Thank you SO much for the advice feline fanatic! Wish we had known about the show in SLC! Had never considered Innova, but on first glance it appears to be a well-built machine, and will research and test drive. A test configuration appears to be priced real close to the Q24, but as you mentioned, not a "newb" on the scene. Of course it would depend highly if a dealer/servicer is not far away. Regarding automation, we would get that from the onset. I would be very comfortable with it, and would teach the wife.