often used the CG pissed on my bed (you can image how that feels when you go to bed and a cat pisses on yout bed at that moment). Right then I removed the old litterbox to "force" them to use the CG. The next morning I found some turds near (but not in) the CG and when I got home I saw they (or at least one cat) is using the CG.
I don't know what will happen, but basically they are not both using the CG
Solution: That's a good one.... if you have ideas, feel free to share them ...
- Operational costs:
Reason: Besides the cardridges and cleaning solution/cardridges the unit also takes op quite some power (mostly due to the heater) and off course takes water (I don't know how much). If you would put together the cost of all parts it's basically an expensive "gadget", but that's the price to pay for a domotica/geek device and the convenience of a low maintenance selfcleaning litterbox.
Solution: Well...just live with it. If you can spend the money on the device than the operational costs will also not be an issue.

[Jeffrey]

Conclusion:
Well obviously when both cats will not accept the CG within a few days the old litterbox will be placed back and the CG will be returned. I hope this will not be the case but if they will do there business in other places that will not be acceptable off course.
Other issues are fixable. It's a shame that such a niche product has this issues, but they are fixable.
I hope to get the smell issue under control (by putting in the custom firmware or by increasing the cleaningcycles per day).
I hope to find a big mat to catch most of the granulates. Besides that I'm thinking of getting a roomba to pick up the rest of the granulates so they will not be scattered all over the place.
And lastly I hope the (centre)turd-not-picked-up will not be an issue.

Would I do it again?
I think it's to soon to say. If you want to take the safe route, then get the Litter Robot (http://www.litter-robot.com/). 99% of the people who has one is excited about it (almost no problems). I think it's the best product out there, BUT it doesn't clean itself like the CG can. This means you have to clean the Litter Robot at regular intervals (1x per month or 1x per 2 months). Because the bowl on the Litter Robot is one piece I think it's hard to clean it. If the CG will not work for me, then I will switch to the Litter Robot. Geek wise the CG is in a league of it's own. As you see...I have mixed feelings about both products, but the (domotica)geek in me won

[Jeffrey]

-= HomeSeer integration =-

Goals
1. Monitor the cardridgelevel and notify if the cardridge is (almost) empty
2. Realtime monitor the washcycle and record the times and usage in a database
3. Notify when the washcycle starts and ends on my squeezebox and by means of email

Requirements
- Catgenie hooked up to a plugwise device
- HomeSeer with the plugwise plugin of Rene installed (to get the plugin --> http://www.domoticaforum.eu/viewforum.php?f=42&start=0)

1. Extract the attached CatGenie_HomeSeer_Scripts.zip file to the "..\HomeSeer Pro\Scripts" folder

CatGenie_HomeSeer_Scripts.zip

(3.26 KiB) Downloaded 403 times

2. Create the folder "Data\CatGenie" in the Homeseer root folder (e.g. "..\HomeSeer Pro\Data\CatGenie")
3. Extract the CatGenie_HomeSeer_MDBs.zip file to the --> "..\HomeSeer Pro\Data\CatGenie" folder
Note: There are 2 extra .bak files. These are empty versions of the mdb's in case you want to start over with an empty database. You can remove them, but it's best to keep them just in case.

CatGenie_HomeSeer_MDBs.zip

(131.52 KiB) Downloaded 435 times

4. Create a virtual device in HomeSeer (remember or write down the virtual device id). It should look something like the picture (ignore the value as this will be set later on).

CatGenie Virtual device - Cardridge Level.png (4.75 KiB) Viewed 16977 times

[Jeffrey]

5. Create a manual event as stated in the picture.

CatGenie - Reset Cardridge Counter.png (11.57 KiB) Viewed 16977 times

6. Run the manual event once uhmm...manual by clicking "run" to set the created virtual device to the starting position (120 cleaning cycles left)
Note: Check the value of the virtual device to make sure it shows 120 (in the example picture it's at 115 marked by the red square)

CatGenie Virtual device - Cardridge Level - countervalue.png (6.56 KiB) Viewed 16976 times

7. Create the Washcycle started event based on the picture.
Notes: Action 1 --> only configure this when you have a Squeezebox and want to display a message that the cycle has started (for details about the setup of the squeezebox messaging review my other tutorial at --> http://www.domoticaforum.eu/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=3716)
Action 2 --> This actually makes sure that the cardridgelevel (virtual device) go down as cycles are run
Action 3 --> Writes a record to the CarGenie.mdb database noting the starttime of the cyclerun and the cardridgelevel that belongs to it.
Action 4 --> Send an email which tells you that the cycle has started and at what time (I use this to check if everything is working as it should. Later on this will be viewable from the web using the database in step 3)
Make sure that you fill in the virtual device id at the red dots.
Make sure that the path to the CatGenie.mdb is pointing to the right location (where you saved it earlier)

CatGenie - Washcycle started.png (19.7 KiB) Viewed 16976 times

[Jeffrey]

8. To make sure that the powerusage gets recorded in the database create the event like the picture
Notes: Make sure you fill in the plugwise id at the red dot.

CatGenie - Powerusage change.png (11.97 KiB) Viewed 16976 times

9. Add finish time to the database as the cycle is finished email the results and check if the cardridge counter has to be reset (condition). Create the event like the picture.
Notes: Make sure the path to the CatGenie.mdb is set correctly (highlighted by the red square).
The emailaction is obviously optional as explained earlier.
The condition value of the reset cardridge counter action is --> Device: "<catgenie plugwise>" Value is: "Equal to" Value: "0"
The reset cardridge counter can be set safely because the CG will not work when the cardridge is empty. Reseting the value will therefor always work correctly.

CatGenie - Wascycle finished.png (16.45 KiB) Viewed 16976 times

10. Create the "cardridge almost empty" warning events. I've created several at different cardridge levels. Basically I email the warnings as they are not critical. Only when it's empty I will get a instant notification. Create the events you want according to the events in the picture.

CatGenie - Cardridge level warnings.png (39.5 KiB) Viewed 16976 times

-Done- Run a cycle to see if everything works ... Good luck!

[Jeffrey]

Here is an example of added records in the CatGenie.mdb:

CatGenie - CatGenie.mdb example.png (9.35 KiB) Viewed 16975 times

Here is an example of added records in the CatGeniePowerUsage.mdb:

CatGenie - CatGeniePowerUsage.mdb example.png (27.85 KiB) Viewed 16975 times

Here is a analyse of one of the runs I did just for the fun of it. I took the records from the CatGeniePowerUsage database, converted the usage to Kwh and calculated the total usage which I converted to a price (using €0,25/Kwh). When crunching the numbers and comparing them to the Plugwise recordings, they match

CatGenie Cycle Usage.jpg (128.97 KiB) Viewed 16975 times

[MindBender]

- Granulates are everywhere;
Reason: When the cats jump out, they scoop a bunch of granulates out of the box. It's basically because the granulates are so small and very light (compared to regular clumping litter). The mat that comes with the unit is to small to catch all granules that get out of the CG.

Tracking is somewhat of a problem. Our box is in the garage and we regularly sweep up tracked granules. The mats don't help. Or; They may help, but our cats don't like walking of them. A big people's anti-tracking door mat may help. We're still thinking about that.
Another solution may be in alternative litter. As a chemist, you probably know the little glass beads used in laboratories to break down boiling bubbles. Using the more affordable flint glass version of 3..4mm balls may help: The balls are heavier and don't have sharp edges to embed themselves into the bottom of the paws. We still need to order them. Our local hero only sells them in 100gr bags, we need >3kg.

- Granulates are everywhere;
- At least one cat refuses to use it;

Most acceptance problems are related to a non-clean box. One of our kittens turned out be very picky, impatient and not shy to find an alternative. Getting a second box initially didn't help, but now the to CatGenius upgraded box is scooping after each use, and the stock box is on cat-activation mode, we haven't had any accidents anymore.
The acceptance manual can help here too: But the boxes together and let the old one get dirty. In the beginning you can help a bit by moving a single turd into the CatGenie, to set an example.

[Fantic]

on the tracking issue, it will help, same as with any normal litterbox, to make sure they cannot run away directly but have to come around a corner first.

[Jeffrey]

To avoid smell you could use an addictive : standard treament could be a chemical product (i'm chemist) , but i suggest a better , natural, product that consist of "active microrganism" . I use them for similar (worst) problems : the smell of home conventional septic tank , and it really works !
for your problem a spoon of product will work form many days

a link :

http://www.ig-em.ch

Almost missed your reply because it's in de mids of my story . A chemical product will work I guess, but there are a few things to concider here.
1. It has to be save for cats
2. It may not be aggressive to the washers and other components of the CG
3. It has to be automatically mixed during/after a cycle run otherwise it's not usefull

[Jeffrey]

- Granulates are everywhere;
Reason: When the cats jump out, they scoop a bunch of granulates out of the box. It's basically because the granulates are so small and very light (compared to regular clumping litter). The mat that comes with the unit is to small to catch all granules that get out of the CG.

Tracking is somewhat of a problem. Our box is in the garage and we regularly sweep up tracked granules. The mats don't help. Or; They may help, but our cats don't like walking of them. A big people's anti-tracking door mat may help. We're still thinking about that.
Another solution may be in alternative litter. As a chemist, you probably know the little glass beads used in laboratories to break down boiling bubbles. Using the more affordable flint glass version of 3..4mm balls may help: The balls are heavier and don't have sharp edges to embed themselves into the bottom of the paws. We still need to order them. Our local hero only sells them in 100gr bags, we need >3kg.

- Granulates are everywhere;
- At least one cat refuses to use it;

Most acceptance problems are related to a non-clean box. One of our kittens turned out be very picky, impatient and not shy to find an alternative. Getting a second box initially didn't help, but now the to CatGenius upgraded box is scooping after each use, and the stock box is on cat-activation mode, we haven't had any accidents anymore.
The acceptance manual can help here too: But the boxes together and let the old one get dirty. In the beginning you can help a bit by moving a single turd into the CatGenie, to set an example.

Uhmm..I'm an IT guy...not a chemist. I guess you thought I made the reply that drmacchi posted. The mat issue is resolvable. My CG is located at the top floor/attic, so I have plenty of space to put a big mat. Unfortunatelly that's the least of my problems right now

[Jeffrey]

About the refuse issue....
I think there will be a big chance that I will return the CG and get the Litter Robot. Today when I got home I found a surprise, which was a number 1 and a number 2. When I dropped the turds in the CG the "problem" cat got in the CG, but when he got out he pissed on another spot although I was watching him.

This was a clear sign that he would not be using the CG any time soon. Based on this (and the fact that I had to clean the stuf @#$@#%$%) I placed back the old litter box with fresh litter next to the CG. Immidiately both cats got in the litterbox (togetter) and did there business.

This is not looking promising as you may understand. I will have it for another week, but I think I know what will happen (bye bye CG) ...

[Jeffrey]

on the tracking issue, it will help, same as with any normal litterbox, to make sure they cannot run away directly but have to come around a corner first.

That's a good tip. It will help, but not solve it unfortunatelly. Even if they step out in a relaxed manner granulated will also come out with them. I will think of another positioning. Thanks.

[Jeffrey]

To make sure you all don't miss it --> I've added the HomeSeer integration tutorial (including scripts/databases and pictures) in the reserved reply placeholders. Scroll up to view it!

p.s. Let me know if you're going to use it. That way I know that I didn't spend the time for nothing on writing the tutorial ...