Water Fountains Good Or Not?

Paul9856

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Friends, Here in Kiev it is not generally considered a good idea to drink the tap water so we and of course our kittys are using bottled water. Now I have to throw away a fair amount every day due to the fur in the bowl so I keep being drawn to the idea of a water fountain which I understand would have a inbuilt filter. Can I ask the community who has tried water fountains and of course how may parents have bought them only to find that their cats refuse to use them.

Many thanks
Paul in Kiev
 

Furballsmom

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Hi!
LOL, I'm one who has purchased three or four pet fountains, only to find that he eventually decided he prefers drinking the water from the kitchen faucet. I obtained a faucet-end water filter, which has the added benefit of better water for us as well :)

The thing with the fountains is that they require cleaning beyond just removing fur, and I've read people talking about slimy gunk building up in just a few days.

In your case I'm wondering if you could address your issue by having several bowls of water in different locations throughout your house?

Fantastic Food And Water Dishes - A Product Guide (updated For 2019)

Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake

How To Choose The Best Water Fountain For Your Cat
 

kittyluv387

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Water fountains are very popular and I have looked looked them up but decided against the idea. They all end up with gunk buildup!! Grosses me out.
 

daftcat75

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of course how may parents have bought them only to find that their cats refuse to use them.
I have a collection of fountains that have failed Krista's tough standards. Or they have failed mine because they were too difficult and messy to tear down and clean frequently enough to prevent the gunk build up.

The one that Krista has finally approved that I like too is Petkit Eversweet.

Petkit Fountain Waterer

They seem to have supply issues but they also seem to resolve quickly enough. You might be able to find one on eBay until they get more on Amazon.

What I like about it is that it has LED's to notify me when the water level is low and when the filter needs to be replaced. It's also whisper quiet. And it's very easy to tear down and clean. The power cord never has to be threaded into water reservoir and plugged directly into the pump like other machines. If there's a weakness to this machine (besides the supply problems at the manufacturer), it is simply that the plug is on the bottom of the machine and it pulls laterally rather than vertically making it only slightly awkward to unplug. After that, teardown and cleaning is a snap.

Of course, none of this matters if Krista doesn't use it. And I'm pleased to say that when I keep it clean often enough (about weekly), Krista will use it.
 

daftcat75

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Oh and it has an anti-dry burn pump shut off. That means when the water level is low, the pump turns off so that the pump isn't going to run dry and possibly burn out or create a fire hazard.
 

RajaNMizu

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:hithere: I have a Petsafe Drinkwell Pagoda fountain. I clean it twice a week (honestly, sometimes once). One of my cats uses it all the time but I had the advantage of knowing she liked fountains when I adopted her at 4 months old. My other cat has tried it one or twice to my knowledge and seems to prefer her bowl. It takes me five minutes at the most to clean.
 

GaryT

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Water fountains are very popular and I have looked looked them up but decided against the idea. They all end up with gunk buildup!! Grosses me out.
I clean Theo's every day and wash the whole fountain with dish soap once a week. I figure, I used to do the same with a water bowl. Fountain is just a little more work to clean. I have ordered a stainless one that is easier to dis-assemble and clean. It should be here this week. He has a plastic Drinkwell waterfall type now.

 

shadowsrescue

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I had a really nice stainless steel pet fountain. All of the cats used it, but our dog loved it the most. I had to rinse it out 2-3x a week and thoroughly take it apart to clean every week. It was such a pain. Sadly our dog passed away and all of the cats stopped using it. It just sat there. After a month or so, I just put it away. I now just use ceramic water bowls that I clean and refill daily.

Cleaning the fountain was the worst part. The amount of pet hair and sludge that built up in a weeks time was ridiculous. Also you had to purchase the filters. They lasted 3-4 weeks.
 

She's a witch

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I had to return every fountain I bought because it didn’t really meet my expectations: my not drinking cat did not drink from it. If your goal is to decrease the water waste, I don’t think the fountain will work for you, as it requires way more water than the bowl, plus the filter doesn’t really keep it clean all the time, the fur will still be there especially in the bigger plastic fountain, so it needs to be changed often.
 

sabrinah

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I have one but my cat only uses it once every couple of weeks. The cleaning is annoying but it's not too bad. Instead of scrubbing I just let everything soak in vinegar and water for like an hour every month and wipe it down as needed in between soaks. Any calcium buildup (it happens even when using filtered water here) or scum falls off without much effort. I found that the biofilm gets super gross when the flow is low but stays away as long as it's turned up almost all the way.
 

cuppa

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I've used several different water fountains in the past (plastic, ceramic, and stainless steel). They require a lot of maintenance to keep really clean. The entire fountain tends to build up a slimy coating (I'm assuming from the cat's saliva, but honestly I'm not sure).

Depending on how many cats you have, the filter will need to be replaced every 1 or 2 weeks. Depending on how clean it keeps, you may need to clean your fountain every week to every few days. It's less easy to dump and replace the water as the entire thing is much more heavy than a bowl.

Regarding the filter: I've used it with and without the filter and really didn't notice any difference. The fountain got just as slimy and hairy with or without the filter

And because of all the little parts of the fountain, they're way more prone to mold. The plastic bits on the inside all have small nooks that are difficult to clean and may require special cleaning tools (tiny brushes and such).

That being said, some cats will prefer the fountain over a bowl of water. The running water may entice your cat to drink more water. I've found that my cats are drinking more with multiple bowls of water around the apartment that I change daily.
 

Purr-fect

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I also use a fountain with a filter for my boys, see picture.

I change the water daily. This would get expensive if using bottled water.

Can you filter the unused fountain water thru a brita filter, instead of throwing it out?

Our cats started using the fountain right away. Anything that will increase their water consumption is a benefit.

Cleaning the filter is a pain and the charcoal filters are about $4.00 each in canada. I find fur tends to just float in the fountain, it isnt filtered effectively. Thats also why the water is changed daily.
 

GaryT

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Theodore's new fountain came today. I guess I have a weird cat since everybody says their cats hate these....So be it! I will keep him! So, now I don't have to keep the faucet running at a drip.
 

war&wisdom

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Mine are obsessed with their fountain. They drink so much more water now, and they don't knock it over! (Except when I first put it down after cleaning -- then Ares tries to mess with it during inspection.)

I have a CatIt flower fountain, and I only need to clean it once a week or so. There's almost no residue; it's such an easy clean. I just pour a couple glasses of water into it every couple of days to top it off.
 

amethyst

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I think it really depends on the fountain, some are really noisy, some have too many nooks and crannies, etc, I have the Drinkwell Avalon (just like the Drinkwell Pagoda RajaNMizu posted but round). It really is super easy to clean, no special tools required or even needed, even having it going with 10 cats I have to clean it about once a week. There are no nooks and crannies at all, and the filters are easy to change, it has a foam one that goes around the pump that catches the cat hair and a charcoal one that cleans the water. It's also quiet, you pretty much just hear the water, like a tap running on trickle, unless the water is low then the pump makes horrible sounds, lol. I think the sliminess might also be caused by how hot it is in your house, warm air makes for warmer water which promotes mold growth.

I have water in multiple places, mostly bowls, in my house where ever the cats hang out, to help the cats drink more too.
 

GaryT

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I think it really depends on the fountain, some are really noisy, some have too many nooks and crannies, etc, I have the Drinkwell Avalon (just like the Drinkwell Pagoda RajaNMizu posted but round). It really is super easy to clean, no special tools required or even needed, even having it going with 10 cats I have to clean it about once a week. There are no nooks and crannies at all, and the filters are easy to change, it has a foam one that goes around the pump that catches the cat hair and a charcoal one that cleans the water. It's also quiet, you pretty much just hear the water, like a tap running on trickle, unless the water is low then the pump makes horrible sounds, lol. I think the sliminess might also be caused by how hot it is in your house, warm air makes for warmer water which promotes mold growth.

I have water in multiple places, mostly bowls, in my house where ever the cats hang out, to help the cats drink more too.
This one is the same. Quiet. All you hear is the water running. It is not that many pieces and will be easy to clean. Even the pump can be taken apart and cleaned. This is a Drinkwell too. It has 3 clips that keep the center cone in place with the charcoal filter inside the cone. It has foam around the water intake on the pump. The old one was loud and made of plastic. I like stainless better.
 

betsygee

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Mine are obsessed with their fountain. They drink so much more water now, and they don't knock it over! (Except when I first put it down after cleaning -- then Ares tries to mess with it during inspection.)

I have a CatIt flower fountain, and I only need to clean it once a week or so. There's almost no residue; it's such an easy clean. I just pour a couple glasses of water into it every couple of days to top it off.
This has been similar to my experience. We have three fountains--two stainless steel and one ceramic--throughout the house, for four cats. I top them off every day or so, and clean them once a week.

All the cats use them. I don't find them that difficult to maintain.
 

marmoset

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Yeah we rely on them. If you are using bottled water in them it's even better because you will have less cleaning maintenance with hard water build-up. I find that cats transition to them pretty easy. You can leave a bowl of still water out very near the fountain and wait to observe them drinking from the fountain.

You can not judge by water level in the fountain. Since it is being aerated evaporation plays a bigger role than it does with still water in a bowl. Fountains need to be filled frequently so if you go away you might not be able to get away without having a pet-sitter or neighbor come in and refill the fountain each day. I have multiple cats and so it needs to be filled twice a day.
 
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