Catit Pixi Fountain Replacement Pump

The Catit Pixi Fountain Replacement Pump is the genuine spare pump for the Catit PIXI Fountain. If a PIXI has gone quiet or the water has stopped rising through the spout, the pump is almost always the part at fault.

Key Features

• Which Models: The Catit PIXI Fountain in all colours, and the Catit PIXI Stainless Steel Fountain
• Not The Smart Version: It does not fit the Catit PIXI Smart Fountain, which takes a different pump altogether -- check which one you have before ordering
• No USB Adapter: The pump is supplied on its own. Use only the official Catit USB adapter with it, which is sold separately
• Size: 7 x 8.5 x 6 cm

Why A Fountain Helps

Cats are poor drinkers. The domestic cat descends from a desert animal that took most of its water from prey, and a cat on dry food alone often does not make up the difference at the bowl. Moving water gets more cats drinking than still water in a dish does, partly because it is obviously fresh and partly because a cat can see where the surface is without dipping its whiskers in. Drinking more is worth having on its own terms -- it is not a treatment for anything.

Keeping It Clean

• Strip it down and wash every part once a week. A film builds up inside the bowl and under the pump cover that you can feel before you can see it, and that film is the usual reason a cat stops using a fountain.
• Rinse all detergent out. Cats are far more sensitive to the smell of washing-up liquid than we are.
• Never let it run dry. The pump is cooled by the water it moves, so an empty bowl kills it.
• Change the filter pad about once a month, sooner in a dusty home or with a long-haired cat.
• Top it up daily rather than waiting for the low mark.

Who Makes It

Catit is the cat brand of Rolf C. Hagen, the Montreal company founded in 1955. The Design Senses and Flower Fountain ranges are its best known, and parts for them are sold separately so a unit can be repaired rather than replaced.

Good To Know

• A pump is a wearing part, not a fault. Most fountain pumps last a year or two of continuous running, and a slowing flow or a new rattle usually means limescale in the impeller housing rather than a dead motor -- take it apart and soak it in a weak vinegar solution before you replace it.
• A USB fountain is only as reliable as what it is plugged into. A phone charger that trips off when the draw is low will stop the fountain without you noticing.
• Keep the old pump once the new one is in. The impeller and the cover are useful spares in their own right.