Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 80
 Excellent product......My cats love it! August 28, 2010
I gotta do it all
I have 4 cats and they just love it. I have had this fountain for over 5 years. Plus I bought another one 3 months later. No problems at all. It works very well at filtering the water, and seems to keep the water cooler and fresher than just a bowl of water sitting all day, plus I don't have to refill it every day. I do clean it every 3-4weeks and it usually needs to be refilled about twice a week. Cleaning the fountain isn't as bad as some of the reviews that I have read here. It takes me around 10-15 minutes. Keep in mind that this is usually done once every 3-4 weeks. To some reviewers it seems like it may be a big chore, but for me it isn't. Next item, some reviewers talk about the "AC adaptor being hot", I can only speak for myself, but the AC adaptor is a "transformer", and it will be warm, in my opinion, it isn't any "hotter" than any other product that uses a transformer. Like I said, I have had this product for over 5 years and I haven't had any issues with the transformer/adaptor. Next item, filling it with water: Don't expect you're going to turn the water faucet on full blast and fill the dome in 5 seconds. The water-fill orifice is small and it has a plunger with a spring that needs to be pushed in and turned to lock it open before filling. Turn the faucet on so there is a steady thin stream of water(no air bubbles). It takes me about 1 minute to fill. I also use reverse osmoses water which seems to keep the water fresher longer. Next item, "It's noisy". When the Catit fountain is getting noisy, it means that it's either low on water, it needs cleaning, or both. If it needs cleaning, clean everything, change the filter, and don't forget the pump, it has parts that are to be taken off and cleaned too. Also be sure that the dome is seated on the pump, it shouldn't wobble. Next item, the threaded top diffuser: Be gentle and patient, it can be a little trying to get it to thread on straight, but it isn't a big deal. Next item, "Can't get the plastic screw nut to loosen on the dome base:"Run some water over the threads and lock open the water-fill plunger to release some of vacuum that may be holding it together. When fastening the dome onto the base, do not over tighten the plastic screw nut, snug is good enough, because it has a rubber O-ring around the perimeter of the base that seals the dome to the base. I really like this product and I'm very happy with it.
Love this fountian! August 27, 2010
Sunshine L. Valinor
Fountain holds much more then our last one and is considerably quieter then any other pet fountain we have tried. It is easy to take apart and clean without any little bits to bend and break. We also love the fact that the animals can get to the water even if the fountain is turned off. This has worried us for power outages in the past and forced us to use a bowl for water next to the fountain if we would be gone for more then 12 hours. But this fountain makes the water accesable to the animals without power, perfect!
 Suggested By Our Vet. July 24, 2010
Gary Peterson (San Diego, California USA)
My wife and I have two cats (both neutered males) and one of them has been bothered by recurring urinary tract infections. On the last trip to the Vet, he advised us to get a cat drinking fountain in addition to going to a special Hills prescription diet. We selected the Hagen Catit drinking fountain at our local PetCo store. Unfortunately, the Amazon price, as listed here, is about $10 cheaper, so you know what I'd advise doing.
The fountain was easy to put together and was functioning in no time at all. The regular cleaning part is going to become onerous, I can tell. It goes way beyond putting the old watering bowl in the dishwasher. Be aware. The cats took to the fountain immediately, but I still haven't seen either one drinking by licking the dome. In any case, they seem to be getting adequately hydrated judging by the drop in water level and the number of clumps appearing in the litter box. Hopefully, this fountain will be an aid to the UTI.
Gary Peterson
 Cats love it, I hate cleaning it July 16, 2010
Barrett (Three Oaks, MI United States)
We're had this fountain for a couple years - the cats (all 5 of them) adore it. However, as the human that cleans it, it's a total bummer. I have two complaints; fussiness and frequency. The frequency of cleaning wouldn't be an issue if not for the fussy factor. There are a couple parts that need to be broken down into a bunch of itty little pieces which then need to be carefully scrubbed. I use both a sponge and a toothbrush to get into the many hard to reach areas; it takes app. 25 minutes to accomplish. I clean it every 5-7 days which is how long it takes for the surfaces to begin feeling disgustingly slimy. I replace the filter monthly but even after putting in a new filter, I still have to clean it after 5-7 days. Therefore, it's logical to conclude that replacing the filter more frequently would not postpone the slime onset. Also, I use water from the 5 gal. jug that we re-fill at the grocery store so it's not local tap water contributing to the slime.
So in summary, when pondering this fountain purchase.....fussiness + frequency = total bummer for the human; fountain + water = happiness for the cats. Personally, I'd keep looking to find something that = happiness for all involved.
 Cat likes it, cleaning is a major killer. June 30, 2010
DarthFraider
About 3 years ago I bought this fountain, my cat had urinary tract blockage and in those 3 years I realized that this fountain is a little like communism... in theory it's pretty great, in practice, it sucks. I'll start top to bottom:
1) Water globe- This is the major reason I bought this. Cat is a pretty major water hater, so I figured this would be a great way to get him to hydrate regularly. He does dig the nice water globe (much like the cat drinking from the water globe in the advertisment picture, oddly enough, that's pretty much what my little guy looks like too.) so I can't complain about that. The thing I dislike about it is that the handle is fairly difficult to not crossthread when putting back in and where the handle is seated and the handle itself are next to impossible to get reasonably deslimed (common theme for this fountain actually). All in all, the water globe is probably the only reason to buy the fountain. However, be aware that this also increases the surface area of water, so evaporation is fairly high. Especially if you live in a dry area. I live in DC (which is a swamp) and it's humid all summer long and I still have evaporation problems. It is also impossible (I kid you not) to seat properly on the reservoir/bowl. In the 3 years I've had this, I got it to seat on the first try maybe twice. If the globe isn't seating properly, the motor doesn't run right. Also, the water is gravity fed from the globe to the bowl portion... there is a little plunger that keeps it from leaking out when you flip it on, which, in order to clean properly, you have to dismember the plunger. And well... there is a spring... that is very very small and springy. Once the spring has taken the course of "Getting Lost" it's a pain to get the globe back on the reservoir, especially since it doesn't seat properly, ever. Yes, you can buy the replacement. It is available on Amazon, but it's still pain while you wait for it.
2) Motor - It's actually more quiet then my refrigerator. Not kidding. As long as the motor gets sufficient water, it's no problem at all. However, once the water level drops or the motor gets a little slimy, it's loud as all get out. Like everything else in this whole item, it's impossible to get perfectly clean. Which brings me to my next item...
3) Filter - Cheesy. It's a few pieces of charcoal (like a brita or pur filter) but not anywhere near enough to actually do much to the water I would imagine. Yes, the filters are cheapish and available at every pet store I've gone to, but it doesn't actually filter much. It does filter some (I did run it without to see how much it filtered), it filters just enough to make it kind of worth buying, grudgingly.
4) Lower portion/bowl - This is the worst part. The reservoir under the globe is not sealed in any way. Multiple times I've found creepy crawlies living in the reservoir area, and that's with the water running. And the way the design is, there are way too many nooks and crannies to clean properly, and the manufacturer recommends a weekly cleaning. It takes me about 30-40 minutes to get it acceptable, over an hour if I bust out all the Q-Tips and pipe cleaners. Also, for some reason, there's a calcium deposit that has married itself to the plastic. About a year ago, someone was watching my cat, and did not run the fountain. I've scrubbed to try to get the calcium off the bowl, but in the year I've been trying, no success. It's also found its way onto the underside of the water globe.
Overall - if you've got the weekly 30-60 minutes to clean this, go for it. The filters are readily available, the design is pretty interesting and the cat loves it. However, if you don't want to spend a lot of time cleaning (and do care about cleanliness), and do care about the filters doing their job, don't buy this. If the manufacturer has streamlined it so that there are less curves, nooks, and crannies, it's not a bad item. But, I doubt they have in the past 3 years and it's not worth your time or money. Cat It does make replacement parts available, which is a plus. Which goes back to the whole, in theory this is a wonderfully designed fountain, with some changes it'd be down right wicked awesome, but it's the cleaning that does it in. Especially since they recommend hand washing as it's not quite dishwasher safe.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 80
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