Product – Cats Rule Frog Watering Hole, White and Green
Capacity – Â 1.2 quarts (1.14 liters)
Price – $27 from Amazon
A friend recently gave me this water fountain to try out. I love water fountains for my cats and I like unusual items as well.
Well the Cats Rule Frog Watering Hole is definitely a quirky item. So I had to try it out (or more importantly Dyson had to try it out).
Description
Did I mention that this fountain was quirky? Well if you like frogs you will like this. The fountain itself is a green frog sitting inside a white bowl on top of a pool of water. The water itself flows out of the frog’s mouth into the bottom ‘pond’.
If your cats like running water and drinking from a tap then they may like this.
The pump fits under the frog bowl together with the active carbon filter.
Setting it All up
Well set up is a cinch. The watering hole comes completely assembled. However, take off the frog and its bowl first to check out the filter. This will be in plastic wrapping so remove this before you start and run the filter under a tap. This activates the carbon filter and removes any small particles.
Fit the filter back in the slots, place the bowl and frog back on top of this. Then fill with water – always keep the water level between the max and min markers.
Once the pond is full of water, plug the unit into a power socket. You should now see water start to spout from the frog’s mouth.
If you find that the water is moving too fast then the flow can be adjusted. Just switch off the power remove the top frog and pond again to get to the pump. The pump has three flow settings on it. Try different flow rates until you get the one you want.
Using the Cats Rule Frog Watering Hole
Basically this does what it says on the box. Once it’s filled with water and plugged into the power source, water immediately flows. Your cat can now drink from this whenever.
As the water flows in a spout from the frog’s mouth this can also be used by small to a medium sized dog. My cat, Dyson, loves moving water and though she prefers a higher pond area she does often drink from the spout.
The pump is pretty quiet, though if you let the water level get too low then it gets noisy.
Clean Up
Cleaning water fountains I think is one of the most important things to know. Whilst we all love the health benefits for our feline friends we also want to make sure that the product is hygienic. Therefore, we often want a fountain that is easy to clean and to maintain.
You do need to regularly clean the filter under running water. If the filter gets gunked up with dirt and hair then it does stop the unit running or the unit will run noisily. Filters need to be changed every 4 to 6 weeks on average.
The pond is made of polypropylene and can be scrubbed under a tap. The frog itself is made from a food-safe plastic resin. The outside of this should be cleaned and if any water gets inside the frog then shake it out.
I also advise to give the pump a clean about once a month – this stops the build up of scale and dirt. Cleaning the pump often means a longer pump life and it stops it from getting noisy. One of the best items for cleaning a pump is an old toothbrush.
The other part of this that needs regular cleaning is the water spout that comes out of the frogs mouth. This is slightly more difficult to clean. However, if you do not clean this part it can get mouldy. I found that a thin bottle brush is probably the best item for this job and can be fitted inside the tube.
Specifications
- Size 10.5 x 5.5 x 8.75 inches
- Comes with two carbon filters
- Water bowl made from polypropylene
- Frog made from food-safe resin
- Has 3 water flow settings
- 1.2 quart (1.14 liter) capacity
- Comes completely assembled
Conclusion
Overall this is a fun and quirky water fountain. It looks cute and does a good job of providing fresh and clean water all day long. Cat wise, well it does what it says on the tin and cats will love it.
However I found that keeping the unit clean a little onerous – especially the water spout. This was an area that was difficult to get to and the place where mould could grow.
I also found that even though the frog is a sealed unit that sometimes water would get inside it. This then stagnates a bit if you don’t get the water back out. (and also you could get soap products in it when cleaning). Whilst this water does not get back into the rest of the unit it could harbor bacteria.
Pros
- Cute, fun water fountain
- Provides fresh and clean water
- Simple to set up
- Cheap to purchase
Cons
- Clean up can be tricky especially the spout
- It does not feel as robust as some other water fountains
- Smaller capacity than some other fountains so needs filling more regularly
Summary
If this is your first time with a water fountain then the Cats Rule Frog Watering Hole, White and Green is a good starter. It’s a fun addition and will also have guests asking what it is.
It is a cheaper water fountain and running costs are pretty cheap, together with replacement filters.
Overall I love the design – frogs are cool. It really does look good. It is just let down by cleaning being tricky and the overall quality.
If you want to try this out then click here for a really good price.
This is a really cool idea. My cat absolutely loves to drink from the tap. Sometimes it can be very annoying when your brushing your teeth etc and have the cat up there.
Maybe a water fountain can make him just drink there instead. Do you have any experience with cats drinking from the tap? Do they usually stop after you give them a watering hole like this? I will have to try it out that’s for sure.
Thanks a lot for the information
One of my previous cats, who used to be a feral, used to love drinking from a tap. But she soon found that she could drink from a fountain much better. Usually if a cat likes drinking from a tap then they will like one of the more faucet types of water fountain though they will take quite happily to a waterfall type as well
Hi, Evie. What a cute gadget! I enjoyed reading your article because you’ve made it a point to talk about Hygeine!! Just as we don’t want our children ill our pets shouldnt become ill from their eating/drinking places. I never understood owners who aren’t clean with regard to their animals, it could mean their health. I may just get one for all my little furry friends that drop by now and again. ?
Oh yes exactly – making sure that bowls and dishes are clean is paramount
That is so cool! I love water fountains and just to have that without the cat interaction would be a pleasure. However I could see how the cat interacting with it would be entertaining too. Most things that involve movement and cats tend to be amusing, at least to me that is.
Thank you for sharing this cool yet “quirky” frog water fountain. And especially thanks for the cleaning tips. I would suspect that if a cat were to be drinking from it that eventually there would be some hair and dirt build-up. But from your description it sounds as though clean up would be quite easy. Thanks again!
Hi thanks very much. This is definitely quirky and pretty cute too. Hair and dirt build up is usually caught in the filter – so once a week flush it under the tap. Most water fountains are great at keeping hair and dirt away from the drinking areas
This is such a cute water fountain. I wonder if skittish cats would be nervous about the Frog? Also, I have never owned a watering fountain. Is this something that runs 24/7? Or do you turn it off during night hours? Thank you for your great post.
Hi there thanks very much. Dyson actually is quite skittish about a few things but she took to a water fountain straight away as they can be very quiet. They are also more natural than drinking still water. They usually run 24/7 so that they continue to remain fresh and clean all night – they use very little electricity
This is a neat product. My cat only drinks from running water, and when I’m brushing my teeth she always comes along side me and meows, meows, meows, until I turn on the bath tub tap so she can drink. I think this would be a much better solution, and this way my cat can drink whenever she wants and doesn’t have to annoy me so much 🙂
Hi there thanks very much. Yes cats love running water. Mine used to often sit under a tap to wait for it to drip. This is also a lot prettier
This is very cool. I don’t have cats at the moment, but I do have two toy poodles. I’m wondering if this could work for little doggies as well? You did such a great job with your review and I love your website. Bookmarking for sure! Thanks for the great info.
Hi Thanks for stopping by – yes this does work for small dogs, though you might want a slightly higher capacity water fountain such as the Cat Mate Water Fountain which we review here.
This is such a cute little fountain. Does it also work for small dogs?
Yes most of these fountains will work for small dogs – i have a rather large cat who is bigger than most small dogs and it works fine. Though this one has a smaller capacity you might therefore want one of the bigger fountains such as the CatIt Fresh & Clear which we review here
Hi Evie,
I really like the idea of keeping a small fountain at home for my cat 🙂
Two questions:
1. Is it easy to topple?
2. How easy does it move around, when it is full (or not so full), if standing on ceramic tiles? My cat usually drags its bowls all around the floor.
Thanks!
Hi Thanks for your questions.
1. Water fountains do not topple as they are pretty sturdy – even if the cat steps into the bowl they will not topple. They also hold a lot more water than static bowls so are heavier.
2, Your cat will probably not be able to move it around – which is really a good thing as its filled with water – it will be too heavy as these are pretty sturdy
Thanks, Evie!
I love this one, it looks great. And even if you do not own a cat you always can think about having water lilies or any other plant that needs a lot of water.
What I do not read is the amount of noise it makes, I can understand the sound of the water but you plug it into a power source this means there must be a motor pushing the water.
How much noise does this motor make?
The motor is very quiet – in fact you barely hear it. The only time the motor makes too much noise is if the water level has dropped too low or if the filter or motor itself has become gunked up with debris