PETKIT SOLO SE: water turned gray after 48 hours

After using this water fountain for 48 hours, I found that the water at the outlet, in the filter layer and in the water tank had turned gray or inky black to different degrees. There was also sediment.

The product's homepage also says that this water fountain purifies and filters the water. I thought that would make it suitable for my cat, who has a history of urinary crystals, but the result felt like it made things even worse.

1. New 小佩 SOLO SE from the 618 flagship store: I noticed inky material in the top layer after just 24 hours. I thought dirt had entered during first use, so I removed and cleaned the top layer.

   By the second day, after 48 hours, I replaced all the water and cleaned everything as usual. I then found different degrees of inky material in every layer. The more I cleaned it, the less right it seemed. I poured most of the water away at first, but recorded a video of what remained.

   Later, I squeezed the filter element and found that the water coming out was completely dark gray.

2. First, the instructions and customer-service guidance were completely inconsistent.

   The manual and product page clearly said to lightly rinse the filter before putting it in. When I later contacted customer service, they said it needed to be soaked for 5–10 minutes before use. The explanations were completely inconsistent, and it felt like an excuse.

   The product materials across all channels—the product page, replacement-filter page and the video linked by scanning the manual—all said to rinse it.

   After the problem arose, after-sales support said it needed to be soaked twice. They kept denying the problem and told me that, although the product pages did not say so, the filter packaging did. But the packaging did not say that at all; it also said to clean the filter, not soak it. They seemed to think I had already used the product for two days and thrown the packaging away, but fortunately I had kept the packaging and cardboard together.

3. Second, the product has a serious quality problem. This is the key issue.

   Even after following customer service's instruction to soak the filter twice for 20 minutes, I left the filters soaking in the fountain for 48 hours, cleaned them and used them again. Dark gray water still came out when I squeezed the filter. If proof is needed, I will keep this filter and see how long the water remains black.

   A qualified filter should release only a very small amount of loose carbon during an initial rinse lasting a few seconds. If the entire tank becomes gray-black after circulating for 48 hours and black water flows out when the filter is squeezed, I believe the activated-carbon bonding process is defective rather than this being normal consumable wear.

   The seller also kept avoiding the question instead of explaining the issue directly. They would not say why this happened; they only focused on the color and said it was normal.

4. Third, the seller cannot avoid the possible long-term urinary-health concern by saying only that coconut-shell activated carbon is non-toxic.

Does non-toxic mean it is safe to drink over a long period? Suspended micrometer-scale carbon particles in the water could be filtered by a cat's kidneys and settle in the bladder, continuously increasing the risks of crystals and cystitis and creating a chronic burden on the organs.

I was so angry. I have had cats for five years and have never had a dispute over a pet product before.

I tagged the post for cat water fountains, PETKIT, automatic feeders, cat hydration and cats' preference for moving water.