So I’m thinking of taking the plunge (sorry). I once tried a cheapie fountain for my cats and the sitter told me it looked like a neti pot and it was no wonder the cats weren’t interested! I’ve seen some nice ones in homes I’ve sat, but never thought to write down what kind they were. So sitters or hosts if you’ve had good experience with a relatively small fountain – the kind that definitely simulates running water, please share photos, brands, links, etc.
Thanks!
I have recommended this one to HOs and the cats seem to love it. The key is to get a stainless steel one, otherwise plastic ones tend to change the taste of the water and one where the water is being pushed up, rather than down in some models. Most cats hate to get their whiskers wet and with this they can easily avoid getting wet.
Thank you! Not only for the rec, but for explaining hwat to look for and why the design works. (It was on sale on Amazon, and I used reward points, so it’s on the way.)
Okay. So I got the fountain. My guys all came over to look at it and walked away. Two days later I haven’t seen anyone actually drink from it. I tried putting catnip near it a couple of times. They came over for the catnip. Didn’t notice the water.
So new question: How do I interest my cats in the fountain?
My issue with fountains is that if they’re not cleaned very frequently, they get nasty. I had a sit where they said the fountain would be fine because they’d cleaned it recently, but when I checked, the interior was slimy and the filter was gross.
I also knew someone whose cat was drinking out of her decorative fountain. When he developed blood in his urine, apparently the vet blamed the fountain.
So just a caution, you might need to spend a lot of time scrubbing the thing out.
On my current sit the cat has a gravity fed 1 gallon water fountain and another for food. I’ve been keeping an eye on both, and the cat gets on well with both.
My own previous cat couldn’t tolerate her whiskers touching the edge of anything so the catit daisy fountain suited her.
As a sitter, I prefer the gravity fed one for the cat.
Oooh! Well, it’s not going to get dirty if they never use it. So one thing at a time.
They do though, because water that doesn’t get refreshed will eventually get icky anyway, just from dust or mold spores or whatever in the air. Even clean houses have some of that. 
Some cats simply take more time to adjust to new things. Do you still keep their old water bowls? Maybe if you remove them they will start looking for another water source. Also make sure the fountain is not near their food or litter. When I first introduced my cats to the fountain I added an ice cube on top and that got their interest. I’ve heard also people adding a few drops of tinned tuna juice or chicken broth to get them going.