cat drinking fountain

Hi all,

I stumbled upon this forum and it looks great. I own a 1 yr old cat named Sadie and she keeps knocking over her water bowl. So instead of just buying another flat water dish I was thinking of getting her one of those cat drinking fountains.

Do any of you have recommendations/reviews of the cat fountains out there? I read a couple reviews and some people say some fountains stopped working or got clogged with hair or got moldy and stuff...any suggestions would be appreciated. I only have one cat so a small fountain would suffice.

Thanks!!
Sadie + Mommy

I have a Petmate fountain that Spot always loved. It does get hair and slime if it isn't cleaned regularly, but it comes apart so you can run everything but the pump throught the dishwasher. On occasion, the pump became noisier, but as soon as I cleaned it, it quieted down again. I actually inherited the fountain from my boyfriend, so we've had it for several years, and it still works just fine.

that is why I bought Loki the first pet fountain. Love it and it also have the best side effect he never kocked the water over again.

I have the freshflow - best investment I have made

here is a link in case you are interested.

http://petsafe-warehouse.com/feeding...OVMTC=standard

A thorough cleaning is required once a week.

We use the Drinkwell Fountain. All the cats love it. Fountains like this one have to thoroughly cleaned every two weeks. You can find them on ebay at reasonable prices.

We have a Drinkwell and my cat LOVES it! She drinks more water now because she can lap from the 'waterfall'. Previously we had 2 PetMates. The first one was okay, but the 2nd one had the loudest motor! I finally had to unplug it because it got on my nerves and it scared her away from drinking out of it.

Stephanie

We have the PetMate and I empty and clean it every Saturday and put in fresh water. The kitties love it.

Sierra and Serenity enjoy their Drinkwell! Maintenance is simple, empty and wash well once a week and change the filter every three weeks while adding water daily.

Thanks for all the replies! dawnofsierra mentioned that you have to add water to the drinkwell everyday.... how long can any of the fountains go without adding water? I'm just thinking in case I go away for 2-3 days, would there still be enough water to last the 3 days? Thanks!

It depends on how much your cat drinks, and also evaporation. I generally refill ours, a Petmate, twice a week, but it's right next to a radiator, so a lot evaporates in winter. Also, Jamie has three water bowls that he uses. In spring and fall I could probably get away with just cleaning and filling it once a week.
There are different sizes of fountains, and I believe the Drinkwell can be bought with or without a reservoir.

We have the little gizmo on our's that holds extra water, and I refill it about 4 or 5 days, wash it every other week.

Stephanie

Our kitties love their Cat It brand fountain.

I have the CatIt brand. The cats like it. It does seem to lose water quickly though, I have to top it up every day otherwise it makes a loud hum. It needs to be cleaned every week.

Our Cat It fountain doesn't seem to lose water rapidly. Between 2 cats, it probably only needs refilled once a week. I have never noticed a hum from it...just water splashing noise. I like it much better than the Petmate fountain we used to have.

We have a Drinkwell fountain and our girls absolutely adore it. The motor is virtually silent except if you let the water level drop too low. I tend to refill it once or twice a week and I take it apart for a good clean once every 2 weeks. It doesn't get particularly dirty I've never seen it clogged with fur

Originally Posted by SadiesMommy

Thanks for all the replies! dawnofsierra mentioned that you have to add water to the drinkwell everyday.... how long can any of the fountains go without adding water? I'm just thinking in case I go away for 2-3 days, would there still be enough water to last the 3 days? Thanks!

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The Drinkwell is what I use. They sell reservoirs in two sizes that you can attach so you don't have to add water for up to a week.

Ginger drinks a minimum of 6-8 ounces of water a day from the fountain, and she would NEVER drink from a water bowl.

I highly recommend the Drinkwell!

Do all of these fountains requiring an outlet (or can you use a battery)? I don't have access to a plug where I plan on putting the food and water.

The drinkwell needs an outlet. Not sure about the others - sorry

The PetMate also requires an outlet. I highly recommend a fountain, especially if your cats like running water. As the others have stated, you only have to fill it once a week or so, and since they are fairly heavy there's no "oooo, let's play shuffleboard with the water bowl" going on, either.

Also, you should plan to buy new filters for your fountain every couple of months--the PetMate ones are about $4.00 for a pack of two.

Originally Posted by meow meow

Do all of these fountains requiring an outlet (or can you use a battery)? I don't have access to a plug where I plan on putting the food and water.

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Usually it's advisable to place water away from the food. A lot of experts recommend it being a few yards away from the food, if possible in a place the cat passes several times a day. If you're worried about spillage, try a plastic tray under the fountain. We have ours in the living room, and I was worried about the parquet floor, but the tray has done the trick.

I also have the Hagen, CatIt water fountain. I used to have a Drinkwell.
I find the CatIt fountain easier to clean, and holds more water. I only have to refill it every 4-5 days.
I also have not had a problem with the CatIt clogging up like the Drinkwell did often. The water moves more so it's not stagnant. The Petmate ones do not have a high enough flow for me personally.

Here is a website about the Hagen CatIt
http://www.hagen.com/uk/cats/addinfo...r_fountain.cfm