Anyone with a cat with troublesome water fascination should check this out! Bought this product because our younger cat has a (somewhat cute but mostly annoying) fascination with water. When her water is provided in your average bowl, she'll sit there splashing and scooping it out. This went from a mild annoyance to a major issue when we moved into an apartment with false-wood floors in the kitchen instead of tile, and the constant water on the floor warped the floorboards...(Yeah. If I didn't love them...). Anyway we tried a mat under the water bowl, but she splashes so much out (at least a full bowl of water every day, and sometimes twice a day) that water often even snuck under the mat. At my local petco, they suggested a fountain might help, so I researched a few and decided to go with this one because it doesn't have much of a reservoir (some other others are just glorified bowls with a spout, figured she'd still make a mess)--and so far it WORKS GREAT! She started drinking out of it right away (my other cat is a little more cautious so it's not her favorite yet, but she drinks out of it). AND best of all, even though my naughty little girl still tries to scoop water out, she is unsuccessful! the way the fountain is designed, when she tries to paw at the water, she just pushes the water right back into the fountain instead of onto the floor. I keep a mat under it just in case, because that determined little trouble-maker does SOMETIMES still splash some water out, but otherwise it's a complete save. Other pros: -The fountain itself doesn't splash out (read some reviews for other fountains that sometimes they're a little messy, which would have defeated the purpose). -It's quiet (a little bit of moving water sounds but I hardly hear it at all unless right next to it--and our apartment is tiny, so trust me, I'd hear it). -Simple setup--no complicated tubes--I was worried it would have tubes in it sort of like a fish filter, and I know those can get messy, can break down, and are hard to clean. This is just a pump, an open container, and the top piece. All you have to do it put the pump in and fill. SO simple. -It keeps the water SO much cleaner than just a sitting bowl (remember, kitty was putting her feet in the bowl on the regular) and it's easy to clean when you do need to. -It filters the water--I don't like giving the cats tap water (I worked for a pet supply store and learned there are a lot of issues caused to pets from the minerals in the water), this saves me from always having to use my Brita for them. -Randomly, it seems like an entertainment source for both cats (they just sit there and watch it sometimes). Only "cons" (not really cons, just more considerations): -It does have to be plugged in, obviously, so make sure you have somewhere to plug it in -I am a little concerned about finding the filters--right now they're available on Amazon, but only in weird quantities (you can either buy 2, or like 40 at a time). Hopefully I can continue to find the filters. -If you know cats, you know it's a toss up whether they'll drink from this or not (through no fault of the fountain). My other cat is still a little wary of this thing so I've been watching her to make sure she's staying hydrated -I've only had it for a week or two so will have to make sure it lasts, but other reviewers seemed to have no complaints. In conclusion, GREAT PURCHASE. And well worth the money since it wasn't expensive at all. I'm more than pleased!
