How can I encourage my cat to drink from the fountain? I keep water level high so as to minimize noise but he still won't drink from it. I purchased one years ago that he wouldn't drink from I thought because the noise bothered him. I found this at a garage sale and decided to try again. Any suggestions? How can I encourage my cat to drink from the fountain? I keep water level high so as to minimize noise but he still won't drink from it. I purchased one years ago that he wouldn't drink... » Read More How can I encourage my cat to drink from the fountain? I keep water level high so as to minimize noise but he still won't drink from it. I purchased one years ago that he wouldn't drink from I thought because the noise bothered him. I found this at a garage sale and decided to try again. Any suggestions? « Show Less
2056247
My four cats LOVE this fountain. It is important to change out the charcoal filters regularly, and if your fountain is making noises (it is not supposed to) then there is probably cat hair that is partially clogging the pump. Easy to fix. Just take the fountain apart, and clean the pump out, and then refill. I hope that your kitty warms up to the pump because moving water is much fresher than water that sits around. Good Luck!
2056248
Sorry really don't have any suggestions for you. None of my cats hesitated to drink out of mine.
2056249
I'm sorry you're having trouble. The first fountaini bought recommended you leave it unplugged for a few days when introducing it into your cat's environment so they can get used to it. Maybe that would help. If it's used it could be that the pump is a bit noisy but the sound has never bothered my cats. I hope it works out.
1717188
I have an L-shaped area in my kitchen for my cats to eat so I have the food in one area and around the corner I placed the water fountain. Generally, they drink after they eat. I would say that it doesn't matter where you place it, but I recommend placing it in an area that isn't busy foot-traffic wise or they may be too wary of what's going on around them to drink. It should be easily accessible though.
1103983
I usually top mine off every day but I have four cats. It doesn't really need to be topped off every day, I do it because I don't like the trickling water noise it makes when it gets below a certain level ( I'm a light sleeper ). Depending on how much your cats drink it should last the five days. It holds about a half gallon of water.
1072212
I'm sorry, I have not used the Habitrail set yet, but I have seen this complaint before. If water drips from the bottle & Hammy ignores it, my only suggestion is to put water in a small heavy bowl so it isn't tippable, and Hammy can still drink like a cat or dog.
527938
If your cat will drink out of an elevated bowl it will be perfect. Our dog was a little hesitant because it was new but a few treats in the bowl changed his mind.
1509956
Is every 3 days often enough? I have one cat and use bottled water in the fountain, as the stuff that comes out of the faucet here in the desert is not really drinkable, even when run through a Pur filter. The fountain still starts to show clear slime within a day. It's not algae, as the slime is clear, not green, and the fountain is in a room that doesn't get any sunlight. I don't have this problem with Petco's basic fountain, but the cat prefers a falling water stream, hence the Drinkwell. I tend to agree with other posters that it's the cheap chinese plastic that's the problem. Any manufacturer who thinks melamine is a nutrient OK for baby formula isn't going to be even that "careful" with mere pets. Is every 3 days often enough? I have one cat and use bottled water in the fountain, as the stuff that comes out of the faucet here in the desert is not really drinkable, even when run through a Pur filter. The fountain still starts to show clear slime within a day. It's not algae, as the slime is clear, not green, and the fountain is in a room that doesn't get any sunlight. I don't have this problem with Petco's basic fountain, but the cat prefers a falling water stream, hence the Drinkwell. I tend to agree with other posters that it's the cheap chinese plastic that's the... » Read More Is every 3 days often enough? I have one cat and use bottled water in the fountain, as the stuff that comes out of the faucet here in the desert is not really drinkable, even when run through a Pur filter. The fountain still starts to show clear slime within a day. It's not algae, as the slime is clear, not green, and the fountain is in a room that doesn't get any sunlight. I don't have this problem with Petco's basic fountain, but the cat prefers a falling water stream, hence the Drinkwell. I tend to agree with other posters that it's the cheap chinese plastic that's the problem. Any manufacturer who thinks melamine is a nutrient OK for baby formula isn't going to be even that "careful" with mere pets. « Show Less
2237944
It may take awhile. I got mine in January and hoped that my 3 cats and 2 dogs would take to it. Well, only 1 of my cats uses the fountain on a regular basis. And 1 of my dogs uses it periodically. My husband tells me I should pick up all the water bowls and that would force them to use it, but I just don't have the heart. I keep showing them the fountain whenever I get the chance. Hope you have better luck than I'm having!
1702057
I don't hear the water, but I'm a Senior Citizen and there is always other noise in the house, like the furnace, toilets flushing, and the ambient chaos of the six cats and one cocker spaniel. The water fountain is up on the counter to puppy-proof it, and all six cats find it and enjoy it. I think even a blind dog, given a dog's excellent hearing and sense of smell, could find this and would like it. it's worth a try and Amazon is terrific about returns if it doesn't work out. Good luck, and good for you for taking such good care of your special needs animal.--Pandamom
2051030
Yes, my pump makes "noises" all the time, be sure to keep the water level high enough to keep it flowing. That seems to help with the noise. After replacing the pump twice, I came to the conclusion it HAS TO BE cleaned weekly. Running the fountain 24/7 keeps the water circulating and is an added bonus of "playtime" for my furry babies.
1893610
This isn't really meant to be used for water at all. It is a food bowl. If this is the only water supply you are giving your cat, you REALLY need to step it up. Cats usually will not drink out of shallow water, get a fountain or use a large pitcher of water.
794667
The are in which your pet drinks from is smaller. I'm not sure which space is intended to be drank from but my dogs drink from the larger lower open part of the dish. This dish becomes loud as the water level is lower. The dish sits lower on the floor than our previous dish. Easier to clean than our last.
536723
My cats are 3and 9years old they've never bothered with the fountain maybe because your cat is young and curious. My fountain backs against the wall so it's parts aren't accessible.
1561835
The water was a bit "loud" as it came out of spout. Give the cat time if you just bought it, my boy took somw time getting used to it and he is scared of his own shadow, also mine eventually stopped working because its impossible to clean the hoses that connect to LED , if you unhook them to clean w/ q-tip it wont work like it did when was new, After 2 emails to manufacturer that got no respone I mailed it back to them and told them to try again, then I got the pioneer pet raindrop fountain which is very quiet compared tothe Uv fountain,
2021722
The tag on the pets collar can not be set to mute, however it is a very faint high pitched beep that you can only hear within about 15 feet or so if all is quiet. It doesn't bother my cat at all and I believe it might even help because when they hear they know we are looking for her to come and then she gets fed. She is very big on the food reward system. If you wanted to acclimate your cat to the sound I would put it by her bowl and activate it when you feed her for a few days so the sound has a positive association with it. The hand held locator is how you will find your pets location anyhow and not really through the beeping or light. It is a very useful product. The tag on the pets collar can not be set to mute, however it is a very faint high pitched beep that you can only hear within about 15 feet or so if all is quiet. It doesn't bother my cat at all and I believe it might even help because when they hear they know we are looking for her to come and then she gets fed. She is very big on the food reward system. If you wanted to acclimate your cat to the sound I would put it by her bowl and activate it when you feed her for a few days so the sound has a positive association with it. The hand held locator is how you will find your pets location... » Read More The tag on the pets collar can not be set to mute, however it is a very faint high pitched beep that you can only hear within about 15 feet or so if all is quiet. It doesn't bother my cat at all and I believe it might even help because when they hear they know we are looking for her to come and then she gets fed. She is very big on the food reward system. If you wanted to acclimate your cat to the sound I would put it by her bowl and activate it when you feed her for a few days so the sound has a positive association with it. The hand held locator is how you will find your pets location anyhow and not really through the beeping or light. It is a very useful product. « Show Less
1535438
I don't think it is noisy, I do have some aquariums in the house, they are much noisier. If the cat would lick of the side to drink from the top is twelve inches from the floor. Hope that helps.
399078
I have this fountain for my cats and love it . I have two cats and I found that when I would change the filter every month the filter would be DISGUSTING. It was slimy and almost like it had a slimy mold/moss growing on the filter (the debris it collected even seemed slightly green-tinted). I've always used my Britta filtered water in this so I decided to give it a try without the filter and it works perfectly fine. I change the water weekly and there are no issues. I feel like because this design is so low to the grown and large a lot of dust/dirt/debris from the floor plus cat fur and cat spit ends up in it so I'm happy replacing their water every week. Also, I'd never want to drink water that old. I have this fountain for my cats and love it . I have two cats and I found that when I would change the filter every month the filter would be DISGUSTING. It was slimy and almost like it had a slimy mold/moss growing on the filter (the debris it collected even seemed slightly green-tinted). I've always used my Britta filtered water in this so I decided to give it a try without the filter and it works perfectly fine. I change the water weekly and there are no issues. I feel like because this design is so low to the grown and large a lot of dust/dirt/debris from the floor plus cat fur and cat... » Read More I have this fountain for my cats and love it . I have two cats and I found that when I would change the filter every month the filter would be DISGUSTING. It was slimy and almost like it had a slimy mold/moss growing on the filter (the debris it collected even seemed slightly green-tinted). I've always used my Britta filtered water in this so I decided to give it a try without the filter and it works perfectly fine. I change the water weekly and there are no issues. I feel like because this design is so low to the grown and large a lot of dust/dirt/debris from the floor plus cat fur and cat spit ends up in it so I'm happy replacing their water every week. Also, I'd never want to drink water that old. « Show Less
1128678
My cats love the fountain and have from day one. I had it easy though, they were used to drinking out of the sink and that was their preferred source prior to the fountain. I placed the fountain right next to the sink and since it was in the same area they were used to getting water it was an easy transition. I did have to move the fountain when doing some work in the bathroom and found the cats weren't using it as much. Once back in it's place they returned to normal use. I guess my suggestion could be to place it on the bathroom sink (if you have the space). Cats are used to running water there even if they don't drink from the faucet like my cats did. My cats love the fountain and have from day one. I had it easy though, they were used to drinking out of the sink and that was their preferred source prior to the fountain. I placed the fountain right next to the sink and since it was in the same area they were used to getting water it was an easy transition. I did have to move the fountain when doing some work in the bathroom and found the cats weren't using it as much. Once back in it's place they returned to normal use. I guess my suggestion could be to place it on the bathroom sink (if you have the space). Cats are used to... » Read More My cats love the fountain and have from day one. I had it easy though, they were used to drinking out of the sink and that was their preferred source prior to the fountain. I placed the fountain right next to the sink and since it was in the same area they were used to getting water it was an easy transition. I did have to move the fountain when doing some work in the bathroom and found the cats weren't using it as much. Once back in it's place they returned to normal use. I guess my suggestion could be to place it on the bathroom sink (if you have the space). Cats are used to running water there even if they don't drink from the faucet like my cats did. « Show Less