diff --git a/rdmo/core/settings.py b/rdmo/core/settings.py
index 2b257f4369..40cb295825 100644
--- a/rdmo/core/settings.py
+++ b/rdmo/core/settings.py
@@ -172,6 +172,7 @@
 }
 
 SETTINGS_EXPORT = [
+    'SITE_ID',
     'LOGIN_URL',
     'LOGOUT_URL',
     'ACCOUNT',
diff --git a/rdmo/core/templates/core/base_head.html b/rdmo/core/templates/core/base_head.html
index 793d52a018..ab9059a438 100644
--- a/rdmo/core/templates/core/base_head.html
+++ b/rdmo/core/templates/core/base_head.html
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 
     <meta name='baseurl' content="{% url 'home' %}" />
     <meta name='staticurl' content="{% static '' %}" />
+    <meta name='site_id' content="{{ settings.SITE_ID }}" />
 
     <link rel="shortcut icon" href="{% static 'core/img/favicon.png' %}" type="image/png" />
 
diff --git a/rdmo/questions/static/questions/js/catalogs.js b/rdmo/questions/static/questions/js/catalogs.js
index 49a0c32735..b56ba053a3 100644
--- a/rdmo/questions/static/questions/js/catalogs.js
+++ b/rdmo/questions/static/questions/js/catalogs.js
@@ -7,11 +7,12 @@ angular.module('catalogs', ['core'])
 
 }])
 
-.factory('CatalogsService', ['$resource', '$timeout', '$window', '$q', '$location', 'utils', function($resource, $timeout, $window, $q, $location, utils) {
+.factory('CatalogsService', ['$resource', '$timeout', '$window', '$q', '$location', '$filter', 'utils', function($resource, $timeout, $window, $q, $location, $filter, utils) {
 
-    /* get the base url */
+    /* get the base url and the site_id */
 
     var baseurl = angular.element('meta[name="baseurl"]').attr('content');
+    var site_id = angular.element('meta[name="site_id"]').attr('content');
 
     /* configure resources */
 
@@ -85,12 +86,7 @@ angular.module('catalogs', ['core'])
         service.widgettypes = resources.widgettypes.query();
         service.valuetypes = resources.valuetypes.query();
         service.settings = resources.settings.get();
-        service.sites = resources.sites.query( function(sites) {
-                service.sites = sites;
-                service.currentSiteDomainName = angular.element('meta[property="og:url"]').attr('content');
-                service.currentSite = sites.find(site => site.domain == service.currentSiteDomainName);
-                service.currentSiteId = service.currentSite.id;
-                });
+        service.sites = resources.sites.query();
         service.groups = resources.groups.query();
         service.uri_prefixes = []
         service.uri_prefix = ''
@@ -98,64 +94,53 @@ angular.module('catalogs', ['core'])
         service.filter = sessionStorage.getItem('questions_filter') || '';
         service.showQuestionSets = !(sessionStorage.getItem('options_showQuestionSets') === 'false');
         service.showQuestions = !(sessionStorage.getItem('options_showOptions') === 'false');
-       
-        // start of chain of promise.then() calls
-        service.sites.$promise.then(
-            function(sites) {
-            
-            if ((sessionStorage.getItem('options_filterCatalogsCurrentSite') === null &&
-                 angular.isUndefined(service.filterCatalogsCurrentSite)) && 
-                 sites.length > 1 ) {
+
+        if (angular.isUndefined(service.filterCatalogsCurrentSite)) {
+            if (sessionStorage.getItem('options_filterCatalogsCurrentSite') === null) {
                 // when user arrives on page for the first time, set filterCatalogsCurrentSite to true
                 service.filterCatalogsCurrentSite = true;
-            } else if ((sessionStorage.getItem('options_filterCatalogsCurrentSite') === 'false' &&
-            angular.isUndefined(service.filterCatalogsCurrentSite))) {
+            } else if (sessionStorage.getItem('options_filterCatalogsCurrentSite') === 'false') {
                 // when user switches language and options_filterCatalogsCurrentSite was false before
                 service.filterCatalogsCurrentSite = false;
-            } else if ((sessionStorage.getItem('options_filterCatalogsCurrentSite') === 'true' &&
-            angular.isUndefined(service.filterCatalogsCurrentSite))) {
+            } else if (sessionStorage.getItem('options_filterCatalogsCurrentSite') === 'true') {
                 // when user switches language and options_filterCatalogsCurrentSite was true before
                 service.filterCatalogsCurrentSite = true;
             }
+        }
 
-            // default api query for catalogs
-            service.catalogs_query = {list_action: 'index'};
-            if (service.filterCatalogsCurrentSite && sites.length > 1) {
-                // add the filter for sites with current site id to the query
-                const sites_filter = {'sites' : service.currentSiteId}
-                service.catalogs_query = Object.assign(service.catalogs_query, sites_filter);
-            }
+        var catalogs_params = {
+            list_action: 'index'
+        }
+        if (service.filterCatalogsCurrentSite) {
+            // query only catalogs for this site
+            catalogs_params['sites'] = site_id
+        }
 
-            return resources.catalogs.query(service.catalogs_query).$promise
-        })
-        .then(function(response) {
+        resources.catalogs.query(catalogs_params, function(response) {
             service.catalogs = response;
 
-             // try to get the catalog from the address bar
-             var catalog_id = $location.path().replace(/\//g,'');
-             // check if catalog_id is in the array of catalogs
-             if (catalog_id) {
-                
+            // try to get the catalog from the address bar
+            var catalog_id = $location.path().replace(/\//g,'');
+
+            // check if catalog_id is in the array of catalogs
+            if (catalog_id) {
                 // check if catalog_id is in catalogs
                 // required for when user switches filterCatalogsCurrentSite
-                var catalog_id_isin_catalogs = service.catalogs.find(x => x.id == catalog_id);
-                if (catalog_id_isin_catalogs) {
-                    service.current_catalog_id = catalog_id;    
-                } else if (service.catalogs.length) {
-                    service.current_catalog_id = service.catalogs[0].id;    
+                var catalog_id_isin_catalogs = $filter('filter')(service.catalogs, {'id': 1});
+                if (catalog_id_isin_catalogs.length > 0) {
+                    service.current_catalog_id = catalog_id;
                 } else {
-                    service.current_catalog_id = null;
+                    // the catalog is (propably) not available for this site
+                    service.current_catalog_id = service.catalogs[0].id;
                 }
-            } else if (service.catalogs.length) {
+            } else if (service.catalogs.length > 0) {
                 service.current_catalog_id = service.catalogs[0].id;
             } else {
+                // no catalogs are available
                 service.current_catalog_id = null;
             };
 
-            return response
-        })
-        .then(function(response) {
-            service.initView();
+            service.initView().then(function() {
                 var current_scroll_pos = sessionStorage.getItem('questions_scroll_pos');
                 if (current_scroll_pos) {
                     $timeout(function() {
@@ -163,7 +148,7 @@ angular.module('catalogs', ['core'])
                     });
                 }
             });
-        
+        });
 
         $window.addEventListener('beforeunload', function() {
             sessionStorage.setItem('questions_scroll_pos', $window.scrollY);
diff --git a/rdmo/questions/templates/questions/catalogs_sidebar.html b/rdmo/questions/templates/questions/catalogs_sidebar.html
index e1040b1bf9..6d002cc434 100644
--- a/rdmo/questions/templates/questions/catalogs_sidebar.html
+++ b/rdmo/questions/templates/questions/catalogs_sidebar.html
@@ -2,17 +2,17 @@
 
     <div ng-cloak>
 
-		<h2>{% trans 'Catalog' %}</h2>
+        <h2>{% trans 'Catalog' %}</h2>
 
         <select class="form-control" ng-model="service.current_catalog_id" ng-change="service.initView()" by-number ng-cloak>
-	        <option ng-repeat="catalog in service.catalogs | orderBy : 'title'" value="{$ catalog.id $}">{$ catalog.title $}</option>
-	    </select>
+            <option ng-repeat="catalog in service.catalogs | orderBy : 'title'" value="{$ catalog.id $}">{$ catalog.title $}</option>
+        </select>
 
         {% if settings.MULTISITE %}
-        <div class="form-group" ng-show="service.sites.length > 1">
+        <div class="form-group">
             <div class="checkbox">
                 <label>
-                    <input type="checkbox" 
+                    <input type="checkbox"
                     ng-model="service.filterCatalogsCurrentSite"
                     ng-change="service.init()">
                     {% trans 'Filter catalogs for' %} {{ request.site.domain }}
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ <h2>{% trans 'Catalog' %}</h2>
         </div>
         {% endif %}
 
-
         <h2>{% trans 'Filter questions' %}</h2>
 
         <div class="form-group">
diff --git a/rdmo/questions/viewsets.py b/rdmo/questions/viewsets.py
index c1048f8787..cfae124c0a 100644
--- a/rdmo/questions/viewsets.py
+++ b/rdmo/questions/viewsets.py
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-from django.contrib.sites.shortcuts import get_current_site
 from django.db import models
 from django.db.models import Prefetch
 from django_filters.rest_framework import DjangoFilterBackend
@@ -39,8 +38,7 @@ class CatalogViewSet(CopyModelMixin, ModelViewSet):
         'uri',
         'key',
         'comment',
-        'sites',
-        
+        'sites'
     )
 
     def get_queryset(self):
@@ -75,12 +73,7 @@ def nested(self, request, pk):
 
     @action(detail=False)
     def index(self, request):
-        sites_query = request.query_params.get('sites', None)
-        if sites_query:
-            queryset = Catalog.objects.filter(sites=sites_query)
-        else:
-            queryset = Catalog.objects.all()
-        # breakpoint()
+        queryset = self.filter_queryset(self.get_queryset())
         serializer = CatalogIndexSerializer(queryset, many=True)
         return Response(serializer.data)
 
@@ -96,15 +89,6 @@ def detail_export(self, request, pk=None):
         xml = CatalogRenderer().render([serializer.data])
         return XMLResponse(xml, name=self.get_object().key)
 
-    @action(detail=False)
-    def current_site(self, request):
-        ''' optional list action to get all catalogs for the current site '''
-        current_site = get_current_site(request)
-        queryset =  Catalog.objects.filter(sites=current_site)
-        serializer = CatalogIndexSerializer(queryset, many=True)
-        return Response(serializer.data)
-
-
 
 class SectionViewSet(CopyModelMixin, ModelViewSet):
     permission_classes = (HasModelPermission, )
@@ -149,7 +133,7 @@ def nested(self, request, pk):
 
     @action(detail=False)
     def index(self, request):
-        queryset = Section.objects.all()
+        queryset = self.filter_queryset(self.get_queryset())
         serializer = SectionIndexSerializer(queryset, many=True)
         return Response(serializer.data)
 
@@ -209,7 +193,7 @@ def nested(self, request, pk):
 
     @action(detail=False)
     def index(self, request):
-        queryset = QuestionSet.objects.all()
+        queryset = self.filter_queryset(self.get_queryset())
         serializer = QuestionSetIndexSerializer(queryset, many=True)
         return Response(serializer.data)
 
@@ -264,7 +248,7 @@ def nested(self, request, pk):
 
     @action(detail=False)
     def index(self, request):
-        queryset = Question.objects.all()
+        queryset = self.filter_queryset(self.get_queryset())
         serializer = QuestionIndexSerializer(queryset, many=True)
         return Response(serializer.data)