# Pet fountains.....



## NinjaCat (Oct 6, 2010)

I finally ordered a Drinkwell Original today! I think they'll love it. They always try to drink from the faucet when I turn the water on. They're very intrigued by running water. :cool


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

My two cats love their Drinkwell Fountain. They're both intrigued by running water too.


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## Ducman69 (Aug 28, 2010)

Any preference for the Original over the newer Platinum branded one?

My cats my just be finicky felines, but they are completely disinterested in a bowl of water, but slurp like crazy from the Drinkwell.


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## SlightChanceOfFurries (Oct 1, 2010)

Cats are inherently drawn to motion which manifests itself quite naturally in the case of the Drinkwell Fountain.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

Ducman69 said:


> Any preference for the Original over the newer Platinum branded one?


I have both. I bought the Platinum first, which is in the family room, and I recently bought an Original for the bedroom. I have since stopped using the Original, because I found the motor was very noisy and it kept me awake at nights. The Platinum is very quiet. I'd be interested in hearing if others have had the same problem with the Original, because perhaps I just got a "lemon".


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## Ducman69 (Aug 28, 2010)

I have the Platinums, never tried the Original, but the new one seems to have a bigger reservoir and carbon filter.

I ordered three of em, and one of the Platinums was VERY noisy though, but Amazon took it back and paid shipping both ways no questions asked. The other two are quiet unless you turn the water on full blast and it makes the water splashing noise.

While they work really well, they do require washing once a week IMO, new filters once a month, but luckily they are dishwasher safe. You still have to pop open the motor though with a knife and clean all three parts as well.

I wish they made a super-duper-platinum one that had an infra-red sanitation LED in some area that the water flows through which would have eliminated the slime that builds up after about a week, and I would have made it out of ceramic instead of plastic.


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## NinjaCat (Oct 6, 2010)

I was debating between the Original and the Platinum, but went with the Original since it's cheaper. If I end up not liking it I can always sell it and buy the platinum. 

The Platinum is supposed to have less water splashing due to a wider spout which it comes out of, a quieter motor, rubber feet, and holds more water (168 ounces versus 50 ounces for the Original). It's much more streamlined. I'll probably end up getting a Platinum eventually. 

I just wish they'd have more pet fountains available in stainless steel or ceramic.

Susan- From all the reviews I read the motor is pretty quiet, but becomes louder if the water level isn't high enough. But you could have had a lemon. It happens sometimes.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

I also clean the Platinum every week, although it doesn't take too long, even after removing the parts. The only problem I found is that, when it's full of water, the Platinum is too darn heavy to carry, at least for me! So, I now put it back into it's rightful spot with no water in it, and then fill it using a jug, to avoid having to carry it from the kitchen full of water.


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## NinjaCat (Oct 6, 2010)

How hard are they to wash? I know I'll end up washing it once a week at least. I ordered one because they don't drink much water and I'm having to change the water four times a day in every water bowl to keep it fresh and cool. Which is a pain in the butt.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

NinjaCat said:


> How hard are they to wash? I know I'll end up washing it once a week at least. I ordered one because they don't drink much water and I'm having to change the water four times a day in every water bowl to keep it fresh and cool. Which is a pain in the butt.


Both the Original and the Platinum are easy to wash...the Original likely a bit easier since there are less parts to worry about and it's lighter. The Platinum takes me about 5-10 minutes once a week to pull apart, wash, and refill, and that's with me having to go back and forth from the kitchen to the family room with jugs of water! But once it's done, I don't have to do anything else until the next week. It holds so much water that I don't need to refill it during the week.


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## Ducman69 (Aug 28, 2010)

BTW, since you are still in your return period I'm sure, if you don't like it or would just like to compare to another, I'd check out the Cat Mate Pet Fountain:

Amazon.com: Cat Mate Pet Fountain: Kitchen & Dining

It looks like its still plastic, the carbon filter is smaller, but on the plus side it LOOKS like hand washing would be a breeze compared to the Drinkwell (or if you're like me and hand-washing is against your religion, would take less space in the dish washer). 






Just hope your cat doesn't do this!!!


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

Thankfully, my cats don't do what the Bengals were doing in the video! Sometimes, Muffin will dip her paw in the water and use her wet paw to wash her face, but she's very gentle about the whole thing and never makes a mess.


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## Kattt (Dec 20, 2008)

Ducman69 said:


> BTW, since you are still in your return period I'm sure, if you don't like it or would just like to compare to another, I'd check out the Cat Mate Pet Fountain:
> 
> Amazon.com: Cat Mate Pet Fountain: Kitchen & Dining
> 
> It looks like its still plastic, the carbon filter is smaller, but on the plus side it LOOKS like hand washing would be a breeze compared to the Drinkwell (or if you're like me and hand-washing is against your religion, would take less space in the dish washer).


I used to have the Drinkwell, my cats hated it and refused to drink out of it (I probably have the 2 pickiest cats in the world though). But I hated it as well, it was SO hard to clean in all of those crevices. 

Now I have 2 Cat Mate Fountains. Both of my cats love it, and drink out of it alot. I think they enjoy the multi-levels it has, because they drink out of all 3 levels. It is plastic, but its definitely a breeze to clean compared to the Drinkwell. I clean and refill both fountains on a daily basis, and it only takes me about 5 minutes per fountain. And I don't get frustrated with it like I did cleaning the Drinkwell.


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## Ducman69 (Aug 28, 2010)

Kattt said:


> Now I have 2 Cat Mate Fountains. Both of my cats love it, and drink out of it alot. I think they enjoy the multi-levels it has, because they drink out of all 3 levels. It is plastic, but its definitely a breeze to clean compared to the Drinkwell. I clean and refill both fountains on a daily basis, and it only takes me about 5 minutes per fountain. And I don't get frustrated with it like I did cleaning the Drinkwell.


Awesome, thanks for the review. 

BTW, my cats also "hated" the Drinkwell, in that they were intimidated by something new. But after about 24hrs, you can't keep the guys off it, heh! I bet they would like the three tiered one too though, as mine about 90% of the time drink from the reservoir and not directly from the stream.

Only thing about the refilling, whats the capacity again? Mine drink quite a lot, and I do like that they can go a week without a refill.


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## Kattt (Dec 20, 2008)

I left the Drinkwell out for a good 3 months or so, and they barely went near it. Here and there, but for the most part avoided it. Which was odd, because my male loves to play in water. I'm glad they love their Cat Mate though. 

It holds 70ozs of water. Which is more than the regular Drinkwell which holds 50ozs, but less than the Platinum that holds 168ozs. I'm not sure how far 70ozs would go, I think that would last a week?!

It doesn't need to be refilled daily, but do it daily for health reasons. My male has FLUTD and my female has chronic constipation. So its extremely important that I get as much water into both of them as possible each day. And they like to watch me refill it, so its turned into a daily ritual for them. They sit in the kitchen in the spot where there fountain goes waiting for me to get done cleaning it, so they can watch me refill it. I use distilled water because of his FLUTD, so they get to watch me pour the water into it out of the jug, which is their favorite part, because they swish their paws threw the stream of water as its pouring out. Then afterwards they drink a good amount of it while its fresh and cold out of the fridge. Then we head upstairs and do the whole process all over again with the second fountain. The things that amuse them! But anything to keep them interested and drinking lots of water each day.


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## Kobster (Feb 1, 2007)

I had a drinkwell (original I think) and it was very noisy and the cats never went anywhere near it. I finally got rid of it. I'm hesitant to try again...but if the newer ones are quieter.....


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

Kobster said:


> I had a drinkwell (original I think) and it was very noisy and the cats never went anywhere near it. I finally got rid of it. I'm hesitant to try again...but if the newer ones are quieter.....


The Platinum is a totally different model than the Original, and the Platinum is extremely quiet. Mine is located about 2 feet away from where I normally work at the computer, and I never hear anything. To determine which one you had before, below are pictures of the Original and the Platinum.

The Original:









The Platinum:


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## Kattt (Dec 20, 2008)

Those whos cats don't like the Drinkwell, I strongly recommend trying the Cat Mate. 

Its quiet, and both of my cats love it. Even my scaredy cat, thats literally scared of EVERYTHING. She even hides under the bed when it rains (No thunder, just rain!). So if she's not scared of it, no cat should be LOL


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

Kattt said:


> Those whos cats don't like the Drinkwell, I strongly recommend trying the Cat Mate.


I am looking for another fountain for the bedroom, and although my cats love the Drinkwell, I'm looking for something smaller than the Platinum for that room. The problem is Muffs and Abby don't like to drink from the bowl...they only drink from the running water as it makes its way from the spout to the bowl. Would that be possible with the Cat Mate? The pictures make it seem like there's not much room to do that, but it's hard to tell.


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## katlover13 (Apr 15, 2008)

I had drinkwells and my cats hated them plus they were such a pain to clean. A couple months ago I purchased this ceramic fountain from Drs.Foster and Smith. It is completely quiet, I put the ceramic parts in the dishwasher and the pump housing on the top shelf of the dishwasher. The best thing is that the cats use it!

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=21484


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## NinjaCat (Oct 6, 2010)

If I don't like the Drinkwell for whatever reason, or the cats don't like it I think I'll return it and try the Cat Mate or something else. I actually found this one on Amazon. It looks very easy to clean, holds 128 ounces, and it's ceramic. It is a bit pricey but it might be worth it....


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## Ducman69 (Aug 28, 2010)

NinjaCat said:


> If I don't like the Drinkwell for whatever reason, or the cats don't like it I think I'll return it and try the Cat Mate or something else. I actually found this one on Amazon. It looks very easy to clean, holds 128 ounces, and it's ceramic. It is a bit pricey but it might be worth it....


You know, I had never seen that one. I saw the Raindrop smaller one with half the capacity, but people complained that they had to refill it too often.

That would seem to solve that. Hopefully the movement of the water is as much of a kitty attractant as the flowing stream from the Drinkwell.

Either way, pretty cool beans that we have so many neat products to choose from. Amazon, for prime members at least, has also always paid return shipping if I just complain about something on the product, heh.


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## NRD (Mar 31, 2010)

Sigh, this is a sore subject with me. I have a Drinkwell Platinum, and more recently a Cat Mate as well, for the upstairs. For the first few weeks I had the Drinkwell, they all thought it was the cat's pajamas. Heshey used to drink from the stream itself. Then they stopped. I clean it periodically, have changed the filter. Every once in a great while they sip from it, but mainly it sits there, humming away. The Cat Mate is actually even quieter, and simpler to clean. But I have yet to see anyone drink from it, even once.

I have a couple of bowls of water also in the kitchen, and that's what they drink from 90 percent plus of the time. Go figure. I'd like to believe they use the Drinkwell when I'm not looking, but they're not talking. I also add water to their canned food, making a soupy mixture out of it, so they do get plenty of water. Just can't get them back to the Drinkwell.


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## StormChaser (Aug 3, 2010)

I have a Whisker City fountain from Petsmart Whisker City® Pet Water Fountain and Accessories - Cat - Free Ship - PetSmart. I love it - though it does look like a toilet. But, it's so easy to clean, and it holds a nice amount of water for how small it is. Some people have reviewed the product saying it leaks, but I've never had an issue with it.

I had a Drinkwell for years, but I used to use regular tap water to fill it and the calcium buildup got horrible. Plus it was a pain to clean. So, I retired it and went with the smaller WC fountain, and I only use distilled water in it. I've had it for about a year now and so far so good. My only complaint about it is the motor is not as easy to clean as the Drinkwell's was.


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

I have the original drinkwell, and I've got a few tips.

I rinse mine once a week or so, and once ever two months (ish) I take it apart and soak it in a sink of hot water and white vinegar. Then the mineral buildup comes right off, easy.

The whiskercity one is nice, if you get a good one. Some do leak, either you get a good one or you don't.

Never buy the catit fountains, the motor burns out really fast and they are a pain to clean and fill anyways.

I love our fountain, and so do all the cats.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

librarychick said:


> Never buy the catit fountains, the motor burns out really fast and they are a pain to clean and fill anyways.


I agree with that recommendation. I didn't have trouble with the motor, but the Catit was a royal pain to clean and fill.


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## NinjaCat (Oct 6, 2010)

librarychick said:


> I have the original drinkwell, and I've got a few tips.
> 
> I rinse mine once a week or so, and once ever two months (ish) I take it apart and soak it in a sink of hot water and white vinegar. Then the mineral buildup comes right off, easy.
> 
> ...



How long do you soak it for?

The Cat-It fountains always looked like a pain and a half to clean, so I've never considered them.


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## NinjaCat (Oct 6, 2010)

Got it in the mail today! I took it apart and washed it with hot water and soap. After I put it back together, filled it up with water, three ice cubes and plugged it in, I called the cats in.
Rocky slunk up to it and watched it cautiously for a few minutes before drinking a tiny bit from it.
Princess sat there watching it for about 2 minutes while batting at the ice cubes. Then she drank from it. Right after I stopped recording, Princess smacked Rocky on the head, lol! Then he ran off. Weird. I thought he would be the one to be splashing water out of it and drenching the floor.
Penny was and still is sleeping and hasn't even seen it.

(Click on it to see the video)


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

It looks like Princess and Rocky enjoy their new fountain. Your fountain is an Original, but it's nice and quiet. I must have bought a lemon.


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## Sinatra-Butters (Aug 9, 2010)

Ours love theirs!! It leaks all the time though . It is Whisker City brand and I have to mess with it all the time but Sinatra will only drink out of a fountain, haha.


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## kittywitty (Jun 19, 2010)

I had the Petmate fountain which I hated cleaning. Then I got the Catmate and it is sooo quiet. My cats are not much of water drinkers as they get a lot from their wet food.


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## NinjaCat (Oct 6, 2010)

I like it. It's pretty darn quiet. I'm unplugging it at night because it's in my parents room now. My dad has very sensitive ears and doesn't like any noise like that at night. Not a problem though. The water's still cool in the morning and it holds quite a bit in the bowl. They aren't drinking anymore than they were before. At least not yet. But it's still worth it. I don't have to change the water or add water four times a day anymore, and the water is kept cool. Plus if we go on vacation that's one less thing for someone to worry about.

I plan on trying out a ceramic fountain for the other water locations.


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## NinjaCat (Oct 6, 2010)

It's a hit with Penny! She's drinking quite a bit more water. She's drinking directly from the stream of water. She's even more picky then the other two about everything. Her water _has_ to be cool. It has to be fresh and free of anything in it. She much prefers running water. She would sit at the water bowl and meow to get my attention so I could change the water for her. The fountain is the perfect thing for her. Princess is indifferent. She'll drink from it if it's the nearest water source, but has no preference. Rocky, I think, doesn't quite know what it's for. I've yet to see him really actually drink from it.


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## Ducman69 (Aug 28, 2010)

NinjaCat said:


> It's a hit with Penny! She's drinking quite a bit more water.


Awesome news!


NinjaCat said:


> She would sit at the water bowl and meow to get my attention so I could change the water for her.


And then complains that it isn't Fiji.


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## thenakedorchid (Sep 15, 2010)

I found this pet fountain on ModernCat! It's shiny and cool-looking.  It's from Pioneer Pet.










ETA: Yes, I am a sucker for gadgety things...


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## NinjaCat (Oct 6, 2010)

Ducman69 said:


> And then complains that it isn't Fiji.


Hahaha! Yeah, that exactly......


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## StormChaser (Aug 3, 2010)

thenakedorchid said:


> I found this pet fountain on ModernCat! It's shiny and cool-looking.  It's from Pioneer Pet.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That looks more like a spaceship, or the giant Bean in Chicago... lol


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## NinjaCat (Oct 6, 2010)

The darn thing leaks. Very badly too. It started leaking in January. I thought it was just Princess playing in it since she loves to, but a test soon revealed that it leaks at the pump. I am not happy at all. 

I have maintained it nicely, cleaning every little nook and cranny every single week (as much of a pain as that is) and clean the motor weekly too. It should be covered by the warranty, but we didn't buy it through the company or directly through Amazon. We bought it through a seller on Amazon. Whom had almost all positive feedback on good communication. 

Yeah. Right. The fountain was supposed to come with 4 filters. It didn't. We tried contacting the seller. They never got back with us. We tried contacting them about this. We have yet to hear anything and I'm not holding my breath.

I honestly am done with this water fountain and am purchasing either the Pioneer Ceramic Drinking Fountain Big Max or one of those cat fountains off of Etsy next payday.


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## MinkaMuffin (Apr 1, 2011)

NinjaCat said:


> The darn thing leaks. Very badly too. It started leaking in January. I thought it was just Princess playing in it since she loves to, but a test soon revealed that it leaks at the pump. I am not happy at all.
> 
> I have maintained it nicely, cleaning every little nook and cranny every single week (as much of a pain as that is) and clean the motor weekly too. It should be covered by the warranty, but we didn't buy it through the company or directly through Amazon. We bought it through a seller on Amazon. Whom had almost all positive feedback on good communication.
> 
> ...


You know that the purpose of buying secondhand through Amazon is so that if the seller doesn't respond, you directly contact *Amazon* and they will refund your purchase? It's probably too late now, but you could have gotten your money back..


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