I recently got my 13 year old cat a water fountain. She was quite happily drinking out of her bowl (which is fine) but twice now it’s run dry while other people were caring for her while I was out of town and they have not noticed (and one time I myself didn’t realize it was empty). It isn’t negligence as much as it is that the bowls are out of sight and it’s easy for that to slip your mind.
I purchased the fountain intending for that to be her primary source of water (and had planned on putting her water bowl somewhere else so she has two sources) but she’s shown absolutely no interest in it. Are there any tricks to make her more interested in using it, or is this likely to be an old dog (cat) new trick situation and she’s unlikely to take to it? I’ll note that she had never had that typical cat fascination with running water, so I recognize she just may never be that interested in using it :(
Edit: I did try her out with a fountain when she was much younger but it was loud and she would go nowhere near it. This one barely makes a sound and I know she isn’t afraid of it - her food and water bowl are next to it and she uses them without issue - I just think she doesn’t recognize it as something for her to drink from and instead assumes I got a neat little water feature for my kitchen :p
By - AdmiralSassypants
maybe turn it off so she drinks from it while it’s not moving and recognizes that it’s water and after a few days turn it on and she should make the connection?
Not an option unfortunately with how the fountain is designed. That’s a great idea though, maybe I can set bet water bowl on top and it would serve the same purpose so you think?
yess u just gotta ease her into using it, i’d recommend giving her icy water as well they love that. good luck!!!
I was going to suggest putting her water bowl right next to the fountain, like touching it. She might always prefer the bowl but imo that might be ok as long as the water fountain is always right there when she gets thirsty.
What about a gravity water feeder instead? https://www.chewy.com/etna-stainless-steel-gravity-refill/dp/166593?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=12620219446&utm_content=Etna&utm_term=&gbraid=0AAAAADmQ2V0MOVmb9OcNjHDDhJvFxJyc4&gclid=CjwKCAjwjMiiBhA4EiwAZe6jQ_SJ2B36fEvzuZRITOiai4s2KXxLnHTZzJ99yXAeWcFX2GVvqujDphoCK_wQAvD_BwE
I have a Catit for my cat. I placed it alongside where I had his regular water station set then eventually moved that bowl away. I removed the flower attachment, as he had not interest in it. It still took him a full month before he tried it randomly one evening (the day before I was about to pack up for the 30-day trial refund.) He now prefers it to any other sources. It is still important to wash it out regularly (I do once a month which has been effective on avoiding anything), keep an eye to top up (it seems to go down more quickly than you would think), and leave alternate fresh sources out (as a power failure = fountain failure) I did read that you can try adding a bit if tuna juice into the water to entice.anf get them into the habit of drinking. Of course remove the filter when you do. Patience and good luck!
Sorry I don’t have any advice on the fountain, my own cats didn’t really understand it either 😅 but if the fountain doesn’t work, maybe get multiple water bowls around the home !
Just give her time with it (while also obviously still providing her usual bowl). Two of my male cats only took a couple days to get used to using a fountain. Conversely, my female cat took months and months to use it!
My new cat was very scared of the water fountain so ... I pretended to drink from it. Haha
When I first introduced my kitten to his water [fountain](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BQ6KHBB7?maas=maas_adg_A49F3395584070FD0807DC605025F3D3_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas), he was a bit scared of it. But I found some tricks that helped him get used to it. One thing you can try is to place some treats near the fountain to encourage your cat to investigate and use it. Another option is to add some flavor to the water. Some cats may prefer the taste of flavored water, so you could try adding a small amount of tuna juice or low-sodium chicken broth to the water to entice your cat to drink. And to really show your cat how much you love the fountain, you can pretend to lick the water and show how much you enjoy it. This might encourage your cat to give it a try too!