Drinkwell: Original vs Platinum

So I read a bunch of water fountain threads but could I just get a quick polling on whether there is a real benefit to the Drinkwell Platinum version over the Original? Is it that much better for the kitties? Those of you who have experience with both, do your kitties like it better? Or is it that much easier to upkeep/clean, that much quieter? Anything else? Some big downside compared to Original that it addressed?


Thank you very much.

IMO it's not. Normal cats in regular households should get by with a run-of-the-mill water cup that gets freshened up. Fountains are luxury items for most.

There are some specific reasons to consider fountains, like drinking habits/preferences. I started considering one when one of our cats has obviously gotten lazy with his drinking, and as a result seems to have become more prone to constipation. He used to be a big drinker, now I rarely see him at the bowl. I want to trick him to drink more as this simple thing seems to help it.

He already enjoys drinking from the simple PetMate Bistro. He loves the gurgles the container makes, and stays a lot longer at it looking for the bubbles and sipping some extra. Unfortunate thing is he likes to play with that thing too - and with his brother he has figured out how to knock the darned thing around so that kitchen floor now becomes a pool every time I set the Bistro up!!

I thought that maybe Drinkwell would be more stable. I would be interested in hearing if anyone's cats have been bowling with their Drinkwells!!! Does anyone have any 'behavioral issues' with fountains? Like kitties just monkeying around with it and not actually using it for its intended purpose?

Well I splurged for the Platinum 2 days ago and set it up for the boys. It was easy enough to install, and my 3 furbies were getting increasingly curious as they heard the bubbles and snortles when I filled it up.

Once the fountain was down on the floor everybody checked it out right away. Ossi was my number one target for the fountain because of his constipation issues, and I was hoping that our little anorexic Kille-Poika would take a liking to it too. However, it was of course Teppo – the one who drinks a lot anyway – who confidently strutted to the fountain, and after a few seconds hesitation put his nose to the stream as if saying: “I’ve seen these before”. He was not very impressed because his ear got wet but has since kept going back for brief sipping sessions on regular basis.

Ossi, our most cautious one, dropped his butt into wary position and circled the fountain but did not dare to drink at first. I have not seen him manage to get much water into his mouth but he has been seen hovering around the fountain when witnesses aren’t around.

Kille again is the one most interested in the gadget. He has to keep on going back to it, and whether or not he is drinking much he is trying to snatch the stream with his paws or mouth – and he can just sit next to the fountain staring at it for ages. Kille has been exceptionally energetic for these last two days so I think he must have been getting an extra dose of liquid in. There has also been a couple of watery pukes in the foyer – as if someone has gone a little overboard and had to regurgitate a bit.

So I am somewhat optimistic. Nobody has wrestled the fountain, nobody is sitting in the bowl, and at least one of the kitties that should be drinking more is drinking more. I am hoping to see more evidence that Ossi actually drinks rather than entertains himself around the fountain too. He usually is slowest with new things because he is such a nerd, so hopefully couple of more days will get him there.

I think a question one has to ask is - why is the Original still on the market if the Platinum pretty much has it beat? There isn't even a price difference when one adds the reservoir the the Original. All the shops I looked still had both models.