Automatic Litterbox Central

One more note. The pump is in fact the same one as in the original domed CatIt fountain, so you can reuse the pump and AC adapter if they die on you.

Haven't heard enough about this fountain? Here's more.

After three weeks of use, I took it apart to clean it (which is really just lifting two parts out of the bowl) and was amazed to find that everything was clean. Every part of my old CatIt would be covered in slime after a couple of weeks but even the filter looked brand new with this one. I'm not even sure how you're supposed to tell when the filter needs to be replaced if it never gets dirty. In fact I can't tell if the filter is doing anything at all.

After that I made my first version of a knock-off filter which was a sandwich of fluffy nylon filter fabric and thick carbon filter fabric. This filter is at least twice as thick as the manufacturer's filters but it didn't pose any problem. I cut the center hole in the filter fabric by folding it in half and cutting a "C" in the center, a trick I probably learned in the second grade.

I decided to try these highly-permeable filter media first because I'm a little concerned about what will happen if the filter prevents the water from flowing back down into the bottom of the fountain fast enough. Will the pump send it all to the top and send it spilling over the edge? It wasn't a problem this time so maybe I'll try some tighter fabric with the next one. I guess I can poke a hole in it to make sure some water flows back down.

I also put about a tablespoon of rinsed carbon pellets at the bottom of the fountain just because I have them. They don't interfere with the flow of water and I know they'll help keep the water clean.

WOW.. You know, I STILL can't find one of these anywhere... I just looked this week at our Petco and they only had the old style. I might have to buy it off Amazon, but I hate to try out stuff like that in case it doesn't work I don't want to have to deal with shipping. Think I might bite the bullet though

Dawn

I'm hoping all my rambling will help people make a good decision about it so they won't have to send it back. The only serious drawback is that your cats will go without water if the pump or power fails. The noise from the pump is reduced it you set it on a towel. The advantages over the domed CatIt are tremendous: no spillage, no tricky filters (cut-to-fit filter media is all you need), simple cleaning and simple refilling (just pour water into it any time you want).

I don't know if other people's old CatIts were sliming up like mine was, but there was no sign of any pollution in the new one when I cleaned it. I found one cat fur at the bottom and a piece of litter stuck in the filter. I think the smaller design circulates the water so quickly that nothing can accumulate and grow unlike the old CatIt that sloooowly dripped the water down the huge dome, probably picking up airborne debris.

After the cat decided that standing or sitting while drinking was OK, he's been drinking like crazy from it. I pour four or five glasses of water into it every week and I think the cat seeing me pour water into it actually encourages him to drink more water.

K after how many months of looking into this and then searching for it in local stores is this??? I finally found one at a local Petsmart here and just set it up. It was so easy to disassemble and wash completely before hand that I have high hopes for keeping it clean. Also, filling it was a snap and I used our nice filtered, cold refrigerator water. I got 4 of 5 cats to drink from it instantly and the 6th cat I can't catch unless she feels like it so who knows about her, but it seems like it is a pretty big hit so far. Our problem cat who has urinary problems all the time was guzzling water from it so that was the best of all. If it holds up as well as it started out, we will have a huge hit on our hands!

Dawn

My cat is definitely drinking lots of water from it. Watching him, it looks like he drinks from it, then he sees more water appear so he drinks that, then more water appears so he drinks that too, and he keeps on doing that until he has to use the litterbox.

Even my super thick filter doesn't seem to be getting dirty. I'll have to make one with 100 micron filter fabric to see if junk is passing through. Even if it is, the bowl is staying incredibly clean compared to previous fountains like the domed CatIt and the DrinkWell.

You want more information on a stupid cat water fountain? I have it.

After three weeks or so I took out my improvised two layer filter. Like the legit filters, it looked pretty clean, maybe a little dirtier but nothing like the strip of slime that the filter in the original CatIt turned into. Again the interior of the fountain was very very clean. There was no sign of discoloration or slime build-up anywhere which is a great sign.

My latest filter is the regular carbon filter mesh (I still don't know if it really does anything!) sprinkled with rinsed activated carbon pellets and topped with standard 100 micron aquarium bulk filter fabric. This is the stuff I was using for the old CatIt filters and I still have a huge roll of it. Cutting the fabric doesn't have to be a very precise circle. As long as the edge of the fabric is roughly round and reaches the edge of the bowl, it's good enough. Even the center hole doesn't have to be precise. Just poke a hole big enough so it will slip under the lips in the center holder.

I was concerned that this fabric makes a much denser filter and wouldn't allow water to flow quickly through it compared to the very permeable filters that come with the fountain. I wondered if the pump would send water to the top of the fountain too quickly and it would spill off the edges. Not a problem! In fact it sounds like the pump is working extra hard sucking water back down. This means the filter is getting a solid flow of water and must be doing its job.

So I've been using the 100 micron filter for weeks and weeks and weeks. I took a look at it last night and only found cat fur, just like anyplace else in my house. I found no brown staining or slime like I would with the old CatIt dome fountain filters. I just rinsed off the fur and put it back.

I'm certain the filter is working because the motor is really working hard to get water through it. In fact the density of the filter makes filling it a little tougher. You pour water into it and it looks like it's filled. A minute later you check it and... where did the water go? It's practically empty again. That's because the water you added sits on top of the filter and takes a while to pass through it. The best way is to unplug it and let all the air around the pump bubble through the filter to the top of the bucket. With the pump not doing anything, you can pour water in and the air it displaces will bubble to the top. The floating "fill me" indicator will be accurate.

I found no slime on any surface inside the fountain. This thing is working very very well and the cat is drinking as much water as ever.

Can you believe I'm still using that 100 micron filter I made in December? I pulled it out and all I found was more cat fur. There was no staining and no slime. I ran it under the faucet and it's perfectly white. I am changing the carbon pellets since there's no way to tell if they're being used up.

Here's a tip to decrease the sound of the pump. The fountain is an inner container which holds the water moulded inside a larger container which is the outside of the fountain. There is an air gap between the two containers (possibly to prevent condensation on the outside) which you can see from the bottom. The pump vibrates the inner container and the outside container does nothing to stop this. You can help it dampen the noise by stuffing the gap between the two containers with a hand towel. This will use the stiffness of the outside container to make the inner more rigid.

If the fountain were cheaper I'd fill it with spray foam.

I just wanted to update... I LOVE this thing!! LOVE LOVE LOVE!! The cats are guzzling water and my husband said he has even seen our oldest cat drink from it (I haven't as of yet). I keep a jug of bottled water near it and just fill it up every night before I hit the hay and it works like a trooper. I am planning on cleaning it again tonight and will update on how that goes, but man is it easy to rip apart and clean.

Dawn

If i am not mistaken your cat water filtration is dry,,, so your water filtration is clean...


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Ge mwf

Although I'm not sure what you're trying to say (filtration is "dry"???) I'm guessing you're mistaken.

K it took me a while to post this after I cleaned it Easy as pie! Took it apart, wiped everything down with a soapy sponge, rinsed it, and put it back together. It only took me about 3 minutes from break down to ready to use again. The cats are still sucking down water like crazy so I am still tickled pink about this thing!

Dawn

I went two months without cleaning it with no serious problems. There was a very thin amount of slime on some parts but it was still very clean. My homemade 100 micron filter also had a slight brownness to it (along with plenty of cat fur) so I rinsed that clean and reused it after throwing some replacement activated charcoal in.

I think my filter is probably nearing its usefulness after six months.

Has anyone tried this one

http://www.thecatconnection.com/page/TC ... nkwell-360