I found that my cat's didn't like these style better than the standing water style. and most of these models have ridiculously small reservoirs. In the end I went with the 5 gallon water cooler style bowl.

NicodemusBC: like noted above, cats are finicky...our cats use our fountain-style bowl, but one of them prefers making us turn on the tub faucet and dislikes still water. Whatever helps them stay hydrated and happy :)

Wild cats get the vast majority of their water from their food. This is why it's hard to get cats to drink straight water. If they'll tolerate it, it's best to feed cats canned cat food so they can get their water the way they've evolved to do so. This has the added benefit that most canned cat foods are much higher in protein and lower in carbs than dry kibble. Of course, it's still necessary to keep water around for them... they should be encouraged to drink in any way that works.

utterly wasteful consumer junk. how did people manage to keep cats alive before these were invented?

I got rid of my cat fountain. My cat and I have never been happier. They are terrible to clean, clog easily with cat fuzz and the water doesn't seem to stay all that clean. Not having one makes me change the water bowl for my cat daily and he likes ice cubes in his water. He drinks so much more with simple fresh water everyday.

d3nial: people used to keep cats mostly outdoors and they could get their water, as noted by charmac, from a variety of sources, including blood from fresh kills, outdoor running water sources and the occasional bite of grasses.

As someone whose cat suffered FLUTD, the running water fountains have proven to be beneficial to his health, alongside a change in diet. But every cat and cat owner is different, so what works best in your home should be what you should choose.

Please- NEVER feed your cat out of a plastic bowl, fountain, or container. The Drinkwell is plastic, horrible to clean and breeds bacteria.

My two cats have been using the Petmate for years and its worked well. Prior to this, one of my cats had recurring urinary tract issues. The fountain has definitely helped. One cat drinks from the main bowl, the other only drinks at the very "top" of the fountain. Yes, it's important to clean it regularly--but isn't that true of anything your fur-covered roommates use on a regular basis?

Is it just me or does this post not actually give any insight on cat fountains? It might have been more aptly titled, "Here is a list of cat fountains you can find on Amazon with some aimless commentary that indicates that we don't really know anything about these products." You can do better AT (and usually do)! Why not just come out and ask which cat fountains people use if that is what you are getting at, instead of leading us to think you have some insight on the topic?