Which ceramic water bowl is better?

[sylorna]

Hey

Due to some various health concerns (past case of possible acne in one cat, and current urinary problems in another) it is time to get a new water fountain.  This time I'm looking at going ceramic.

I get the impression that there are two readily available brands on the market: Pioneer and Drinkwell.  My requirements are that it is easy to clean, and holds quite a bit of water, given that I have 3 cats and summer is coming.

Anyone have any experience with them?

 

[betsygee]

I have the Pioneer stainless steel fountain.  I love it.  It's easy to clean, holds lots of water, and all the cats use it.  I haven't tried the ceramic version.

There are some good reviews of different fountains here that might help you out:  http://www.thecatsite.com/products/category/fountains

 

[Kat0121]

 
Hey

Due to some various health concerns (past case of possible acne in one cat, and current urinary problems in another) it is time to get a new water fountain.  This time I'm looking at going ceramic.

I get the impression that there are two readily available brands on the market: Pioneer and Drinkwell.  My requirements are that it is easy to clean, and holds quite a bit of water, given that I have 3 cats and summer is coming.

Anyone have any experience with them?

I have the Pioneer Pet Big Max in stainless steel and the Pioneer Pet Raindrop in black ceramic. I love both of them. I had a Drinkwell but returned it for the stainless Big Max. I find that the PP fountains are easier to clean and they both use the same filters which are available from Amazon in packs of 3. I have them on my subscribe and save so they end up costing me $5.09 after my 15% discount for having 5 or more items in my order. If I had to choose which one I like better, I'd choose the stainless one. It's much bigger and lighter than the ceramic. 

 

[sylorna]

do you find that they use the stainless versus the ceramic any differently?  I would think the stainless would leave a metallic taste, like my metal water bottles do sometimes.  Also, I was thinking the heaviness of the ceramic would prevent any tipping over.

Do you like the black colour, or would you do white?

 

[Kat0121]

 
do you find that they use the stainless versus the ceramic any differently?  I would think the stainless would leave a metallic taste, like my metal water bottles do sometimes.  Also, I was thinking the heaviness of the ceramic would prevent any tipping over.

Do you like the black colour, or would you do white?

I use the stainless one in the kitchen since I have 3 cats and a dog. 2 of the cats and the dog use that one and they have no issues with it. They like it a lot. It has never tipped over. It's a big fountain and while it's lighter than the ceramic, it's sturdy and well made. The ceramic raindrop fountain is in my 3rd cat's room. He uses it the most and it's in his room since it's smaller. Yes. I like the black. I got black because I have 3 black cats. 

this is the stainless big max

This is the black ceramic raindrop

 

You can probably tell that the raindrop is significantly smaller than the big max. It is teardrop shaped and good for one smaller animal. For more than one or for a larger animal I would definitely go with the big max. I only use filtered water in both fountains. 

 

[sylorna]

Ok, thanks.  I think I'm going to get the ceramic max in white, to avoid any white hard water build up.  Going to check the local store and then probably order it online I think.

Thanks a bunch!

 

[Kat0121]

 
Ok, thanks.  I think I'm going to get the ceramic max in white, to avoid any white hard water build up.  Going to check the local store and then probably order it online I think.

Thanks a bunch!

Glad to help. Amazon has it for $53.35 shipped. I use filtered water so I don't get hard water deposits on either of mine. 

 

[sylorna]

It's $89 CAD.  Sometimes it sucks being Canadian.

I was able to find the stainless at a Canadian petstore for $80 so I might see if they have any in stock.  

 

[betsygee]

 
I use the stainless one in the kitchen since I have 3 cats and a dog. 2 of the cats and the dog use that one and they have no issues with it. They like it a lot. It has never tipped over. It's a big fountain and while it's lighter than the ceramic, it's sturdy and well made. The ceramic raindrop fountain is in my 3rd cat's room. He uses it the most and it's in his room since it's smaller. Yes. I like the black. I got black because I have 3 black cats. 

this is the stainless big max

This is exactly the one I have.  All of my cats drink out of it so I don't think there's any problem with the taste of the water.

 

[Kat0121]

 
It's $89 CAD.  Sometimes it sucks being Canadian.

I was able to find the stainless at a Canadian petstore for $80 so I might see if they have any in stock.  

 
It's $89 CAD.  Sometimes it sucks being Canadian.

I was able to find the stainless at a Canadian petstore for $80 so I might see if they have any in stoc

 
This is exactly the one I have.  All of my cats drink out of it so I don't think there's any problem with the taste of the water.

Same here. They love it and have since I got it for them over a year ago.. The dog especially since she drinks more water than the cats do combined. She also weighs more than all 3 of them combined. 

 

[sylorna]

Good to know.  I think I've decided to hold off on the fountain immediately...I keep on wondering if I should cave and get a plastic one again (due to expenses), but I've really disliked most of the plastic ones I've had, and the one I did like ended up leaking in the end.

 

[sylorna]

Ok, so I'm going to hijack my own thread.

Just got the doctors assessment and Dynah has bladder stones...currently feeling like I need to get a fountain NOW.  We'll put it in the main area and then move our current water dish into the bedroom for easy access.

The stores in our area don't seem to have the big max in stock (I've called so many stores!).  They do have the Drinkwell 360 in stainless ($99) or the pioneer pet raindrop in stainless ($70).  They can order in the big max but it will take about a week.  Should I:
A) Wait

B) Get the drinkwell (never had a drinkwell before)

C) Get the raindrop in stainless

D) Get a plastic fountain and put up with the cleaning issues again

I hate making decisions when I'm stressed.  Can I have your 2cents?

 

[betsygee]

We have the big max in the kitchen.  It gets in our way sometimes but it's near where the cats eat, so it's in a central location for them and it gets a lot of use.  Then we have two other plastic water dispensers in other places in the house, that way they have easy access to water when they want it.

Every house, cat and budget are different--think about what you can afford and what works for your space.  :-)   

I understand about the worry and stress about your baby--it will be okay.  

 

[Kat0121]

 
Ok, so I'm going to hijack my own thread.

Just got the doctors assessment and Dynah has bladder stones...currently feeling like I need to get a fountain NOW.  We'll put it in the main area and then move our current water dish into the bedroom for easy access.

The stores in our area don't seem to have the big max in stock (I've called so many stores!).  They do have the Drinkwell 360 in stainless ($99) or the pioneer pet raindrop in stainless ($70).  They can order in the big max but it will take about a week.  Should I:
A) Wait

B) Get the drinkwell (never had a drinkwell before)

C) Get the raindrop in stainless

D) Get a plastic fountain and put up with the cleaning issues again

I hate making decisions when I'm stressed.  Can I have your 2cents?

If I were you and those were my only options, I'd go with the Drinkwell 360. It looks pretty easy to clean. I like the raindrop but it doesn't hold nearly as much as the big max. Granted, mine is ceramic so that might have something to do with it since the ceramic walls are thick but when the dog visits Henry in his room, she always stops for a drink from his fountain and she puts a big dent in it. I wouldn't get plastic. 

 

[sylorna]

After a very long hard anxious day we picked up Dynah and her various meds/food. We dropped her off and went to a petstore we normally don't go to out of convenience.... They had the stainless big Max! So excited! It's a nice end to a unpredictable and difficult day. We're all set up and going.
Now to convince free feeders that they are actually meal based cats. Wish me luck.

 

[Kat0121]

After a very long hard anxious day we picked up Dynah and her various meds/food. We dropped her off and went to a petstore we normally don't go to out of convenience.... They had the stainless big Max! So excited! It's a nice end to a unpredictable and difficult day. We're all set up and going.
Now to convince free feeders that they are actually meal based cats. Wish me luck.

Nice!! I think you're going to be pleased with it. It's a great fountain.

 

[betsygee]

After a very long hard anxious day we picked up Dynah and her various meds/food. We dropped her off and went to a petstore we normally don't go to out of convenience.... They had the stainless big Max! So excited! It's a nice end to a unpredictable and difficult day. We're all set up and going.
Now to convince free feeders that they are actually meal based cats. Wish me luck.

Oh good!

  Let us know if kitties like it.