I have long been on the quest for an electric cat fountain that would provide my cats clean, fresh drinking water and not provide me a hassle. Every single fountain I've ever purchased has had the following things in common: cheap pump that either clogs or simply stops running altogether, cheap plastic basin that is nearly impossible to sterilize, and expensive custom filters that rarely do much of anything to truly filter the water. To prove my point, here (in the order of purchase) are the different pet fountains I have bought, used and subsequently tossed in the garbage when they inevitably failed:
-PetMate Fresh Flow Fountain
-Cat It Fresh and Clear Drinking Fountain
-PetMate Ultra Bubbler
-Drinkwell 360 Pet Fountain
All of the above: EPIC FAIL!
The final straw for me was the Drinkwell 360. It was beautiful when I first got it. Like a garden fountain decorating some lovely manor house in the English countryside. Within months, the thing was nothing more than a thorn in my side. The fountain was constantly clogging with cat hair to the point where water could not pass through. Calcium deposits were forming on the inside of the bowl that even the toughest elbow grease could not rid. Worst of all, the plastic bowl was consistently accumulating a yellowish orange slime that nearly made me gag. I decided that I'd had enough! I began to scour the internet for the pet fountain to end all pet fountains...the last pet fountain I would ever need...the most highly prized pet fountain that mankind has yet to concoct.
I found it, and it's called the GlacierPoint Perfect Pet Fountain.
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| Perfect Pet Fountain (basic) |
Upon brief communication with Barry Farris, the mastermind behind
Sierra BioScience LLC, I found myself the proud new owner of a
basic model GlacierPoint Perfect Pet Fountain. When I first took it out of the box, my husband immediately quipped: "What on Earth is this Rubegoldbergian contraption? Please tell me this isn't
another pet fountain." I nervously assured him that it was, in fact, another pet fountain and that with any luck, it will be the last pet fountain we'd ever need. The reason for my husband's disdain is evident upon first viewing of the GlacierPoint Perfect Pet Fountain
product line. These fountains are not pretty. They do not look as though they could adorn a manor in the English countryside. As a matter of fact, they look positively prototypical. "Form over function" simply does not apply here; but why would it? As it turns out, cats could not care less about the look of their water fountain. What they really want (and what you should want for them, too) is the cleanest and safest drinking water available. A consistent, steady flow of clean water encourages cats to drink, which will head off all sorts of future health problems like kidney disease. Trust me: renal failure is
no picnic, and you don't want your cat to get it!
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| Inventor Barry Farris |
Okay, so we've established that the Perfect Pet Fountain is not attractive. What we haven't yet established is what sets this line of fountains apart from all the others. The man behind the brand, Barry Farris, is an award winning medical device inventor with more than 20 issued and published patents. Barry enjoys finding problems that need innovative solutions, and in 2006 he decided to apply his problem-solving skills to the issue of sub-par pet fountains currently available on the market. From this initial idea was born the full line of Perfect Pet Fountains you see today. These fountains are different in just about every conceivable way. First, the water basins are made of ceramic which can easily be sterilized with hot water and are even dishwasher safe. There are no tiny nooks and crannies to gather bacteria. Remember that icky slime I talked about in the Drinkwell 360? That's bacteria. Plastic is generally porous, and therefore the bacteria is virtually impossible to get rid of. In short,
plastic water dishes are a danger to your pet. The ceramic basin is a simple solution to a dangerous problem. I don't want my cats ingesting slimy bacteria globs! Now, they don't have to. The second major difference is the pump. Sierra BioScience uses high quality and powerful pumps that keep the water running constantly. These pumps are not chintzy little pumps like you usually see used in commercial fountains. You know the ones I'm talking about: The ones that clog up when a few stray hairs make their way into the bowl, or simply stop working after a few months for no conceivable reason. Those pumps have no place on a Perfect Pet Fountain. If you want to see what I'm talking about,
just watch this video! The final main difference is the filtration system. The pump itself sits in a foam housing that prevents microbes and other ickies from getting into the pump to begin with. The water then goes up through a tube which contains foam filters and charcoal. This two-step cleaning system ensures that your pet consistently has good, clean drinking water. These filters are easy to change out when necessary, and are a
cheap option compared to the filters needed on many other commercially available models. These are just the advantages of the
basic model; some of the larger models have even more innovative solutions, like a system to actually chill the water for your pet. Ooh la la!
Another awesome thing about Sierra BioScience is their "green" mentality. From using tubes approved by the USFDA for food/drug use to only patronizing companies that are earth friendly, you can feel good about purchasing a Perfect Pet Fountain. To fully understand all the ways that this company embodies the "green" lifestyle, check out
this page. Personally, I feel great knowing that my cats are using a quality product that was made in the USA, uses human-quality parts, and espouses the "green" values that mean so much to me!
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| A kitty (not mine!) enjoys the Perfect Pet Fountain |
So what did my cats think? The second I set the fountain up (which literally takes about 5 minutes, max...it is
far from the Rube Goldberg machine my husband expected it to be), they each took a turn drinking. And I don't just mean a quick sip...I mean a drink that lasted well over 30 seconds. It was astounding how much they drank! After seeing that and subsequent visits to the fountain, I am positive that my cats are drinking enough water to keep their kidneys and organs in check. I've also been able to keep the fountain spic and span, which cannot be said for my previous fountains. The water is still running clean and clear and the basin is pearly white. No more slime. No more limescale. No more half-hearted trickling of water. How cool is that?
In a nutshell, here's the scoop: the Sierra BioScience line of Perfect Pet Fountains are the best you're going to find on the market today. They solve the issues that commercially available fountains create. They provide fresh, clean water that is good for your pet. They are not pretty, but they are so functional that the appearance can easily be forgiven. They are made of the highest quality parts you'll find, right here in the USA. If you have any problems at all, you can contact the INVENTOR of the fountain for tips and solutions (and he's friendly, too!) The final verdict?
I RECOMMEND SIERRA BIOSCIENCE'S PERFECT PET FOUNTAINS WHOLEHEARTEDLY! :)
