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Drinkwell Fountain!!!

post #1 of 48
4/4/11 at 10:48am
Thread Starter 
I just purchased the Drinkwell Fountain at Petsmart. They had them all on sale. Set it up last night. All the cats were surrounding it and checking it out. Perkins loves water so he was very excited about this new "toy". I kept checking on it last night before I went to bed and they were all taking turns playing with the stream and drinking. Well, this morning when I went to scoop cat pans I couldn't believe the size of the urine clumps. I guess it really will help get my cats drinking more water which is fantastic!! Anyone else have a drinking fountain for their cats? How do you like it? Do you clean yours weekly? Thanks
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post #2 of 48
4/4/11 at 11:46am
I got a Drinkwell because Midnight Sun got a UTI. The other two love it but Midnight Sun isn't taking to it. Fortunately, Midnight Sun likes canned food. Christopher Cody doesn't like canned food but he loves the Drinkwell. I'm really glad I got one.

If you have more than one cat it is probably best to clean it more than once a week. The water can get pretty furry
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post #3 of 48
4/4/11 at 11:57am
I have a PetMate like in this link.

I absolutely love it and Katie adores it. She loves to drink from the water flowing down the ramp.

However, with the evaporation and now 3 cats drinking from it (instead of 2 or 1), I'm finding I have to always fill it up. I wake up with it making "low water" noise, come home to it doing the same thing and again before bedtime.

So a couple days ago I packed it up and am now using a large lidless casserole dish.
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post #4 of 48
4/4/11 at 12:00pm
We got a Drinkwell the day before we adopted Dorothy, just because I felt it would be better to have the fountain with 2 cats. I rarely see Dot drinking from it, but Genever does, she drinks from the stream of water. Dot prefers to drink from the glass of water on my night stand (I have one for the cats and one for me), and she drinks a lot! And I do clean it out once a week, or more often if there's food or whatever in it. But cleaning it is no big deal, no worse than other dishes really..
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post #5 of 48
4/4/11 at 12:02pm
I have had a Drinkwell Platinum forever I think. I just last week replaced the previous one (I broke, drrrrrrr). My cats love it to the max, and it's excellent for my extreme flat-faced Himalayan because when he drinks out of a regular water bowl, wide as it may be, he always gets a wet chin, that stays wet in the middle of the night, so can cause acne, bacteria, etc. This is what mine looks like:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...8-0019B9C04BE4

The water goes out like a waterfall as opposed to just sliding down, so there's no getting the chin wet.

Yeah, and those pee-balls, wow! My Autumn who I give fluids to every other day also drinks a lot out of here, too! All of them do (and out of the bowls. They're all thirsty!)


I clean mine every couple of weeks and use Mountain Spring water only (for all water dishes. I don't trust tap water at all anymore. I had bought tons of Drinkwell filters and have the cleaner thingies. I clean the little lift filter daily, so it doesn't get clogged and hairy, keeps the water pretty unhairy. lol

But yeah, I just love watching them use it. The loud slurps of the fountain and all? It's totally worth the money. DrinkwellDrinkwellDrinkwellDrinkwell!!! Yay!

Warmly,

Julie O'
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post #6 of 48
4/4/11 at 2:07pm
Fountains are great, but too bad you already purchased the Drinkwell. The Pioneer Pet is all ceramic, which is more sanitary and, IMO, much more attractive. The problem with plastic is that it allows bacteria to form (slime), and needs to be cleaned often. Check out the ceramic model below, which can be gotten for ~$50 online.

http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-Pet-60...1950934&sr=8-9
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post #7 of 48
4/4/11 at 2:18pm
Ahhhl, that is too bad as I'd defnitely prefer a ceramic to alleviate any feline acne. Although, because my cats generally drink from the fountain itself, there is never any slime, nor has been on mine. I clean it every 2 weeks, change filters, clean down the 'tunnels, re-fill with mountain spring water and all's well!
The Drinkwell Platinum works perfect for my cats! The one you show is more of a bubbler, the chin can still get wet, which is what I'm trying to avoid.

I rarelly have hair in my fountain, and definitely not slime.

Another fountain, though. (Would still have to be cleaned regularly, though.)

**************Still preferring the Drinkwell Platinum**********
(All the rest of my bowls are ceramic)

Warmly,

Julie O'


Quote:
Originally Posted by Presto View Post
Fountains are great, but too bad you already purchased the Drinkwell. The Pioneer Pet is all ceramic, which is more sanitary and, IMO, much more attractive. The problem with plastic is that it allows bacteria to form (slime), and needs to be cleaned often. Check out the ceramic model below, which can be gotten for ~$50 online.

http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-Pet-60...1950934&sr=8-9
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post #8 of 48
4/4/11 at 2:39pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkMavis View Post
We got a Drinkwell the day before we adopted Dorothy, just because I felt it would be better to have the fountain with 2 cats. I rarely see Dot drinking from it, but Genever does, she drinks from the stream of water. Dot prefers to drink from the glass of water on my night stand (I have one for the cats and one for me), and she drinks a lot! And I do clean it out once a week, or more often if there's food or whatever in it. But cleaning it is no big deal, no worse than other dishes really..
I think I remember from one of you past posts about Dot wanting to drink from a glass of water. Hey, whatever gets them to drink is what you go with My cats love to drink for the stream of water too. Except Pipsqueak, have not seen him go near it yet.
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post #9 of 48
4/4/11 at 2:41pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Natalie_ca View Post
I have a PetMate like in this link.

I absolutely love it and Katie adores it. She loves to drink from the water flowing down the ramp.

However, with the evaporation and now 3 cats drinking from it (instead of 2 or 1), I'm finding I have to always fill it up. I wake up with it making "low water" noise, come home to it doing the same thing and again before bedtime.

So a couple days ago I packed it up and am now using a large lidless casserole dish.
Oh that is a nice looking drinking fountain. I think the motor is kinda loud on mine and wonder what would happen if the water ran too low. I keep filling it up and checking on it
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post #10 of 48
4/4/11 at 2:43pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Naps With Cats View Post
I have had a Drinkwell Platinum forever I think. I just last week replaced the previous one (I broke, drrrrrrr). My cats love it to the max, and it's excellent for my extreme flat-faced Himalayan because when he drinks out of a regular water bowl, wide as it may be, he always gets a wet chin, that stays wet in the middle of the night, so can cause acne, bacteria, etc. This is what mine looks like:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...8-0019B9C04BE4

The water goes out like a waterfall as opposed to just sliding down, so there's no getting the chin wet.

Yeah, and those pee-balls, wow! My Autumn who I give fluids to every other day also drinks a lot out of here, too! All of them do (and out of the bowls. They're all thirsty!)


I clean mine every couple of weeks and use Mountain Spring water only (for all water dishes. I don't trust tap water at all anymore. I had bought tons of Drinkwell filters and have the cleaner thingies. I clean the little lift filter daily, so it doesn't get clogged and hairy, keeps the water pretty unhairy. lol

But yeah, I just love watching them use it. The loud slurps of the fountain and all? It's totally worth the money. DrinkwellDrinkwellDrinkwellDrinkwell!!! Yay!

Warmly,

Julie O'
That is a very nice fountain, the Platinum. It was more expensive, so I thought I would just start with the original Drinkwell and see how it goes. Good idea about using Mountain Spring water. Will give that a try too. I do love watching them drink and they love to drink from the stream. So far I am happy with it. Although, the motor is mildly loud which I guess is normal. I just wish it was a bit more quiet
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post #11 of 48
4/4/11 at 2:45pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Presto View Post
Fountains are great, but too bad you already purchased the Drinkwell. The Pioneer Pet is all ceramic, which is more sanitary and, IMO, much more attractive. The problem with plastic is that it allows bacteria to form (slime), and needs to be cleaned often. Check out the ceramic model below, which can be gotten for ~$50 online.

http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-Pet-60...1950934&sr=8-9
Thanks for the link. That is an attractive looking fountain. Will keep this link paged marked as I might get one for upstairs too. Not a bad price at all either for ceramic
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post #12 of 48
4/4/11 at 3:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Feralvr View Post
That is a very nice fountain, the Platinum. It was more expensive, so I thought I would just start with the original Drinkwell and see how it goes. Good idea about using Mountain Spring water. Will give that a try too. I do love watching them drink and they love to drink from the stream. So far I am happy with it. Although, the motor is mildly loud which I guess is normal. I just wish it was a bit more quiet
Have you checked to make sure the water chamber part is firmly pressed against the blue part? I finally figured that out when I had my new one. Also, when the water runs low, it will make a louder and louder sound, on any of the machines, reminding you to fill 'er up so the motor doesn't overheat without water in there. (It would take awhile for that, though!, but I always change mine right away.)

But I swear, the water pouring out forward instead of dripping makes for much less germs as well.

I haven't used the regular Drinkwell, but it looks pretty much the same as the Platinum. Not sure what the difference is, honestly. hehe

Congrats on your Drinkwell!

Warmly,

Julie O'
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post #13 of 48
4/4/11 at 4:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Feralvr View Post
I just purchased the Drinkwell Fountain at Petsmart. They had them all on sale. Set it up last night. All the cats were surrounding it and checking it out. Perkins loves water so he was very excited about this new "toy". I kept checking on it last night before I went to bed and they were all taking turns playing with the stream and drinking. Well, this morning when I went to scoop cat pans I couldn't believe the size of the urine clumps. I guess it really will help get my cats drinking more water which is fantastic!! Anyone else have a drinking fountain for their cats? How do you like it? Do you clean yours weekly? Thanks
ROFL, I love it. I'll bet you had a blast watching them jumping around it. I have 3 of them. 2 in the house and one in the garage for the feral cat. I love mine but even as much fun as the cats like them; I have one cat that still insists on drinking out of the bathroom sink and the toilet, <shrug>. The others all like it. I can't remember how often the manufacturer recommended cleaning but I clean mine because of the number of cats I have. I've had to clean the one in the garage more often than weekly sometimes because it gets much dirtier than the 2 inside.

M
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post #14 of 48
4/4/11 at 4:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Feralvr View Post
Oh that is a nice looking drinking fountain. I think the motor is kinda loud on mine and wonder what would happen if the water ran too low. I keep filling it up and checking on it
The PetMate is very quiet and I don't hear it running at all unless it's running low on water, then it just kind of makes a soft hissing sound as the water is being airated. Once you add more water it stops. When there is water in the blue reservoir when the water runs low you hear a couple of "glug glug" sounds while the water from the reservoir is being let out into the main bowl area.

I do find that hair does collect under the motor though. I've not noticed any slime and I do find it very easy to clean. It only takes a few minutes to wash it out and refill it. There aren't any really little spots that you can't get into with a sponge or a cloth and your finger.

I think I'll end up putting it back out and supplementing with a large bowl of water. I find that the kittens really loved drinking from the fountain and are having a hard time adjusting to the white casserole dish. Katie can't seem to judge the depth of the water and both kittens end up with wet noses before they end up actually getting a drink.
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post #15 of 48
4/4/11 at 4:32pm
I was just looking at this one for large dogs. I think that would be more up my alley for 3 cats, plus allowing for evaporation.

http://www.petstreetmall.com/showpic...ogFountain.jpg

It holds 2.5 gallons of water.

And I just noticed this one, and you can get an optional larger reservoir.

http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/drinkwell-pet-fountains

http://www.shopping.com/Drinkwell-Extra-Large-Refill-Accessory-For-Drinkwell-Pet-Fountain/prices~linkin_id-8001643
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post #16 of 48
4/4/11 at 4:35pm
I have 2 Drinkwell Platinums, and my cats water intake has drastically improved since I got them. Thinking about replacing one with the Drinkwell Big Dog, since I have 9 cats and have to refill the one upstairs every day.
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post #17 of 48
4/4/11 at 5:38pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Natalie_ca View Post
I was just looking at this one for large dogs. I think that would be more up my alley for 3 cats, plus allowing for evaporation.

http://www.petstreetmall.com/showpic...ogFountain.jpg

It holds 2.5 gallons of water.

And I just noticed this one, and you can get an optional larger reservoir.

http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/drinkwell-pet-fountains

http://www.shopping.com/Drinkwell-Extra-Large-Refill-Accessory-For-Drinkwell-Pet-Fountain/prices~linkin_id-8001643
My cats would fall into the dog sized fountain. Thanks a bunch for the links to order the resevoir!!! I am going to order one of those. My cats just love the fountain and are drinking so much more now. I also have two old JRT dogs, but they haven't tried it yet. I am sure I will need a resevoir to keep up with everybody.
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post #18 of 48
4/4/11 at 5:41pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kit E Cat View Post
I have 2 Drinkwell Platinums, and my cats water intake has drastically improved since I got them. Thinking about replacing one with the Drinkwell Big Dog, since I have 9 cats and have to refill the one upstairs every day.
I cannot believe how much more my cats are drinking now. I am going to buy one for upstairs too, maybe the BIG dog one
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post #19 of 48
4/4/11 at 6:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Feralvr View Post
My cats would fall into the dog sized fountain. Thanks a bunch for the links to order the resevoir!!! I am going to order one of those. My cats just love the fountain and are drinking so much more now. I also have two old JRT dogs, but they haven't tried it yet. I am sure I will need a resevoir to keep up with everybody.
The link I gave you for the reservoir is incorrect. I just noticed that below the description of the drinking fountain, that there is a highlight that shows the reservoir in the picture is $21.99. I don't see a link for it though.
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post #20 of 48
4/4/11 at 6:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Feralvr View Post
I cannot believe how much more my cats are drinking now. I am going to buy one for upstairs too, maybe the BIG dog one

:l ol3::lol 3:

woof . . .
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post #21 of 48
4/5/11 at 6:20am
Thread Starter 
I am going to return my Drinkwell today. The motor is too loud and I don't think that is normal. Even if I fill it all the way, the motor still sounds the same and it worries me. And this morning when I went downstairs it was much louder than last night. I will look into the Platinum, Petmate and that ceramic one as well. My cats were all wondering where their fountain was. Hopefully I can get a replacement today.
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post #22 of 48
4/5/11 at 6:25am
Well that sucks.
Hopefully you can get a new one today, that's cute that they're all looking for it, haha.
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post #23 of 48
4/5/11 at 8:31am
I bought a drinkwell at Goodwill.
The motor can be loud, but I've noticed that if I remove the flow control knob, it quiets down and then I can put the knob back on.

Best $4 I've ever spent.

My oldest cat has CRF which we had been controlling with diet, but she did crash about every 6 months.
I bought the drinkwell and its been almost two years since a major crash.

I did have to put the fountain on the counter as my dog would drain it at each visit, darn big dogs...
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post #24 of 48
4/5/11 at 8:46am
That really does suck!

The only noise my Drinkwell Platinum makes is their loud slurping noises, lol... and the noise from when it's almost empty which, actually, is a blessing so it doesn't burn out the motor.

Whichever one you get, I hope your cats go crazy over it! :-D

Here's my Chief Red Cloud (the extreme flat faced on who really needs to drink from a fountain?, drinking from my Drinkwell Platinum ;they all love how this fountain works:




Here's a close-up - it's still Chief Red Cloud, but with his Summer Cut... hee

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post #25 of 48
4/5/11 at 9:59am
We've tried most of them LOL, and the only one that increases their drinking is the Drinkwell. If water is flowing down a ramp or bubbling or flowing over a hump, it just doesn't get them interested. The Drinkwell made a little bit more noise than the Petmate, but it does sound like maybe there's something wrong with that motor.

I would prefer ceramic or stainless steel, but the stainless steel Drinkwell costs a fortune (if they even make it anymore) and had a different design, if I remember correctly - it was huge!

Nope, our gang likes the sound of the falling water - just having the water moving doesn't do anything for them.
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post #26 of 48
4/5/11 at 1:06pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Naps With Cats View Post
That really does suck!

The only noise my Drinkwell Platinum makes is their loud slurping noises, lol... and the noise from when it's almost empty which, actually, is a blessing so it doesn't burn out the motor.

Whichever one you get, I hope your cats go crazy over it! :-D

Here's my Chief Red Cloud (the extreme flat faced on who really needs to drink from a fountain?, drinking from my Drinkwell Platinum ;they all love how this fountain works:




Here's a close-up - it's still Chief Red Cloud, but with his Summer Cut... hee
AWWWWW Chief Red Cloud is too cute!!! I did return Drinkwell original fountain and purchased the Platinum fountain. Very Very pleased. The motor is so much quieter and it holds alot more water then the original. I just love it. It was a little more, but worth it to me. Still on sale though
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post #27 of 48
4/5/11 at 1:10pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by LDG View Post
We've tried most of them LOL, and the only one that increases their drinking is the Drinkwell. If water is flowing down a ramp or bubbling or flowing over a hump, it just doesn't get them interested. The Drinkwell made a little bit more noise than the Petmate, but it does sound like maybe there's something wrong with that motor.

I would prefer ceramic or stainless steel, but the stainless steel Drinkwell costs a fortune (if they even make it anymore) and had a different design, if I remember correctly - it was huge!

Nope, our gang likes the sound of the falling water - just having the water moving doesn't do anything for them.
I am sure that my cats wouldn't be as interested in one without the spout pouring the stream of water either. They all drink from the stream and love the noise. Perla just laps it up now. When she would drink from a bowl, she would just dip her paw in and lick water off her paw. Now with the fountain, she drinks right from the stream.

I did return the Drinkwell original and bought the Platinum model. It is much nicer and holds double the amount of water. The motor is very quiet so I am happy about that.
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post #28 of 48
4/5/11 at 1:23pm
Excellent!
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post #29 of 48
4/5/11 at 1:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Feralvr View Post
I did return the Drinkwell original and bought the Platinum model. It is much nicer and holds double the amount of water. The motor is very quiet so I am happy about that.
Very cool!! Even with 10 cats (that I have) the water lasts up to about 2-1/2 or 3 days (I have other waters set out as well, though).

So THAT is the difference between the regular and the Platinum, the size! I didn't know that, thanks!

And Congrats on your Drinkwell Platinum! Wahoooooooooo!!!!!!
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post #30 of 48
4/6/11 at 12:10pm
I purchased a Drinkwell fountain about three years ago for my cats and then upgraded to the Platinum version last year. I've never regretted it! The only problem that I'm experiencing is that it does get clogged up very quickly and then starts overflowing. So I do have to be very vigilant with it. Does anyone else experience this?
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