This Drinkwell Pet Fountain came shipped unassembled in parts, but it was super easy to wash the individual pieces and then to assemble. Very soon after initial unboxing and assembly, I was filling it with enough water to keep my three big dogs from ever encountering an empty water bowl, plugging it in, and adjusting the water flow. I did place it on a silicon pet bowl mat that we normally have down to protect our wood floors underneath and to help avoid any possibility of it sliding around. Despite the pet fountain running full time in the background, the noise is soothing and quiet- almost like having an indoor water feature. The fountain feature is really more like a trickle, which you have the option to control the volume via a lever on top. We have had zero ... MoreThis Drinkwell Pet Fountain came shipped unassembled in parts, but it was super easy to wash the individual pieces and then to assemble. Very soon after initial unboxing and assembly, I was filling it with enough water to keep my three big dogs from ever encountering an empty water bowl, plugging it in, and adjusting the water flow. I did place it on a silicon pet bowl mat that we normally have down to protect our wood floors underneath and to help avoid any possibility of it sliding around. Despite the pet fountain running full time in the background, the noise is soothing and quiet- almost like having an indoor water feature. The fountain feature is really more like a trickle, which you have the option to control the volume via a lever on top. We have had zero issues with leaks or breakage at all. I love that there is a filter to keep the water fresh, but I still pick up the whole device each week to dump out the water, give it a very bare minimum quick clean and rinse, and refill simply because we have some big shedding dogs in our household. The true test though is that my pets seem to love it and have no problems using it. They were only slightly unsure about this new device when I first set it down, as it was the first pet fountain they had encountered, but after a few minutes of treat training right by the newly running bowl there was no continued lingering hesitation to be seen. I would recommend this to anyone with indoor pets and especially for multi-pet households, as well as anyone who loves the ease of only needing to occasionally fill the water dish and still be reassured their pets are getting healthy, clean water.

Okay, I went way over on reviewing this because I really tried to get my dog to like this bowl. While it’s quiet and holds a decent amount of water, he just wasn’t a fan 😅. I ended up sending it back home with my mom assuming our cat will like it. What I didn’t like was that the only way to turn off the fountain is by unplugging it. I wish there was a button on top where I could turn it off because our dog isn’t a heavy drinker, so to have it run all day when he typically drinks after meals or outside seems like a waste of energy. I think this would be a quality staple for another animal. Mine is just persnickety.

1-Gallon Fountain Pump Not Strong Enough

I love PetSafe products; it is a great brand. That said, I had the ½ gallon fountain before purchasing the 1-gallon fountain, and I am a little disappointed in the 1-gallon fountain.I think the pump used (the same for the ½ gallon & the 1-gallon fountain) for the 1-gallon fountain needs to be stronger. When I had the ½ gallon fountain, I never had floaters in the dog's water or on the bottom of the fountain. Now that I have the 1-gallon fountain, it seems not to be circulating enough water to force the bits of food or grass into the foam filter; instead, it floats in the water.My ½ gallon fountain lasted a few years; I plan on purchasing the smaller one next time when the 1-gallon fountain breaks.

Best fountain in the history of fountains, maybe ever.

Love love this fountain! We have two cats and a golden retriever so the fact it holds 2 gallons is amazing. It works well and is fairly easy to clean.I will caution you to not put any of the tower or smaller parts on the bottom of the dishwasher because they will get too hot and warp. We learned that the hard way and it’s why we just bought the fountain for the second time. Other than that, it lasted us several years and we’ve really enjoyed it! You can buy cheaper versions of the fountain filters on Amazon.

Best water fountain on the market!

I've tried several different water fountains for my 2 cats and this is by far the best one. Ive had it for around 1 year now, and it's still runs and looks new. The water is always nice a clean from them. Only maintenance is cleaning the charcoal filter every now and then. Also I'd recommend replacing it after 3 months. You could go for longer i personally just like replacing it with a fresh one after awhile. It's also very quiet compared to most other brands I've bought previously as well.I love it as much as my cats do. Would highly recommend this product. Don't waste your time with the cheaper ones that end up breaking! Trust me.

Horrible Design and Poor Pump Circulation

I have had trouble with this foundation since day one. I am on my third replacement pump. The pumps are not strong enough to adequately filter the water through the thick filter. This is a poor design. I have two other fountains made from Drinkwell. They are far superior to Petsafe and cheaper. I have never had a problem with the Drinkwell brand and have had them over 5 years. I’ve never replaced the motors and the water stays clean and filtered. With the Petsafe Fountain the bottom of the bowl stays covered in sediment from the dogs mouth. The pump isn’t powerful enough to circulate the water to be filtered. The design is horrible and the filter is difficult to change. I will never buy a Petsafe fountain again. I had to trash this one and buy a Drinkwell ... MoreI have had trouble with this foundation since day one. I am on my third replacement pump. The pumps are not strong enough to adequately filter the water through the thick filter. This is a poor design. I have two other fountains made from Drinkwell. They are far superior to Petsafe and cheaper. I have never had a problem with the Drinkwell brand and have had them over 5 years. I’ve never replaced the motors and the water stays clean and filtered. With the Petsafe Fountain the bottom of the bowl stays covered in sediment from the dogs mouth. The pump isn’t powerful enough to circulate the water to be filtered. The design is horrible and the filter is difficult to change. I will never buy a Petsafe fountain again. I had to trash this one and buy a Drinkwell foundation. Be warned! Utter waste of $85! So disappointing for the last 4 months!

Love these fountains

I have 3 of these fountains and love them. I have the 100 ounce multi tier and the Drinkwell half gallon for the cats as well as the Drinkwell 2 gallon for our German Shepherd. I’ve seen reviews where people said they just suddenly stopped working. I replaced one pump on the 2 gallon fountain after a year but no problems with the others and it’s been a couple years. You must clean them regularly and that includes cleaning the impellor. I pull out the impellor,(gently) clean inside the chamber with a Q-tip and rinse well. Also clean and rinse the impellor. Sludge will build up on the impellor and stop working. The main thing with these fountains is never let the water get too low or you will burn up your pump. Proper maintenance and they'll last a long time.

Not worth it

We have had another fountain by the same brand for 6 years and love it, so we thought this would be good purchase for our senior cat whom we have to keep separate from the other two. Even liked that it had a sponge filter AND carbon filter.However, this fountain sucks. The filters do not do a good job and after a day or two there's a fine layer of carbon dust in the water. The fountain water gets freakishly foamy after 3 days! I'm constantly changing the carbon filter and breaking this thing down to scour it every 3 days. Speaking of breaking it down to clean: it has more parts than our giant 2 gallon fountain and all the little parts are so narrow and hard to clean well, even with a straw cleaner.This thing is not worth the time nor effort it takes to maintain ... MoreWe have had another fountain by the same brand for 6 years and love it, so we thought this would be good purchase for our senior cat whom we have to keep separate from the other two. Even liked that it had a sponge filter AND carbon filter.However, this fountain sucks. The filters do not do a good job and after a day or two there's a fine layer of carbon dust in the water. The fountain water gets freakishly foamy after 3 days! I'm constantly changing the carbon filter and breaking this thing down to scour it every 3 days. Speaking of breaking it down to clean: it has more parts than our giant 2 gallon fountain and all the little parts are so narrow and hard to clean well, even with a straw cleaner.This thing is not worth the time nor effort it takes to maintain it. Get another model of fountain!It's so much more

Such a bad fountain

I bought this fountain as my vet suggested one to encourage my cat to drink more water. I was hesitant as I had tried a fountain before and she would not drink from it, but she took to this fountain immediately. The half gallon size is perfect for one cat and this fountain is not loud, however the filter is horrible. It gets slimy and gross within a week. Disassembling, cleaning, and then reassembling is not hard, but it is a pain to have to do it so often. I thought that using purified water would possibly help with the filter issues, but I think it made it worse somehow. It didn’t get slimy, but black stuff developed on the filter after only a week. I’m not sure if it’s mold, but I do not feel comfortable with my cat continuing to drink from this fountain. Such a ... MoreI bought this fountain as my vet suggested one to encourage my cat to drink more water. I was hesitant as I had tried a fountain before and she would not drink from it, but she took to this fountain immediately. The half gallon size is perfect for one cat and this fountain is not loud, however the filter is horrible. It gets slimy and gross within a week. Disassembling, cleaning, and then reassembling is not hard, but it is a pain to have to do it so often. I thought that using purified water would possibly help with the filter issues, but I think it made it worse somehow. It didn’t get slimy, but black stuff developed on the filter after only a week. I’m not sure if it’s mold, but I do not feel comfortable with my cat continuing to drink from this fountain. Such a disappointing item given that I paid $50 plus all the replacement filters I’ve purchased.

Unsanitary and inconvenient

I bought this maybe a week or two ago for my cat. The directions were hard to follow, but my dad (an engineer) always told me to pretty much ignore directions and just put things together logically, only referring to thr directions if needed. I hope that advice helps others who have trouble with the illogical written directions.I taste-tested the water for my cat initially, and it had a weird, chemical taste. I figured it would go away after the filter started working. Two weeks later, the taste is still there, and the water at the bottom is visibly dirty (NOT saliva).The cleaning instructions in the manual say you need to "discard the carbon filter and discard the foam filter". Replacement parts are only available via a phone number or a website. I was planning ... MoreI bought this maybe a week or two ago for my cat. The directions were hard to follow, but my dad (an engineer) always told me to pretty much ignore directions and just put things together logically, only referring to thr directions if needed. I hope that advice helps others who have trouble with the illogical written directions.I taste-tested the water for my cat initially, and it had a weird, chemical taste. I figured it would go away after the filter started working. Two weeks later, the taste is still there, and the water at the bottom is visibly dirty (NOT saliva).The cleaning instructions in the manual say you need to "discard the carbon filter and discard the foam filter". Replacement parts are only available via a phone number or a website. I was planning to clean the fountain today, but it seems I'll need to order replacement filters first and then wait for them to arrive.I hate to leave a negative review, but so far this product is unsanitary and inconvenient.My previous cat had the PetSafe Drinkwell Mini fountain, and I don't remember any major issues with that.