DIY Water Fountain

I was recently given the gift of a copy of Jackson Galaxy's book Catification, which has given me a list of things I'd like to do that's longer than my arm...The first thing I've done is made a water fountain. I used an Aqua Clear 20 fish tank filter and a stainless steel stock pot, and it's AWESOME! With the number of cats in the house, the cute little fountains they sell in pet shops don't cut it, but this is perfect. I wish I'd done this years ago; my cats think its the best thing since catnip, especially my thirteen year old Tortoiseshell Morgenne, who's always loved to play in the kitchen sink.

I would love to see a pic.  I have seen a couple online, but they were made with plastic containers and I only let my cats have stainless/ceramic.  I looked online at some ceramic ones made by an artist and they were very pricey.  Very pretty, but pricey. 

I'd seen this done before and was contemplating it as a bird bath, hahaha. I almost went and bought the fish pump and all, but with the depth required even for the smallest pump, my little birds would have drowned. It seems like a great idea for a larger household or even just a single larger animal! It's much more stream like and flowy than commercial fountains that more or less have water on a slide. I much prefer the look and sound of "falling" water. Would love to see pictures!

I wish I could scan photographs...The filter I bought from a local pet supply store. Its a filter for a 5-10 gallon tank. The stock pot I bought from Wal-Mart. All you have to do is follow the instructions on the filter for assembly and away you go. I was debating what to use for the bowl, too. I knew I didn't want plastic. I thought about using a glass mixing bowl, but they weren't deep enough and it looked like an accident waiting to happen, so I decided on the stock pot.

I have a bunch of scaredy cats and could never get them to drink from a store bought fountain because of the noise and the water movement. Is this more quiet than a store bought fountain?

Yeah, it sort of looks like that!

Its very quiet. Mostly you just hear the movement of the water.

My cats love the running water, but the less expensive fountains are plastic.  I have two pumps in our shed from previous aquariums my daughter had.  I will go look for a good basin.

I don't understand how it works. Where does the water come from and how doesit dstay clean?

There is a clear plastic tube on the pump that you prime and it is on one side of the pump. The tube draws the water up to the top of the pump and runs through the filter in the pump then waterfalls over into dish.  You would have to add fresh water daily to accommodate the amount they drink and any evaporation. The pump shown looks like a newer one than I have seen. I haven't messed with a fish aquarium since my child was little.

I empty, wash, and refill the fountain twice each day. My foster kittens love to splash and play in it, so it does end up with more hair and toys floating in it than it would if it were just my own cats.