Cat drinking fountains?

Hi

I have 2 cats who are both coming up on 15 years old. The Vet has
suggested that I try to get them to drink more water. She suggested
possibly getting one of the cat drinking fountains that you see in pet
stores now. Does anybodty have any experience with these? Do they
actually make the cats drink more then out of a normal bowl? What brand
would you suggest? I went to Petsmart and saw they carry 2 different
brands. Thanks for any info

Steve

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On Sat, 02 Oct 2004 23:54:42 +0000, Steve84 wrote:

Hi

I have 2 cats who are both coming up on 15 years old. The Vet has
suggested that I try to get them to drink more water. She suggested
possibly getting one of the cat drinking fountains that you see in pet
stores now. Does anybodty have any experience with these? Do they
actually make the cats drink more then out of a normal bowl? What brand
would you suggest? I went to Petsmart and saw they carry 2 different
brands. Thanks for any info

Steve


If and when you buy one, be sure to get one that won't overflow if the
power goes off. The first one I had overflowed a couple of times. My
cat also kept trying to take the top off to drink out of the tank.

I then bought one at Petco., She does drink from it but prefers a small
stream from the tap in the bathroom basin. Good luck.

On Sat, 02 Oct 2004 23:54:42 +0000, Steve84 wrote:

Hi

I have 2 cats who are both coming up on 15 years old. The Vet has
suggested that I try to get them to drink more water. She suggested
possibly getting one of the cat drinking fountains that you see in pet
stores now. Does anybodty have any experience with these? Do they
actually make the cats drink more then out of a normal bowl? What brand
would you suggest? I went to Petsmart and saw they carry 2 different
brands. Thanks for any info

Steve


If and when you buy one, be sure to get one that won't overflow if the
power goes off. The first one I had overflowed a couple of times. My
cat also kept trying to take the top off to drink out of the tank.

I then bought one at Petco., She does drink from it but prefers a small
stream from the tap in the bathroom basin. Good luck.

I had a Drinkwell fountain for several years. The cats never appeared
to use it and it required disassembly and cleaning quite often (my cats
eat canned food and rarely drink water at all). I gave it away to
someone whose cats do drink a lot of water.


---MIKE---

I had a Drinkwell fountain for several years. The cats never appeared
to use it and it required disassembly and cleaning quite often (my cats
eat canned food and rarely drink water at all). I gave it away to
someone whose cats do drink a lot of water.


---MIKE---

in article , Steve84 at
wrote on 10/2/04 6:54 PM:

Hi

I have 2 cats who are both coming up on 15 years old. The Vet has
suggested that I try to get them to drink more water. She suggested
possibly getting one of the cat drinking fountains that you see in pet
stores now. Does anybodty have any experience with these? Do they
actually make the cats drink more then out of a normal bowl? What brand
would you suggest? I went to Petsmart and saw they carry 2 different
brands. Thanks for any info

Steve

I have had success by just placing more bowls of water around the house in
areas they pass frequently.

in article , Steve84 at
wrote on 10/2/04 6:54 PM:

Hi

I have 2 cats who are both coming up on 15 years old. The Vet has
suggested that I try to get them to drink more water. She suggested
possibly getting one of the cat drinking fountains that you see in pet
stores now. Does anybodty have any experience with these? Do they
actually make the cats drink more then out of a normal bowl? What brand
would you suggest? I went to Petsmart and saw they carry 2 different
brands. Thanks for any info

Steve

I have had success by just placing more bowls of water around the house in
areas they pass frequently.

The Drinkwell Pet Fountain is the first one that came out (hence "the
original" in their ads), and I have 3 of these. Got one at first, set it up
in the kitchen and cats were afraid of it!!!! So we unplugged & emptied it
(all the while cursing the finicky cats), and set it in a high
traffic/central area of the house (an area the cats *have* to travel through
to get from one area of the house to another but had plenty of room that
cats could avoid the fountain until they felt that it was 'safe' to
approach), and let the cats get used to the presence of it first. Slowly (a
couple of feet a day) I moved it closer to their drinking bowl, and then I
let it set there a couple of days. Then I filled it with water while *not*
filling their other dish with water. Now they were drinking out of the
fountain without it on. Finally, I plugged it in. At the time, I only had
3 cats (1 @ 11yo, 1 @ 10yo, and 1@ 2yo), and they still drank from it. Then
I found an abandoned kitten, just a day or so old, in our yard. As he grew
up, the only water he'd ever had has been from a Drinkwell. In April, I
found 4 more kittens and adopted one of them out in August, but still have
the other three, and they all grew up with the fountains. Some of my 7 like
to drink from the stream, some from the bowl, but some will drink from
either.

I disassemble them once a week for cleaning (they're made to come apart, you
can even remove the impeller from the pump, and the pump from the main dish
housing), wash the filter, and once every six weeks I replace the filters
with new.

.... but yet some of the cats still like the water from the tub faucet. Go
figure.


--
The ONE and ONLY
lefthanded-pathetic-paranoid-psychotic-sarcastic-wiseass-ditzy former-blonde
in Bloomington! (And proud of it, too)©
email me at nalee1964 (at) insightbb (dot) com
http://community.webshots.com/user/mgcmdjeep


"Steve84" wrote in message
m...
Hi

I have 2 cats who are both coming up on 15 years old. The Vet has
suggested that I try to get them to drink more water. She suggested
possibly getting one of the cat drinking fountains that you see in pet
stores now. Does anybodty have any experience with these? Do they
actually make the cats drink more then out of a normal bowl? What brand
would you suggest? I went to Petsmart and saw they carry 2 different
brands. Thanks for any info

Steve

--
Steve's page of Fun links
http://www.stevesfunlinks.com/
See Steve with famous people like the Bradys
http://www.flash.net/~steve84/index1.htm
Steve's page of over 200 Disney links!
http://www.flash.net/~steve84/Disney.htm

The Drinkwell Pet Fountain is the first one that came out (hence "the
original" in their ads), and I have 3 of these. Got one at first, set it up
in the kitchen and cats were afraid of it!!!! So we unplugged & emptied it
(all the while cursing the finicky cats), and set it in a high
traffic/central area of the house (an area the cats *have* to travel through
to get from one area of the house to another but had plenty of room that
cats could avoid the fountain until they felt that it was 'safe' to
approach), and let the cats get used to the presence of it first. Slowly (a
couple of feet a day) I moved it closer to their drinking bowl, and then I
let it set there a couple of days. Then I filled it with water while *not*
filling their other dish with water. Now they were drinking out of the
fountain without it on. Finally, I plugged it in. At the time, I only had
3 cats (1 @ 11yo, 1 @ 10yo, and 1@ 2yo), and they still drank from it. Then
I found an abandoned kitten, just a day or so old, in our yard. As he grew
up, the only water he'd ever had has been from a Drinkwell. In April, I
found 4 more kittens and adopted one of them out in August, but still have
the other three, and they all grew up with the fountains. Some of my 7 like
to drink from the stream, some from the bowl, but some will drink from
either.

I disassemble them once a week for cleaning (they're made to come apart, you
can even remove the impeller from the pump, and the pump from the main dish
housing), wash the filter, and once every six weeks I replace the filters
with new.

.... but yet some of the cats still like the water from the tub faucet. Go
figure.


--
The ONE and ONLY
lefthanded-pathetic-paranoid-psychotic-sarcastic-wiseass-ditzy former-blonde
in Bloomington! (And proud of it, too)©
email me at nalee1964 (at) insightbb (dot) com
http://community.webshots.com/user/mgcmdjeep


"Steve84" wrote in message
m...
Hi

I have 2 cats who are both coming up on 15 years old. The Vet has
suggested that I try to get them to drink more water. She suggested
possibly getting one of the cat drinking fountains that you see in pet
stores now. Does anybodty have any experience with these? Do they
actually make the cats drink more then out of a normal bowl? What brand
would you suggest? I went to Petsmart and saw they carry 2 different
brands. Thanks for any info

Steve

--
Steve's page of Fun links
http://www.stevesfunlinks.com/
See Steve with famous people like the Bradys
http://www.flash.net/~steve84/index1.htm
Steve's page of over 200 Disney links!
http://www.flash.net/~steve84/Disney.htm

I have a PetMate FreshFlow. My guys were leery of it at first, especially
when it "burped" due to
the occasional bubble. But now, it sits next to their bowls and they ignore
it mostly. Occasionally
I see them taking a drink out of it, but I think it probably just keeps that
end of the room nicely
hydrated. They still like their little bowl in the bathroom sink.

I haven't had any problem if the power goes out, and it is pretty easy to
clean. I think the main
benefit is that it keeps the water relatively fresh. If you do get one, give
them time to get used
to it!

Good luck
Pat

"Steve84" wrote in message
m...
Hi

I have 2 cats who are both coming up on 15 years old. The Vet has
suggested that I try to get them to drink more water. She suggested
possibly getting one of the cat drinking fountains that you see in pet
stores now. Does anybodty have any experience with these? Do they
actually make the cats drink more then out of a normal bowl? What brand
would you suggest? I went to Petsmart and saw they carry 2 different
brands. Thanks for any info

Steve

--
Steve's page of Fun links
http://www.stevesfunlinks.com/
See Steve with famous people like the Bradys
http://www.flash.net/~steve84/index1.htm
Steve's page of over 200 Disney links!
http://www.flash.net/~steve84/Disney.htm