Best and most affordable water drinking fountain.

beans_etc · Nov 6, 2009

I'm considering getting a water fountain for Iroh. He already loves to drink out of the bathroom faucet when it's running, and I'm worried he may not drink enough out of his regular bowl.

There are few at my local Petsmart (below) that I'm trying to pick between.

http://www.petsmart.com/family/index...|Waterer&fbx=1

What are other people's opinions and preferences regarding what brand/type of fountain to get? (How much your cat likes it, care and cleaning of the fountain, price, etc.)

missymotus · Nov 6, 2009

We have a Cat-It, Drinkwell Platinum and Petmate Deluxe. My favourite of those is the Petmate, as I find it the quietest - cannot hear it at all whereas the others have a slight hum.

Also depends on what you are looking for in a fountain. If kitty likes drinking from a tap the Drinkwell fills that need.
The other 2 fountains I mentioned the water runs over a dome or ramp.

My cats all drink from all the fountains, and also have a bowl of water.

I like the look of the Drinkwell 360 Stainless, will have to see if it's available over here.

sharky · Nov 6, 2009

If you do a search on this site you will find lots of opnions

_

sabrinafaire · Nov 7, 2009

I have the Drinkwell Platinum which replaced the original Drinkwell. I've liked both of them though I like the Platinum better. It's quieter and you can put it in the dishwasher. I bought the Platinum and several filters from this website, (and their eBay auctions) as the have very good prices. https://www.debnroo.com/

ETA: Hobbs loves his, both of them. He like running fresh water. Cleaning this one is easier than the original one even if I don't put it in the dishwasher. My brother used to have a Petmate one that he said was OK but thought mine was nicer, and it lasted longer than his did.

yosemite · Nov 8, 2009

As Sharky said, you'll get as many opinions as there are water fountains.

As for "affordable", if it gets your cat to drink more water and avoid URI's and/or becoming dehydrated, then it is worth spending that money to save on vet bills which will definitely be more than the cost or the fountain.

strange_wings · Nov 8, 2009

My suggestion - let carolinalima find another amazon sale for you!

That is if you're worried about cost.

digitalunicorn · Nov 8, 2009

Originally Posted by sharky

If you do a search on this site you will find lots of opnions

_

As a member of many forums I must say the search answer is one of the most frustrating answers one can give. It gives the appearance that you're saying, "Hey, I don't really want to answer your question but I still want to try and be helpful!"

I prefer the classic bowl with tap water, but I am on one of the lower income statuses if you know what I mean...

sharky · Nov 8, 2009

Originally Posted by DigitalUnicorn

As a member of many forums I must say the search answer is one of the most frustrating answers one can give. It gives the appearance that you're saying, "Hey, I don't really want to answer your question but I still want to try and be helpful!"

I prefer the classic bowl with tap water, but I am on one of the lower income statuses if you know what I mean...

It BY NO means is meant for that ... but to let you self educate on a topic well covered

that many threads have been written about ...

silva_unt · Nov 8, 2009

beans_etc,

I was wanting to get a fountain too! I also have a question about the fountain that maybe you were wondering too or are wondering now...

So I'm assuming the fountain is suppose to be plugged in? If so, does everyone have there's plugged in on the counter top!? I have no plug ins in the kitchen that are low enough to place the fountain on the ground. Can others share info on where they plug in their fountain?

white cat lover · Nov 8, 2009

Two of my fountains are plugged in on the counter top.

I have a Petco Fountain, a Drinkwell, & a Petmate Fresh Flow. Of 7 kitties - they all have different preferences. A few of mine like water faucets, so they prefer the Drinkwell. One is a fraidy cat, and only "trusts" the Petmate. And one likes the Petco fountain, not sure why.

carolina · Nov 9, 2009

Originally Posted by strange_wings

My suggestion - let carolinalima find another amazon sale for you!

That is if you're worried about cost.

you funny!!

carolina · Nov 9, 2009

Originally Posted by silva_unt

beans_etc,

I was wanting to get a fountain too! I also have a question about the fountain that maybe you were wondering too or are wondering now...

So I'm assuming the fountain is suppose to be plugged in? If so, does everyone have there's plugged in on the counter top!? I have no plug ins in the kitchen that are low enough to place the fountain on the ground. Can others share info on where they plug in their fountain?

My fountains were plugged on the countertop, and placed on the floor - the cord is long enough - now I moved them to the office.
I have both Petmate and Drinkwell Platinum - Lucky and Bugsy like the Drinkwell better, while Hope, little skittish kitty, likes the quiet petmate better.

icklemiss21 · Nov 9, 2009

I have low sockets in most rooms so mine are on the floor.

I have a drinkwell (stream), freshflow (ramp), and catit (dome) and while they drink from all of them, they definitely have a preference for the dome.

Petsmart usually has one of them on sale and they can be found much cheaper elsewhere too. My local shelter has a second hand store and I find them in there for $5 where people have bought them for cats that wouldnt use them too

yosemite · Nov 9, 2009

Originally Posted by DigitalUnicorn

As a member of many forums I must say the search answer is one of the most frustrating answers one can give. It gives the appearance that you're saying, "Hey, I don't really want to answer your question but I still want to try and be helpful!"

I prefer the classic bowl with tap water, but I am on one of the lower income statuses if you know what I mean...

It is mostly to help those of us who have been here awhile so that we don't have to type, type, type, type, type and re-type the same answers over and over and over again when they can easily be found by hitting the search key, typing in one word and voila - there are many, many, many threads for one to read that will give the information required. Often the answers can be found in the stickies at the top of each forum as well.

beans_etc · Nov 9, 2009

Thanks for all the feedback, everyone. Due to an overwhelming majority of people here and reviews I've found online, I think I've settled on getting a Drinkwell Platinum -- not this month unfortunately due to so heavy bills, but I'm hoping with a few not-so-subtle hints I'll get one for Christmas, and if not then I'll get one after the holidays~

yarra · Nov 16, 2009

Originally Posted by beans_etc

Thanks for all the feedback, everyone. Due to an overwhelming majority of people here and reviews I've found online, I think I've settled on getting a Drinkwell Platinum -- not this month unfortunately due to so heavy bills, but I'm hoping with a few not-so-subtle hints I'll get one for Christmas, and if not then I'll get one after the holidays~

If it's money that is the concern. Petco has their own brand of fountain that we got. It's VERY simple and easy to clean, unlike the Drinkwell. Also, I have returned 3 drinkwells in the past year due to malfunction.

You can NOT beat the price on this little Petco fountain too. It's only $20!! They come in blue and white, we bought the white.

spiritedcharm · Nov 17, 2009

I second the vote for the Petco. I normally buy top-of-the-line everything, but for some reason decided to give the inexpensive Petco fountain a go. I've used the Catit in the past and also have the Petmate. I do like the Petmate, but I can't remember much about the Catit except for maybe it was more difficult to clean.

The Petco works great and is a very simple design that looks incredibly easy to clean. My cat likes it too, so that's good enough for me!

kit e cat · Nov 18, 2009

I lovvvvve my Drinkwell Platinum. I don't even use the filters anymore, since I have 12 cats the water needs filled up too often. I just use it because the cats like the flow of water. I will say that my motor has broken 4 times in 2 years. And Drinkwell has replaced it everytime, free of charge and free shipping. I want to try the Petco one, and the Whisker Cirty one from Petsmart is also the same price. I might get both.

oregpsnow · Nov 25, 2009

I had a Catit fountain but it was expensive, noisy and hard to clean. I was also concerned about bacterial growth in the plastic over the long term. I decided to design my own. I got a ceramic dog bowl, a cheap aquarium pump, some tubing and an airstone. The pump can go anywhere as long as the tubing can reach the bowl. Put the airstone in the bowl and you have gentle bubbles. My picky cat loves the bubbles. Every few days dump the water in the sink and put the bowl in the dishwasher. No muss, no fuss, no filters. I replace the airstone every few months so it doesn't get too yucky but they only cost about $.50.

sharky · Nov 25, 2009

Originally Posted by oregpsnow

I had a Catit fountain but it was expensive, noisy and hard to clean. I was also concerned about bacterial growth in the plastic over the long term. I decided to design my own. I got a ceramic dog bowl, a cheap aquarium pump, some tubing and an airstone. The pump can go anywhere as long as the tubing can reach the bowl. Put the airstone in the bowl and you have gentle bubbles. My picky cat loves the bubbles. Every few days dump the water in the sink and put the bowl in the dishwasher. No muss, no fuss, no filters. I replace the airstone every few months so it doesn't get too yucky but they only cost about $.50.

Pictures would be lovely

Best and most affordable water drinking fountain.

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