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The HydrateWell is a $30.99 cat fountain from the vacuum people, and for a home with one or two cats it's a good deal. It holds 91 ounces, Bissell rates it about as quiet as a whisper, and the bowl has a coating meant to stop the slime that makes most fountains gross.[1][2] The catches: the filters add up, the whole thing's plastic, and the worst reviews are about pumps that quit early. Want stainless steel? Skip it.
Same $30.99 at Amazon and on Bissell's site when we checked.
What It Actually Is
Bissell launched its first pet care line in May 2026, with two products: this fountain and a self-cleaning litter box called the CleanWell.[3] The pitch for the fountain is the same pitch every fountain makes: plenty of cats ignore a still bowl and go hunting for the bathroom faucet, and moving water gets them to drink more.[1]
What's specific to this one is the slime fighting. Bissell calls it SlimeShield, a food-safe antimicrobial treatment on the bowl that's supposed to keep that pink, slippery film from building up between washes.[1] The tank holds 91 ounces, the pump is built into the base so the cord stays out of the water, and it plugs into the wall with a 4.3 foot cord.[1][2] Bissell rates it at under 30 decibels. For scale, a normal conversation is around 60 dB, so 30 dB is roughly a whisper across the room.
It's also part of a feel-good setup: Bissell says pet care purchases support the Bissell Pet Foundation, which funds adoptions and rescues.[3] That doesn't make the fountain better, but it's a nice thing to know if you're deciding between two similar $30 fountains.
Read The Reviews In The Right Order
Here's the thing that'll save you from a bad read. A lot of the most glowing reviews on Walmart's listing carry a tag that says they were collected as part of a promotion, which usually means a free unit from a testing panel.[4] They're not fake, and many are detailed and useful. But they skew happy.
Amazon's listing, where people paid their own $31, tells a more mixed story. Amazon's own review summary says owners are split on noise, value, cleaning and slime resistance, and that the all-plastic build draws criticism.[1] The one thing almost everybody agrees on: the cats love it.
What Owners Say
What They Love
"This unit is so quiet compared to my other water fountain."
Walmart reviewer"We have found that it indeed does not get the slime build-up like the metal ones do."
Walmart reviewer, replacing one of three metal fountains"I originally bought the automatic water fountain for my one cat that would only drink from the kitchen or bathroom faucet." Her cat took to it fast.
Walmart reviewerWhat They Complain About
"It burnt up and no longer works. Had it for a few weeks."
Walmart reviewer"This Bissell fountain is audible at all times."
Walmart reviewer, promotional review"The filter is supposed to be changed every two weeks but the unit only comes with one."
Walmart reviewer, promotional review"My biggest complaint is that the max fill line is really hard to see."
Walmart reviewer, promotional reviewOur Read
The praise is about day-one stuff: cats use it, the bowl stays cleaner, and most people find it quiet. The complaints split into two piles. One pile is annoyances you can plan around: buy filters up front, pour slowly so the drinking area doesn't overflow before the water drains into the tank, and squint at the fill line.[4]
The other pile is the real risk: a handful of owners say the pump died or the plastic cracked within weeks. Bissell's support team is replying to those reviews and offering warranty help, which is a good sign, but it's why I'd buy this somewhere with an easy return window and hang onto the box for a month.[4]
The Filter Math
The fountain's cheap. The filters are where a $31 fountain turns into a subscription. Bissell's own four-pack is $17.99 at Chewy and each filter is rated for up to 21 days, so you're looking at about $4.50 a filter.[5] Swap on schedule and that's roughly $75 a year. Other brands sell compatible four-packs on Amazon for $8.99, which cuts it roughly in half, though those aren't made by Bissell.[6]
| Cost | Bissell filters | Third-party filters |
|---|---|---|
| FountainOne-time | $30.99 | $30.99 |
| Per filterUp to 21 days each | About $4.50 | About $2.25 |
| Filters per yearOn schedule | About $75 | About $38 |
| First year, all inFountain plus filters | About $106 | About $69 |
What To Buy Instead
If the all-plastic build is the deal breaker, this is the swap. It costs less and holds more.
Who It's For
Buy It If
- You've got one or two cats and want a fountain that doesn't cost more than a bag of litter.
- Your cat drinks from the faucet and ignores the bowl. That's who fountains are for, and this one's an easy, cheap test.
- Slime is why you gave up on your last fountain. That's the problem this one was designed around.
- You'll actually keep up with filters, or you're fine buying third-party ones.
Skip It If
- You want stainless steel. The Veken C1 is cheaper and made of it.
- It's going on your nightstand and you're a light sleeper. Most owners say it's quiet, but not all of them, and it gets louder as the water drops.
- You've got a multi-pet house. A 91-ounce tank empties faster than Bissell's 14-day estimate when three cats and a dog share it.
- You want something that'll run for years untouched. There are enough early pump failures in the reviews to make that a gamble.
What You Should Actually Pay
$30.99 is the price on Amazon and on Bissell's own site, and the fountain's only been out since spring, so there's not much of a discount history to wait on.[1][2] The smarter money move is on the filters: price out a pack before you check out, because over a year they'll cost you more than the fountain did.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources
- BISSELL HydrateWell Cat Water Fountain, 91oz, 4408AmazonPrice, the 91-ounce capacity and 14-day estimate, SlimeShield, the integrated pump, filtration, flow modes, the under-30 dB rating and Amazon's summary of what customers say.
- HydrateWell Automatic Water FountainBissellBissell's own listing: price, 2.7 liter capacity, the 4.3 foot power cord, the noise rating and the Pet Proven claims.
- Bissell Just Entered the Pet Care Space With Help From a Reality TV Cat DadPetHelpfulThe May 2026 launch of Bissell's pet line, the CleanWell litter box and the Bissell Pet Foundation tie-in.
- Customer reviews for BISSELL HydrateWellWalmartEvery quote on this page, the promotional review tags, the low-water light, the single included filter and Bissell's warranty replies.
- BISSELL HydrateWell Replacement Filter, 4 countChewyThe $17.99 four-pack price and the up-to-21-days rating per filter.
- Filter Replacement Compatible with BISSELL HydrateWell (4 Packs)AmazonThe $8.99 third-party filter four-pack.
- Veken Stainless Steel Cat Water Fountain, 108oz, C1AmazonPrice, capacity, 304 stainless steel, dishwasher-safe parts and the 25 dB pump rating.
