apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

If you're ever bored on a flight, play the game my bf and I play. Pick what the other person will say are the three worst items in the catalog. Minutes of fun will ensue.

I think it depends on the cat.

Our cat would only drink moving water that had ice in it. As she aged she started to suffer from kidney failure and became even more neurotic about her preferences as to the state of her water bowl. Her vet told us to encourage her to drink more water as best we could. Well, you know the old saying - you can lead a cat to water, but you can't... - anyway, once we switched to the fountain her water intake definitely increased. Now, if only they made one that would dispense ice cubes.

I got something similar because I'm often away on weekends and I know my cats don't like water that's been sitting very long. It's been a big hit with both of them. In fact, they prefer drinking out of this contraption over a fresh bowl of still water.

One of my two cats would drink water from everywhere BUT her water bowl - the sink faucets, glasses that were sitting out, the bath faucet and, to our dismay, the toilet. After doing some research, we learned that many cats prefer moving water to still and invested in a cheapo pet fountain from PetSmart. It doesn't filter and is less attractive than the one linked (imagine that) but it was also a quarter of the price. It was a great investment.

Cat-owning modernists should also check out Elizabeth Paige Smith's line of Kittypod products, although consider yourself warned that they are quite messy when used regularly. The post/wall mounted beds by the folks at cat-interiors.de are also quite nice - pricey but beautiful, like everything else we want.

That's funny Laure...I planned to have a review of two different cat water fountains I've purchased and used. And we just gave away our auto-feeders because of some serious design flaws if you've got cats (or rather, a cat) that can break the contraption open to get to the food early.

Weird! I just got one of these yesterday. I set it down next to her regular bowl of water (and food) and she didn't need to be told twice. So far she loves the new filtered water device thinger.

My dog Chester has this Petmate Fresh Flow water fountain bowl and he likes it just fine: http://tinyurl.com/2q3rl7. It was inexpensive and keeps the water fresh. I take it apart and give it a good washing with soap and water once a week and it's good to go!

My neighbors got one for their cat.
He only likes running water and he's quite pleased with the fact that the humans have accomodated him.

Gosh--who knew so many kitties had fresh water. I'm looking into getting one now!

2 cats and a dog have decided that this is the only way to drink water.........

Being a bit touchy about the style and function of pet products, I have resorted to using a tabletop fountain for my 2 kitties' water. I use my filtered water jug to refill. I currently have this version, which is pretty good for 2 kitties for a day: http://www.kineticfountains.com/feng-shui-ceramic-fountain-white.asp They drink from both the bowl and the top.
I have just "upgraded" to this one http://www.kineticfountains.com/feng-shui-white-bowl-tabletop-fountains.asp which will ensure plenty of water. Instead of those tacky fake flowers in the picture, I am using that container for fresh wheatgrass!
It might not be high-end, but nestled inconspicuouly near a larger houseplant, it's not bad....

My cats adore it and have used it loyally for over three years. In addition to a weekly rinse down, I clean it with a mixture of watered-down white vinegar every three months to clean up any residue.

I have found that the Catit Drinking fountain from Hagen works well from my two cats. One cat drinks from the bubble part and the other drinks from the bowl. Both of my cats only drinks from running water and because of the water is being run down bubble the water is always cold from the oxygen being added. Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/Hagen-Catit-Drinking-Fountain-x10/dp/B000688XLY/ref=pd_bbs_4/104-5215612-5595905?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1187181507&sr=8-4

Love the concept of having the Feline-Americans drink from a tabletop fountain. With moving to a smaller (more chic, easier to maintain) place, we're losing the private beastro in the laundry room and having to face having the cats' bowls out in plain sight again...

Okay, wende in phoenix, you take the cake: beastro? feline-Americans? LOVE IT.

My cat has not been exposed to such luxuries, but I think if he were, he'd become accustomed to drinking in style and refuse my attempts to keep him drinkin' prolie'. His favourite thing right now is to "find" other water in the house--a full glass here, the watering can there...

are there any battery powered ones?

i don't have an outlet near where the kids eat, and i'd love to give them movin' water (since one is very much attracted to the toilet...ugh)

Gregory--i still want to read your reviews--who knew there were so many amazing options for the kitties to not drink out of the toilet!

yes! and you guys should review other fun things for the house for the cat...wow...that was a weird sentence. but i'm still pushing for an AT:Pet!!!!

I promise to have a pet fountain review soon! I was out waaaaay too late last night for a movie screening and Q&A (Aishwarya Rai is dreamy in person)...the pet post loses out to Bollywood starlets :)

ha as well it should.

I used one of these things for a couple of years, triggered by a weekend away when I couldn't get anyone to come feed/water the cats. They liked it a lot, but I found that it was a big pain to clean it out (it was bulky, and came apart into a few pieces, and I always spilled the water when I refilled it and put it back down on the floor), so I didn't do it as often as I should have, and it got really disgusting. I finally threw it out, and now change the water in their plain old water bowl twice a day (when I feed them), and let them drink out of the bathroom faucet when they want to.

So these things do work, but they require more attention than a plain water bowl.