drinking fountains

[Kittybabe (Ruth)]

Dawn I know. In the end it would have cost me more than I can afford. They have it on at £39.99 but if you buy food with it, the P&P is free. It came DHL the next working day.  And 6 boxes of prescription food as well...HUGE! 

[Dawn F]

how much did it end up being Ruth - that DaveD in the auction is a menace!

[Millys Mum]

Yes Taz was petrified! I also got the blue mat free with my catit which scared him too, after removing that and leaving it on he gradually got braver and sniffed it which resulted in water going up his nose 

I found wibbling a finger in it got their attention but my lot are probably more easily tricked than Lexy

[DaveD]

When I got my fountain I only had the three cats, and Pimpernel didn't know what to make of it. Bramble and Neit were wary too, but more curious, and soon discovered it wasn't a threat.

[Kittybabe (Ruth)]

My Drinkwell arrived today. Platinum. Its a pretty nifty one, not sure where "platinum" comes from but at the price they were selling them with no P&P it was a bargain.

However, Lexy is afraid of it!    Did anyone else's cats who are more timid get a bit freaked when they saw the fountain for the first time?

[Mark]

It's difficult to tell, as the evaporation will probably be greater with flowing water. What is obvious, to me anyway, is that the cats enjoy drinking from a fountain (or a tap!) whereas drinking from a bowl seems more like something that just has to be done.

I got mine originally because kylie kept jumping up on the sinks. Often If I couldn't find her, she would be in the bathroom sink waiting. When she did drink from a bowl, she always put her paw in the bowl so it was mucky 

[Millys Mum]

MPM products www.applaws.co.uk sell Catits for £20 for those who dont want to splash out on a drinkwell 

[bluecat]

Mary drinks more since i got hers bottled warter is cheap enough to buy these days if you go for the own brand ones 17p a liter their abouts

Found Mary sleeping on the bed today she jumped up this miring as well while i was still in bed  wonder if ill get a visitor tonight 

[Kittybabe (Ruth)]

Les, as much as I would love to keep bidding on the auction one, with postage its going to take me way off budget this month so have ordered the platinum one from VetUK with the food I ordered (so free post and packaging!). They have it one sale. (cheap me... never thought I'd say that about myself  )

Since Lexy is so prone now to infections and her surgery was the most worrying time for me, I won't be letting her go without drinking. I expect the fountain in next couple days and can post the success here so you can see whether its a hit or not!

Its been recommended by heaps of people as a definite problem solver for drinking water.  For cats that need it, its invaluable.

I stayed away from Catit simply because the design is to big and it looks clumsy. Lexy is a lady 

[unseeliechylde]

Hmmm....think I might have to invest in one, then I'm keen to get them to drink a little more, especially at this time fo year with the heating being on and all.

[Mark]

I think it makes them drink a lot more as they play "drinking games" 

Also, the water is oxygenated so better for them. I always use filtered or bottled water now so tey are getting purer water and as a bonus, it should help stop the fountain furring up.

[DaveD]

It's difficult to tell, as the evaporation will probably be greater with flowing water. What is obvious, to me anyway, is that the cats enjoy drinking from a fountain (or a tap!) whereas drinking from a bowl seems more like something that just has to be done.

[unseeliechylde]

This is something I've been thinking about - my two are not too keen on drinking water, they rarely bother, though I always have water down for them. They do eat mostly wet food, which I suppose might reduce how thirstly they are, but I still wish they would drink more (though they have no problems filling their litter trays - no shortage of wee, anyway! ).
Do your cats drink more with a fountain than a bowl? I know the water would be much fresher for them, which is also a big plus, but does it have any impact on how much they drink?

[Jasmine]

Thanks for this thread, just reminded me to order a 'Catit Fresh & Clear Small Drinking Fountain' (new product) for Martha - my 22 yr old, CRF, foster's room.

I already have a standard Drinkwell in the kitchen, can't fault it really - apart from what Mark said about the noise when it runs low!
I will probably upgrade to the Platinum one when this one conks out, but had it a couple of years and no probs as yet.

[DaveD]

I got the PetMate Fresh Flow fountain in last years auction, and it has proved very popular. It does occasionally stop working, making a hell of a racket when it does, but if I switch it off for half an hour, and make sure it's full, it starts working perfectly again. When it' running, the cats don;t try to drink from the tap, but if it's switched off they jump up to the kitchen sink and wait for me to start the tap dripping!

[Mark]

I had a drinkwell running 24/7 for just under 3 years. Although I cleaned and descaled, it, it gave up the ghost recently but not bad going. The only snags were the noise and when it gets low on water, the gushing sound it makes (usually at 5am  ) I pushed the boat out and got a Platinum one this time which is much better. The motor is submerged so all you can hear is a slight trickle of water. Also it has a big tank attached which works like the water coolers where you tip it upside down. I got mine from VetUK as they are 20% off at the moment which makes the platinum the same as the normal price for the basic one.

Money well spent I think.

As a bonus, I think they stop the air drying out in a room as well 

I just checked and they are 10% off now so £44.99
(don't forget to use a rescue link if you order  )

[Corporal Smokey]

I have a CatIt fountain, got a really good deal on eBay and my two love it. I was wondering about the drinkwell one though as the Cpl likes to stick his whole face on the dome and gets water everywhere!

I wouldn't be without a fountain now though after losing a cat to renal failure, it was the one thing that perked her up.

[LesleyW]

You could always try bidding for the drinkwell fountain on the Auction.  (am I being too pushy for my kitties now  )

I did have a cait fountain but changed to the drinkwell and the drinkwell ones are much better - I have three of them so they must be quite good.

[bren]

I have a cat it drinking fountain but a couple of my cats don't really like it i had a freshflow one before but eventuallly the plastic pin on the transformer plug broke, i think i am going to have to change from the cat it one even though its pretty new but don't know if i should go back to the freshflow or try the drinkwell any comments of your experiences please.