Zebedee doesn't seem to be drinking from his water bowl and whereas before he would drink running water from the tap he's lost interest in that too. I worry about him becoming dehydrated and I've noticed a lot of members here have water fountains for their cats. I've read mixed reviews on the internet, some apparently have fiddly filters etc. Are there any makes that are particular good?? And not tooo pricey (one was £300 ). Thanks.

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Zakiyya C: Mum to Zebedee - Silver Spotted Bengal & Coco Mademoiselle - Usual Abyssinian

I tried one of these but my Bengals just scooped the water all over the floor http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/cat_ ... ains/14806

I've now got one of these which is working well and isn't so messy http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/cat_ ... ains/67700

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I've got a Catit dome water fountain - it can be a bit tricky to disassemble, but is easy enough after one or two attempts. It's simply a reversal of removal!

I also find you need to keep an eye on the limescale on the pump which stops the fountain from working correctly - albeit, that's the same with any of the pumps.

My two drink from it all the time, both from the bowl and the dome - there's no mess as you can also buy a mat which matches, and it looks pretty cool, too.

We don't bother with the additional food bowl that attaches to the side as i'm sure i'd be cleaning it more often!

Check ebay, i got mine for around £20 including P+P. The charcoal filters are also cheaper on ebay.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cat-It-CAT-IT-P ... 924&sr=8-1

Thanks..they both look pretty straightforward. How often do they need cleaning and filters replacing?

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Zakiyya C: Mum to Zebedee - Silver Spotted Bengal & Coco Mademoiselle - Usual Abyssinian

Haven't had mine long enough to know yet!! It will partly depend on what sort of water you have. We don't have a problem with limescale in Cumbria but I imagine in some places that will make a difference.

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I have also been thinking of getting one of these, but been put off by all the problems people have had.
I was thinking of the petmate one that zoozone have on offer at the moment.
Does anyone have any advice on this?

I don't know how that one works but it looks very much like the Drinkwell fountain. The problem I had with that one was that my Bengals scooped the water everywhere (and there's a lot of water in it ) I think domes are possibly less messy.

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If you read the reviews on http://www.zooplus.co.uk, you should be able to get a good idea which is the best for you.
On the Catit dome fountain, i change the filters about once every couple of months and rinse them out every couple of weeks.

I have a Drinkwell one. I change out the filters about once every two months, but really it can depend on how many cats you have and where their bowl is located (for example - is there heavy traffic around which brings in more dirt, etc). In my old place, Sammie's bowl in right at the front of the kitchen so we were always near it and it would get dirty fast, but since we moved, her bowl is in it's own private corner, and the thing stays very very clean.

Bottle brushes work very nice to thoroughly clean the inside/motor/etc. I bought the Drinkwell cleaning kit, but you can find similar brushes for much cheaper probably in the kitchen isle

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Sammie & Ari


http://www.spoiledbengal.com

We have the Drinkwell Platinum. LOVE IT!! It is very easy to assemble and dissassemble. It is also very easy to clean. To clean it, we take it apart, take the pump and filter out, and run it through the dishwasher. I do this every weekend, and sometimes rinse it out if it gets dirty beforehand. I change the filter every two weeks, but rinse the filter out in between changes. Our cats love it- they drink right from the stream of water. When we first got it, they played in the water a bit, but now just drink from it. I would recommend it.

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Carol Goodall

"People that hate cats will come back as mice in their next life!"

Ahh i'm tempted to order 1 of each! It's at times like this you wish you could read into your cat's mind..things that work for one cat are completely unimpressive to another. A lot of members said their cats absolutely loved those freeze dried prawn treats - I went to Pets At Home where the lady said they were definitely a best seller so I confidently bought a tube home..Zebedee excitedly came running when I shook the tube but when I opened it, he sniffed at in disgust and walked off. He hasnt touched it since!!! He also can't stand cheese (another popular favourite with other cats)

I really hope one of the fountains appeals to him because today, again, he didn't touch his water. He's eating well, his routine's fine but he seems to have gone off water completely. He used to sit outside the bathroom door and 'queue' when one of us was in there to then run inside and drink water from the tap or a jug. He doesn't even do that anymore. Has anyone else ever experienced this??

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Zakiyya C: Mum to Zebedee - Silver Spotted Bengal & Coco Mademoiselle - Usual Abyssinian

To encourage him to drink, which is a must to keep his urine dilute, save the frozen water when you defrost meat or fish and give your cat this to drink. They love it. Alternatively, feed wet food. Cats must get a good intake of liquids.

Regards

ill throw my vote behind the catit fountain. its a doddle to clean and really keeps the water cool and fresh...

Do they really need one though? I mean are they not expensive to keep running?

If you want to see if your kitty is dehydrated, take the scuff of his neck - like the way a mother cat would pick up her kittens and give it a gentle twist and let go - if the fur springs back your kitty is sufficiently hydrated - if the fur slowly drops back down then your kitty in dehydrated.
A cheap way to see if you will need a water fountain!!!