Catit Fresh & Clear Drinking Fountain Review

Cats are very prone to getting urinary tract diseases/ problems due to their nature - they are not drinkers and most of them do not have any urge/ desire to drink water. Since they are drinking less water, they are not flushing the toxins out of the body well enough and this could lead to infections/ kidney stones etc. One great way to keep a cat's urinary tract healthy is to not feed kibbles at all; feed only wet canned food or raw. However, due to most owners' (including myself) work schedule, it is very inconvenient and pretty expensive to feed on wet canned food/ raw food only. Kibbles can be left out in the open for about a day and will not go bad but canned food/ raw food must be consumed within an hour. Since Meuw is a kitten, he has to have about 4-6 small meals a day and I cannot be there for him throughout the day to tend to his meals. Kibbles are my best option.

With that said, on my part, I do my best to increase his fluid intake. He has wet canned food with added warm water in the day and night and kibbles are given throughout the day. I am free feeding him now since he is still young. As he turns into an adult cat, I will slowly reduce his small meals and introduce him to having 2 main meals a day.

I have read so many great things about water fountains and seen happy owners going on about the huge amount of water their cats drink because of the fountain (cats prefer constant flowing fresh water), so I decided to get him one! There are so many types in the market and below are what I have shortlisted.

Lucky Kitty Drinking Fountain

This is my favourite drinking fountain out of all that I have seen. I love the simple and clean design, how heavy and strudy it is and the 3 drinking zones - 'bubbly' (for cats who love to drink directly from the source, 'water slide' (where water trickles down the ceramic ripples) and the water basin at the bottom. Most importantly, I love that it is made of ceramic (hygienic) and does not require filters. However, it is only available in UK and they do not ship to Singapore because the item is fragile and they do not want to risk it breaking.

Pioneer Pet Raindrop Oval Stainless Steel Fountain

I like how clean the fountain looks and the main selling point to me is the material. Steel is easy to clean and will not breed bacteria within scratches. However, I have read reviews that many cats do not like to use it and it looks much bulkier in reality.

Catit Senses Fountain

This product has by far the most number of reviews I have searched. It is really easy to upkeep and maintain since the design is simple and there are few parts to this water fountain. It is very affordable and easily available online and in stores. However, since it is made of plastic, it is not very hygienic in the long run and also lightweight. Many owners have commented that their cats love to stick their paws into the hole where water comes out and topple the water fountain, creating a mess.

Catit Fresh & Clear Drinking Fountain

This is what I got after much thought and restrictions. It is a 2 in 1 feeding station. The troublesome part to this is there are many components to this product and it can take 10-15 minutes to wash, clean and reassemble everything during each cleaning process. However, I have read that many cats loved using it and that was all that I wanted - for Meuw to love it.

I got this about a week ago and so far I have not seen him drinking from it yet. He is always sticking his paw in, sniffing the water and lying beside the station but I have not seen him licking at all. I have had high hopes in this product and very disappointed at Meuw's reaction but I am going to preservere and wait it out. Hopefully he drinks out of it soon! Besides that, the design of this drinking fountain is great! I have tried it without the filter once and it has a slight vibrating sound. After installing the filter, it is absolutely silent. The food bowl also has a guard and prevents water from entering. It also have high walls which prevents food from getting all over the floor. I remove and wash the fountain every once in 3 days and the pump once a week.

In conclusion, I will only recommend this drinking fountain to cat owners who have the time and patience to do regular cleaning of the drinking fountain. Each cleaning process is more time consuming as compared to the other drinking fountains I have shortlisted. Without regular maintenance, grime and bacteria will form and it will do more harm than good if your cat drinks that polluted water.

Rating: 3/5

Pros:

Very quiet

Convenient

Nice design

Provides cord protector (in case cat chews on it)

Replacement parts easily available online

(Don't have to change the whole fountain if one part is damaged)

Cons:

Time consuming to clean

Requires filter

Meuw doesn't drink from it

Every cat is different, all the best to finding the right fountain for your cat!

#informative #catit #drinkingfountain #review