cat fountains

I'm considering getting a fountain for my cats, but have a few concerns.

Gypsy had chin acne when I used plastic food and water bowls in the past. Switching to stainless steel cleared that up, but the plastic construction of the fountains makes me worry. Anyone have any problems with this? It doesn't make much sense to use a fountain to keep the water fresh, if I still had to clean the darn thing every single day.

Also, Gypsy loves to play with water. Are there any fountains that are more splashproof than others? Their food and water is kept upstairs. I'm paranoid that she'll end up splashing out the entire contents, water seeping through the floors, and ruining the kitchen ceiling I just installed two years ago (after a radiator leak ruined the old ceiling).

Well, you are going to see exactly how cheap I am when I say this, but my cat's fountain is nothing more than a dripping spigot. It keeps my cat entertained and at this time of year we are heading into also serves to keep your water pipes from breaking. S I just let it drip into a large sink that he can get into and play to his heart's content and do not worry about the few cents extra I may pay for the water (actually, here you are charged for a minimum, which I never use, so doing this is free for me. Like I said, I am cheap.

Are you looking at fountains because of the filtration or because of the bubbly water effect that encourages some cats to drink more? If you don't care about filtration, you can get a small fish tank pump, some tubing and an air stone to make a bubbler pond. That way, you can continue to use your metal bowls.

I'd like it for the filtering as well as the running water. Since they both like sticking their feet in the water, it gets dirty fast.

I have used Drinkwell, PetMate and CatIt fountains and they are all made of a hard plastic which I don't think would harbor germs that would cause acne like the softer plastic the food bowls are often made of.

I prefer the Drinkwell style fountain and I think the cats do too, but I have one style upstairs and another downstairs so they have their water readily available and can also go the the fountain they prefer.

Good luck on your choice.