For a long time now the LitterMaid has been a cat owner’s only option for automatic litter box cleaning. Unfortunately it’s a piece of crap.

It’s got this one big scooper that slides across the box and scoops any solid matter into a sealed storage container. The problem is that the motor is barely strong enough to pull the scoop all the way across, and the scoop itself usually gets gunked up with poo and pee and needs to be cleaned by hand every so often.

Incompetence breeds competition, and soon the CatGenie will see the light of day. Details are sparse, however it somehow hooks up to your toilet in two locations – one to provide it with water and another to flush the poop into your toilet. It scoops the poop similar to the LitterMaid, but it then uses water to somehow wash the scoop and its own special washable, reusable litter.

God only knows if it’ll work or not, but if you sign up to get on their waiting list (no obligation to buy) before Tuesday, you’ll have the option of buying one for $200 – they’ll retail for $300.