U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Pets > Cats
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 12-05-2012, 05:49 PM
 
6,604 posts, read 6,860,287 times
Reputation: 20507

Advertisements

Just wanted to share how happy I am that I recently bought a water bubbler for my 4 cats.

It was easy to put together and get going, and the cats started using it right away - they love to drink from the continuous stream of water. Also, since the water recyles, I'm not paying for water continously running out of the sink tap, which I used to do now and then. Guess I am paying for the electricity, though.

Excellent addition to the cat stuff, and it only was about $40 all told! I really recommend it to people with several cats.
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 12-06-2012, 01:11 PM
 
2,089 posts, read 4,058,923 times
Reputation: 2131
What brand and model did you purchase? Does it use a filter that needs to be replaced?
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-06-2012, 01:24 PM
 
Location: Near Nashville TN
7,201 posts, read 14,128,689 times
Reputation: 5442
Quote:
Originally Posted by 601halfdozen0theother View Post

Excellent addition to the cat stuff, and it only was about $40 all told! I really recommend it to people with several cats.
Brevity snipped.

We had to return ours to PetsMart as our cats would not drink from it. They started drinking from the toilet bowl.

Can you get replacements for the small water pump when it burns out? These little pumps don't last forever.
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-06-2012, 02:43 PM
 
2,089 posts, read 4,058,923 times
Reputation: 2131
Quote:
Originally Posted by =^..^= View Post
Brevity snipped.
Can you get replacements for the small water pump when it burns out? These little pumps don't last forever.
I've had my fountain water bowl running for almost 3 years of continuous (24/7) use (minus 3 months) and the pump is fine.
How long Should a $40 water bowl last to make it cost effective?
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-06-2012, 10:11 PM
 
Location: Near Nashville TN
7,201 posts, read 14,128,689 times
Reputation: 5442
Quote:
Originally Posted by leanansidhex View Post
I've had my fountain water bowl running for almost 3 years of continuous (24/7) use (minus 3 months) and the pump is fine.
How long Should a $40 water bowl last to make it cost effective?
That's the longest I ever heard of one lasting. My SD paid $60 for hers and it lasted about 18 months.
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-07-2012, 12:32 AM
 
2,089 posts, read 4,058,923 times
Reputation: 2131
When I clean the fountain, I open up the pump (it snaps open and closed) and remove any hair or food particles, maybe that makes a difference.
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-09-2012, 09:13 PM
 
6,604 posts, read 6,860,287 times
Reputation: 20507
Ummm, I have a "Drinkwell Platinum". Recommended in Cat Fancy. Got a deal on it on Amazon. Yes, it has a filter that has to be replaced. Guess that will add up over time. But, even so, and even if it poops out after a couple of years, it's still worth it because my cats are enjoying drinking from that running stream.

Quote:
Originally Posted by leanansidhex View Post
When I clean the fountain, I open up the pump (it snaps open and closed) and remove any hair or food particles, maybe that makes a difference.
Thanks for that great advice, I'll be sure to do that!
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-09-2012, 10:11 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh area
9,918 posts, read 23,564,261 times
Reputation: 5149
The filter is optional on the Drinkwell Platinum, just FYI. I stopped using them a while ago because I filter the water before putting it in there so it seemed redundant. The one for the fountain (true of most fountains) is just a charcoal filter so it's not going to really remove any impurities or anything. You need to clean the fountain parts regularly whether you use the filters or not so it seems like a cost you can just give up if you want.

The motors on mine (I have two, because we bought a second one for the other cat, and now I rotate them in and out of use) have lasted a good 4 years or thereabouts, although I suppose most of that time they have only been in use half the time, but I think one may be having an issue so I'm about to order some parts. Drinkwell has been bought by PetSafe and they do still offer replacement parts. Buying a new pump is only about 1/4 the cost of buying a whole new fountain, and the plastic parts mostly don't go bad (although I did break one of the plastic prefilter things, but you can buy those too).
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-09-2012, 11:46 PM
 
2,873 posts, read 5,584,663 times
Reputation: 4327
I really wanted one because Robin gets frequent UTIs and needs to drink more to keep her system flushed. We tried twice, and both times within a few weeks found little black bugs swimming in the water. They didn't look like 'water bugs' (no flippers) but like tiny black beetles. I've never seen them anyone else in the house but in the bubbler system.
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-10-2012, 10:33 AM
 
Location: NW Penna.
1,758 posts, read 3,653,680 times
Reputation: 1879
I bought an original Drinkwell first, in 2002. And got the clip-on water bottle for it. But one of my cats developed a fascination with banging on the water bottle until he knocked it off, spilling water everywhere. i still have it, but packed in a box. haha

So, I went with the smaller Pet Mate, then bought a larger one. I've had some pumps last a long time, and some maybe only 6 months of running continuously. The last replacement pumps I bought were the cheapest price I could find on Amazon.com. They don't have the rate adjustment; they just run at top speed all the time. I found that didn't cause any problem with overflowing either my small or large fountain, but some reviews I read said that they had to devise a flow restriction disk and stuff it into the pump to throttle back the flow rate. There's a writeup on that in one of the reviews on Amazon.

I don't use those filters. I think they are just something to harbor bacterial and encourage biofilms. I change the water in the fountain daily, giving it a thorough rinsing then and a complete scrubbing once a week.
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Pets > Cats

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2023, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top