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PETCO.com Ratings and Reviews
Top Rated Product
PETCO Automatic Cat Water Fountain
Aerated oxygen makes water taste freshReplaceable charcoal filter removes bad tastes and odorsLarge 50 oz. capacityConvenient, easy to use and maintainAdditional charcoal filters available, sold separately
Average Customer Rating:
out of
5
(38 Reviews)31 of 38(82%)customers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for PETCO Automatic Cat Water Fountain
Overall Rating:
out of
5
(based on 38 reviews)
Written By: yeaaahtoast
Awesome
Date: November 16, 2009
"Pippin loves this. It's so much easier to clean than my old petmate, and the blue is a nice touch.
If the power goes out he can still get to the water even if the pump isn't running (important!), and as long as you keep it filled to the right level it's SILENT."
If the power goes out he can still get to the water even if the pump isn't running (important!), and as long as you keep it filled to the right level it's SILENT."
Review 2 for PETCO Automatic Cat Water Fountain
Overall Rating:
out of
5
(based on 38 reviews)
Written By: Capinth
Avoid if you can.
Date: November 14, 2009
"I bought this fountain 2 months ago. I have 2 cats and I cleaned it every week throughly and changed the filter once a month. And the motor broke!! I'm soooooo disappointed in this product. After reading the great reviews by other ppl I thought this was the way to go. But never again."
Review 3 for PETCO Automatic Cat Water Fountain
Overall Rating:
out of
5
(based on 38 reviews)
Written By: DeeW
Kitty Loves It
Date: November 12, 2009
"This water fountain is the 3rd I've bought and the only one I've kept. It is quiet and inexpensive yet the best of the lot, plus my Dixie loves it."
Review 4 for PETCO Automatic Cat Water Fountain
Overall Rating:
out of
5
(based on 38 reviews)
Written By: froo
Petco Automatic Cat Water Fountain
Date: November 10, 2009
"We were advised by our vet to purchase the Drinkwell platinum pet fountain for our Ragdoll. Unfortunately, although it was a beautiful unit, it was $70+ and he was frightened of the waterfall action so he wouldn't use it. For $20 this Petco version offers just a small bit of water movement- a stream of water doesn't even break the surface, the water activity can be turned down so low it just barely makes a light ripple coming from underneath the surface of the water and he loves it! He even has become playful with it. Just his speed! If you have a cat that is not quite the adventurous type, and is frightened of running water, this fountain will do the trick. And it's quiet!"
Review 5 for PETCO Automatic Cat Water Fountain
Overall Rating:
out of
5
(based on 38 reviews)
Written By: Smudgecat
awesome invention
Date: October 31, 2009
"Our cat family really enjoys the water dish. A little skeptical for the first day, now they drink more than with their older water dish. Good purchase."
Review 6 for PETCO Automatic Cat Water Fountain
Overall Rating:
out of
5
(based on 38 reviews)
Written By: FirstTimeCatOwners
Great fountain - cats love it
Date: October 30, 2009
"Our 2 cats have been drinking twice as much water since we got this fountain. They were skittish at first because of the slight sound, but now they love watching the water move and will drink a lot more (which is good for them). You do need to monitor the water level and clean it at least once a week, and keep the cord secured so little paws can't get at it. This is well worth the money.and we only have to fill the bowl once a day."
Review 7 for PETCO Automatic Cat Water Fountain
Overall Rating:
out of
5
(based on 38 reviews)
Written By: Mom2twingles
Great product
Date: October 25, 2009
"We've had this for over 6 months now, and I love it. Our Shih Tzu would not drink much from conventional bowls, and one cat loved to use the sink, while our stray preferred milk. This water fountain has solved everything. It is very easy to clean (strongly recommend the cleaning brush - it is perfect for every nook and cranny!!), is virtually silent (keep it filled, & expect noise when it primes the first time or is low on water), and the filters are easy to change and not very expensive. I put a rimmed mat under the fountain to contain any spills, but unless it gets bumped, there have been none. I keep the pump at half flow, and that has been enough to attract the animals, but not cause water to splash everywhere (as other have stated). I rinse the bowl and change the water weekly (I refill everyday since they use it!), and give it a full cleaning every couple of weeks - or sooner if needed. I use baseboard cord keepers to keep the power cord out of the way since we keep it in the kitchen and have twin 3 yr olds and an 80 yr old to worry about. Overall, I am thrilled at how well this has worked, and the price can't be beat!!"
Review 8 for PETCO Automatic Cat Water Fountain
Overall Rating:
out of
5
(based on 38 reviews)
Written By: Bootsperson
Great buy!
Date: October 17, 2009
"My cat,"Boots", is so picky about her water I was changing the water 3 times a day and had to put ice in it. She took to this as soon as I got it together. It was remarkably easy to assemble and very easy to keep clean."
Review 9 for PETCO Automatic Cat Water Fountain
Overall Rating:
out of
5
(based on 38 reviews)
Written By: Sarah639
Simple, Effective, and Inexpensive
Date: October 13, 2009
"I have 4 Persians and have had Drinkwells, Petmates, and regular bowls of water and this product is by far the best. From a human perspective, it is the lowest cost automatic waterer out there and it's so easy to disassemble and clean compared to the other waterers. The filter is the same style as what's in the Drinkwells and Petmates (white mechanical/black carbon filter). The plastic is somewhat flexible, so there's no worry of dropping and chipping or breaking the waterer. You can adjust the pump to slow down or speed up the water flow. It's extremely quiet (when kept full), and I see my cats using it more than the other waterers, even more than the Drinkwell. The price is great. You can get two of these ($20 ea.) for the price of one Drinkwell ($50) and still save $10. My cats like drinking out of the faucet, but they still seem to like this waterer over the Drinkwell (which has a free falling water stream). Instead of the free falling water stream, this Petco unit has a tiny arch of water that spurts up from the waterline in the center of the bowl, providing just a hint of water stream to capture my cats’ interest without turning them off."
Review 10 for PETCO Automatic Cat Water Fountain
Overall Rating:
out of
5
(based on 38 reviews)
Written By: Tuxedo
Best Yet! Better than Drinkwell
Date: October 10, 2009
"Simple, easy to clean, easy to use -- again EASY TO CLEAN! I need to encourage my older FLUTID cat to drink more and I know she likes these fountains.
I've had Drinkwell products before - cleaning them was a pain. There is no need for the drinking fountain to be so complex. PETCO got it right! 2 main parts, the submersible aquarium pump, and the filter. The plastic bowl housing is sturdy but not brittle and won't break as easily as Drinkwell. Pump motor can be disassembled as needed for very through cleaning.
Pump motor is very quiet and flow is adjustable."
I've had Drinkwell products before - cleaning them was a pain. There is no need for the drinking fountain to be so complex. PETCO got it right! 2 main parts, the submersible aquarium pump, and the filter. The plastic bowl housing is sturdy but not brittle and won't break as easily as Drinkwell. Pump motor can be disassembled as needed for very through cleaning.
Pump motor is very quiet and flow is adjustable."
Review 11 for PETCO Automatic Cat Water Fountain
Overall Rating:
out of
5
(based on 38 reviews)
Written By: cesca86
Great buy!
Date: October 9, 2009
"Both my cats love this fountain. One of my cats is scared of everything so I thought he would be cautious to use it, but the fountain is so quiet that he used it the first moment he saw it."
Review 12 for PETCO Automatic Cat Water Fountain
Overall Rating:
out of
5
(based on 38 reviews)
Written By: becca29
great
Date: October 8, 2009
"My cats used to drink out of the toliet and bathtub. Thid product has helped solve this problem for me. It is great. My cats love the fresh water that is provided every day!"
Review 13 for PETCO Automatic Cat Water Fountain
Overall Rating:
out of
5
(based on 38 reviews)
Written By: 4fluffybuddies
Not What I Was Expecting
Date: September 29, 2009
"The product itself was fine - it worked fine and looked neat. But what I wasn't expecting was for my 4 cats to be afraid of it - and they were. When I plugged it in and turned it on, they backed away and wouldn't go anywhere near it. For whatever reason, the noise and bubbling made them nervous. They definitely prefer their still water bowl!"
Review 14 for PETCO Automatic Cat Water Fountain
Overall Rating:
out of
5
(based on 38 reviews)
Written By: ElephantMan
ElephantMan
Date: September 26, 2009
"This water feeder is much easier to operate and clean than most. It's like a continious water fountain that filters and aerates. Dogs and cats love it."
Review 15 for PETCO Automatic Cat Water Fountain
Overall Rating:
out of
5
(based on 38 reviews)
Written By: jeffnheather
OUTSTANDING WATER BOWL
Date: September 24, 2009
"This water bowl is awesome. Our cats use to play in their water, tip the bowl over, and make a mess everywhere. Now with the new water bowl, they just drink out of it, no more playing or messes. This bowl is well worth the money!!!!!"
Review 16 for PETCO Automatic Cat Water Fountain
Overall Rating:
out of
5
(based on 38 reviews)
Written By: delyte
my kitty loves it
Date: September 24, 2009
"I have small dogs and cats. the dogs went straight to it. I took the cat a little longer about 2days. It is nice to see them drinking more. I gave it 4 stars because if not completly level it does splash a small amount. I would buy another though."
Review 17 for PETCO Automatic Cat Water Fountain
Overall Rating:
out of
5
(based on 38 reviews)
Written By: Catlover32
Good for the price
Date: September 20, 2009
"We just bought our 2 cats this fountain last night. My brother and his wife have one, and I had been wanting to get one for quite some time.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with it so far. It was very simple to set up, seems to be sturdy and made well, and I love having it in blue instead of white. Our cats took to it almost immediately, and one of them enjoys sticking his paws in it but not enough to make a mess. Both of them seem to like just sitting and watching the water flow, which is great because it doubles as entertainment!
My only complaint would be the noise. Before buying this I saw that other reviewers have said the noise is practically undetectable. Well, I turned the motor level down after a few hours of using it, and it is still about as loud as a fish aquarium pump, and the hum can be easily heard across the room. Also, there is a trickling water noise simillar to a desktop fountain. Some may find that relaxing, but I find it to be just a little annoying. I could turn the motor down even more, but I'm afraid if I do that the "drinking fountain" effect will go away, and I don't want that. It's not bad enough to make me not want to use it, but I do wish it could be a tiny bit more quiet.
My only complaint would be the noise. Before buying this I saw that other reviewers have said the noise is practically undetectable. Well, I turned the motor level down after a few hours of using it, and it is still about as loud as a fish aquarium pump, and the hum can be easily heard across the room. Also, there is a trickling water noise simillar to a desktop fountain. Some may find that relaxing, but I find it to be just a little annoying. I could turn the motor down even more, but I'm afraid if I do that the "drinking fountain" effect will go away, and I don't want that. It's not bad enough to make me not want to use it, but I do wish it could be a tiny bit more quiet.
I would defnitely recommend this product to other cat owners. It's such a good deal, compared to other fountains that are 60 or 70 dollars, and you're still getting a good quality cat fountain."
Review 18 for PETCO Automatic Cat Water Fountain
Overall Rating:
out of
5
(based on 38 reviews)
Written By: tm3135
Great fountain
Date: September 15, 2009
"Pretty quiet, nice color, cat likes it. Definitely a good buy."
Review 19 for PETCO Automatic Cat Water Fountain
Overall Rating:
out of
5
(based on 38 reviews)
Written By: AmandaW
A great value!
Date: September 5, 2009
"My cat Buddy has always come running for fresh water, so I have wanted to get an automatic fountain for some time. I researched the various options over time and decided that the Petco brand fountain was the best for our needs.
* Simple design, easy to clean.
* Very quiet!
* Filters effectively
* Doesn't make a mess
* Our cats love it, and so do I :)
* Very quiet!
* Filters effectively
* Doesn't make a mess
* Our cats love it, and so do I :)
As soon as the box arrived I sat down on the floor to take the fountain apart, to familiarize myself with all the parts, expecting it to be complicated. It really isn't!
There are four parts in all: (1) the bottom bowl, (2) the water pump (attached to power cord), (3) the filter, and (4) the top bowl. That's it! It's so simple and quick to put put together or take apart, the parts are very easy to clean (nothing small and intricate). Just wash the two bowl components with dish soap, and rinse the filter with cold water, and it's ready to go.
When it is plugged for the first time, the pump is LOUD. This lasts 2-3 minutes ONLY! We were terrified that was just how loud it was going to be. But it's not -- it's just the pump priming itself on its first use.
Once the pump is done priming, the fountain settles into a very low, hard to detect hum. Even on the max pump setting, it is hard to hear it going. Without water in the bowl, you can't even tell if the pump is running unless you touch the bowl and feel the vibration. When there is water in the bowl, there is a very low sound, similar to the sound of your cat lapping water -- hard to hear unless you're right next to them.
My cats do drop bits of food, hair, etc. into their water bowl at times, which I hate. But in the fountain they get filtered away quickly, since the water is always circulating. I love seeing their water bowl clean every time I walk by it, instead of seeing those bits and pieces and having to go and change the water so frequently.
My cats were suspicious of the fountain at first. Here's a few tips.
* Make sure that the cats aren't around when you plug it in the first time for priming. Plug it in at a different location than you will be keeping the bowl. That way they don't hear the loud priming noise and associate it with their water bowl.
* When you first introduce your cats to it, keep it off (unplugged). Let them drink water from it without it running. That way they get used to drinking from it before they hear it running. Leave it off for a few hours or even a day or two.
* When you do turn it on, let them approach it and familiarize themselves at their own pace. But you can help them out by doing what I did -- bringing in a pot of cat grass and placing it behind the fountain, so they have to be sitting right next to it or reaching over it to eat the grass. :) Grass is by FAR my cats' favorite treat (over any wet food or food-treat) and they come running for it without fail. They got used to the fountain a lot faster once I used the grass as an incentive!
* When you first introduce your cats to it, keep it off (unplugged). Let them drink water from it without it running. That way they get used to drinking from it before they hear it running. Leave it off for a few hours or even a day or two.
* When you do turn it on, let them approach it and familiarize themselves at their own pace. But you can help them out by doing what I did -- bringing in a pot of cat grass and placing it behind the fountain, so they have to be sitting right next to it or reaching over it to eat the grass. :) Grass is by FAR my cats' favorite treat (over any wet food or food-treat) and they come running for it without fail. They got used to the fountain a lot faster once I used the grass as an incentive!
Buddy in particular is a huge scaredy-cat, but he took to the fountain in almost no time at all. Mitsy, the one who is usually braver, was skittish a bit longer, but also got over it in a day or so. They're both drinking from the fountain with no trouble now.
Notes on splashing/leaking:
* There is a small tube that you can insert in the hole in the top bowl to make a "fountain effect" -- without the tube, the water sort of bubbles up, but with the tube, it streams out neatly. I have definitely noticed that when I leave it to bubble, the water splashes around the bowl (not a whole lot -- no puddles or anything -- but definitely some splashing). With the tube in, however, I don't really get any splashing at all. So I keep it in.
* Our floor is uneven, too, which was a concern that led me to buy this fountain vs. the CatIt (which apparently needs to be leveled well to work properly). There's been no trouble at all with this fountain on my slightly uneven floor.
* There is a small tube that you can insert in the hole in the top bowl to make a "fountain effect" -- without the tube, the water sort of bubbles up, but with the tube, it streams out neatly. I have definitely noticed that when I leave it to bubble, the water splashes around the bowl (not a whole lot -- no puddles or anything -- but definitely some splashing). With the tube in, however, I don't really get any splashing at all. So I keep it in.
* Our floor is uneven, too, which was a concern that led me to buy this fountain vs. the CatIt (which apparently needs to be leveled well to work properly). There's been no trouble at all with this fountain on my slightly uneven floor.
This was DEFINITELY a good purchase, and worth the money. The other automatic fountains are rather more costly and complicated -- this one is simple and inexpensive, a perfect fit for our cats. I would definitely recommend it to any cat owner. I am very happy with it!"
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Review 20 for PETCO Automatic Cat Water Fountain
Overall Rating:
out of
5
(based on 38 reviews)
Written By: Woota
Almost 1 of the best
Date: September 3, 2009
"Probaly the best for leaks because there have been zero and this is the 4th fountain I have tried. The only knock is that the pump is starting to make noise and I wish the bowl came in stainless steel. Otherwise its GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
