# Is a drinking fountain worth it?



## gracie83 (Jul 31, 2007)

I am seriously considering getting a fountain for my little Chloe to use. She is a seriously fussy drinker! If she does not see it coming from the tap she is just not interested! Toshie will drink from her water bowl no problem even if I forget to refresh it for a day or two she will drink from it. Chloe however is a nightmare. If the water is a few minutes old she will just sniff at it then wait for me to get myself a drink and fight me for my water!

I have tried to get her drinking from the sink with the tap running which she did quite happily. 

So my question is as water foutains are rather pricey, is it worthwhile do cats use them or should I just keep getting on glass for water for myself and another for Chloe!


----------



## Huge2 (Jan 28, 2008)

It sounds like it might be a good solution. You're not always going to be there to get her a glass of water :lol:

(talk about having you well trained!)


----------



## katlover13 (Apr 15, 2008)

I know there are people (and cats) who love the fountains, but none of my cats do. Not one of my six would drink from it and it was always clean and filled with filtered water. I get them to drink more by leaving small water dishes around on the counters.


----------



## Smirkitty (Apr 19, 2008)

As long as you're okay with cleaning it. Some people don't like them because cleaning them is much more complicated than washing out a water bowl.


----------



## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Drinking fountains aren't pricey if you buy them online. The price differences between online and in the pet store can be outrageous. Is it worth it? I ask myself if it's worth it for the difference between changing water in three water bowl three times a day, seven days a week, or rinsing and changing the water in two fountains once a week.


----------



## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

I had a fountain....since my cats are on a primarily wet food diet, they rarely drank out of it. I hated cleaning it. So when it died I went back to a bowl. Again, since I rarely see them drinking water, I only have one bowl out and most days I can't tell whether any was consumed. The only time I can see a difference in the level is when I'm gone all day (like 8am to 11pm) and I left out a fair amount of dry food.


----------



## Huge2 (Jan 28, 2008)

Good! I'm glad I'm not the only one.

I've never seen Peggy at her bowl, but I know she drinks, because (like DB said) the level's gone down over the course of the day.


----------



## melysion (Mar 12, 2007)

I like water fountains and they are probably worth the money but I am too lazy to clean them :lol:


----------



## InterHmai (Dec 1, 2008)

Catit Fountain

I picked this one up last week. It's working really well so far. Plug it in, has a very faint hum from the pump. 
I had to sit with my kitty at first to get him to drink from it, otherwise he'd just paw at for a bit.

Definitely worth it to not have to change water once or twice a day, depending on how often your cat drinks.


----------



## petspy (Sep 11, 2008)

I have an old $30 Drinkwell - I regret not getting the $45 Platinum version.

anyway, the benefit for me is I can *control my cats drink timing*.
I hooked my *fountain* up to a timer which turns it *off *for 30 minutes
when my electric *feeder* goes *on*. I also put netting over the water
bowl so they are dependent on the fountain being on for water.

by keeping the water off while they eat dry kibble, it prevents
them from drinking while eating, so the food does not expand
in their stomachs, make them bloated, and cause them to vomit.
this may not be a vomit reducing strategy for everyone,
but it seems to work just fine for me and my 2 cats.

I also find using a fountain keeps the water fresher longer.
so instead of changing a standing bowl every day or two,
I can refill the fountain as needed and just clean it weekly.


----------



## doublemom (Feb 17, 2008)

My two boys will drink out of anything that has water in it, including toilets (which is why we always keep the seats down!) Our older Fuzzy, though will only drink water if it is FRESH out of the tap... if it's five minutes old, she won't touch it. We basically have small water bowls near the kitchen sink and all the bathrooms and we've just gotten into the habit of refilling them whenever she is nearby. She will sit in front of the kitchen sink or a bathroom door very politely waiting for her water refill. It's not such a big deal to us, because I work from home and also homeschool one and a half of my kids, so we're here all day long to cater to her every whim 8O 

Andi


----------



## weebeasties (Jul 19, 2008)

We got a Drinkwell fountain for Othello and Desdemona before we brought them home, on the advice of our friends who have four cats. So that's all they've ever had since they came home with us. They both seem to enjoy it! And cleaning it isn't too much of a chore for me, I just stick it in the sink with the dinner dishes and it's pretty quick. You'll want to get a small brush that can clean inside the little nooks and crannies.


----------



## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

Nito loves water- it's so strange. He'll drink from his bowl without fuss, which is the reason I haven't bought a fountain. Though I am tempted to spoil him, why would I waste the money?

He does love to drink from my glass though, and will demand a sip of anything he sees me drinking.


----------



## Bethany (Jul 19, 2006)

Y'all are so much better than me. I have the Drinkwell Platinum and I clean it... er... every time it starts looking a little icky. Which is quite a bit less than weekly.

This thread inspired me to clean it last night, though. It doesn't take that long since with the Platinum design, I think you really don't have to clean the motor very often (although the manual says you should). I haven't tried it yet, but the non-motor parts are allegedly dishwasher safe, too.


----------



## Fran (Jan 9, 2008)

We don't have a fountain, but my yoga teacher does - her cat won't touch it. Seems like another one of those hit-or-miss cat purchases :roll:!

But her kitty _does_ drink from my friend's decorative little woman-sitting-in-a-lotus flower fountain (which is actually quite a sight, since the water runs down the bronze lady's naked chest :lol:. Even though it is just us girls in class, we all blush to see it  ...)


----------



## OwnedByACat (Jan 11, 2008)

Lucy and Pesty both love theirs, and both drink right from the top of the fountain where the water comes out. Patches..........well, she drank out of it a couple times, and then I saw her looking at it funny, and backing up, so I put the bowl back down for her so I knew she was drinking. She tried for mom, but she just doesn't like it. :lol:


----------

