Pitti Cat Mate Pet Waterfall

I had been considering one of these fountains for a while as a friend of ours had one and said that her cats seemed to really enjoy using it. At the time our cats were on dry food and, although they did seem to be drinking plenty, I was keen to encourage them to drink further. I only wish I hadn't deliberated the purchase as unfortunately one of our cats developed a urinary tract infection which made him very poorly indeed. As well as obviously ensuring he had the vet's prescribed food and antibiotics, we also rushed out to invest in this fountain, wanting to do everything possible to stop the illness recurring. (Luckily after a scary few days he has since made a full recovery).

As we were in a rush we bought ours for £27.99 from Just for Pets, I did find them slightly cheaper at around £24 online but once you have added p&p there isn't a great deal of difference in the price.

The fountain is on three levels; a pump draws water from the main pool at the bottom up to the highest point into another small pool, which in turn overflows into another small pool slightly lower down. Water then runs down a grooved slope back into the bottom pool. I like this feature as it adds interest for the cats and have found that ours do like watching the motion of the water.

The unit comes in two main pieces (plus power supply). The top section pops off to reveal the filter and allow for cleaning inside. I have found that the unit stays surprisingly clean and only needs a quick wipe over from time to time. I have never used any cleaning products on it but you could use washing up liquid if needed as long as you rinsed it thoroughly, obviously I would not use any other cleaning product in case it contaminated the water.

Another feature that makes it much easier to clean is that the power cable has a pull-apart connection about 15 inches away from the unit, so you can detach it from the plug and cable to carry it to the sink. At first I found it odd that you couldn't just unplug the power cable from the back of the unit but would assume this is a safety feature, as there is a chance that water could then get into the socket. Much safer to have the connection sealed and encased with the plastic body of the unit.

Replacement filters are available for roughly £5 for a pack of three. I must confess I have thrown away the instructions that came with the product and can't remember how often you are supposed to change the filter but I have had mine around 6 weeks now and have noticed it has started to discolour so will need to change it soon.

The thing that surprised me most about this fountain was how quiet it is, we have it running constantly in our lounge and, although it is just about audible, I can't say I have ever been conscious of it. I was concerned that two of our cats wouldn't use it due to the noise (the third is deaf) but I needn't have worried about this at all.

Finally the big question, do the cats use it? The youngest took to it straight away and drinks from it all the time. The middle cat (who we bought it for) was fascinated by it for a few days but didn't actually drink from it at first, however now he also uses it. My eldest cat is scared of his own shadow and steered well clear at first but I have even caught him using it, though he will only do so when he thinks no-one else is watching him!

Overall this item was a necessary expense for me, I cannot of course claim that this fountain alone would have prevented my cats illness and have since put him back on wet food as well, but as any pet owners knows money is no object when one of your animals is suffering. I only wish I had bought it sooner.