The Catit Water Fountain VS my OWN fountain...

i made my own cat fountain...

i just bought the Catit water fountain for my cat. i think maybe a system of running water will enourage the kitties to drink more...

even just looking at Catit fountain in the store made me wonder how i could get that thing clean because there are SO many parts to it! and the carbon filter does not help keep the slime and gludge away. it only helps take impurities out of the water and reduced odors, which btw, i dont think is necessary... and it costs $8.00 a month buy the filters as well.

so i made my own water system (and am in the process of improving it)

my system:

- has a 4 way adjustable running water setting-
- is quiet (with exception to the running trickling water sound)
- is very easy to clean
- is made with sanitary materials: heavy duty glass, stainless steel, pvc tube
- collects hair, dust particals, food...
- requires only 1 cleaning per week that takes 2 minutes at most
- requires 1 pump cleaning every 1 - 2 months. 5 minutes at most.

materials:
- submersible multi-purpose water pump (80 U.S. gph)
- stainless steel mixing pot with the shine on the outside of the pot and NOT on the inside (because the outside is the side the water flows off of)
- 1/4 or 3/4 PVC tubing and a connector that will attach it to the mixing pot
- a container that the mxing bowl can fit in. preferrably glass, but plastic will do. should be able to hold a sufficient amount of water to feed the cats for a while and not make the gurgle noise that is caused by low water intake to the pump
- and... you're gonna laugh... a fresh new white sock. i just cut enough to go around the filter. the sock gets washed once a week. just like most filters would.

it did cost me more, but i confident that the quick and easy cleaning, and cat response will pay off.

i am currently trying new ideas and the Catit and my fountain remain side-by-side. i am seeing which fountain the cat prefer. right now its the catit. i think because the cats arn't used to this one yet and their a little shy of it. but i WILL design a better and more preforable fountain.

i'll update you later.

I never bought the Cat-It as it didn't seem to be very sturdy, & I was afraid it would collect hair. I like the idea of the fountain you built. I'd love to hear which one the cats prefer!

We've been considering a different fountain from our Drinkwell recently, and the Cat-It fountain was on the list. I appreciate this feedback and find your idea to be quite brilliant!

I love my catit fountain. I've had it a couple weeks I guess and I fill it with a little extra water each day and it's still not dirty and I don't know what you mean by sludge.

You've had yours longer so I know you know. As far as sturdy, I got the one with a drinking dish (also a removable food dish which also encourages them to drink as they eat right next to their water), and it isn't going anywhere. I've even hit it with my foot. It didn't go anywhere.

The problem I have with it is that the plug gets hot.

I do love homemade things better whenever possible, so kudos to you for making one for your cats!

Here is my system.

I would LOVE to see a picture of yours!

The kitties and I also love the CatIt and haven't had a problem with slime / sludge, and wherever you are buying filters from is expensive, we get the pack of 3 for $7-8 and each one lasts 3-4 weeks with 4 cats

As far as washing it, I just unscrew it and wash it, its no big chore.

But kudos to you for making your own, I much prefer to make my own stuff and know exactly what goes into it.

For what it's worth, my cats preferred the cheapo Petmate fountain over the more pricey Drinkwell. Although that Aquagarden looked pretty cool...

I've never tried the Catit but it always seems to be on sale at one of the Big Box stores by my parents (Meijer maybe? Target?) and my coworker reports that her herd of FIV+ cats loves it...

Here the fountain is:



its basically a copy of the Catit (as seen in the back of the picture) and infact, i made a few changes and my cats seem to be liking mine better. there is more water flow in mine so the water is easier for the cats to lick. plus there is some spouting action at the top of it and the cats like to watch it. and you can see the water gleaming down the sides much easier because of the shiny stainless steel. the water on my unit only covers half the dome. and i'm sure with the proper adaptor at the top i can easily fix it. like i said, i'm still making improvements. and filling the unit with more water is as easy as just pouring water on the dome.

i'll send another link with my fountain all apart so you can see the simplicity of it... i hope to replace the plastic bottom with a more sanitary and easy to clean solid glass one as soon as i find an appropriate fit.

thanks for all the comments. i'm sorry but i gotta get ready for work.

take care