Plan for feeding my two

lawguy

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I finally got Ollie eating dry food which is good because when I'm at law school, I won't be able to put out wet food more than 2 times a day (before I leave, and when I get home).

Right now, Ollie is eating his dry food out of a bowl, and Ally eats it out of a feeder.

They both share the same water feeder though.

Questions:

1) Should I get Ollie his own dry food feeder even if they're eating the same brand/type of dry food?

2) I don't like the water feeder because that water sits. I take a cup to it once a day and remove the water that has been sitting so that the bottle will drop some more water down. What I'd like to do though is get a fountain with a reservoir (like the Drinkwell) so that they always have fresh purified water. I want one that is quiet, holds a lot of water, and doesn't cause the water to move too much (because they seem to like drinking it when it's sitting relatively still). Suggestions?
 

cat.ling

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I've tried the CatIt small fountain and I have the Drinkwell 360 (great for more than 1 cat). I preferred the CatIt small one because it was quiet and small, but it didn't really stream and Beau loved to stick his paw down the spout as far as possible making the water squirt everywhere (more action). Beau loves moving water so I had to return the CatIt, and get the 360 instead. At least he can play with it and not make as much a mess.

I've heard that the Petmate Fresh flow is loud. I've heard lots of good reviews about the Drinkwell original or the platinum should have a big reservoir (you can always get additional reservoirs), and it's just regular streaming movement as you would expect with a fountain.

The CatIt fountain stream looks less "active" since the water really slides down the domed sides instead of streaming down. If you want one with a larger reservoir you might want to try out the regular CatIt fountain. The cons with that one is that I don't know if there is a container for still water like the Drinkwell and Freshflow do. The small CatIt was basically the dome and there was no basin for cats to drink still water out of (that I recall).

I have videos of Beau using them if you want to see them in action. I meant to post them up, but I've been lazy with it.
 
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lawguy

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I would love to see those videos, but if it would be any trouble, don't worry about.
 

cat.ling

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Here are the videos on YouTube.

CatIt vid 1: Beau playing with the CatIt. He'd been playing with it for about 10 minutes already and learned the best way to make puddles on the floor. As you can see, no basin for water to collect for those kitties that like drinking from still standing water.

CatIt vid #2: The CatIt aftermath. I had put Beau in the bathroom so I could start cleaning up, but as I was filming the puddles, he start meowing to be let out.
So I let him out and he went straight back to playing.

So I had to return the CatIt Small Fountain for the sake of my floors and walls. I really liked the look and size of it, and it was very quiet. Not to mention it was $26 compared to $60 and $70 for the Drinkwell fountains. Unfortunately, Beau played with it more than he drank from it. Although he only had it for a day, so maybe the novelty would have worn off soon, and he would have stopped playing with it.


Drinkwell 360 vid #1: Beau actually drinks from it! It actually is a lot bigger than it looks here for some reason. I used the 2 spout ring, but it comes with rings for 1 to 5 spouts.

Drinkwell 360 vid #2: Beau learns to play with it. As it turns out, it was a good thing I used the 2 spout ring because Beau again tries to stop the flow of water coming out with his paw, but the water just goes out the other spout so none really squirts out. There are still some wet puddles, but a whole lot less than with the CatIt. He also plays with it less after the first day or 2, but he still likes to drink and dip his paws into the water.

Both of these are great for multiple cat use. If you like the CatIt, definitely try out the regular CatIt dome fountain as that is bigger and holds more water. Hope this helped a little.


Here's a pic of him next to the 360. He really likes it. lol


ETA: Here he is also actually drinking from the CatIt!
 

forensic

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Hennessy and Disa both use the Petmate without any qualms. It's only loud (in my opinion,) when it's running low on water or something's clogged up. It does need to be taken apart to clean the pump relatively often, though.

As for the food... I don't know. My boys each have their own bowl, because if one's eating the other will just sit and stare at the bowl morosely.
 

darlili

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Thanks for posting the videos the the 360 - first, Beau is adorable!!!! I have the Drinkwell Platinum and mine love it, but now I'm back to seriously looking at that 360. How is it to clean? The Platinum is very easy for me.

Oh, I have two bowls for my kids' food - they pretty much seem to respect each other's food but I've found them eating from each other's bowl once in a while.
 
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lawguy

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I set up a second feeder, but now they both seem to randomly eat from them. Ollie and Ally eat from both even though it's the same stuff in there.
 
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lawguy

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Oh and thanks for the videos Cat.Ling

Is the 360 as loud as it sounds?

I've settled on a Drinkwell. I don't know which one to get though, the Platinum, or the 360.
 

laureen227

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Originally Posted by Forensic

Hennessy and Disa both use the Petmate without any qualms. It's only loud (in my opinion,) when it's running low on water or something's clogged up. It does need to be taken apart to clean the pump relatively often, though.

As for the food... I don't know. My boys each have their own bowl, because if one's eating the other will just sit and stare at the bowl morosely.
i agree - the petmates only make noises when they are running low or need cleaning. same thing w/the drinkwell - altho there is a constant 'trickling' noise since i has falling water. all of mine drink from all of them. i have the platinum drinkwell, & i like how much water it holds!

bowl-wise - there's a bowl per kitty for kibble, & the west eaters each have a plate - altho none of them seeem to have their 'own' dish - location seems to make a big difference. the bowls near the back door empty sooner than the ones near the corner of the kitchen. i don't know why - you''d have to ask the cats!
 

jellybella

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We have the plain old drinkwell (not the platinum) it is very quiet --unless it's running dry and I like the reservoir better than the platinum --we have the 70oz reservoir and it keeps it running several days even in the summer.
 

cat.ling

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I don't think the 360 is that loud, but definitely louder than the CatIt system. Then again, I'm used to the sounds of filters and running water in the house since I have a number of fish tanks.

Cleaning it isn't too bad, but I don't really have anything to compare it to. You have to take apart the top rings and then the tall spout, which might be the hardest part to clean but I haven't had trouble with it. Only cleaned it once though, since I got it about 2 weeks ago. There was some black gunk building up on the bottom of the basin really quick, but I don't know if that's normal or just me.


Have you read reviews on other sites like Amazon to see what others say?
 

ut0pia

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The only downside that I see in these fountains is that they aren't as easy to be washed. Jake will throw his toys in his water, and also dust gets in there even if he doesn't do anything to it, sometimes even food gets in there and all kinds of mold and bacteria can colonize it.. so I like to clean the place where water stays, cup or reservoir at least once every two days with antibacterial soap...It's very hard to do that with those bigger fountains.
 

darlili

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I looked at Petsmart a couple of weeks ago, and they did have some. The reviews at Amazon seem to be very positive for the most part. Hmmm, did I really need a second fountain?
 

lilyluvscats

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I keep 2 stainless steel bowls of dry out....not all 3 kitties eat dry at the same time. One is in the kitchen & one is in the spare/computer room as they spend a lot of time in here. All 3 eat out of both. As for wet I use 3 little ceramic dishes that get washed immediately after they eat. I have 2 bowls of water near the dry food. That drinkwell looks interesting though. Beau is a doll.
 
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