Over the holidays, our four cats were given a holiday gift from my parents, a Deluxe Petmate Free Flow Pet Fountain (that is the 108 oz one). We had really wanted a pet fountain for a while, because we know it would be healthier for all of our cats. Also, the oldest cat has some digestive issues, so we figured this would help eliminate some contaminates from the water, help discourage bacteria growth in the water and perhaps encourage her to drink more water.
Basically, the pet fountain is a water dish for pets that circulates the water so as to keep the water from getting stagnant (stagnant water encourages the growth of bacteria). It is very simple to use, and may sound like a lot of work, but it really isn’t, and the cats seem to like it.
The Unit
The pet fountain consists of a base bowl from which the pets can drink the water and a ramp which feeds into the bowl. The upper end of the ramp connects to a filter reservoir, which also connects to a water reservoir. Water flows from the water reservoir into the filter reservoir, then passes through a replaceable filter, down the ramp, and into the bowl. The filter is a charcoal filter which removes contaminants from the water as it passes through the filter. A pump in the filter reservoir draws water from the bowl into the filter reservoir, which constantly keeps the water circulating. The pump is very silent and can barely be heard, so it is not distracting to either the cats or to us. There are a couple of sizes of the fountain available, 50 ounces and 108 ounces, and they cost roughly $40 and $45 respectively, but if you do some online sleuthing, you can find them for lower than that (amazon.com recently had the small unit for $25).
Apparently, some cats do not like the sound of the motor, so Petmate suggests you leave the unit off for a bit, but full of water, and leave it next to your pet’s water dish so they get use to the unit and drinking out of it. We did not even have to use this trick, as our cats showed no hesitation in drinking from the bowl and no fear of the motor’s sound (which is really very low). In fact, it appears that they are attracted to the movement of the water flowing down the ramp into the bowl. Half of the time the cats drink the water directly from the bowl, the other half of the time they drink the water as it flows down the ramp. Sometimes they even swat at the flowing water like it is a game.
Adding water to the fountain can be easily done a couple of different ways. Water can either be poured into the bowl directly, or the water reservoir can be removed, filled with water, and replaced. One drawback is that the water reservoir is not that large, so with four cats drinking from the fountain, we have to add water almost daily. Also, if you do not fill the fountain and the water gets too low, it can burn out the motor, so make sure you monitor the water level of the fountain. You can also regulate the water movement and purifying action of the unit by using the flow control lever, but I did not find the directions to be very clear on this, so we have always left it in the low position and it works just fine.
The filter needs to be replaced every 60 to 90 days, but with multiple cats using the fountain, it needs to be changed monthly, especially since some of the cats do tend to play with the water, which can result in fur in the unit. It is very easy to change the filter. All you have to do is turn off the unit, empty the water, remove the top of the fountain, pull out the old filter, and insert the new one. I do suggest you follow the directions given and clean out the filter area periodically and thoroughly to avoid burnout and clogging (got to love that pet fur).
Cleaning the fountain is pretty simple also, as the fountain can be disassembled fairly quickly and the fountain can then be washed by hand. We tend to clean the unit a couple of times a month, and that seems to work out well for us.
Overall
Overall, we are very pleased with the fountain. We like that the flowing water appears to encourage the cats to drink, and we like that the fountain reduces bacteria and filters contaminants from the water. The only real drawback is how often we have to add water, but you have to do that with water bowls anyway.
A water fountain for pets that offers a continuous flow of fresh, filtered water. Both cats and dogs love the cool, fresh water. Replacement filters a...More at J-B Wholesale Pet Supplies, Inc
Petmate Deluxe Fresh Flow Pet Fountain provides fresh flowing water that pets love! It's ultra quiet and is perfect for small pet(s). It provides natu...More at Entirely Pets
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