Two Pet Water Fountains Compared

[coaster]

This past winter I decided to get an electric water fountain for my cats. I was tired of refilling three water bowls four or five times a day. Researching water fountains online, I found these three fountains for cats available:

Cat-It by Hagen
Fresh Flow by Petmate
Drinkwell by Veterinary Ventures

The Cat-It looks like the most intriguing design, however itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s too big to fit in one of the pet trays I already have and the floor mat thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s sold as an option for it I think is incredibly ugly, so I decided to try the Fresh Flow. My cats and I liked the Fresh Flow enough to want another water fountain, one at each end of the house, and so I decided to buy a Drinkwell and compare the two. Here is what I found.

Fresh Flow vs. Drinkwell comparison

Construction

The Drinkwell is of slightly heavier plastic contruction. Advantage: Drinkwell.

Assembly

The Drinkwell comes mostly preassembled. Advantage: Drinkwell.

Size

Both are about the same size: Fresh Flow has a footprint of about 9 x 11 and the Drinkwell about 9 x 10. Advantage: draw.

Appearance

Personal preference for the Fresh Flow. The FreshFlow is made in a variety of colors, although white is usually what is sold in retail stores.

Capacity

Both have the same standard capacity of 50 ounces. However, the Drinkwell has an optional reservoir available, doubling the capacity. Advantage: Drinkwell.

Refilling

If you can bring the water to the fountain, the Drinkwell is much easier to fill since the bowl is the reservoir. Just pour it in. The Fresh Flow has a detachable reservoir, so you can bring just the reservoir to a water source to fill it. However, itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s difficult to pick up and one must be careful not to spill. Then the cap has to be removed and replaced. With both, itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s easy to see when a refill is needed. Advantage: Drinkwell (conditional on having a pitcher).

Filter

Both units have a mesh filter with activated charcoal, similar to the filters found in fish tank filter systems. The Fresh Flow filter is a cheap flimsy design with the charcoal rattling around loose inside, which makes it harder to insert. (And the effectiveness of the charcoal problematic.) In neither case did the filter really seem to do all that much except impede the water flow. Neither manual advises to rinse the filter before use to avoid charcoal dust in the water. Advantage: Drinkwell.

Power

The Drinkwell is powered directly by 115 AC, and the cord is lightweight, so youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll want to wrap it with duct tape against cat teeth. The Fresh Flow has an outlet-mount 12 volt transformer and an inline on-off switch. Advantage: Fresh Flow.

General Operation

Both units recirculate water from the bowl, spilling through a spout. The Drinkwell free falls onto a ramp, and the Fresh Flow runs down a spillway. Both have a flow control. The Fresh Flow is MUCH quieter. The Drinkwell not only has the sound of water running, but a rather noisy pump. The Fresh Flowâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s pump is submerged, which quiets its operation, but the Drinkwellâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s isnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t. Both units advise against allowing the pumps to run dry. The Drinkwellâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s warranty is invalid if the pump is not cleaned. Advantage: Fresh Flow.

Cleaning

The Fresh Flow is more difficult to clean, with shaped parts and tiny recesses. However, it comes apart and goes back together quite easily. The Drinkwell is easier to clean, but the pump is difficult to remove and insert, and there are two tiny parts that are easy to lose. Advantage: draw.

Summary

The noise was the clincher for me, as I kept looking for a faucet that was running and it just turned out to be the Drinkwell. After only a couple days, I retired the Drinkwell and bought another Fresh Flow. And I saw the cats drinking from the Fresh Flow more often than the Drinkwell. Advantage: Fresh Flow.

Drinkwell Pet Fountain
Fresh Flow Pet Fountain

 

[amirando]

we have a fresh flow fountain for our cats and are really happy with it. it took a little while for them to figure out that it was for drinking and not playing, but they much prefer it to their old water dishes. the fact that it is very quiet is a huge plus.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Thanks for the review! I was looking at some last night at PetSmart.

 

[misscharlotte]

How well do they deal with pet hair and food? I use a standard bowl for water and change it every day or soon if needed. I also prefer the standard bowl because I can tell how much water is being consumed each day by seeing how much has disappered.

 

[coaster]

You can do the same with pet fountains, but it's easier with the Fresh Flow due to the see-through reservoir. As for hair or other debris, both fountains have the filter downstream of the pump, so eventually debris in the water will clog the pump's intake. I don't think the Fresh Flow's filter is particularly effective, so I just run it without, and fill the fountain with filtered water.

I clean my fountains once a week, alternating a rinse and a wipe with a full hot water and soap washing. It's critical to take the pump apart and clean it, too, with both. During the week, if I see something in the bowl, I suck it out with a turkey baster. I have two fountains and three cats and I refill the reservoir about once a day. During this summer's hot weather, if I don't have the A/C on I put ice cubes in the reservoir to cool the water.

 

[daddycat]

We've tried the Catit and the Drinkwell and quickly burned out the pumps on both of them. The Catit was too sloppy when it came time for a cleaning and refilling, and the Drinkwell had too many crevases making it difficult to clean. Now our cats share a big regular bowl of fresh cool water every day, and we're putting the money into more useful and reliable things.

 

[elizwithcat]

Originally Posted by DaddyCat

We've tried the Catit and the Drinkwell and quickly burned out the pumps on both of them. The Catit was too sloppy when it came time for a cleaning and refilling, and the Drinkwell had too many crevases making it difficult to clean. Now our cats share a big regular bowl of fresh cool water every day, and we're putting the money into more useful and reliable things.

THe cat fountain is an useful thing because cats drink more water that way. When I got tired of washing the darn thing and put it away, my cat would jump into a sink. He only wants running water. It's a pain in a rear to wash the fountain, but if that's what the cat wants, it's gotta be done.

 

[nano]

Thanks for posting your thoughts, coaster.

 

[coaster]

You're welcome!!

 

[hiwatt]

i've had the fresh flow since january and love it...more importantly, my two little friends love it! it's simple to assemble, easy to refill (i just pour water into the bowl section - don't bother with the reseviour unless i'm gone for days), and clean up only takes 10 minutes. just make sure you clean the pump intake section or else you'll notice the water doesn't circulate much and ultimatley the pump will burn out prematurely. luciano and chumchum both enjoy a good amount of water and i think consumption even increased once i put the fresh-flow down. i'm just waiting till they go on sale again to buy another one for the second floor. i'd highly recomment it.

 

[deb25]

The deciding factor for me was the fact that the Drinkwell is more like water running out of the faucet instead of flowing down the ramp, like the Fresh Flow. One of my cats just loves drinking from the stream of the faucet. I have owned both and other than that, liked them equally. The Fresh Flow does have a larger capacity, as the reservoir for the Drinkwell must be purchased separately, making it more expensive. It does have to be filled often if you don't have the reservoir.