Catit Fresh & Clear Small Drinking Fountain

by Hagen

Product Features

• Provides a re-circulating water flow; Cools, aerates, and eliminates stagnant water
• Large water-to-surface area adds oxygen to water: for fresher, tastier water
• Replaceable Purifying Filter: collects food, hair and debris; also helps to reduce bad tastes, odors, and absorbs impurities present in tap water
• Easy to clean and maintain; Energy-efficient
• Replacement filters sold separately

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 7 x 7 x 6 inches ; 2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0015Z3RYK
• Item model number: 50053
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (139 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,227 in Pet Supplies (See Top 100 in Pet Supplies)
  • #78 in Pet Supplies > Dogs > Feeding & Watering Supplies > Fountains
  • #83 in Pet Supplies > Cats > Feeding & Watering Supplies > Fountains

Product Description

Encouraging your cat to drink more water helps prevent crystal formation that can lead to urinary diseases. Because the body uses water continuously, your pet's supply of water must be constant. The Catit Design Fresh & Clear Drinking Fountain provides an indoor source of moving water that will encourage your pet to drink more. It provides the kind of clean, oxygenated water your pet is looking for, and needs. The Catit Design Fresh & Clear Drinking Fountain holds 64 fluid ounces, eliminating the need for daily refilling, and assuring your pet of a continuous supply of fresh, cool, clean water. Easy to clean and maintain its energy-efficient, low-voltage system (12 Volts) consumes less than 4 watts (less power than a night light). The Catit Design Fresh & Clear Drinking Fountain is also suitable for puppies and small dogs. Replacement filters for the Catit Design Fresh and Clear Drinking Fountain are sold separately.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

182 of 183 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better than the older version, filter not quite perfect., November 21, 2008

By 

N. Schweitzer (Phoenix, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Catit Fresh & Clear Small Drinking Fountain (Misc.)

For two years, I used the large Hagen Catit "bubble-dome" water system (that they still make and sell). The pump gave out on it, and when I went to order a new one, I saw this new, smaller version and gave it a try.

My cat was already used to drinking from a dome fountain, so he immediately adjusted to this new model. Although this version holds less water than the old version (64oz vs. 100oz), the water seems to evaporate more slowly, and thus it lasts almost as long between refills (although I live in Arizona, where things evaporate very quickly). The actual pump is exactly the same as the one found in the old model, and it is very quiet (although you can hear a slight "hum").

My only complaint is with the filter. Inside of this device is a circular filter that is supposed to fit snugly against the inside walls. The water comes up from the bottom of the feeder, out the top of the dome, then drips down the sides of the dome and back inside through some holes around the outside edges. The problem is that the filter doesn't quite reach the edges of the feeder, and when the water drips back inside, much of it flows through the small space between the filter and the inside wall of the feeder. I wish the filter was made slightly larger in order to minimize this gap and to make sure that all of the water flows through the filter.

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Update: After a brief power outage, I realized one important thing: Unlike many of the other water fountains for pets, if the power goes out, there is NO WATER available for the pet to drink from this model. If you leave for a day or two, or are in an area that may get power outages, be sure to leave out a separate dish of water.

72 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not impressed, January 27, 2009

By 

Chet Marino (Walnut Creek, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Catit Fresh & Clear Small Drinking Fountain (Misc.)

At first I thought this would be a good fountain from the looks of it, but after using it for about a month, I found a few things that I really didn't like about it:

1) the cheap plastic promotes slime growth faster than a heavier gauge plastic like the type used in the Drinkwell fountain. It would be imperative that this type of unit be cleaned at least once a week and probably more in warm weather. I left it go for two weeks and was totally disgusted by the amount of slime buildup around the filter - the slime was literally caked on the filter. Thank god I feed my cat only wet food and he rarely drinks water (but I still like to have a fountain going for him) because if he drank the slime water, I probably would have needed to take him to the vet. This has been a problem for others too. See: [...]

2) because of it's design, it's a pain to clean, and with these fountains, keeping them clean is very important. Specifically, the motor. In order to get this motor clean, you need to remove the exterior shields to access the propeller. The various compartments of the motor need to be cleaned just as much as the body of the unit as the slime grows in the motor as well. This type of motor is much more difficult to clean versus the type of motor used in the Drinkwell fountain which is basically a 2-piece motor.

3) other fountains (the Drinkwell) are top rack diswasher safe, but this one would more than likely become warped in the dishwasher.

For me, being able to easily clean a fountain is the most important thing, and this one flunks the test in my opinion. Although I referenced the Drinkwell's superiority several times in my review, I have to say I'm not enamoured with cleaning it either. Why can't someone make a fountain that doesn't have a ton of little crevices and hard to reach places to clean? I've been tempted to buy a tall ceramic bowl and just stick a fountain motor at the bottom of it instead, but there would be no filter that way and where I live, what comes out of the faucet is nasty.

4) the unit has a little red plastic ball that is supposed to rise to the top of it's holder to tell you when you have filled the fountain adequately, but the one I had never rose to the top - and I'd end up overflowing the fountain before I stopped in time. Not sure if this was just a defect with the one I had or if they are all like this.

5) I bought this fountain at Petco and still have never been able to find filters for it at Petco (even at Petco online). I found them at another place online, but it would be nice to be able to run to a store to get them.

I've tried every fountain on the market and this one would be at the bottom of my list. The Drinkwell is still at the top.

39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quiet, simple, easy and functional, March 14, 2008

By 

Joe Schmoe (Calgary, Canada) - See all my reviews

In my quest to find a good moving water source for my cat Socks, I tried the water fountain by model by Catit, but was not impressed by the noise of the pump or the flow of water, which continually ended up on the floor. The other medium flow Petmate didn't leak, but was just as noisy. I was a bit frustrated by my luck with these fountains as many reviewers had given such great ratings, particularly with the noise level - Maybe I got some lemons? Anyway...

This cylinder style model works great, and the water reserve is very large. The setup is much simpler than both of the previous fountains I tried, takes up less space and in my opinion is actually esthetically pleasing compared to the others.

It was very quiet as soon as I plugged it in, just a slight hum from the pump, which was virtually silent, something I could easily live with being that my house is very small (775sq).

My cat loves it, and is drinking WAY more than he would with just a bowl of water. I continually gave him fresh water throughout the day, but he is just not interested. Anyway, we're both happy with this product. I recommend it, good luck.